Issue link: http://accesshealth.uberflip.com/i/493261
10 Great Yard Sale Tips Get Ready for Buckner's Citywide Garage Sale! Spring is perfect for yard sale bargain hunters. But what does it take to pull off a successful yard sale? What strategies are best for generating the most traffic? How do negotiations affect the sale? What is the best way to display items? Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, along with the help of several yard sale experts, recommend these strategies to maximize success. Tip #1: Create a Buzz If you sell it, they will come. That is true if enough people know about your event. The key to a good turnout is to actively promote your sale, well in advance. You could start by promoting your sale via an e-mail to your network of friends and family. (Who knows, they may want to join in with you, which can only make the sale better!) Next, identify local blogs and other social media sources to advertise your upcoming yard sale. Some examples include WeekendTreasure.com, GaragesaleHunter.com, YardsaleSearch.com and Facebook.com. Post signs at your local grocery store or coffee shop, suggests Jamie Novak, author of Stop Throwing Money Away: Turn Clutter to Cash. In all of your promotional efforts, note the date, time, address, directions and any other pertinent details. Tip #2: Use Good Sign Language A few days before your sale, create signs that have maximum impact. Consider writing the signs in big letters and with bright colors for easy reading. For example, avoid using a yellow marker on a white background. For added effect, you could attach attention-grabbing balloons and arrows which point to your sale. Tip #3: Think Like a Store Designer In order to maximize organization and appeal at your sale, group similar objects together. For example, glassware and kitchen items might be placed in one distinct display, just like toys and children's books or tools and lawn equipment. Also, think about how you're displaying each group to its best advantage. "Cardboard boxes filled with stuff or clothes stretched out on tarps on the ground (or worse yet, bare ground) can look tacky, dirty and unappealing," said expert Judy Woodward Bates, The Bargainomics Lady. Try hanging up items for maximum visibility so people can go through "your racks," just like they do at the store. "Consider stringing wire or rope between trees and then hang your clothes from up high," Bates said. Once your items are on display, try walking out to the street to get a sense of what your event looks like. Consider rearranging any displays that look unappealing until everything looks as inviting as possible. Tip #4: Tease Their Attention To best grab a man's attention, put items that he may want to sift through—golf clubs, tools, workout gear and your nearly new grill—near the curb. This technique ups the probability that more couples will stop at your sale and if a man sees something he likes, he may be more patient while his wife browses at your sale. Big items like furniture also draw customers in. Place them near the entrance to your sale so furniture shoppers can see them first. Tip #5: Create Vignettes Selling china and glassware? Instead of just stacking dishes on a bare table, yard sale expert, Marilyn Santiesteban, suggests, "Try bringing out your most elegant tablecloth, cut some flowers from your garden and set a beautiful table." Selling books? Try creating a reading nook and display the books attractively. Also, you could attach cards to grouped items. "For example, you can write something like, 'These five books were my children's bedtime favorites,'" Santiesteban said. "This gives for-sale items instant history and great karma." Avoid clutter, and instead leave plenty of space between tables so shoppers don't bump into each other or into breakable items. Tip #6: Be Memorable If your yard sale has a memorable spin, it will likely be more successful. "Create a unique ambience by putting a checkered tablecloth on a small table. Set out a pot of coffee and some muffins in a basket with a gorgeous napkin," Santiesteban said. "You can charge for those goodies but giving them away for free sets a nice tone." By giving your shoppers a unique experience, instead of them feeling as though they are just sorting through someone else's stuff, they are more likely to remember the experience. Small bags of popcorn are also an inexpensive way to keep people engaged. Tip #8: Post Prices Prominently Price items with easy-to-read signs. For example, if you are selling each item of clothing for $1, make sure there is a clearly visible sign that says so. "Nothing turns shoppers off quicker than having to ask a price for every item they pick up," Bates said. Mark chipped or cracked items "as is," that way buyers know the price for the item, flaws and all. Whatever the condition of the items, make sure they look their best—press the linens and wash and wipe dry glasses and china. Tip #9: Add-On Sales Linsey Knerl, blogger for FinancialHighway.com, suggests treating your sale like a business. "For example, if you see that someone is buying 20 pairs of baby socks for $2, throw in a few extra for just a quarter more," she said. "Take a lower price on some of your wares to help them move when someone is already actively buying." Tip #10: Put On Your Haggling Hat Many browsers do not want to spend a fortune at your sale, so you should be ready to negotiate by By Morgan Nail pricing items slightly higher to leave room for price-haggling. When you set prices, you should factor in price breaks of about 20 percent to 30 percent off the price you would like to receive. Toward the end of the day, consider marking all remaining items down to half-price or just $1 each. It's always good to have plenty of ones, fives and coins so you can quickly make change and carry that money safely in a fanny pack or carpenter's apron. Also, you should equip your sale with plenty of bags, boxes or newspaper to wrap items to-go. For the complete list of tips, visit http://www.bhg.com/health- family/finances/tips/your-best-yard-sale- ever/#page=1. To test these strategies, be sure to take part in the Buckner Citywide Garage Sale on Saturday, May 2. YARD SALE April 10 & 11, 408 Vernon Street in Buckner, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appliances, furniture, tools, camping stuff and more!