How to host a successful Yard Sale in the Country

Laura Zone 5 · #1 05/19/12, 06:15 AM

Trying to get out of debt and stay that way.
Got a HOUSE full of stuff that can be sold.

I live off of a US Highway, but the closest 'business' is a gas station 5 miles away.
Pretty rural.

My house sits 3 acres from the road. Some of the things I would like to sell are big (air hockey table, tv cabinet, etc). When it's dry.....folks can turn around in my yard, no big deal.

I can advertise on Craigs List.
I can put up bright signs on the US highway pointing to my yard.

Here are my questions:

1. Should I take everything closer to the road? (I am afraid folks will feel intimidated driving so far up a driveway)
2. How far in advance should I advertise on CL?
3. How can I attract more folks to my yard sale?

Thanks so much for your help!!!

**clovis** · #2 05/19/12, 06:35 AM

Could you hold a garage sale at someone's house in town?

DW · #3 05/19/12, 07:09 AM

Our little town has yd sale weekend and you can rent a space in the park...check into some small towns near you.

MO_cows · #4 05/19/12, 07:39 AM

Advertise on CL, and in your local paper if you have one. We also have a radio station that runs ads on the air and puts them on their web site. Put up signs, lots of signs. The ones by your driveway, put balloons on them and make them colorful and inviting.

I would not haul everything to another location.

halfpint · #5 05/19/12, 08:11 AM

Hauling things is a pain in the neck. If you advertise and put up signs, they will come. Our local paper usually has a two day yard sale listing (Thursday and Friday), and I've found if I list in Craigs List on Thursday that I do best, and will do even better if I schedule for the same day as a neighbor or two.

Our house is hard to find as at one point it looks like you are going through a private driveway to get to our road, so we usually advertise ours to follow the signs from a certain point, and advertise start at 8 a.m. When my husband goes to put up the signs at 7 a.m, there are always people waiting!

I've found that if you list the types of things you have in your ad, you will get more sales. When I've had big ticket items (furniture, lawnmower, pool table, pin ball machine etc.) I've usually had a lot of people come looking for them but even if already sold most find something they will purchase.

Make sure you have lots of help, unfortunately there are dishonest people out there.

Dawn

Backfourty,MI. · #6 05/19/12, 08:41 AM

I would not haul everything anywhere else either. I would Post big colorful signs where ever I could. Balloons at the end of the driveway & maybe put your bigger pieces along the driveway down one side to entice them all the way up to the house.
I'd advertise on Craigs list a couple weeks early & then make sure to up date it a few days ahead of time so it's back at the top of the list.
I run an ad in the local newspaper, check the church, TSC, local resturants in town for bulletin boards too.

kimmom2five · #7 05/19/12, 09:17 AM

If you can put yard sale signs on the hwy leading the way to the correct exit and then to your house.

MO_cows · #8 05/19/12, 09:24 AM

Are there any bulletin boards in your community?? The feed store, grocery store, etc. here have bulletin boards. Put up a notice there, too.

The more people you make aware of the sale, the more will come. The more who come, the more that will buy something.

Classof66 · #9 05/19/12, 11:49 AM

I'd advertise like crazy, maybe print ads with a couple photos of the best items. Try to impress so if you need to have another sale later on people will return.

I'd maybe have some bottled water on ice for sale. At cost.

If you are selling clothing, put some coordinated "costumes" together on hangers, with each piece priced conspicuously. People love to buy a sharp wardrobe.

Good luck.

soulsurvivor · #10 05/19/12, 11:49 AM

Talk to your neighbors and see if they will also have a yardsale at the same time as you in their own yards. That way you can advertise it as a community sale and get more customers willing to drive a distance to buy from all of you.

Consider the weather. Do you have a big barn, garage, outbuilding where you can set up under cover and sell your inventory? If so you can advertise that the sale will happen rain or shine. You could say something like "barn sale" in your advertising. That would get my attention. You could set up inside a barn and put small stuff on a haywagon, set some of the big items around the drive up to the barn, fly a bunch of balloons off the items to get the attention of those lost and looking.

If you have your inventory under cover like in a barn or garage, you can lock it up and have multiple weekends of sales. Not every customer is going to show up on the exact day of your sale. You'll have to do this multiple days to get the best sale of your "stuff".

If you're selling a lot of electrical items make sure to have a plug so they can test them out.

Set up a big box marked Free. Put in anything you don't want to bother marking with a price. This was always a good draw for business. Odd socks, belts, magazines, rags, old stockings, it didn't matter, it was all taken.

Another feature is to get a big ice cooler and fill it with cans of drinks and ice and sell each can for a set price. It helps keep the customers looking longer especially if it's a hot day outside.

Get all the teenagers involved. They'll be needed to help with the checkout, sales, loading up the heavier stuff for customers, keeping an eye on shoplifters, and a big help is when people bring their little children and allow them to run wild, then your teen helpers can assist in keeping the kids safe and not getting injured on your property.

When I had big items to sell, I was always open to bartering on the price. I priced the big items higher because of this. If they were interested enough to ask, I was interested enough to come down on the price for them.

The most customers will be there before lunch. After lunch it will slow down. You may decide to have half day sales for multiple days in a row, as in Friday/Saturday until noon.

Good luck with your sale and I wish you much success.

oregon woodsmok · #11 05/19/12, 04:25 PM

I'm out a bit from town and once a year, the whole neighborhood has a garage sale day when dozens of people all do their garage sales and they advertise it extensively. People come from miles around because there are dozens of garage sales all in one area for the weekend.

I suggest you speak to your neighbors and see if everyone will agree to do a garage sale on the same day. Then advertise the bejebbers out of it.

gimpyrancher · #12 05/19/12, 04:58 PM

Craigslist:
List types of stuff for sale.
If I'm to come, I want tools. I want boy toys, I want farm/ranch stuff.
Wife has other interests she'd like to se listed in your ad.
Add a couple of small photos of important items.

Bulletin Boards:
Buy neon colored paper. Just one color. Pink or yellow. Still can see the pictures.
Create a flyer with all the above info including pictures. Two copies per 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. (half sheet)

Signs on Highway:
Same neon color as your flyers. Keep it consistent so I can follow the signs. Give me a reason and a smile to follow the signs.

If you're old enough, remember Burma Shave signs? If you'r not old enough, just make your signs on the hiway important. Make me work. Make multiple signs to say what you want.

Perhaps every hundred yards you put a sign with one word each. Sale! Turn! Right! 13 miles. 5 miles down the hiway, do it again, but make me smile. Sale! Closer! 8 miles! Another 5 miles, again. Sale! 3 miles! Want? Lemonade? While! You! Shop! Engage me and make me smile, I will come. But now I'm also coming to meet the person who entertained me.

Country folk like to be with friends.

PS: I want to come.

HeelSpur · #13 05/19/12, 05:04 PM

Spent 9 hours today going to different yard sales, and one was posted in the paper;
Huge yard sale,
furniture, tools, kitchen items,
to much to list.

We bit on it, 12 miles off the beatin path to see a wash machine (that needed worked on)
a crusty looking coffe table, a plastic tool box w/ some chinese wrenchs in it,
and 3 tables of baby clothes.

we were not happy campers by no means, that is bad advertising.

Alot of good advise here.

Bandit · #14 05/19/12, 05:40 PM

" a wash machine (that needed worked on)
a crusty looking coffe table, a plastic tool box w/ some chinese wrenchs in it,
and 3 tables of baby clothes. "

Sounds like some we have been too before, but after about a 5 mi. maze of back roads we did score a $ 400 dollar metal detector for $ 15 , no one had stopped by all morning ?? ,
Note to self ,put up signs at ALL the intersections , not just the big ones .

Jokarva · #15 05/19/12, 06:19 PM

We took some of our bigger stuff to a consignment shop nearby (sent pics first to make sure they'd take it), they sold it for a lot more than we could have gotten at a yard sale. That might be another option.

I also see ads on CL here that people will buy flea market items in bulk.....they probably pay bottom dollar, but may buy up some of your leftover stuff if it doesn't sell.

Good luck!

willow_girl · #16 05/19/12, 06:44 PM

Are there any big annual events that take place in the vicinity? Even rural areas have thing like fairs, horse shows, shooting events at the sportsmen's club, etc. It can be advantageous to time your sale to take advantage of the traffic.

When I lived near Clare, MI, I was quite a-ways off the beaten track, but my neighbor and I did a joint sale on the weekend of the Amish flea market, which was held about 5 miles away. We'd put up directional signs starting from the flea market grounds. Always had a good turnout!

pinfeather · #17 05/19/12, 07:25 PM

Definitely talk to your neighbors. I love multi-family sales, or advertised sales that say things like, "Barn sale", or "tool sale" or "estate sale", etc. I will also stop at sales that aren't advertised except for signs in the road. Loved one barn sale I went to that had Burma Shave-type signs that took me off into the country. The sale was eh, but it was fun following those signs!

Ohio dreamer · #18 05/19/12, 08:08 PM

I second the "Berma Shave" type ads on the roads. Do it down your driveway, too....confirmation for the timid that they are in the right place and you are expecting them (yep, I'm one of those).

Be clear in your ad, give a good list of they items you have. I skip ads that just say where and when....I want to know what types of things you have, I'm not willing to drive across town for a bunch of baby clothes because that's not what we need now, but I would for teen clothes, a sofa, table set, etc. So be clear on what you have so the right buyers show up.

Have any friends with kids differnt ages then yours?? Ask them if they have anything to get rid of. Ads with kids sizes 2T to 14/16 and everything in between will get more suckers (I'm mean customers).

Joshie · #19 05/19/12, 10:12 PM

I've vowed never to have another garage sale. I never make enough to be worth my time. The last one I had was when we lived in the 'burps. We lived in the middle of a cul de sac and I didn't sell much at all. To get rid of a washing machine I sold it for around $20. Never again.

I wish I knew how you guys made money on garage sales. I've also had problems with freecycle and craigslist. People say they're coming but the only ones who actually show up are the ones who want the free kitties

(whew!).

Peacock · #20 05/20/12, 12:23 AM

If you really have a ton of stuff, consider hiring an auctioneer. People will come out in droves for an auction and many auctioneers will come to you. And if you have an auction, all the stuff will sell and you won't have anything to haul away.

Also - agree with the poster who complained about disappointment. I recently had the same experience, drove quite a distance for a "huge yard sale" only to find a few tables of junk.