Share:
If you seem to be accumulating more stuff than you can squeeze into your apartment lately and you need some extra money, consider having a yard sale. I must admit to being a bit intimidated by my first yard sale because I had no idea what to expect and it seemed like a lot of work for not much money. However, I am happy to report that it went better than I expected and I walked away with $400 bucks! (Ok, I had to split that with my fiancé, but who’s counting?). Since I survived my first yard sale, I thought I’d share my tips to put on a good one, so read on to find out what makes for a good yard sale and makes you extra cash.
Before you sell anything, decide on where you are going to hold a sale. If you live in an apartment with no yard or you’re located in the back or top of the building, it may take a little effort to find the best spot. Many property managers allow tenants to hold community yard sales in the parking lot so talk with your neighbors to see if they are interested. Churches often hold community sales that you can join, and another option is to connect with a friend who has a yard and hold a dual yard sale at their house.
Not many people want to peruse a yard or garage full of dirty and dusty stuff! Many a potential customer will walk away if they notice all your stuff is dirty, so clean it up! It doesn’t have to be sparkling new clean, but at least make sure to wipe down furniture, get the dust off items, and wash anything that can be laundered. If you have a large item that you cannot wash, discount it to reflect the condition.
Your customers will find it irritating if you have a bunch of items without prices and they have to ask you how much it is. You will also find it hard to keep track of items and people if you have several customers’ asking prices from you. Save yourself the headache and keep your customers from walking away by taking the time ahead of the sale to go through and price all items.
A yard sale that looks like you just tossed a bunch of stuff in the yard has no curb appeal to people driving by and makes it difficult to keep track of your things. Avoid this pitfall by organizing items into like categories. Books with movies and music, clothes with shoes, tables with chairs, you get the idea. Keep smaller items like jewelry close to you or you may be minus a necklace with no money paid for it.
If you don’t advertise your sale, you don’t reach nearly as many customers and probably won’t make as much cash. Take advantage of local advertising, online advertising, and light poles around the block. Get the word out that you are having a yard sale and don’t forget to include the times, dates, and your address.
Reserving some items for the second day (and letting people know in your advertising) keeps the interest level up and may bring return customers from the first day. If you have a clean, well-organized yard sale, return customers will often bring a friend the next day to see your new stuff, increasing your earnings potential. However, if you don’t have enough items to bring new things out the next day, this one can be skipped. It is most important to have things clean and organized.
Safety in numbers is a good rule when you are advertising for strangers to come by and check out your stuff, so always have a partner when you hold a yard sale and keep a phone nearby. Most people are no one to worry about, but there are the occasional customers that cause problems at yard sales. Problems such as stealing, arguing loudly (to get what they want), and trying to go in your apartment can be avoided when you have a friend watching your back.
Moving into a new apartment or rental property can be both exciting and stressful. From packing up your belongings to coordinating logistics, there’s a lot to manage. However, one aspect that is often overlooked is what to expect on move-in day regarding the condition of your new unit. Surprisingly, according to recent surveys, a significant […]
· Mar 12, 2024
On ApartmentRatings, real renters have the ability to rate and review their apartment communities based on their experience touring and or living in the communities. ApartmentRatings offers renters the ability to see what life is like at a community through a report card grade style format called epIQ. Every month we highlight apartment communities whose […]
· Feb 28, 2024
On ApartmentRatings, real renters have the ability to rate and review their apartment communities based on their experience touring and/or living in them. ApartmentRatings offers renters the ability to see what life is truly like at a community through a report card grade style format called epIQ. Every month we highlight a major city across […]
· Jan 31, 2024