Having a successful yard sale involves planning we hope our tips will allow you to be as stress-free as possible during your yard sale. Here are some tips:

• ADVERTISE – Even though Deer Park Yard Sale is advertising all the yard sales of this event, it is still important that you also take an active role in helping shoppers find your sale… So how, you may ask, can you do that? Well, the local papers and Craigslist are both great ways to get the word out. When using Craigslist we suggest adding your yard sale 1 to 2 days before your yard sale. This is so that your yard sale will not be too far down the line and get lost. Also when people scroll through Craigslist, it would help if your ad held some key information like your personal location, make sure to add dates, times, and major intersections (this may be good in the title) also we ask if you could please send them to www.dpyardsale.com to see all the yard sales and to be able to print out a copy of the map.
• THE MORE THE MERRIER – Tell your neighbors. You can either set up a multifamily yard sale or encourage them to sign up on the DPYS website and host their own. The more sales we have on the map the more of a draw it will be to out-of-area visitors. DPyardsale.com or facebook.com/dpyardsale
• WHERE’S YOUR SIGN?! – Listing your garage sale is not enough. Get your sale’s location out there. Get, or make signs. Simple signs with big fat arrows! Keep directing your prospective shoppers with signs! (And PLEASE – take them down after the sale!)
• START EARLY – Be ready for early birds, they probably won’t come back later if you tell them you aren’t “open” yet. Even if you aren’t really ready, be willing to let them browse what is out and encourage them to come back again once you have all your items set up.
• ORGANIZATION – Have things set out on tables and make sure the prices are easily seen. Have a money box stocked with plenty of change (one’s and quarters).
• WHAT’S THE DEAL? – You may be worried about getting too little for your items. However, if you have to donate because your items are over priced you get nothing.
• DON’T MAKE IT PERSONAL – Remember people are looking at your used stuff. If it is something you think is great, you can sell it later on craigslist or ebay. Don’t feel bad if no one wants it!
• SET A GOAL – Want to pay off some debt? Or are you after a new piece of furniture? It’s a lot more fun and easier to watch your stuff leave in exchange for something you’re wanting.
• TAKE PHOTOS – Send us photos of any items that are unique, big ticket, or collectible.
• THANK THE SPONSORS – Without the help of this year’s sponsors this event would not take place. TRECpro has donated thousands of dollars worth of time to marketing the event and developing the website.  Be sure to thank them for their support so we can do this again next year!
• MULTI-FAMILY YARD SALE – Use different colored tags or write your initials on the stickers. When an item sells, put the sticker in your notebook that has a page for each seller. At the end, tally up the tags and stickers and divide the money accordingly. 

Based on the blog article How to Host a Garage Sale by Fabulessly Frugal.