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Yard Sale Ideas

by Adrienne Wild
Adrienne Wild

Adrienne started her professional life as a gardener at her local parks department and went on to train at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh where she was the first female student on the prestigious and world-renowned horticultural course run by the Botanic garden. An experienced and award-winning garden writer and past editor of some of Britain’s favourite gardening magazines, Adrienne has for over 30 years, inspired gardeners with a breadth of gardening know-how plus creative and decorative ideas. One of her main aims is to make gardening accessible, even to the smallest green fingers, with her clear advice and straightforward step-by-step instructions. Adrienne loves to travel and has visited, given talks and met ordinary home gardeners in far flung places like China, South Africa, Philippines and Caribbean as well as the UK.

Last Updated: February 22, 2021

Yard Sale Ideas

If you’re looking for the best ways to declutter your home, and your life, then a yard sale is a fantastic way to do so. Not only does it get old and disused items out of your home, it also gets them to people who need them more than you, so everybody wins. However, while yard sales are something that everyone has heard of, they are not as simple as placing everything outside and waiting for customers. In fact, there’s quite the science behind it, so here are some yard sales ideas that are sure to make it a success.

Advertise, and Then Advertise More

How do you expect anyone to know about your yard sale if you don’t advertise? You can’t merely rely on your neighbors poking their heads in, and if you live out of the way, you’ll struggle to get adequate footfall. To let as many people know as possible, put flyers up around the whole area, and don’t forget to post it on social media.

Brand It

While most yard sales comprise just about everything you can find, this can make the whole thing a little pedestrian. Instead, consider branding your sale with unique items. These can be old game consoles, books, old designer clothes that you’ll never wear again. The possibilities are endless and make the whole thing more unique and appealing.

Choose Sensible Prices

Sure, you might think your first edition Harry Potter books are worth $100, but no one will pay that at a yard sale. You need to entice customers with sensible prices, because every penny counts. You can also consider offering deals and discounts from people who buy several items at once.

yard sale

Keep It Organized

No one will want to rummage through a pile of disorganized items, as it makes it look like nothing more than junk. Like any proper store, having things organized will make everything easy to find. Keep all the clothes together on a rack and a box or on a table. Likewise, toys should have their own place, as should books, electronics, and anything else you can think of.

Choose the Right Day

Picking the right day is crucial to ensuring a successful yard sale, but it’s not just the day of the week, but also the time of the month. Typically, the first Saturday after payday is most profitable, as people will be more frivolous with their budget, while the days around holidays, such as Thanksgiving, must be avoided at all costs.

yard sale

Yard Sale Success

Hopefully, these ideas will give you an excellent base to build your next yard sale, so you can help out your neighbors both far and wide and also get rid of a lot of that pesky clutter.

Sources:

  1. Tips for Yard Sale Success – Green America
  2. Trash to Treasure: 10 Yard Sale Tips to Make the Most Money – Cheat Sheet
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