Yard Sale Time In Nampa Idaho

As the summer seems to have finally arrived in Nampa Idaho I thought it might be a good idea to give a few ideas to having a successful yard sale.  

A successful yard sale takes a bit of planning....Follow these steps to make some extra money, find some extra room in your house and gain a clean garage! 

1.  Go through everything in your house....I mean everything....every closet, drawer, cupboard.   Take everything   out...and put it back in...if you are going to keep it...if not have 3 piles in the garage....give away, throw away or sell it.   It is important to take out the stuff and put it back in...who knows what is hiding in the corners??  Start this a couple months before you plan on having the sale.

2.  Price everything...better to price it all than to have tables with certain prices...It is less confusing...and then no one can say that it is a different price. 

3.  Sort everything by category....Books, Kitchen stuff, electronics, clothing, linens, home decor, craft items, toys you name it...

4.  Set up tables...ask everyone if you can borrow tables....or even rent some.   I like to cover them with a table cloth...Then set up....Here is where our Nampa Idaho garage sales have always been extremely successful.    We set up the tables almost like a store.    Items are neatly arranged on the tables...use wooden crates, or boxes to display the merchandise.    Stuff handbags and totebags so they look fulll (be sure to remove the newspaper stuffing to make sure nothing is hiding).  

5.  Rent a couple of Rounders or display racks to hang clothing and many linens.   It is much easier to shop a rounder than piles of clothing on the ground or a table.   If possible size your clothing.   You will sell more this way...I promise. 

6.   Set up a table or several tables pushed together to make a large table to display your better home decor items,...and set it up in vignettes...by making little theme areas people are more apt to purchase more than one item...maybe the whole grouping.   Use cloth napkins on the table cloth to set things apart.   Our yardsales look like a boutique when we are done.   Do the same with furniture outside on the driveway...Couch?  Add a small table and lamp...stuffed animals sitting on the couch.   Kitchen table...add plates..etc.

As things sell...keep fluffing up your tables.  If need be take down tables so that the tables don't look picked over.

7.  For outside tables consider using pop up/ezup canopies to cover the tables.    Then your customers have plenty of shade.    

8.    If it is really hot consider selling pop or water.    Your kids can run this venture.   Or even baked goods!   This is a great way for kids to earn extra money. 

9.  Have plenty of change on hand.  Lots of ones, fives and change. Decide if you will take checks or not.   We have always taken checks and in 16 years of having a yard sale every year we have never got a bad check.  If it is a large check you can call the bank to check on funds.  

10.  Make a ton of signs....I usually use neon pink poster board and black marker.   I print out in big bold letters....Yard sale with an arrow   Consider putting out all of your signs except within your subdivision the night before.   It will be easier in the morning to set up the yard sale signs in your subdivision.    And after the sale is over....take the signs down.  It is very frustrating to chase signs and not find the sale. 

11.  Run an ad in the newspaper.   Whenever we don't...we don't have near as many people.  Use catchy phrases to attract attention.....I also use Craigslist but don't have as much results from this as the newspaper.   IF it is a 2 day sale then on Friday afternoon call the newspaper and have them take out the first day.   Instead of it reading Friday and Saturday ....it will read Saturday sale.   More people will come as they think all the good stuff is sold on Friday and may not come over on Saturday.

12.  Another thing to consider is to ask friends and family if they want to participate.   More stuff is always better at sales.   From the car they need to think the sale is worth stopping at.  As a Realtor I have often times done sales with my clients---helps both of us out.  

13.  Decide if you will mark stuff down on the second day....half off the last after noon....or give discounts for someone buying multiple items.  

And most importantly have FUN!!!    Yard sales can be a lot of work....usually it takes me a week to set everything up....but the extra money is very rewarding!  After the sale donate the left overs...it is already out of your house.    I will allow myself to keep 3 boxes of my "good stuff" for the next year....the rest has to go!