Yard Sale & Marketplace Tips

So, who else has been using this time at home to deep clean and purge? Or is it just me! Between having the time to do so and other reasons, I have been cleaning the apartment and going through my stuff. Clothes, books, DVDs, you name it, I have sorted through and came out with a box of things I no longer wear, read, watch, etc.
For the record I tend to go through things like this at least two times a year. Clothes that no longer fit or I don’t wear, books I’ve read and am ready to pass on, etc. Typically my process is to bring “the box” to my local consignment shop and have them go through it. Whatever they decide they do not want comes back home with me and is put in the garage for the town wide yard sale day. Then one Saturday in July when it is super hot out and there is a thunderstorm on the way (literally, it happens that way every year) I pull everything out of the garage and set it up on tables on the lawn and sell it at the “get rid of it” price. (See below for my yard sale tips!) Whatever does not sell get’s put on the curb for the curb hunters that come out at the end of day. After a couple hours of it being picked through, any remaining clothes go in bags and run up to the Clothes Drive bin and books are brought to the “take one leave one library”. Anything else is put out for garbage day.

With COVID-19 upon us this process is no longer going to work. First, the consignment shops are closed. Secondly, the town wide yard sale day, that draws hundreds of people to our small country town, is cancelled. What am I going to do with all of my crap!?!?!
Welcome to Facebook Marketplace, the online garage sale! I have posted on Marketplace in the past, and tend to not have the greatest of luck, so I did some research for this time around, and this is what I found, plus some tips of my own.

Take good pictures. You don’t want a blurry picture or one that has a lot going on in the background. You want the item you are selling to be the only focus in the picture, if possible.
1. Clothes: I found an empty spot on my wall and hung a command hook. Then I opened the curtains on a nice sunny day, and moved a floor lamp into the room. Next, I hung each piece of clothing on a hanger, and then hung the hanger on the command hook. I rested my arm on something to keep my hand from shaking and bam- perfect picture of each piece of clothing.
2. Books/DVDs/Smaller items: First, I made sure my lighting was on point again. I happen to have a black trunk that is used as a coffee table. I cleared it off and placed the items on the top of the trunk and was able to take pictures from above. I suggest using a neutral color when doing this, if nothing is available throw down a sheet or something similar that is a solid neutral color.
Group similar items into lots. I personally have a wide range of tastes and clothes sizes. My closet had extra small to extra large and everything in between. My bookshelf has fiction all the way to memoirs, same with my movie collection. So before I even took my pictures, I separated everything into like sizes or tastes or collections. This way I can post similar items together in a lot. What is a lot? A lot is a group of similar items. For example I put all of my medium shirts together for a lot. I made a lot that consisted of my collection of Mortal Instruments books. I made a lot of my children movies.
Keep prices on the whole dollar. You are going to be meeting up with people in various locations, the last thing you want to do is have to make change. I suggest keeping your prices in $5 increments. That way it is easy for the buyer to give you the exact amount.
Be smart about your asking price. Do a little research to see what other people are asking for similar items. Check and see what the retail price is on an item and drop at least 50% off. I had a set of four paperback books that were $10 each at retail price, I sold all four of them for $15. How did I get to that price? If I sold each book at 50% off that would be $5 each, or $20 for all. I want to sell things in the lot, so I knock $5, or a book off, as an incentive to buy all four. You also want to make sure you leave yourself some room for negotiating prices.
Renew your post every 7 days. If your items do not sell within 7 days, Facebook gives you the option to “renew” your post. Make sure you do this, it helps get your items back on “the top.”
Be willing to lower your price. As mentioned, you need to be smart about what your asking price is and you want to leave room not only for negotiating, but for lowering it as well. After 7 days if something has not sold, I drop the price $5 and then again in another 7 days. If it has not sold by then or will be less than $5, I take it off Marketplace.
Join community groups. Facebook has groups for everything! Including sale groups for your local areas. Join as many as apply to you. When you post your items on Marketplace, it gives you the option to also post in groups that you are a part of with one simple click. Double or triple your audience in less than 10 seconds!
Be Descriptive. Marketplace will have a spot for you to fill in for your price, the condition of your item, brand name, and size when applicable. There is also a description section. Restate what you item is, the condition and size (if applicable). Is it a smoke free or pet free home? If it is, mention that. If you are selling as a lot, say so. I usually say: “Selling as a lot. Not willing to separate items at this time.” Lastly, mention where you are willing to meet. I keep it to the town I live in, and the next closest one.
Keep your items updated. Do you have a meeting set with someone? Change it on the marketplace to pending. Did you sell? Mark it as sold. Have you dropped the price and are willing to separate? Make sure you update the description on the item. If someone messages you about it, respond no matter what. If it’s pending-tell them!
Be careful where you meet!!! This is the most important tip and/or rule! In today’s world you can never be too careful. Meet in the daylight, do not meet after dark if you will be alone. Meet people in a public place, I prefer to use retail parking lots like Family Dollar or Dunkin Donuts. They are small enough that you can park and stand out, but noticeable enough for other people to see you. Don’t use an abandoned parking area, where no one will see you. This is a legitimate sale, you are not doing anything illegal. You may think larger parking lots, like Walmart, are safer because there are more people. However, you are less noticeable and it is harder for you to stand out to your buyer. When a time and date has been set, I will tell the buyer (only in a message) what type of car I drive and its color and then where in the parking lot I will be parked. Never give out your license plate number!! Be smart and be safe.

You’ve posted on Marketplace, but haven’t had good luck even after lowering prices. OR you do not want to do the online aspect. You still have all of this stuff, and you don’t want to just throw it out. What do you do?

I am actually still planning on having my own yard sale in a couple weeks. I strongly believe that the community days sale was cancelled because it draws SO many people into our small village. Understandably it would be hard to maintain social distance safety with that many people in a small area.

However doing my own sale without the advertising of the community days is most likely going to drop the attendance of my sale, which should make it easier to safely social distance. I plan to do the following to be “safe”:

Have signs up that say if there are 10 people in the “sale” area, please wait until someone leaves.
Have the sale area marked with stakes and tape.
Have items spread out further than normal.
Have a sign that says “Wear a mask at your own discretion.”

Please note, that in my area we have not had any new cases of the virus in three weeks and have already started Phase One, and by the time of this sale will be in Phase Two. Although common sense is sparse in people nowadays, I am hoping that people will use it for the day of my sale.

As for preparing for the yard sale, here are some of my tips that can be used anytime:

Make your signs noticeable. An 8x11 white piece of computer paper stapled to a pole is going to go unnoticed whereas a bright pink poster board will not. I’ve found old yard signs and then tape/staple my yard sale sign to them. That way I am not having to staple or nail to posts or poles. I keep my signs to the point, “Yard Sale, 7/14, 9-3” and an arrow pointing in the right direction. I don’t bother with my address because I am a straight shot off main street. However, if that is not the case for you, keep your sign “look” consistent as you use the arrows to direct them towards you. Make sure you write things boldly on your poster as well.
Price everything and keep it in quarter increments. The one thing that any “yardsaler” hates is seeing the sign “make an offer.” That leaves way too many variables in the air, and makes people uncomfortable. Have a set price on everything, but be willing to negotiate or make a deal when people ask. It’s also wise to keep your prices within quarter increments so that you don’t have the hassle of needing pennies, dimes and nickels for change. If you have anything that you would mark less than 25 cents, throw it in the free box (see below).
Price to sell. Your aim for a yard sale shouldn’t be to become rich. It’s to help get rid of stuff, and maybe make a couple bucks in the process. If you price your items too high, people are not going to buy them. You cannot price things at retail price. Keep your prices reasonably low so that people will buy and you can get rid of your stuff.
Make clear signs on similar items. I tend to get rid of all my clothes at a yard sale for one main reason: I make it a steal. There are two big signs next to my clothes that read “Clothes 50 cents each, 3 for $1 unless otherwise marked.” Another area I do this is my books “Paperbacks 50 cents, Hardcover $1” same with DVDs or CDs. And these signs are nice and big so that customers notice them.
Get organized before your sale. The week before your sale, make sure everything is sorted out into sections and things are marked with their price. This will save you time when you set up on the day of. Keep like items together, for example kitchen related items or electronics.
Make a map. If you were to ask my boyfriend he would tell you this is where my crazy OCD sets in, except I do it every year and it works miracles. I plan out not only how I want to set up the sale, keeping in mind traffic flow but also what tables or displays I have to use. I also keep electronics and jewelry close to my “cash register” table, so that I can keep an eye on them, but also know what things need to stay out of the sun throughout the day. This also helps tremendously if anyone is helping me set things up and if a customer comes looking for a specific thing.
Have a free box. I love my free box. The first thing that goes into it is anything I personally would not buy. The item probably could go in the garbage but it goes into the free box first, just in case there is someone out there that wants it. I also utilize it as the day goes on, items that I have priced low but still are not selling I toss into the free box. Remember the goal is to get rid of it.
Have a cooler of water. Yard sale season is the warm weather season. Buy a case of water and a bag of ice to throw into a cooler. It shouldn’t cost you more than $5 for a 24 pack and a bag. This will keep you hydrated throughout the day, but you can also sell water for $1 a bottle, and after 5 bottles you are making a profit. Once the afternoon sun hits, I usually sell out of my water.
Have a cash register table and change. Have a set area for collecting money. Don’t be walking around with a pocketful of cash and make your customers search for you. Have a table that is marked “cash register” that has your cash box and bags or boxes handy. I always throw the boxes that I had things packed up in by this table so if someone buys lots of items, it’s easier to pack up. I also keep a variety of bags, including sandwich bags for small items like jewelry. Lastly, if I have anything fragile for sale I keep newspapers handy for wrapping it up for the customer.
- CHANGE: My boyfriend and I have two change jars that collect pocket change throughout the year. About a week before the yard sale, I will sit down and dump it all out, roll it and then take it to the bank and exchange for cash. This way, it was money I already had handy and I don’t have to take anything out of an account. I try to have two rolls of quarters and at least 50% of my bills being singles. It doesn’t hurt to have some bigger bills on hand, especially if you have any large items for sale or you get someone that only has a twenty.
Be active during your sale. It’s sale day, that means I can kick back and make money- NO! I very rarely sit during my sale, hence why I ask friends to help me so somebody is always next to the cash box. I welcome everyone that comes by, with a smile and a “Hi, let me know if you need any help!” I will walk around and rearrange things, rehang clothes, etc. I will even keep my sale stickers handy, so if something isn’t selling at a price, I can go stick a new price tag on it.