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Spring is about to sprung. It's time for your spring cleaning. Grab yourself a large wooden crate and start gathering all that packed-up junk that you received for Christmas. Root through your attic, your basement, your closets and your porches and remove your Jazzercise albums, your Members Only jacket, your picture of an old man praying over a bowl of soup, your VHS copy of Hoosiers, and that book you bought on spinning for those spin classes you never attended. Round up all that stuff and have a yard sale.
How is a Yard Sale Green?
Reselling items to people who may actually need them decreases the amount of new items that have to be manufactured. Putting items back into the supply chain reduces demand and saves materials. It will also give you a little pocket cash that you can spend on storm windows or insulation for your hot water heater.
- Location! Location! Location
If you can convince a few friends to join your yard-sale effort, you'll be able to pick your location. Try and pick a highly trafficked area with ample parking. - Price your Items
You may want to save materials by not pricing your items, but this will hurt your sales. People are more likely to buy things when they see a price on the item. So price your items the eco-friendly way. Get some sticky tack and some scratch paper. Old junk mail will work. Write the price on the scrap paper and affix it to the item with the sticky tack. When a customer buys the item, remove the sticky tack and put it in a pile. At the end of the day, you won’t have generated any new trash, save the packaging the sticky tack came in. - Advertise
Put up signs at densely trafficked areas. Use old cereal, pizza and oatmeal boxes. If you don't have any scrap cardboard, go to a grocery store and ask for some of their old boxes. Don't forget to advertise online. Local church and supermarket bulletin boards are good places to get the word out. - Don't Be Greedy
How many times have I gone to a garage sale to be turned away by high prices? Many times, that's for sure. You are having a garage sale to get rid of these unused items. Keep that in mind when pricing them. Be willing to haggle. - Clean Your Merchandise
Clean your merchandise with eco-friendly cleanser or vinegar. Wash all clothes in cold water. No one wants to buy dirty goods. - Know When to Hold a Garage Sale
Holiday weekends are generally bad. If you live in a mid-sized city supported by one large company, you should find out when the company's payday is and hold your sale the weekend after that. (Source: Yard Sale Queen)
Note: Some areas may require a permit for holding a yard sale. Check your local ordinances.
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