One of my favorite parts of spring and summer are all the yards sales! I have included some quick tips for both sellers and buyers to help you enjoy "sale-ing"
Seller Strategies
1.) Prep work: Lots of work goes into a garage sale. Make sure to remember old grocery bags for purchases, and change from the bank. I generally get change for $100 in all denominations. We save our change, so coinage is easy for us. If you don't save your change, make sure that you have some of that on hand too.
2.) Keep pets away from the sale. Sure Fido is super cute, but some people are afraid of pets or may have allergies. Safety is also a concern since there will be extra traffic.
3.) Have a "Free" box at the end of the driveway. Everyone loves something free. I typically have mismatched items, small toys, etc in my free bin.
4.) Lure traffic. Put your best items close to the street. Many people will drive by if they don't see items worth stopping for.
5.) Price appropriately- Items should be about a third of their value. Make sure large items, like a couch, have a large price sign.
6.) Consider allowing your kids to host a lemonade stand. Often times, their lemonade stand is the most successful portion of our yard sale! Plus with summer on the horizon, it gives them a little "mad cash" to spend on summer fun.
Buyer Strategies
1.) Dress appropriately, wear comfy shoes, and use sunscreen. Bring your own sturdy shopping bag. Make sure you have small bills and change. You may wish to have newspaper in your car to wrap fragile items. Tape measures are a good tool to have as well.
2.) Arrive early for best selection, later for best deals.
3.) If you are shopping for kids sporting equipment like cleats, draw their current shoes on a piece of paper to take with you.
4.) Let your kids pay for their items. This is a two fold strategy. Often kids will get a better price than a parent. And it is a great learning opportunity for budgeting, math, and checking for correct change.
