How to Plan a Homeschool Yard Sale

Homeschoolers collect a lot of things over the years, and not just books and school supplies. In fact, homeschoolers use many different materials to teach their kids... things that non-homeschoolers would be just as interested in having for their kids. If you tried selling your goods to others with no avail, perhaps it's time to plan a yard sale.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Signs with date/place of the yard sale
• Tables
• Old blankets
• Things to sell
• Money box
• Change to give to customers
• Price stickers

1. First, you need to pick a time of year when yard sales are popular in your area. People generally like to come out and shop when the weather is warm.

2. Collect the things that you want to sell. You don't have to limit the sale to books and teaching materials. Take this opportunity to sell anything that you want to get rid of.

3. Decide on how to price your items. Keep in mind that people are looking for some really good deals when they go yard sale shopping. Pricing your items too high will result in either no sales or many negotiations. Be fair, and be prepared to price a bit below what you think is fair.

4. Make signs for your yard sale about a week in advance. Hang signs around your neighborhood and as far out as you think people will come to visit your place. Check with county ordinances to make sure that you are hanging signs legally. Otherwise, they will be taken down and your announcement will not get to your target audience. Consider placing an ad in your local newspaper as well.

5. On the day of the yard sale, plan to get up bright and early to set up. Although you post a start and stop time for your yard sale, you will more than likely get early birds who will be searching through your boxes before you get a chance to put everything on display.

6. Arrange items so they are easy to see. Don't place a lot of things on the ground, making it hard for folks to bend over. Some people may not even make the effort to look at the items on the ground.

7. If possible, get together with a bunch of homeschool families and combine your yard sale. The bigger the better, and the more people you will draw.

8. If you have enough families participating, perhaps you can hold the yard sale at a church or other large facility. To attract even more people, you might consider donating some of the proceeds to a charitable cause.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that the location of your yard sale has adequate parking spots. You don't want cranky neighbors who get frustrated with people blocking their driveway or parking in front of their house all day long.
• Keep your best items in the front of the yard sale, so people passing by will see them prominently displayed.
• Keep pets inside during the yard sale. Some people are afraid of dogs, especially, and will not get out of their car to visit.

[msopinion]

on 11/7/2009 Great article 5*