Royal Palm Community Yard Sale

Veteran’s Day weekend is a great time for a yard sale:  the weather is cooler and shoppers are in the holiday mood.  A nice way to clear space and earn some cash as well!  We advertise in advance on social media and with neighborhood signs.  You post signs the day of the sale directing traffic to your house.  Here are some ideas for a better yard sale:

For best success, start collecting, cleaning and pricing items far in advance.  Start early.  Really early.  Like now.  The more you do, the more you’ll find.

Go for the low-hanging fruit by grabbing a yard sale box and quickly going through the house to gather “no-brainers”.  Price, label the box, and set aside.

For closets and bigger areas, get ready. Have a trash can, a recycle bin, a shred box, a labeled yard sale box, and a labeled donation box handy. Clean, price, and box yard sale items as you go. Start in one spot and methodically go around.  If you get distracted easily, choose 2 spots and ping-pong between them.  If this still proves difficult, have a friend help out.  An occasional “really?” can be motivational.    

Plan manageable clean out sessions so you don’t get burned out.  Take time to appreciate the progress you’ve made.  Empty trash and recycle bins to outdoor bins daily. Set aside labeled yard sale boxes and labeled donations boxes of items you won’t sell.

A Sharpie and painter’s tape work great to mark prices – relatively cheap, the tape sticks well,  and peels off easily.  It also makes a dandy bracelet – always handy.  Consider bulk pricing for simplicity (eg all hardback books $1, puzzles $2) … ”unless otherwise marked”.  Bundle  smaller items together in plastic bags for whole dollar sales prices.  Consider a half-price sale the last hour or half hour of your sale.  

Make signs to your house.  Those corrugated plastic and wire-leg political campaign yard signs can be covered with folded poster board.  Dollar stores/Walmart sell poster board cheap.   Draw arrows on your sign after it is posted. Also make signs if you use any bulk pricing.  Have your signs ready to go.

Use a cash fanny pack with plenty of $1’s, $5’s, and some $10’s - you’ll be breaking lots of $20 dollar bills from early morning shoppers.  

Tables help display your better items for sale.  Arrange things on the table inside and then just move the whole table out for quick set up.  

Yard sale with neighbors!  Pay at each house but you’ll attract more traffic by posting “3 family sale” signs.  

You can sell water and pre-packaged snacks to keep shoppers energized.  Consider a box of free items for the little ones … but make sure they’re child safe. Parents shop longer if the kids are occupied.

You can post your sale and/or special items on the Royal Palm Facebook page to reach neighbors before the yard sale date.  Please post multiple pics to one post if you can.  Keep current with your post - remove or note “sold” as your items sell.

Have an electric outlet available if you’re selling things that plug in.  Fly your flag for Veteran’s Day, and play holiday music.  Take your leftovers to the Goodwill truck from 1-3pm at the park.