Key points
Price items around 10%–20% of their original retail value.
Advertise garage sales on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and neighborhood apps.
For an engaging yard sale, offer refreshments, organized displays and interactive pricing.
Organizing and having a yard sale should be the No. 1 step in moving, even before researching the best moving companies. If you want to have a yard sale that’s a success, start by treating it like a boutique in your backyard — complete with refreshments and good deals.
Whether you’re decluttering before you pack or need to make room in your house, a yard sale basically pays you to tidy up. And if that’s not reason enough, it’s an excellent way to get to know your neighbors and take part in a sustainable practice, giving goods a second life rather than sending them to the landfill.
Get ready to put up yard sale signs thanks to these expert tips from organizing pros.
Why should you have a yard sale?
Not only can a yard sale fulfill your dreams of being a shopkeeper, but it’s also an effective way to organize your home before you move by eliminating unnecessary but still valuable items. How do you know if you have enough to warrant a sale? “A good rule of thumb is at least a few tables full of items, with a mix of things from different categories,” said Meaghan Kessman, founder of the Los Angeles-based organizing firm Meaghan Kessman Home Organization. “At the end of the day, it needs to be worth your while.” If you only have a couple of boxes of, say, kitchen items, you’re better off donating them or selling them online.
How do you prepare for a yard sale?
As with a brick-and-mortar shopping experience, organization is key in helping potential buyers peruse your inventory. Plus, thoughtful merchandising lets your customers know you’ve cared for the items they’re purchasing, giving them more buying confidence. Here’s how to prepare for an uber-organized garage sale.
Get neighbors on board
For one, giving those who live closest a heads-up about your upcoming sale is the neighborly thing to do. It also might be helpful to know if someone’s planning a large party for that day and parking might be limited. Additionally, neighbors may want to get involved.
“It’s more likely that people will stop to check out a sale if there are more homes and more goodies to be found,” said Ashley La Fond, founder of the Chatham, New Jersey-based home organization company Of Space & Mind. Advertising a block- or neighborhood-wide garage sale ups the excitement.
Choose a sale date
Checking with neighbors first helps you zero in on a date that works best for everyone. As for general timing, “Early spring and late fall are the best times for a garage sale because the weather is usually nice,” said Barbara E. Tanaka, a strategic interior design advisor at Real Estate Bees in Charlotte, North Carolina.
If you live in a cold-weather climate, spring is when you can unload bikes, camping gear, or any other seasonal items that shoppers will be less likely to purchase in cold weather since they’ll have to store them till the following summer. A fall sale is ideal for decluttering holiday decor — including Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas items.
As for picking a day, “Saturdays are particularly good because most people have more free time,” Tanaka said. “Start early in the morning [around 8 a.m.], and go until about 2 p.m. to get the most customers.” You can offer incentives for early birds — such as 20% off before 9 a.m. — if you’re eager to move merchandise quickly.
Declutter ruthlessly
Hosting a sale is a good amount of work. Take advantage of the opportunity to clear out anything that’s not used. “Be honest about what you truly need and want to keep,” Kessman said. “The more you sell, the more you earn. A thorough declutter will not only maximize your sale inventory, but also help you identify items that truly add value to your home.”
Of course, not everything will be in salable condition, so make three piles while you declutter: keep, sell and toss. Clothes with stains, board games that are missing pieces and electronics that no longer work are better off in the dumpster than taking up table space at your sale.
Advertise your yard sale
Once you know what you have, you can advertise accurately and enticingly. Call out desirable, season-relevant items, such as kids’ bikes, a lawn mower or summer clothes in various sizes if it’s the start of warm weather.
A few key details about your inventory will let shoppers know it’s worth their time and gas. “Promote your garage sale using a variety of channels,” Kessman said. “Utilize online platforms like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, and post on local community boards and neighborhood apps [like Nextdoor].” The day before your sale, post signs made from poster board at intersections around the neighborhood so people can plan to stop by early.
Organize sale items
Come up with a plan for table displays, clothing racks and boxes that will hold small items. Group merchandise into categories, with all books, records or tools placed together.
“Make sure items are easy to see and reach, and create a logical path for people to follow,” Tanaka said. “Place popular items near the entrance to catch attention, and use shelves and racks to keep everything organized.” Customers don’t mind hunting for treasures, but don’t make them dig too hard.
Organizing items to tell a story can captivate buyers and increase sales.
Melanie Summers
For an extra-impressive setup, Melanie Summers, owner of I Speak Organized, a professional organizing company in Vancouver, Washington, recommended leaning into storytelling.
“Organizing items to tell a story can captivate buyers and increase sales,” she said. “This idea was inspired by trips to vintage stores and studying how they have items zoned and displayed.” For example, you might place a record player next to vintage barware, a set of co*cktail glasses, and a stash of board games. Shoppers can imagine planning a nostalgic evening of fun and may scoop up multiple items.
Determine pricing
Labeling your yard sale goods with prices — even if you’re open to negotiating — gives customers a ballpark figure that protects your time and energy on the day of the sale. “A general guideline is to price items at 10% to 20% of their original retail value,” Kessman said. “Check online marketplaces (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.) and local thrift stores for similar items to gauge fair market value.”
Set your price slightly higher to allow for some wiggle room, but also know your bottom line going in.
Meaghan Kessman
Be open to bundle pricing to encourage customers to grab more. For example, offer three items for the price of two, especially with books, kitchen utensils and clothing. “And yes, be prepared for some haggling,” Kessman added. “Set your price slightly higher to allow for some wiggle room, but also know your bottom line going in.”
Price tags or price stickers should go on one-off or big-ticket items, but creating $1, $5 and $10 tables is an efficient way to price many items at once. Alternatively, create a color-coded system. Use easy-peel stickers in different shades and hang a color key in a few areas around the sale, letting customers know that blue labels are for all $5 items and red labels are for $10 goods.
How do you have a successful yard sale?
On sale day, eat your Wheaties and gulp down some coffee. If you’ve prepared well, you’re bound to be busy. Open on time, as serious garage sale shoppers will arrive early and may be your best customers. Here are a few more tips to make sure the day runs smoothly.
Enlist help
While you’re negotiating with one customer, you don’t want to miss a sale from another. “Recruit friends or family members to assist with managing transactions and answering questions,” Kessman said. “Having extra hands available can make the sale run smoothly and allow you to take breaks as needed.” Invite helpers to add their items to the sale to increase merchandise quantity.
Set up a register
Determine who will accept payments, whether it’s one person at a table with a cash box or multiple helpers. A fanny pack is a good way to keep cash organized, especially if you’ll take payments while moving around the sale. If you’re accepting digital payments, make sure your apps (Venmo or Zelle, for example) are updated and in working order. And while it’s not necessary, having grocery bags on hand for customers who buy a lot of stuff is always nice.
Offer refreshments
Take a cue from upscale boutiques and offer water or lemonade to make shopping enjoyable. “An appealing setup encourages shoppers to linger and increases the likelihood of sales,” said Kessman, who also suggested playing music. Other ideas include putting out a platter of donuts or cookies, or offering apple cider on a crisp fall morning.
Keep sale items orderly
Organizing duties don’t end when the sale starts. Ensure your sale stays tidy throughout the day so shoppers who arrive at noon are just as impressed and likely to browse as the early birds.
Slash prices at the end
When you have an hour left in the sale, ask yourself how you’d feel about hauling everything remaining back into your home. Not too excited about it? Time to do some dramatic price slashing. A 50% to 75% discount may convince anyone on the fence to snatch up additional goods.
Create interactive pricing
Have a little fun with pricing on the day of the sale to keep customers engaged. One way to do this is to create a Bargaining Corner or Haggling Hotspot. “Assign a team member or volunteer to this station to assist buyers in negotiating prices,” said Kessman, noting you should hang signage to draw attention to that zone. This lets shoppers who might otherwise be too timid to make an offer know that negotiating is welcome. It also helps other workers have a place to send customers who need help with pricing.
What sells best at a yard sale?
You never really know till you try, but some items aren’t as popular today as they were with past generations, such as full sets of china and fur coats or stoles. As mentioned above, anything that’s out of season and that must be stored, such as a sled sold in April, is less enticing.
On the other hand, “Kids toys, unique artwork, small antiques, retro electronics and well-priced household items sell the best at yard sales,” La Fond said. Kids’ items do especially well since children grow quickly and move on from activities and toys just as fast, so shoppers love to find a bargain.
On the home goods front, certain brands sell like hotcakes, including vintage Pyrex, Corningware and anything Le Creuset — if you have a substantial amount of these brands, mention it on your garage sale signs. As long as it’s cheap and in good condition, furniture does well, especially midcentury modern pieces.
What’s next?
If you’re moving, the extra cash can be handy during the relocation process, or you can even use it to tip your movers.
Should you have some display items left over — even the most successful garage sale is bound to have some — look to eBay for selling collectibles that are too valuable to donate. For quality clothing that didn’t sell, websites such as ThredUp, Poshmark and Facebook Marketplace are good options.
The rest can be donated to places such as Goodwill, the Salvation Army, Savers and local thrift stores. For furniture, some organizations will even come to your home and haul it away, saving you major lugging. Check PickUpMyDonation.com to see if there’s a service near you.
