Today I wanted to remind some of you who may have forgotten, that summer is a great opportunity to make a little extra money. Yard sales are a wonderful way to earn a little extra money while simultaneously clearing the things you don’t want anymore out of your house! Maybe you don’t want that picture of the dogs playing cards any more, or maybe you have had a couple children, aren’t planning on anymore, and want to sell your maternity clothes and their baby clothes. It doesn’t matter, because anything you have that you don’t want can go into a yard sale!
We have had yard sales in the past, with very good luck. However, there are some “tricks of the trade” that you must be aware of when you have a yard sale. The first is simply to advertise. Not just with a cardboard sign at the end of your street, but with an ad in your local newspaper. You want to attract as much attention as possible. Your ad should feature a couple of your more abundant/higher priced items, and if you have a specialty item that will attract certain buyers, put it in there too! Trust me when I say that this is a small investment that will pay off. Your ad should also state the hours of the sale, and indicate whether or not you want “early birds” (i.e. people who show up 30-45 minutes early and try to make offers on things before you have the sale set up).
Now, on the day of the sale you should be aware that people will be there exactly when the ad said you would be open, and some of those people will be vendors from flea markets who will be looking for specific things, like gold or jewelry for sale. These requests can seem odd, so simply state your answer firmly and move on.
Another part of having a yard sale is bargaining. All items in the sale should have the price clearly marked on it, and it should be reasonable (or slightly above reasonable) to get the attention of the buyer. You need to expect to have to lower the price/bargain on all the items you are selling. These shoppers are out to get a deal, or they wouldn’t be at a yard sale, they would be at a store paying retail!
Believe it or not, it also pays to be friendly! Yard sale shoppers have been out shopping some days since 6 a.m., and by 11 a.m. they are tired. A friendly smile and cheerful small talk can go a long way to encouraging them to buy. Talking to them also helps you learn about them and their likes, which helps you steer them toward specific things you have that they might want to buy!
So say you either don’t want to have a yard sale or don’t have time to have a yard sale. Well, then I suggest you gather up any clothes/accessories you don’t want and take them to a consignment shop to sell! They are fast, usually offer a fair price (considering the items are used) and you get to clean out your closet! If you are a little more ambitious, I would say to sell any items you want to get rid of on ebay or at the Amazon Marketplace. You should be aware however, that you will need a Paypal account to operate on Ebay with any amount of success.
So, there you have it! Yard sales (either online or actually IN your front yard) are a great way to make some extra money this summer. Yard sales happen on your terms. They require only a very small, if any, up front investment and help motivate you to clean out your house! They are a perfect way to come up with a little spending money for vacation or to pay for the materials for a home improvement project!
On a personal note, Jerrill and I had a wonderful vacation. Lots of time together, good conversation, spent time with friends and, in general, goofed off! We love spending time together…the more, the better! Unfortunately, we didn’t remember to take many pictures, so I am only posting one!
