Yardsale Tips & Tricks

If you have a tip for this page, send it to us by emailing tips@GoYardsales.com and we'll add it to our list.

Tips For Buyers

1. How To Find Sales
   Simply type in your postal code on our interactive map page to locate sales in your area. We plot all estate sales using Google maps technology.
   
2. Use New Technology To Your Advantage
   If the item you are considering buying is also sold online, and you own a mobile phone or PDA with text-messaging capability built in (which most mobile phones do these days), you can text the word "price" followed by a description of the item at hand (make sure to be as detailed as possible and include the brand name of the item in your message) to GOOGLE (466453) and you will be sent back a text message with pricing information that will give you a rough idea of how much that item is selling for on the internet. For example, text message "price monopoly board game" to 466453, and seconds later I can see that it is selling for $19.99 online and at Wal-Mart. Obviously, you should buy it for the asking price of $1!! If you don't know what "texting" is all about, ask your kids to show you ;)
   
3. Tell Whether Or Not A Sale Will Be "Good"
   Certain keywords in the advertisement for a sale can indicate whether or not a sale will be worth going to or not. In our experience, sales with the words "everything must go", "liquidation", "moving", or other similar "cleaning out" verbage are often good candidates for finding a great deal. On the other hand, sales with the words "antiques" or "collectibles" often indicate a seller who knows exactly what their items are worth and therefore not as likely to yeild high margin items. Look for subtle keywords in the ad and note whether or not that sale was worth your while. After a while you will learn to judge for yourself what words tend to indicate better sales.
   
4. The Early Bird Gets The Worm
   This old adage is so true when it comes to success in finding the good stuff at yard sales. Don't be afraid to show up 30 minutes or even an hour early to a sale if you think it might be promising (more hints on how to judge if the sale is promising below). If you're feeling strange about being the "early bird", just say you were taking a morning walk through the neighborhood, and happened to see them setting up a sale. The worst that will happen is they will ask that you come back later.

Tips For Sellers

1. Sourcing Your Inventory
   Everything and we mean everything is a good item for a yard sale. Don't let your negative feelings towards an item send it to the trash can instead of the yard. Used cosmetics, lotions, textbooks, and even broken items are popular yard sale items. There are always people willing to fix broken items.
   
2. The Price Tag
   People come to yardsales to bargain. While some recommend pricing all your items with tags, this may suggest to people that you are unwilling to bargain. Instead, have a general idea of what price you are willing to take for your items. You will always sell more of your items if you are flexible with prices.
   
3. Presentation Is Everything
   Try to display your items in a clean organized manner. This allows people to browse all of your items with ease. Plus, the better your item looks, the more bargaining power you will have.