The Price is Right: the Science Behind Pricing Yard Sale Items
Price everything. One of the biggest keys to yard sale success it to make sure you price everything. You may think that people will just ask for a price if they are interested in an item. Not all customers will do this, however. Many will simply walk away if the yard sale items are not priced. Make sure you price each and every item.
Overprice large items. Items in your yard sale which are bigger ticket items that you really want to get a certain amount of money for should be overpriced slightly. For instance if you want to get $15 out of an end table you’re selling, put a price tag of $18 on it. Patrons inevitably ask if you’ll take less for larger items. If you price the item at $18, but would be happy with $15, you can reduce the price without hesitation, but still get what you want for it.
Group small items. If you have lots of little items in your yard sale like pairs of earrings or small kids’ toys, try grouping them together in zip loc bags. Putting four or five pairs of earrings in a bag and pricing it for $1.00 is more likely to sell than many small pairs going for $.25. This makes keeping up with the small items in your yard sale easier as well.
Price in a visible place. Try to put the price tag somewhere that people can see it even when the item is sitting on a table (rather than on the bottom of the item). This makes it easier for people to scan your yard sale items and get an idea of price. The only exception to this is clothing. Since people will have to look at a piece of clothing’s tag to determine size, the tag is a great place to put the price.
Keep them low. The final rule for pricing yard sale items is to keep your prices low. Most people have a yard sale not only to make a little extra cash, but also to clean out and get organized. People will buy more if your prices are low, and you’ll get rid of more junk. Price things cheap and your yard sale is much more likely to be a success.
