The First 5 Steps To Take For A Successful Rummage Sale

Whether you’re chasing nostalgic memories from your childhood neighborhood, you need to get rid of some things taking up space around the house, or you’re itching to make a quick buck or two, if you’re reading this post chances are: you’ve decided to host a rummage sale!

The fun of interacting with your community is more than half the magic, but of course, nobody wants to go through the effort of setting up tables of items just to have to pack everything back up with only a few extra dollars to your name. The secrets to a successful rummage sale are sacred and passed down from generation to generation, and luckily for you, we’ve got secrets to pass on! Here are 5 steps you need to take before you even get started setting up.

1. Pick a date

As much as rummage and yard sale are all about the spontaneity and serendipity of stumbling upon amazing treasures you weren’t looking for in the first place, that spontaneous energy really shouldn’t be put into deciding when to open up shop. As much as we’d love pop-up yard sales year-round, if you do just pick a date out of the air, chances are you aren’t going to have many guests visiting you at all.

Instead of picking a random date, you should get an idea of when people in your community are up for a rummage sale. Some neighborhoods might have designated weeks dedicated to community-wide yard sales. If you live near a college campus, incoming students might be on the hunt for inexpensive furniture and kitchen appliances. Ask around and see what time of year you’re likely to get some traffic, and what time of year you’re better off spending your day doing something else!

2. Figure out what to sell

If you’re specifically looking to get rid of a few items that are just taking up space, you might already have an idea of what to set out. If not, though, it’s important to know that not all yard sale items are created equal. If you’re specifically looking to make a bit of cash, heavy coats, old video games, and kitchen appliances are all players you want to have on your team.

At the same time, some of the happiest guests are often the ones that fell in love with a unique object that came right out of left field. Like we said, while choosing a date shouldn’t be spontaneous, finding an unexpected treasure is part of the magic. This means that you shouldn’t be afraid of having a variety of items set up, even if some seem a little strange or niche. Chances are that these items will be somebody’s find of the year!

3. Figure out prices

Let’s get something out of the way. While you certainly can make quite a bit of money from your rummage sale, you probably aren’t going to make a net profit. That is, you’re selling items that you probably aren’t using anyway, and that are probably just taking up space at this point, but you’re also likely selling them for much less than you originally paid for them. This shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, half of the reason yard sales are so popular is that items are seriously discounted, but it can make pricing confusing.

You spent $300 on those shoes when they were brand new, how much are they worth now? While there’s technically no precise answer, if you have the chance to visit nearby yard sales, you can get an idea of what people in your specific community are willing to pay for those items. Another thing you can do is check the prices of used items online—this won’t be specific to your community, but it can give you a good ballpark. Remember: if you price things too high, you’re going to miss out on sales. If you price things too low, you’re going to miss out on revenue. Yard sales are magic, but they’re also science!

4. Advertise!

If you’re setting up during a community-organized yard sale week, you probably don’t have to go out of your way to let people know. If this isn’t the case, however, people have to know when and where to find your sale somehow! You can rely on the adventurous spirit of passers-by, but even if everyone walking by your place decides to stop by and purchase something, you’re missing out on a lot of traffic if you don’t advertise.

Public libraries and local coffee shops are great places to put up posters or flyers. If your community has some sort of newspaper or social media page, that can be a great place to put a few ads up. As the day approaches, setting up signs leading to your place can be crucial to lure guests in, or to help people already looking for you actually find you. Every step so far has been crucial, and this one is no exception! (psst…you can always use Yard Sale Search. Try it here, it’s free!)

5. Take the proper precautions

There are quite a few things that COVID-19 changed for all of us, but one of the biggest impacts is how seriously everyone approaches sanitation. Even after this pandemic, chances are that people are going to be better about carrying disinfectant and about how/where they sneeze. While we’re still in the pandemic, even with better vaccine rollout, social distancing and sanitization are still fundamental.

Keep your rummage sale safe! Pandemic or otherwise, make sure you take the proper precautions to make sure that everybody is safe and comfortable. Is there a social distance mandate? Make sure to space your items out. Is there a virus going around? Make sure to wipe down surfaces every so often. Just a few safety precautions can make the world of difference in your community!

There’s a lot that goes into hosting a successful rummage sale, and these first few steps are bound to set you on the right track. Check out our other blogs to learn more about the process and, as always, long live the yard sale!