Tips For Hosting and Shopping a Successful Yard Sale

Whether you are hosting a yard sale or hosting one, one’s clutter can be someone else’s treasure!

Spring is the perfect time to clear out once-loved items from your home and host a yard sale.  It’s a great opportunity to connect with your neighbourhood and support an amazing cause – like the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

If you host your sale on May 26, you can donate proceeds to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  Register your sale at YardSaleForTheCure.com and set up a fundraising page that will help you share info about your sale and accept financial donations to contribute to your proceeds.

If you’re shopping, visit yardsaleforthecure.com/find-sale to find a Yard Sale for the Cure event in your community!

Here are some tips for hosting – and shopping – a yard sale!

Hosting Yard Sale:

~ Price each item; people like to start somewhere.  A great way to price items is by group: “All CDs $1” or “All items on this table are $.50 each.”

~ Make sure to have lots of change on hand.

~ Know how to price larger items: Consider the following tips for easy pricing. Clothing—ask for 5 to 10% of original value.  If it’s a designer garment and in pristine condition, you can price it a little higher.  For electronics, you may ask for up to 50% of original value, depending on how relevant the technology is. Make sure everything is in working condition and keep an extension cord on-hand for buyers to test items.

~ Advertise your Yard Sale on brightly coloured posters on street corners and in your local newspaper, as well as online like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Kijiji, and Craigslist. In your ad, list the location, date and time and what type of items you’ll be selling.

Shopping Yard Sale:

~ Get there early.  The earlier you arrive, the greater the selection, but the later you go, the better the deal.  Furniture sells quickly so get there early if that’s on your shopping list.

~ Yard sales only accept cash. Bring plenty of small bills so making change is easy.

~ If you plan on buying big items, make sure you’re driving the ole’ minivan so you can fit everything in your trunk!

~ Be friendly when negotiating.  Don’t ask, “What’s your best price?” Instead, ask, “Would you consider less?”   To get the best bang for your buck, try asking for a set price for a group of items. For example: “How much for the three mirrors in the corner?” Sellers usually drop the price when you’re buying more than one item.

Happy yard sale selling and shopping!