The Great Sale of 2011- Wrap Up

This is the last in my series about The Great Sale of 2011.  If you haven't read the first two posts, you can find them here and here. 

There's already a lot of info about Yard Sales on the net so I won't repeat it all here.  For general information to help you plan your sale, I suggest checking out The Yard Sale Queen.

Here's what I did:
1.  I hosted the first two days of the sale inside.  We have a rather large house, and since we were selling most of the furniture from our living room, we dedicated the living room and the foyer to the sale.  I spent months collecting things from around the house, and 2 weeks displaying, tagging, etc.  On the third day, everything went outside. 

2.  I priced EVERYTHING.  I picked up already priced stickers at the dollar store for pricing individual items, then grouped together Big Sister's old hair bows according to size, put them in a clear baggie, and priced the baggie with the number of bows written on the outside.  I did the same for her Barbie accessories, Polly Pockets, and other toys with small pieces. 
3.  I took lots of pictures.  I took detailed pictures of the furniture, and general pictures of the set up.  I used a photo editing program to group pictures of each piece of furniture and to reduce the size of the pictures.

4.  I made a huge list.  I listed everything I had- don't just write "Kid's Toys"- get specific- "Girl's Toys- Barbie, Polly Pocket, Leap Frog, etc.  Boy's Toys- Thomas the Train, Hot Wheels Cars, Remote Control Cars, etc."  This way when you advertise, you can give more information for your shoppers.
5.  Put up signs.  I did put out 3 signs on the busy streets around my neighborhood, one sign at the end of the road, and one more in my yard with balloons on it directing shoppers to come inside.  With the nice weather we were able to keep the doors open which helped people feel comfortable to walk in!
6.  Advertise online!   I chose to only advertise on Craigslist, but you can also advertise in local papers, and don't forget to check online for other local sources.  I used my pictures and my lists for advertising on Craigslist.  AND I didn't just advertise in the garage sale section.  In the garage sale section I advertised the sale with a general list of everything.  You have unlimited space so use it!  Then I placed a separate ad under Baby/Kids with the info for the sale, and the list of items being sold in that category.  The same for Furniture, Sporting Goods (Exercise Equipment), and Electronics.  Each Craigslist ad can have 4 pictures, so make sure you use them!

 7.  Don't bring it back inside!   What didn't sell by 2:00 on Sunday went to the curb- I posted this on Craigslist at 1:45 (with pictures) and by 3:00 all that was next to the curb was a pasta machine!  I was very clear with Prince Charming and Big Sister that what went out didn't come back and we did a really good job sticking to it.  I was really amazed by the things that didn't sell, and it was tough to stick to my rule, but we did it, and I feel better for it now.  I did bring the remaining clothes inside, but they got bagged up and will be taken to a local charity this week.

AFTER:

Wow, that's empty!