BBB Tips: Yard Sales

Whether you’re getting ready to sell a house, move or just want to make more room where you live, a garage sale can be a good way to get rid of unwanted items while realizing some cash.

Start by attacking one closet or room at a time. If you decide to do it all it once, you’re likely to become discouraged before you’ve even made a dent. If possible, enlist other family members to help. You can even make it attractive by offering family members a reward, such as a pizza dinner, for sorting through their room or closet.

Before you get too far, you’ll need to decide where to store items or how to organize them for the sale. Do you have room in a garage, attic or the basement to set items aside for the sale? Consider sorting like items into the same boxes or shelves. Then it will be easier to group them on the day of the sale.

Some items are not likely to sell – anything broken, torn or incomplete is trash, not treasure. Some items, like out-of-season clothing, may be better suited for donation to a charity.

Consider visiting other sales to get an idea of how to price your items. Pricing your items too high can be as big a mistake as pricing them too low. Remember: This is stuff you don’t want to keep or store.

As the sale approaches, make sure you have adequate help for the day of the sale. Consider asking a friend, neighbor or relative to keep an eye on shoppers to make sure they don’t cart off items that aren’t for sale and to prevent people from entering your home.

Consider storing items that aren’t for sale out of sight. A locking cash box can be helpful as well.

Before you advertise your sale, read ads for other sales to get an idea of what time shoppers expect a sale to open and what days are best for a sale. Consider putting up signs to point the way to your sale, but be sure to take them down as soon as the sale ends.

Make a plan for what to do with items that don’t sell. Charity resale shops take many items, but giving them junk can be a burden. It might be better to take less at your sale and donate the proceeds.