MaggieLou

Definitely have several people to help out. I just had an estate sale run by a company. They had six or seven people working and I still had a set of golf clubs and an army footlocker that walked off. If there are a lot of customers there at one time, you can't keep track of what each one is doing.

Marich52

When settling my parents estate, it was impossible to mark everything....way too much. We had a big supply of empty boxes so when someone would ask a price, we would say: It is $2 but you can fill this box up for $2 ....and then handed them a box. Original price given was based on the item they wanted. It worked wonderfully. Found new homes for things people wouldn't usually buy.

bearisgray

If/When doing a multi-family sale - have a discussion with all the sellers regarding their "mark-down" policy before the sale starts - so if that someone is not available at the checkout table - the person that is there will know what to do.

My sister had a standard response for the people that wanted to bargain early in the sale - "If you want to come back (at the end of the sale), then I will be happy to sell it to you for that."

The odds for me to come back are small to none - 1) I am usually tired at the end of my expedition, and 2) I probably won't remember where the item was, and 3) most items at yard sales are NOT things I needed, anyway.

But it is a fairly polite answer that does not completely rule out a reduced price at a later time.

ube quilting

I decorate my house through yard sales and you have some really good pointers to help sellers get the best out of their effort.

Put like items together

Have electricity available. I would like to know if that lamp/ blender/ DVD works.

Clean those collectables

Sometimes things really are trash, sort this stuff out.

I enjoy going to yard sales and will pay more at well organized ones.

peace

bearisgray

For me - the first and most important thing about a yard sale - help me get to it.

If I can't figure out where it is - I obviously won't be buying anything.

I think really valuable items should not be put in a yard sale - just in case they get broken or "develop legs."

I will buy pop or water or food at a yard sale - but I won't pay much more than I would at a grocery store for it.
$0.50 to $0.75 is as high as I am willing to go for a can of pop/soda or a bottle of water.

wildyard

To avoid individual pricings, have tables where all things are a certain price. A simple dot or x on the bottom or label of different colors can indicate which table it came from. With permanent markers coming in so many colors now, it's an easier way to price things. Red marks... dollar table. Blue mark... 50 cent table. And so on. You can do the same thing for your 10 and 25 cent boxes. A quick dot of color to indicate what box it came from.

obie2

Great tips.

carolynjo

I am selling my entire quilting library at the end of this month--most AQS books.. They are all going to be priced at $10.00 as they all cost $25.00 or more. They are in pristine condition and suitable for regifting. Does that sound reasonable? If I donate them to the library, they will go for a dollar in their resale shop. (I have about 60 to sell).

tessagin

I choose certain estate sales. I frequent these people often and they're local. They usually have 2 people in each area and one at the door. A green ribbon or duct tape on the handle let's the guard at the door know the product has been paid for. The green is like the go light on a street signal. Usually anything that needs power usually is plugged in for convenience or is located near the multi-plugs. I went to an estate sale of a quilter. Everything to do with sewing/quilting was all contained in the quilting room. One day was totally devoted to it. They only allowed a few in at a time and for good reason a couple tried walking out without the green tape on the bag. They tried to say it was only a few scraps that wouldn't be missed. The bag was taken away and they were escorted off the property and banned from future estate sales, all of them. Other estate sale hosts were notified of the shoplifters. They are among us, sadly.

maviskw

Love all these tips. Here's another: A large sign as suggested by OP might not be readable if it is on cardboard with red printing. The best color is white with black printing. And as OP says, make it BIG.