Sharing something from Nate Berkus

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I thought this was a great "Ten Tips for a Terrific Tag Sale by Meg Fairfax Fielding the writer of "Pigtown Design" a Baltimore-based design blog.Visit her blog at http://www.pigtown-design.blogspot.com/

From labeling and pricing to staging and selling, "Junk Whisperer" Meg Fairfax Fielding shares her tips for holding a successful tag sale!

Tag sales are a great way to make some extra money and clear out things from your house. But in order to have a successful sale, here are a few tips to make your tag sale the talk of the town.

1. Decide whether you want to make a lot of money or get rid of things. If your goal is to clear the clutter, price things to move! Have a dollar table, or baskets of toys where everything is 10¢. If your goal is to make money, be a little more selective with your prices – but don’t make them too high or you won’t sell anything! Everyone loves a bargain.
2. Pick a date, and then advertise. You can do it the old-school way and put signs up on major roads near your house (don’t forget to take them down when your sale’s finished!). Write in BIG letters on bright paper to catch the attention of passers-by.
3. You can also advertise your sale the new media way on Facebook, Craigslist, your community’s listserv or via e-mail to all of your friends. See if your neighbors will have a sale the same day, and get more bang for the buck. If you’re advertising electronically, add lots of descriptions and pictures. This will draw the crowds.
4. As you are pulling things out to sell, PRICE THEM! You will not have time to do this the morning of the sale. You can buy colored stickers with pre-printed prices from an office supply store. These will help take a lot of the decision-making out of pricing items.

5. Make a staging area for the sale. As you go through what you’re selling, price the piece and move it to staging area. That way, on sale day, all you have to do is move items outside.
6. The morning of the sale, put out tables and blankets and organize your items like a store. Have like with like – all kids’ clothing on one table, toys in baskets on the ground at child-height, kitchen- and house-wares on another table, and furniture set to the side!
7. If you have some very nice pieces, like un-used wedding presents or grandma’s china, make up a Boutique section. Pickers and dealers don’t care about kids’ clothes and toys, they want to see the good stuff. Likewise, someone looking for kids’ toys probably won’t want antique china.
8. Have lots of change – everyone goes to the bank machine and gets $20 bills. Have lots of $1’s and $5’s and small change. You don’t want to lose sales because you don’t have change. If you have an apron with pockets, that’s better than leaving money in a box on the table. If someone’s holding an item, you can make an instant sale.

9. If your children want to get in on the action, they can sell lemonade, water and home-made cookies. People love to buy from the little ones.
10. Be cheerful and pleasant to everyone! They don’t know that you’ve already answered the same question 11 times today. The buyers are giving you money to take your things away. This should make you very happy! Make sure they know it. The more you do before the sale to get organized, the less frantic you will be on the day of the sale. Tag sales can be lots of fun for both the buyer and the seller with a little bit of planning.  

Meg Fairfax Fielding is the writer of "Pigtown Design," a Baltimore-based design blog that explores architecture, design, books, and gardens. To learn more about Meg, visit her blog at www.pigtown-design.blogspot.com.