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Anyone that has moved home will know that once you start packing up your belongings, it only truly dawns on you just how much… stuff you have in your home.
If you’re planning a move and want to get rid of some of your clutter, a great way to do this is by holding a yard sale at your house shortly before moving.
People will be tempted to pick up a pre-loved bargain or two and it might even help you build your renovation fund for the next place.
But how can you make sure that your yard sale is a success? Let’s take a look.
Plan ahead and set a pricing strategy
Before you start pricing up your unwanted items, think about what you might want the money for. Is there something specific for the next house that you want to buy?
It could be some new flooring, an upgraded TV or simply some new pots and pans. You may not hit your target all in one day but it helps you get your head around where you’re willing to go when the haggling starts – it wouldn’t be a proper yard sale otherwise!
Think about how much you would ideally want for each item and also consider what you’d be willing to drop to, pricing things up using sticky notes beforehand.
Avoid doing this on the day, as making prices up on the fly is a sure-fire way to leave yourself short-changed!
Promote the event
Make sure that people in your area know about the event beforehand and ramp things up on the day.
Social media is of course a great place to advertise, but to reach the most local eyeballs why not make customised flyers or leaflets with details of the yard sale including where it is and when you’re going to be holding it.
Have essentials prepared for the sale day
It’s worth getting some change together so that people can pay by cash on the day – a bank will exchange notes for coins of all denominations so that you’re covered.
Other essentials like a calculator, chairs and pens will help, while you might want to get some snacks together and music to make sure that your guests have a great time as well as find a bargain!
Choose the best time for the yard sale
Most likely, you will hold the sale on a weekend when you and others have more spare time, but also think about other things such as the time of year.
For example, if you’re moving house in winter, it may be an idea to hold two smaller sales on consecutive days as doing so in the dark might be difficult and put people off.
If it’s longer and warmer summer days, you can of course make a full day of it.
