Tips on holding a yard sale: 'Early Birds Get Coffee!'

Zac Bissonnette
Updated

Lynda Hammond of the GarageSaleGal.com recently appeared on Fox Business' The Dave Ramsey Show to offer some tips on how to make your yard sale a success.

Her tips? Advertise online, make big signs, etc -- nothing too brilliant, if you ask me. Here are two of my tips:

  • Put "EARLY BIRDS GET COFFEE!" in your newspaper listing -- Craigslist ads are great, but the newspaper is still the go-to place for yard sellers. Nothing is more annoying to yard sellers than those morons who make people wait in line until the 9 a.m. starting time -- most savvy shoppers will just move on to the next sale. You're only doing the sale for one day, so get up extra early to set things up. "Early birds get coffee" will attract the serious shoppers. Is your goal to sell your stuff, clean out your house, and make money? If so, those four words and a pot of coffee are magic.

  • Price your stuff to sell. Your sale only lasts one or two days, so holding out for the perfect buyer who will pay top dollar is likely to mean hauling your stuff to the thrift shop or dump and getting nothing for it. Hardcover books should be $1 and paperbacks should be 50 cents. If someone makes you an offer on something you think is too low, ask yourself: "What are the odds that someone will come along in the next 'X' hours and offer more for it?" Most likely, they're not too good. If someone makes a reasonable offer, take it!

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