1. Schedule a yard sale on Saturday, Friday, second best day or Sunday (if acceptable in your area), avoid holiday weekends if possible. I have seen a few “Commuter Sales” that take place on a busy street on a weeknight.

2. Go through the house and decide what goes. A good rule of thumb: If you haven’t used it in a year, you can live without it.

3. Treat the sale like a business. Organize the merchandise by putting like items together so people can find what they’re looking for. Put clothing on a rack or string a clothesline to hang it on.

4. Run ads in local papers, on the Internet and put up fliers (you may need to check with your city to see what is allowed). Be specific about what type of merchandise you have. Make sure you list you big or hot ticket items. You’ll get the people who really want the stuff.

5. Spend time on your signs. Much garage sale traffic just follows signs, so make sure you write in large, legible block print on large, Place on busy corners near your home if sign codes allow. Make sure your directions simple yet specific

6. Consider having a joint sale with your friends or neighbors if you don’t think you have enough to fill a yard. More is better. Keep track of what belongs to who by using different colored price tags on each family’s items. We have found that having some brightly colored items seems to draw people in. Go grab a couple of helium balloons, they add color and can be used to draw people in.

7. Be prepared to haggle. If you’re firm on a particular item, put that on the tag. But remember, people that shop yard sales are looking for bargains. What you may think something is worth, may not be the same as what the shoppers feel it is worth. If stuff isn’t moving, start dropping prices during the day.

8. Don’t take checks.

9. Post a sign near the cash box that says “All Sales Final.”

10.On a hot day, sell cold drinks for $1 a can which will boost your take. A our family’s recent yard sale the kids sold lemonade and made quite a bit of money. If kids are helping make sure you keep an eye on them so people don’t take advantage of their generosity.

11. Donate anything that’s left. Don’t bring it back into the house. Take a tax deduction for the fair market value of each item.