If you’re planning a big move, you know that you’ll be spending a lot of time packing. Did you know that if you have a moving sale, you can not only make some extra money but also save money on your move?
Selling the belongings you no longer need is a great way to decrease your shipping expenses. If you follow the steps we’ve outlined below, you’ll increase your chances of making more money at your moving sale.
Step 1: Make thoughtful choices about which items to sell
Consider which things you no longer use or need, and are willing to part with. Your items may be exactly what someone else wants. After all, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure! If you end up selling a lot of items, you may be able to rent a smaller moving truck.
Step 2: Find ways to get friends and family to help
Get others involved from the start. If you get friends and family members to join in, you may generate more potential buyers as people like to go to neighborhood yard sales because there are a wide variety of things for sale.
Step 3: Plan the best day for your sale
The most popular days for yard sales are on the weekend, so consider Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday. When you advertise your sale, be sure to include the hours you’ll be holding the sale.
Step 4: Make sure you have parking available
Make sure to see if there are any local codes about having a yard sale. When you pick your location, having accessible parking will encourage more potential buyers to come to your sale.
Step 5: Advertising pays off
Be sure to include the day, time of the sale, and the address in your advertisement. On the day of the sale, be prepared for people to show up early – these early bird purchasers like to have the pick of the items. Don’t let them talk you into lowering your prices so early in the day though!
Step 6: Prepare ahead of time for your sale
Make sure you have a dedicated space on a table to collect payment. You’ll need change, so take care of that ahead of time. You’ll also need a calculator and a place to secure your cash. Decide whether you want to accept cash only, or if you want to make it possible for people to pay for their items via an internet site or mobile app, or even accept credit cards by using a card reader.
Advertising Your Moving Sale
If you’ve decided to advertise your sale, you’ll want to make sure the advertisement includes the day, the address, and the time your sale begins and ends. If might rain that day, you could include an alternate day for your sale or hold it indoors, if possible. Your ad could also include information about items that draw people to moving sales, such as furniture, yard equipment, and major appliances.
Think carefully about where to advertise your moving sale in order to increase the chances of holding a successful sale.
Here are a few ideas to consider:
- Newspaper: Your local newspaper will generally accept advertisements for yard sales to be run in the classified section. Keep your ad short and concise. Placing the ad on Friday may be your best option. You’ll need to get your ad to the newspaper several days ahead of time.
- Online listings: There are numerous options online for placing your classified advertisement. This is a great way to get the word out about your moving sale, and best of all, it’s free. Search for yard sale sites and local sales sites.
- Flyers and signs: The best yard sale signs are on bright poster board with the day, time, address, and arrows pointing towards the location. You may also be able to put up flyers at local businesses and places like libraries and gas stations.
- Social media: Use the internet to let your friends and their friends know about your sale. Use all of the social media possibilities to reach out. Be creative and use your city’s name as part of a hash tag, and ask friends to share the details of your moving sale with their friends. You can post photos of some of the more exciting items that you are selling to generate excitement.
MOVING SALE TIPS
- Keep your prices reasonable: Do a quick search online to decide upon the best price for your sales items.
- Price each item with a tag or sticker: Nothing is more frustrating than going to a yard sale and having to ask the price of each item you’re interested in. Be sure to make it clear how much you’re selling each item for. If friends are selling things with you, you can color-code your stickers.
- Stock up on plastic grocery store bags and boxes: This way you can make it easy for buyers to carry away their purchases. You should also have some newspaper available to wrap up breakables.
- Bag up loose items: For example, if you’re selling something with several parts, put the pieces in Ziploc bags.
- Mark things clearly: If you’re using some things for display only, make sure to mark them accordingly.
- Organize your space. Think of your sales space as a miniature store. Make it easy for potential buyers to find what they are looking for. Display similar items in the same area.
- Hang up your clothing items and arrange them by size: Try to borrow a clothes rack or hang your clothing on a clothes line.
- Prepare for the possibility of rain: Make sure you have some tarps on hand in case you need to protect your belongings in a quick storm.
- Sell drinks and snacks: Many customers will be out all morning visiting different yard sales. If it’s a cold morning, have some coffee and hot chocolate available. Switch over to cold sodas and water in the afternoon.
- Give all participants something to do: Make this moving sale fun for everyone by appointing jobs ahead of time. This’ll keep the sale from becoming a headache for you as well!
Once you’ve sold all the wonderful stuff allowing you to downsize some, give us a call at 240-600-0998 to book your move or fill out our form below if you haven’t done so already! Let us become your trusted Maryland, D.C. & Northern Virginia movers.
