COMMUNITY SALES

We have our eyes on several community sales this weekend, including:

• York’s Aslan Heights development off of Greenbriar and Church roads. Always a good event, even if it is 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday only.
• Looks like there will be plenty of activity on Emerald, Opal, Onyx, Topaz and Gabriel streets in the Northwest. The sales off of Taxville Road are Friday and Saturday 8 a.m.  to 3 p.m.
• Dallastown Area High School is hosting its own community yard sale on Saturday. It runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and benefits the district’s education foundation.
• Ashcombe Farms near Fox Run Road in Dover has its community sale Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

HIGHLIGHTS

Some individual sales caught our eye too:

• Want a jacuzzi? Visit 208 Oak Road in Dallastown 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
• Or maybe a corner tub? Visit the sale at 240-260 Quickel Road in Dover Friday or Saturday starting at 8 a.m.
• If records are your thing, check out sales at 17970 Fielding Court in New Freedom, 95 Quaker Meeting Road in Wellsville or the community sales in the Scott Street area of York.
• An offer of an old Lionel set will have the train fanatics running to the downsizing sale at Homeland Road south of York Hospital.  It runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Other intriguing items include advertising items and several tools.
• Do you remember the famous 25-cent table on East Berlin Road? We sure do. The big sale is back on Saturday starting at 8 a.m. You’ll find it at 1705 East Berlin Road.

WEATHER

Weekend weather, according to abc27, shows some decent weather for hitting the roads. Both Friday and Saturday are expected to have highs around 70 with overcast skies. There’s a slight chance of rain on Saturday.

CHECK OUT THE APP

Yard Sale Secrets, in conjunction with The York Dispatch and the York Newspaper Co., now has a yard sale app for iPhone and Android phones. The app helps you locate all the yard sales advertised on MediaOnePa, which includes sites in York, Hanover, Chambersburg and Lebanon. Zip to the bottom of this page for a link to the app.

TWITTER

Yep, the Yard Sale Secrets has adopted Twitter. We might only use it sporadically, but we welcome you to join us. We especially hope to use it on Saturdays (and some Fridays) when we are out on the road. Join Yard Sale Secrets on Twitter now!

MORE YARD SALE INFORMATION

Got a question for us here at Yard Sale Secrets? Or, even better, a great tip on selling or buying? Then leave a comment for us and we’ll respond in an upcoming post. We love to hear from other yard sale fanatics!

YOUR WEEKEND MISSION

If you’re hosting a yard sale this weekend, take some pictures of your event set up. We would love to see it. If you’re heading out to some sales, lets see some pictures of your loot! E-mail them to jsimcoe@yorkdispatch.com for inclusion in an upcoming Yard Sale Secrets post.

To save preparation time, make all the items on a yard sale table the same price.

Putting on a yard sale can be a tremendous task. Some people take weeks, even months, to get prepared for a yard sale event.

But let’s say you aren’t interested in doing that. You don’t have the time to plan, organize and execute a yard sale — or at least you don’t have much time at all.

With that in mind, here’s a guide to make a yard sale happen in seven days.

The scenario is a typical one: You have been thinking about hosting a yard sale and suddenly the fates align, and you realize that next Friday you have the opportunity.

Here’s your timeline to get your yard sale up and running:

FRIDAY (Seven days from the yard sale)

• Find an empty room (garage, basement or guest room) and clear out some space. You will use this area as your collection point.
• Search through your storage areas and find unwanted items. Since this is a storage area, you’ll know all these items are essentially “ready to sell.”
• Instruct other family members to find their own unwanted items from their rooms.
• You serve as primary sorter. Sort items of value into piles or boxes: 50-cent items, $1 items, $3 items and $10 items. (Try to keep all like items at the same price, such as clothing items and DVDs)

SATURDAY (Six days from the yard sale)

• Search your own household areas (kitchen, your room, living room, etc.) for unwanted items.
• Locate suitable display tables. You can contact friends, use your own or rent them.  You will need a table for each price category you have.
• Clean any items that need cleaning.

SUNDAY (Five days from the yard sale)

• Mow the lawn today, rather than the day before your sale. It gives your lawn time to “prepare” for a trampling. Work on making the outside of your house presentable. Consider where your tables will be set up.
• Test electronic items.
• Look for instruction booklets and original boxes for items.
• If needed, coordinate a babysitter for your yard sale days.
• Scout around for some more items to sell.

MONDAY (Four days from the yard sale)

• Survey your items for sale and write up a classified ad. Start with your coolest items first, then list other items that bring in the crowds, such as clothing (include sizes and brand names, if possible).
• Make signs to promote your sale. You will want to post them on the turn-in to your street (both directions) and on two other intersections that lead to your house. That means you should create six signs (again, two for each posting area).
• Make up price signs rather than individually pricing all items. The quick way to price items is by pricing in the “Everything on this table is $1″-style. You need to make price signs for each of your price categories.
• Individually price the few items that need special prices.
• This is it. Your chance to discover even more items to sell! Did you look in the shed?

TUESDAY (Three days from the yard sale)

• Reread your rough draft for the classified ad and place it.
• Prepare some food for the big day: Make some baked goods to sell; Purchase a few cases of water and soda; Unthaw some hotdogs in the fridge.  (You can make a killing on food on a hot day!)
• Go out an post your signs.
• Check the weather forecast. Determine if you’re likely to have nice weather and whether you should cancel or not.
• Get some of your basics around: Get some grocery bags, clean up your lawn chairs, check your grill, find some old table cloths, find a cash box.
• Look for even more items to add to the sale. Surely there’s something else? Maybe a quick survey of the kids’ rooms.

WEDNESDAY (Two days from the yard sale)

• Check your classified ad and make sure it looks nice. Check to see if your signs are still up.
• Get your cash for the sale. We recommend $40 in tens, $40 in fives, $20 in ones and $10 in quarters.
• Clean out your cooler to store drinks.
• Put your tables in place on the front lawn. This will let the neighbors know where the sale is happening.
• Have you looked everywhere for extra items to sell? What about in the car trunk? Or in those storage bins hidden in the corner?

THURSDAY (One day from the yard sale)

• Put tablecloths down.
• Attach price signs to each table.
• Prep your large items to move out front. You can leave them in your backyard until morning.
• Just before nightfall, set up your tables.
• Wrap tables in tarps to protect them from the night’s dew.
• Put ice in cooler.
• Drop kids off at babysitter. Or at least prep them for taking them to babysitter.
• Go to bed early.

FRIDAY (Yard sale day!)

• Wake up early, eat a big breakfast.
• Pull out large items.
• Unwrap tables.
• Bring out food supplies.
• Turn on stereo for some nice background music.
• Open up your yard sale, rake in the dough.

SATURDAY (Yard sale day — Part 2)

• Make more money!

And what did she want to do? Go to the flea market, of course!

Granted, it wasn’t a very big flea market and it was terribly cold, but we managed to get a few choice items.

It was Mother’s Day, so buying flowers seemed mandatory. We got these three bundles for a total of $9.

We don’t often buy used appliances, but we were in need of a toaster for camping trips. This one was really clean, marked for $8 and we bought it for $5.

The mesh strainers were $1 each. Not a great deal, but they can be hard to find. After that we have a vintage Thundercats action figure and a generic G.I. Joe toy. The two action figures were 25-cents each.

PICTURES AND QUESTIONS

If you bought some great items at yard sales this weekend, send us some pictures. If you hosted a yard sale, send us some pictures! And if you have questions, comments or ideas about yard sales, send them to us! We will publish them all in future posts.

Mail everything to jsimcoe@yorkdispatch.com. Can’t wait to hear from you!

Get tips from Yard Sale Secrets all season long. Visit us Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for news.

Welcome to the 2013 season of Yard Sale Secrets. Today we are officially kicking off our summer coverage for the yard sale scene here in York County, Pa. We get a lot of readers from York, of course, but we also pull in traffic from around the country thanks to our wide variety of tips.

Our posting schedule will be:

• MONDAYS: GREAT BUYS – A look at some of the items we picked up over the weekend. You can join in by e-mailing your own photos and descriptions by Sunday evening to jsimcoe@yorkdispatch.com. If you do please put “Yard Sale Secrets” in the subject line.
• WEDNESDAYS: TIPS FOR BUYERS AND SELLERS – We post new tips each week, so keep an eye out for them to make your yard sale experience even more rewarding.
• THURSDAYS: BEST BETS – A weekly look at the best bets as advertised in The York Dispatch’s classified section. You can see them in the paper itself, or at the online yard sale listings.

BEST BETS

Since it’s still early in the season, the classified listings aren’t as robust as they often are. Still, there’s a few notable events happening this weekend.

• Over at 4775 Bull Road, you can find some name-brand clothing items, primitive items and a cherry desk and chair. The Dover sale is Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• The sale at 795 Windsor Road in Red Lion looks good for the craft-loving folks in your house. We are intrigued by their offer of dried gourds, which are suitable for painig. They also have a windmill, costume jewelry and Longaberger items.
• Seven Valleys’ New Hope Bible Church is holding a “Pennies for Heaven” sale, which promises reasonably priced goods. The Saturday-only sale runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Among the community-wide yard sales that captured our eye was the Saturday sale from 7 a.m. until “whenever” at the Woodmont Estates, Crossings and Hearthridge developments. Sounds like a big one! Get there off Route 30 and the Susquehanna Trail North and then go to Woodmont Drive.
• Another sale that shows promise is in the Penn State Estates community. The Friday-Saturday sale on South Maurice Street has furniture and country items.

WEATHER

Weekend weather, according to abc27, looks a little dicey for yard sales. Scattered showers are predicted for Friday and Saturday with a high of 80 on Friday, followed by a 70-degree day on Saturday.

CHECK OUT THE APP

Yard Sale Secrets, in conjunction with The York Dispatch and the York Newspaper Co., now has a yard sale app for iPhone and Android phones. The app helps you locate all the yard sales advertised on MediaOnePa, which includes sites in York, Hanover, Chambersburg and Lebanon. Zip to the bottom of this page for a link to the app.

TWITTER

Yep, the Yard Sale Secrets has adopted Twitter. We might only use it sporadically, but we welcome you to join us. We especially hope to use it on Saturdays (and some Fridays) when we are out on the road. Join Yard Sale Secrets on Twitter now!

MORE YARD SALE INFORMATION

Got a question for us here at Yard Sale Secrets? Or, even better, a great tip on selling or buying? Then leave a comment for us and we’ll respond in an upcoming post. We love to hear from other yard sale fanatics!

YOUR WEEKEND MISSION

If you’re hosting a yard sale this weekend, take some pictures of your event set up. We would love to see it. If you’re heading out to some sales, lets see some pictures of your loot! E-mail them to jsimcoe@yorkdispatch.com for inclusion in an upcoming Yard Sale Secrets post.

Sammy Kershaw’s video for his song “Yard Sale” shows some do’s and don’ts of the yard sale biz.

You have to love YouTube. We were clicking through our regular loop of videos when something “new” popped up in the window — a song called “Yard Sale” by country crooner Sammy Kershaw.

Go on, give it a listen. http://youtu.be/kF1CYC6L-2E

This is one we’ve never heard before. Must be that Mr. Kershaw wasn’t a family favorite in the Yard Sale Secrets household, since we certainly heard a lot of country music while tooling around in the back seat of mom’s station wagon.

The song, which came out in 1992, peaked at No. 17 in the U.S. charts. In it we see Sammy selling off his memories one at a time — all the while pining for his lost love.

Yep it’s typical country.

As we watched, we kept on looking for price tags on his stuff we noticed a few things:

• 38 seconds in Sammy is trying to sell some ice cube trays. One of those things you should never sell. It’s just kind of gross.
• At 1:04, he’s committing another no-no — leaving records out in the sun to warp!
• Not long after, he hasn’t bothered to fold up those nice blankets. In fact, he left them in his steamer chest! It’s all about presentation, Sammy!
• By 1:34, he’s learning a few things. He grouped his like items together. Why buy one vintage Kentucky Derby glass when you can buy two?
• We award him bonus points at 1:57 because he was smart enough to put that pretty dress on a hangar.
• Well into the video, we see the closing minutes of his yard sale, and he’s still got lots of stuff. Our advice: Keep those tables closer together and consolidate them as you go. Move the big items out front to get a little curb appeal.  And, brother, no one’s gonna buy a wedding dress that’s been dragged through your lawn.
• And throughout the video, we were h hoping to catch a glimpse at sale prices. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single one to be seen. No florescent pre-printed stickers. No masking tape. Not even a sign.

Bad form, Sammy! You should price everything at your yard sale.

Central York’s parking lot yard sale hosted three rows of vendors. Shoppers had to park at various locations around the complex and walk to the sales.

We managed to hit yard sales on Friday and Saturday of this week.  On Friday, we hit the Sherman Oaks yard sale which is always monstrous. It’s big from a parking standpoint, from  the sheer number of sellers and fromall the shoppers.

We’re betting the folks who reside in the development must make out like bandits. But at the same time, we feel bad for the people who don’t participate — they have to struggle through two days of nightmarish traffic in their sleepy little neighborhood.

We also stopped at the group yard sale held in the parking lot of Central York High School. Perhaps it fed off of the Sherman Oaks sale, because it was huge as well.

That being said, we didn’t get a whole lot of stuff in our expedition. Granted we did get a lot of kids clothes, but we’re getting kind of sick of taking pictures of heaps of fabric. Just trust us, once again, we bought lots of kids clothes!

Among the items we found at the Sherman Oaks sale was an unopened My Little Pony, several pads of chore charts and a bestseller.

One of our Yard Sale Secrets team got these records for a few bucks. The thing is, they don’t even have a record player, but they will use them as wall decorations.

We bought more, too. Among the non-pictured deals:

• A plastic sandbox for $20. The box, molded to look like stonework, was in great shape.
• Several “Project Runway” art kits for the the junior Yard Sale Secrets team-member. It’s always nice to find relatively new items like that on yard sale tables.

Saturday morning was fairly cool, and it got even chillier thanks to the wind. Still, there was decent traffic at the yard sales we visited.

The Yard Sale Secrets team finally got back out on the trail this weekend. The weather was nice and a few items in the classified ads hinted at some great buys.

With that in mind, we aren’t guaranteeing we will be out next weekend. Our suggestion, write a great classified ad, schedule a sunny Saturday and you might see us.

Anyway, our finds were fun, if not typical, for a good Saturday on the hunt for great bargains at the hands of York County’s residents.

We picked up a variety of items for our toddler, including a “doctor’s kit,” a tray puzzle and some funky “Bollywood” slippers that have their own toes!

This small bookcase, which uses fabric to create book slots, was just $4.

A variety of Circo shoes for the youngest Yard Sale Secrets team member. We liked how the seller used bright-colored yard to keep the pairs together.

This large map of Great Lakes light houses was professionally framed with a double mat. Framing something like this would cost well over $100 at a arts & crafts store. We got it for $7.

The small table mirror was 75-cents. The miter box was even cheaper — it was free for the taking.

Also note that in the top photo there is a Wii game in the picture. Any time we come across games, electronics or books that spark our interest at a yard sale, we use our smart phone to search reviews for the item.

If it gets good reviews, we buy. In this case, we picked up the well-received Wii “Go Play Lumberjacks” for $4.

Yard sales can be a perfect fundraising tool for charities, medical funds and nonprofit organizations.

As you know, yard sales can be a huge money maker if you do it right.  Since that’s the case, you often see yard sales that benefit a charity.

With that in mind, some suggestions on setting up a fundraising yard sale:

• Recruit multiple vendors: You shouldn’t be the only vendor at your fundraising sale — you need plenty of sellers. This helps ensure variety for your customers since word will get around about your big event. It also means shoppers will stay longer, and likely spend more too!
• Or … Gather lots of donations: If you’re sure you want to stick to being the only vendor, then cast out a wide net for donations. Send out a mass e-mail to everyone associated with the organization and ask them to pass it along to their friends too, then see what comes in!
• Get space: If your fund-raiser event looks like it’s going to get bigger than your front yard, then you might want to rent out a room or banquet hall. Check with your local schools, churches, fire halls and businesses for the best opportunities. Since it’s a fundraiser, you might actually get space for free.
• Sell space: You certainly can give away space at your fundraising yard sale to a few vendors, but also consider selling spaces as well. Space fees should go to the charity and then allow those vendors to keep their own profits.
• Sell shopping time: An alternative (or addition) to selling spaces is to sell shopping time. Let shoppers know their entrance fee is going to charity, and they will be happy to pay.
• Advertise (Part 1): A month or two before your sale, start recruiting those paying vendors mentioned above, and the best way to do it is to advertise. Be sure to include all the appropriate contact information.
• Advertise (Part 2): Once you get your vendors recruited, let shoppers know about it. Aside from the usual classified advertising, send out a few e-mails to the local media. Invite shoppers with special posters at grocery stores, churches, schools, day-cares and other organizations.
• Advertise (Part 3): Make sure to include info on who’s benefiting and what percentage the charity is getting. Likewise, be prepared to fully explain the charity for those who aren’t exactly sure what it is.
• Get some props: Since you are doing a fundraiser for a charity, consider asking that charity to donate some signs, or even bring a few “props” to your event. Sure, maybe the Red Cross will send out its Bloodmobile, but more likely they’ll give you a couple of shirts for your staff to wear.
• Legal concerns: Be aware that there might be some legal issues concerning fundraisers. Check with your benefiting organization, or even the local United Way,  for some guidance in the matter before you get started.

Image by HAM Guy via Flickr.com

YTI Career Institute student Janet Keister of York Haven gathers items to purchase at a professional yard sale at the institute’s Career Services Center Thursday, March 14, 2013. Donations of professional clothing and accessories from institute staff were on sale for $2 and less. (Bill Kalina photo — bkalina@yorkdispatch.com)

YTI Career Institute here in York, Pa., recently held a special kind of yard sale, they created a “professional” yard sale.

By that, they meant shoppers could browse through a large selection of items for use in their professional development — namely business attire.

We love the idea of a themed yard sale, and even have a few tips on creating one:

• Why do a theme? A themed yard sale is interesting. It can generate publicity. It can pull people in from all over.
• Actually stick to your theme: Make sure you aren’t adding any oddball things into the sale. You don’t want your theme to be diluted, thereby making it less unique.  (In the YTI case, don’t allow the sale of a “Star Wars” DVD, but a DVD on business strategies is fine.)
• Make it worth the effort: Don’t advertise a themed yard sale and only have a card table worth of merchandise. You need to go all out and make it worth your customer’s time. This concept is the hardest to achieve since who knows if you have enough merchandise to hold up your end of the deal.  (YTI worked around this by having multiple people offer themed items to their sale.)
• Advertise: Go crazy with your advertising and make sure they know exactly what to expect. More importantly, start your advertising early — weeks in advance. Make sure your potential shoppers plan their day around your event.

Now of course, the idea of a themed yard sale isn’t anything new — but often times, they’re just something else in disguise.

We remember times when we were champing at the bit to get to a “scrapbookers yard sale” only to discover that it was just a going-out-of-business sale for a scrapbooking store. The same thing happened for the “tool sale,” which was just a garage emptying out its junk.

Another thing we’ve come across are “yard sales” that are really just a set-up for a Thirty-One saleswoman … or Avon … or Silpada … or whatever the current at-home marketing craze is.

It’s also not uncommon for a craftsperson to advertise in the yard sale section. You’ll find people who make birdhouses, paint pottery, arrange flowers or assemble custom dolls.

All this is perfectly fine, of course. We like the idea of a themed yard sale. We just want to know what to expect when we get there.

YTI however did it just right. They set up a sale that benefitted its students, and that’s exactly what they did.  Good job, YTI!

YTI Career Institute student Barchue Guar of Red Lion shops at a professional yard sale at the institute’s Career Services Center on March 14, 2012. (Bill Kalina photo — bkalina@yorkdispatch.com)