Mark your calendars for the big sale! Every year over 100 homes participate in the Curtis Park Neighborhood Yard Sale. Residents and community members stroll, bike, and drive through our shady streets to scoop up fantastic bargains and help others reuse and recycle their treasures.
Neighbors interested in participating can start prepping now. Get on the Yard Sale map by filling out this form. SCNA will advertise the event in the Sacramento Bee, Viewpoint, Craigslist, Facebook, Twitter, and other media and news outlets.
Curtis Park is located between Franklin and Freeport Blvds, north of Sutterville and south of Broadway (highlighted in the map below). Yard sale times will vary by homeowner but typically start around 8-9AM and end around noon or 1PM. Individual sale locations will be placed on the map below a few days before the big sale.
Tips for a Successful Sale
- Make Good Signs. Although your location will be mapped above, help out those on foot with large clear signs. The easiest ones to follow just say “Yard Sale” and have a big bold arrow pointing the way. Please remember to remove your signs after the event. You are welcome to print and use these yard sale signs.
- Have Change. Make sure you have fives, ones, and at least ten dollars in quarters. Start saving change now or stop into your bank. Be sure to run extra money back into the house throughout the sale so you won’t have cash lying around outside.
- Sort Your Items. The easiest way to organize and make it easy on potential buyers is to have items sorted by type. Stash items by category, such as clothes, books, home goods, and kids’ toys. If you have a lot of clothes, divide them by men’s, women’s, and children’s. Most people are looking for something specific and will appreciate the organization.
- Price Your Items. Sales will be better if you price your items individually rather than just group them into boxes with one price. As the sale progresses, boxes can get mixed up. For price tags try a roll of masking tape and a marker or go all out with fancy price tags. Expect some haggling, but keep your prices fair. If you’re not sure visit a thrift shop or look up a larger item online to see what it sells for in both new and used condition. Print that out to use in negotiations.
- Organize and Arrange. You won’t have enough time in the morning! Plan your table displays and put all the clothes on hangers the night before. Map out where everything will be placed to make the morning setup as easy as possible. If you can’t put everything in the garage the night before, group similar items into laundry baskets and boxes so you’ll only have to pull items onto tables.
- Get Ready. Give yourself at least an hour to set everything out and put up signs. Make sure you have your change in a safe place, and find a comfortable, shaded area to sit. If your garage sale is hard to spot from the street, place a yard sale sign in front of your house so people know where to stop. Maybe get the kids involved by selling donuts or lemonade?
- Sell. Get ready for questions, examination of goods, and some haggling. Keep fragile items near you, people are going to pick up and look at things. Don’t act pushy, relax, stay seated, and shout out a friendly hello when people walk up. Let the customers come to you. Stick to your prices during the morning rush, but price to sell near the end.
- Leftovers. Not everything will sell. Consider donating items to charity or posting choice items to the Buy Nothing Curtis Park facebook group.
Thanks to www.moneycrashers.com for the great tips.
Download Printable Signs
