With my resolve to go “out with the old and in with the new,” I hosted a yard sale yesterday and made enough dough to buy my new West Elm headboard.  The kicker is I sold things I normally would have donated to charity or just thrown out.  (I hope none of my customers from this weekend are reading).  I guess I should preface this with a clause that I live in Southern California, so you can actually have a successful yard sale in January.  Those Santa Anna winds brought a beautiful summer-like day in the seventies!  Sorry to all my east coast friends.

So as I was saying… I announced in my New Year resolution that I am vacating my oh-so-cute 1920’s bungalow apartment that I love so much, for a dose of modern living at an address on the exciting Sunset Blvd!  I’m smiling from ear to ear.  This move comes with a major downgrade on space, so I have to get rid of A LOT of stuff.

I consider myself a yard sale pro and was able to produce a winning yard sale.  (I say produce because putting on a yard sale is more like directing a stage play with all the characters you will meet.  At times I felt like I was on an episode of Punk’d.)  So I present to you everything you wanted to know about hosting a successful yard sale:

Hosting on Sunday is key.  It’s the time when all the pro yard sale shoppers hit the street in hopes of finding their next gem.  Yeah, I admit I frequent a yard sale or two, but I’m very selective.  To make things easier for your yard sale plan ahead by gathering everything you plan to sell in one location.  This very important step will make your early morning prep work that much more easy.  Speaking of prepping, remember to:

• Check your local forecast.
• Rake area leaves and clear debris.  (I did the night before but the wind from the previous night brought in new leaves as you will see in my video.)
• Bring out any tables or chairs you can use to present items for sale.
• The week of the sale, place ads on free classified services like Craigslist.  They have a section designated to yard sales.  It really works.
• Let your friends know.  They may have been eyeing those seashell coasters for a while.
• Get at least $40 in singles and $5 in quarters for change.
• Have bags on hand.
• Make streets signs to post the day of the sale.

I started setting up at 6AM.  My first customers arrived around 6:30.  I’ve thrown dozens of yard sales for myself and for friends, and I’ve found the best time frame is 6AM-12PM.

It’s best to have at least one friend help with the sale as you will be running a round a lot and need someone to hold down the fort – kinda like a sales associate.

I was trying to sell an old blender that looked a mess.  As soon as I cleaned it up a bit, it went like fire. Dust, wipe down and have all pieces ready to go (an example being a remote).

You’d be surprised at the things that sold like hot cakes.  Here is my top 5 list of unexpected blue light specials:

1. Storage.  Anything used to store other things.  I guess collectors love to store the things they collect?
2. Games and DVDs.  If you’re like me, you store your music on your computer so a yard sale is the perfect time to unload old music and movies you don’t watch.
3. Shoes and Clothing.  I brought out my old clothing kinda late, after I realized that people were actually looking for clothing and shoes.  Needless to say I was on a frenzy to bring out everything I normally would have donated to Goodwill.  I made $60 from old clothing alone.
4. Old Electronics.  Buyers have an obsession with them.  I even had a gentleman buy a cell phone that I explained did not work.  I didn’t ask any questions!
5. Body Sprays, Colognes and Lotions.  All are fair game.  Even used ones!  LOL!

Sell everything “as is” and make no promises about an item you are selling, especially electronics.  Customers can smell a rat a mile away.  And dude, they know where you live.

Greet every customer with a “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon,” and then step back and let them do their thing.  NO need to push items—people will ask questions and generally know what they want.  Like I said, yard sale shoppers are pros.

Price everything to sell.  People at a yard sale don’t come prepared to drop hundreds.  In fact, most don’t want to buy anything over $25.  Remember the goal is to get rid of the items you no longer need.  It’s more about the freedom than profit.  Seriously, do you really want to carry ALL those things back to your apartment?  I sold 90% of my inventory because I charged the right price.  A good rule of thumb is to price items 75%-80% off what you bought them for, unless they are new and unopened.  In that case, try for 60% off.  Another tip is to lay items of the same price on a towel next to each other/ make everything in that section the same price.

For higher ticket items, always price them $2 to $5 higher than you’re hoping to sell them for.  This allows some room to negotiate down for the customer.  They are more likely to close the sale on a bargain.  Also, when customers are buying multiple items and you are in the negotiation stage, always give them a total and then throw something in the package for free.  Keep the mentality that you want nothing to go unsold.  Losing $3 to gain $20 is a wise investment.

It’s a good idea to let your neighbors know you are having a yard sale, as you will cause increased traffic on your neighborhood’s street.  You may even be surprised that some will join in with you.  The more the merrier.  And clean up everything when you’re finished.  Don’t forget to remove your signs.

When your long day is over, go and treat yourself and your friends who helped to a nice lunch.  Trust me you will be exhausted!  But also exhilarated by all that purging and that new wad of cash in your pocket!

Fun!