The Yard Sale Queen's Guide to Getting Cash for Your ClutterChris HeiskaHolding
         a garage or yard sale can be a great way to clear out clutter and earn some  cash. Here's how to increase the odds that your
         sale will be a success...   SCHEDULING  The best time to hold your sale is on a weekend when a local church or civic  group
         is staging a large rummage sale. These big sales draw bargain hunters from  surrounding towns, and many of those shoppers
         will visit nearby garage sales as  well. Post signs with arrows leading from the exit of the big sale to your own  sale. 
         Otherwise, choose a weekend when a large number of garage sales are scheduled in  your neighborhood... or ask your neighbors
         to join you in a multi-family or  block-wide sale. The more sellers in the area, the more buyers who will visit.  Saturday
         morning usually is the best time of week for a garage sale because that  is when the most garage sale shoppers are on the
         prowl. Other times are  acceptable only if sales are commonly held at those times in your region.  Also...   Start your sale
         30 minutes earlier than other sales. This will encourage  shoppers to begin their garage sale day with you.   Avoid scheduling
         your sale for a holiday weekend when people are away -- unless  your home is in a resort community or located on a heavily
         used route to, say, a  local beach.  If there's one big employer in your region, schedule your sale for a weekend  that closely
         follows its payday. That's when people are most likely to be in a  spending mood. To find out when payday is, ask someone
         who works there or try  calling the company.  If it rains on sale day, take down your signs and postpone your sale. You can
         proceed with your sale if your merchandise is protected by a garage roof, but  expect business to be slow. Many garage sale
         shoppers make other plans when it  rains.   MERCHANDISE AND PRICING  Small, inexpensive items, including housewares... tools...
         costume jewelry...  DVDs and CDs... books... and child-related products, sell well at garage sales.  Large items, such as
         furniture, typically do not sell well because most shoppers  cannot fit them into their cars. Items priced above $10 or $20
         tend not to sell  well either and are better sold through eBay, Craigslist or a newspaper  classified ad.   Before holding
         your sale, visit a few garage sales in your area to determine  appropriate prices. Relatively new, clean items can bring as
         much as one-third  of their original prices, but most goods sell for much less.   Examples: Used hardcover books rarely sell
         for more than $1 or $2 apiece... used  adult clothing rarely brings more than $2 or $3 per item. Used designer clothing  is
         likely to fetch a better price in a consignment shop.  Shoppers do not like to have to ask the prices of merchandise. Attach
         a price  sticker to each item... or post price signs when multiple items all cost the  same amount.   Example: "Paperbacks
         50 cents each."   Goods bring better prices when they have been cleaned, but consider the value of  your time before
         you start scrubbing. Cleaning a child's toy might increase its  sale price from $1 to $3 -- but the 10 minutes you spend cleaning
         might be worth  more to you than $2.  Other smart sales strategies...   Scan newspaper circulars for store ads offering the
         products that you are  selling -- particularly if you're selling things that are relatively new or  priced above $10. Clip
         out these ads, and attach them to your items so that  shoppers can see what good deals you're offering.  If you sell electrical
         items, have an outlet and extension cord handy so that  you can show that they work.  Put in cheap batteries. Items powered
         by batteries bring much higher prices when  they contain working batteries. If an item requires many batteries or large  batteries,
         however, the cost of these batteries could eat up much or all of your  profit. Buy cheap generic batteries at a dollar store...
         or pull used batteries  near the end of their lives from electronics that you are not selling and buy  new batteries for these.
         Place all of your merchandise (except large items) on tables, even if this means  borrowing folding tables from neighbors...
         or improvising tables from upturned  boxes or boards placed across cinder blocks. Goods are less appealing when  displayed
         on the ground, and many shoppers won't bend down to examine  merchandise.  Be sure to have a "man's table." Have
         at least one table of merchandise that's  likely to interest the stereotypical man, such as tools, DVDs, electronics and 
         books. If possible, also position a lawn mower, barbecue grill or large tools  near the front of your sale, where they can
         be seen from the road. Many garage  sale shoppers are married couples, and these couples are more likely to stop at  your
         sale -- and remain longer -- if there is something for the man to examine.  ADVERTISING  Spread the word about your sale through
         ads in your local newspaper  classifieds... on the free classified ads Web site Craigslist.org ( Visit:  http://ebls.bottomlinesecrets.com/a/tBMhybRB74VH6B8UlHUNGmGRMDE/bls5
         )... and on  community bulletin boards in local stores. Emphasize the size of your sale in  these ads. Use words such as "huge"
         or "multifamily" if appropriate.  On the morning of your sale, post signs on the roads around your home. Provide
          large, easy-to-follow arrows pointing toward your sale, along with the words  "Garage Sale" (or "Yard Sale")
         and your address in big, thick print so that it  can be read from a moving  vehicle.   Caution: Do not post your signs any
         earlier than the morning of your sale... and  don't leave them up after your sale ends. Many towns and neighborhood  associations
         prohibit private signs along roadsides. Garage sale signs often are  ignored by the authorities and accepted by neighbors,
         but the longer you leave  your signs up, the greater the odds that you will face a fine. Ask your  homeowners association
         or town about garage sale sign rules in your area.   SALE DAY  Greet those who visit your sale, then give them space to shop
         undisturbed. Chat  with customers only if they initiate conversations. Background music can make  shoppers feel more comfortable.
         Garage sale cash boxes can get stolen, so carry  the cash generated by your sale (along with plenty of $1 and $5 bills for
          change) in a carpenter's apron or pouch worn around your waist. Be wary of  accepting checks, which might bounce. Do not
         let strangers into your house to  use your bathroom or make phone calls -- they could be thieves.