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Hold Your Best Yard Sale Ever with These Tips from Navy Wife and Professional Yard Sale Queen

Spring cleaning is time for bringing in the new and tossing the old. For many military spouses, it coincides with PCS season. As families prepare to move on to their next military adventure, they are getting rid of everything from outgrown clothing to household items.

But, if you are staying put or just arriving at a new duty station, spring is also a great time to look for bargain items. Deciding what to sell, donate or how to get the most for your stuff can sometimes be more confusing than moving orders and military acronyms.  

Chris Heiska, The Yard Sale Queen, www.yardsalequeen.com and former Navy wife, shares her tips on how to sort out this most wonderful time of year - the time for bargain hunting.

Over 15 years ago, long before her website was born, Heiska found herself just “going to yard sales for her shopping fix.”

“When you’re military, the base sales are great,” she says.

After a while, she started a small website just for tips, and with time, said it just grew from there.

The Yard Sale Queen’s Best and Worst Seller Recommendations:

  • Sell like-new things. “People love new and good quality items,” Heiska says. “Sometimes I even see things with pieces of Christmas wrapping paper stuck to them.”
  • Kids clothes sell great, adult clothes, not so much
  • Small pieces of furniture sell well. “If people can pay a little and be able to take the item with them right then, it’s attractive. And, so many people are refinishing furniture these days to furnish or re-sell.” She advises reserving the large pieces of furniture for online yard sale advertisement or classifieds “You don’t want to be hauling out your dresser into your driveway for the day and then it doesn’t sell.”
  • Costume jewelry sells well. “People love looking through bins of necklaces and earrings, especially if they’re each $1.” She says to take your real items, like gold and gemstones to a jeweler to sell.
  • Baby equipment is a great seller. Heiska says to always check for recall information on your item so you are informed or have the additional piece/part when you sell.
  • Make sure household items are clean! She says pictures sell well, as long as they are current, and says people like small household things. Often they buy small appliances just to have an extra one on hand or if they are just starting out their households.
  • Yard and gardening items, flower pots, lawn mowers and weed eaters are great for yard sales. “Just make sure you test out your equipment before you put it out to make sure it works and that you know how to start it and work it.”
  • Children’s bedding: Sells well if it’s clean and nicely folded, maybe with a ribbon. “Presentation helps!”
  • Miscellaneous items: Sometimes adult shoes sell well if they are nice and clean. Comforters and afghans, too.

Yard Sale Queen’s What to Donate Guide:

  • Things that are outdated in style or color, but are still usable
  • Anything that doesn’t sell at your sale, of course! “But remember, everything could sell if you have the right people come by,” Heiska says.
  • Adult clothing
  • Generic coffee cups and mismatched dishes

You may also have certain items that could bring you more cash than yard sale prices. That’s where eBay comes into play.

“On Ebay, you have people who are looking for a specific size or color, and you have the whole world looking,” Heiska says. “You’ll definitely get more money for certain items but they have to be unique, or a quality brand name.”

Heiska also finds that larger clothing sizes tend to be better eBay sellers. Timing is another factor in how much you can make on ebay. If you own items that are extremely popular, think Disney’s Frozen, circa late 2013, or themed items, they may command a higher price at the time.

And finally, selling items involves interaction with other people either at your home or in other places. Heiska promotes always thinking of safety and protecting yourself and your family for the unexpected.

Yard Sale Queen’s Safety Tips:

  • Always have change on you at your yard sale, so you don’t have to go inside your house and look for it.
  • Always keep your money on you, in a fanny pack. “I’ve seen too many sales with money just sitting out in a cigar box just tempting someone to take it,” Heiska says.
  • Always keep your cell phone handy.
  • For online classifieds, don’t post anything expensive. And, if you’re selling a larger piece of furniture, try to move it outside your home if people from online are coming to your house to view.
  • When meeting potential sellers, always choose to meet in a well lit public place

 

Does it seem like a lot? If you get into a rhythm, you can host a yard sale pretty often. Currently, Heiska hosts a yard sale almost weekly at her local fairground.

“I like to just load up the SUV, set up a table on the grounds for a minimal fee and sell there,” she says. “And when I sell at the grounds, I see the same people who come all the time. People just love yard sales.”

 Heiska’s title as the Yard Sale Queen was born from her love of shopping, but she always finds a deal.

“It can get addicting if you go week after week. You find something good and you think, ‘What am I missing?”

For more tips and insider info, check out Heiska’s website and Facebook pages

http://www.yardsalequeen.com    

https://www.facebook.com/pages/yardsalequeen/138588036165817

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