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SALT LAKE CITY -- It's yard sale season and lots of people are taking advantage of the sunny weather to sell their wares. Sadly, some of these sales probably flopped. How can you make your next yard sale more of a success?
The first mistake many people make is asking for too much money. Gerald Richards with The Great American Yard Sale says you'd be surprised how many people are hoping to get close to retail price for what they're selling.
- Ask the right price
- Display clothes correctly
- Advertise
"A lot of times we have people that think, ‘Hey, I paid $150 for it. I bought it five years ago, I should still be able to get 100 bucks.' Well, it's not going to happen," he said.
There are several websites with yard sale or garage sale pricing guides that can give you an idea of what you should charge. Of course, some items sell better than others.
"Baby furniture, baby clothes, anything for babies and young children sells very well," Richards said. Adult clothing, not so much. One possible reason could be that many times clothing is displayed in a bad way during these sales. Richards said clothes are frequently left in a pile, and customers don't like to sort through items that are on the ground. If you can put the clothes you're selling on a table or a stand, Richards said they may sell better.
But what if you don't have a table to put these items on? Richards recommends making a cheap clothing rack out of PVC pipe.
"It's very easy to fashion these things. You can screw the pipes together and put up a PVC pipe stand and in a matter of minutes, you can hang all your clothes on there," he explained.
Richards said another thing sellers overlook is the need to advertise. He said they underestimate how many signs they need. People need to post them not only at the nearest large intersection, but they need to have enough to guide customers through every turn they need to make. Plus, Richards said there are many free classified ad sites and social media websites that people need to take advantage of.
"You want to get on Facebook and tell everybody and their brother that you're having a yard sale, just like you would if you were having a barbecue," he recommended. If you have some really cool stuff to sell, like TVs or gaming consoles, mention them in your ad.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
