Even Better Homes and Gardens is doing it…having a yard sale, that is. Clean Out for Kids is a fund raising effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015 and you are invited to participate. Register at www.bhg.com/cleanoutforkids and you’ll receive a tool kit with everything you need to host a successful yard sale and send the proceeds to Share Our Strength. The rewards for you will be three-fold: you will have a warm feeling of helping others plus it’s an opportunity for your entire family to focus on the spirit of giving AND your house will be decluttered!
Better Homes and Gardens even offers 20 tips for having a yard sale in their May issue.
1. Pick the right date. Avoid conflicts with local events. Schedule near a common payday like the 1st or 15th of the month.
2. Walk through every room in your house and grab what you don’t need.
3. Allow 2 weeks prior to sale to pull and clean items. No one wants to buy dirty things!
4. Organize items according to function-clothing, toys, books, tools, etc..
5. Use preprinted price tags or ink the price on painter’s tape. Include interesting facts or how to use item on the price tag. goodwill.org can be your guide for fair market value.
6. Be prepared with a tape measure and yardstick, calculator, and an extension cord and batteries so shoppers can make sure items work.
7. Make your signs big, bold, and easy to read. Tie ballons to your mailbox.
8. Follow local ordinances. Yard signs should include directional arrows, cross streets, and time/date information.
9. Advertise in multiple wats. List on gsalr.com, Craigslist, and the virtual sale site https://www.tagsellit.com.
10. Have enough help. You need a minimum of two people. More is better to cover checkout, answer shoppers questions, and help load vehicles.
11. Make carry out easy with grocery bags and boxes, rubber bands and string.
12. Have plenty of small bills and coins to make change. A fanny pack is a safe place to keep the change money.
13. Fill a Temptation Box near checkout with “last chance” items. Also offer a “free with purchase” box with small stuffed animals, children’s books, bags of loose crayons, etc. that both parents and children will appreciate.
Finally, the art of display is critical. Place large, eye-catching items close to the street. Group things as if they are in a department store. Hang clothes on a garment rack, clothesline or ladder. Cover tables with bright plastic. Place items at eye-level and avoid placing on the ground. Display jewelry pinned on cardboard wrapped in fabric and keep anything valuable near the checkout. Baby clothes and toys are hot items. Display them near the back of the sale so shoppers will have to walk past everything else to get to them. Use vertical space to give the eye something more to see beyond the tables. Use Casart wallcovering to create a visual backdrop. Create varied levels on the tables by using covered boxes, etc. for elevation.
Now, go forth and sell!
– Lorre Lei
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