Yard Sale Season

With yard sale season starting again (not that it ever really stops in California) I find myself complaining every weekend. Not because the lack of quality resale items or the cost. It’s all the little things sellers do wrong! Not that I’m an expert at yard sales but I do have some tips.

Craigslist Ads

1. If you post it on Craiglist please make sure you actually have a yard sale. If you decide to not have one, DELETE the ad. It’s so frustrating to drive to a yard sale listed only find that the sellers decided to stay in bed. This happens a lot more on Fridays and Sundays then Saturdays.

2. If you say the yard sale starts at 10 am please have it ready to go at this time. If I show up at 10:30 I don’t want to see you still pulling out boxes. I don’t have time to wait or return later.

3. If you go through the trouble of advertising a yard sale and actually want people to show PUT YOUR ADDRESS. There is nothing more frustrating then having the seller put on “on the corner of main and first” and you have to drive up and down to find it. Or putting “on main st”. I don’t want to start on one end of main and drive to the other end trying to find out. PUT YOUR ADDRESS!!!

Sellers

1. Invest in a bright color paper and a black marker. Or better yet print the sign. Do not use a ball point pen. The most prominent thing on the sign should be the arrow pointing me in the right direction. I hate it when the arrow is so light you have to be right in front of it to find out which direction to go. And I’m always in the wrong lane. A sign should read Yard Sale, A BIG ARROW, date, and address. The last two don’t have to be as big. Just help me find you.

2. If you put a sign up, REMOVE IT! I hate driving around for ten minutes trying to find a yard sale only to drive back to the sign and read that it was last weekend. Or last month.
3. Put price tags on your items or a sign letting me know how much items cost. I don’t want to spend 10 minutes digging through a huge pile of clothes only to find out that you are charging $5.00 for a t-shirt.
4. Please don’t tell me how much something costs new or on ebay. I’m shopping at a yard sale. Just tell me how much you are going to charge me.
5. If something is broken, ripped, stained or missing pieces don’t try to sell it. Throw it away or put it in the free bin. Last weekend I went to a yard sale and they had a wooden puzzle. I asked where the other pieces were for it and they said they could only find two. Hmm maybe someone crafty could do something with this but I want a complete puzzle.
6. Expect people to haggle on prices no matter the price. Even if you price something a dime expect them to offer you a nickel. Price things accordingly. A few weeks ago a seller was very rude to my mother because she asked for a lower price. He told her to put his stuff down and leave if she wasn’t willing to pay his prices. Not a good way to sell your items.

OK I know I sound like a big complainer. And even if none of these things ever change I will still continue going to yard sales whenever possible. I just had to vent a little. Or a lot.