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PREPARATION

When setting a date for the sale, try and coincide with the town wide garbage pick up day. If the pick-up day is Tuesday 20th, then have the sale on Saturday 17th.

You might also want to organize refreshments for the day of the sale – this is a good fundraiser. Ask parents to make cookies/brownies etc for the sale and organize coffee to be sold (Maybe contact John Marsh (an old parent from the school) from Small World Roaster for donations).

Organize where all donations are going to be stored.

About a month before the date start asking for donations in good condition – no junk!

With regards to clothing donations, you might want to pick through to see if anything is designer that could be sold at Milk Money in Princeton (consignment store) for more money. Rocky Hill Co-op does have an account there.

Also start recruiting volunteers at various time slots, making sure that you have enough people to set up and clean up. I think I asked people for three hour increments. Three people to cover one time slot is ample. The person organizing should ideally be there all day.

About a couple of weeks before, start organizing donations into categories– an organized and well laid out yard sale will be more profitable than one where everything is scattered everywhere. Ideas for Categories – Household Goods, Clothes, Baby Items, Books, Sporting, Games/Puzzles, DVD/VHS, Toys, Shoes/Boots, Furniture etc

Try and set up a price list so that you don’t have to individually price each item
eg. Children’s books – 50 c,, Board Books – 25 c, and try and give bulk buy discounts. Buy one get second half price, or buy three for the price of two etc. Don’t out price yourself and do barter with people.

ADVERTISING

• Write out yard sale posters on hard cardboard and on bright fluorescent colors. Wrap them in cling film and hang them on Monday before the actual event.

• Flyers round town

• Print ads – NJ Classifieds.com – publicize in the Trenton Times Wed/Thur/Fri or Thur/Fri/Sat. This ad will also appear online. I think the charge is $18 for 4 lines

• Princeton Online – FREE

• Craigslist.com under garage sales – FREE

• Word of Mouth and anywhere else you can find

• Flyer in Rocky Hill Gazette through the Community Group.

• Contact Randi Zimmerman (Mayor’s wife) to paint a huge sign advertising the sale. Once completed, position it on the site of the sale.

Make sure that you have enough tables and racks for the items. Contact someone from Mary Jacobs Library re borrowing two coat racks.
Try and sort clothes into sizes/sexes, this will make it easier for you to lay out and for people to see what there is to buy.

Ask permission of site owners – Mrs Raymond Durling (67 Washington Street) or wherever the sale is to be held. 2009 – Reformed Chuch (possibly)

Organize someone with a large van to load up the night before the sale bringing the items directly to the site on the day.

DAY OF SALE

Start setting up at approx 5.30am.

Lay out the tables in an organized manor so that people have access to all items. Try and locate the money box in a safe place and always keep one person manned there at all times.

Organize transportation of items that couldn’t fit into large van. Normally people with large cars/people carriers will be needed for the set up.

Once stuff starts arriving at the site always leave one or two people to set up as there will ALWAYS be early birds. Try and discourage them by telling them the exact start time of the sale.

Always try and barter with people and have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CLEAN UP

There should be nothing left on the site at the end of the day. All rubbish items not sold should be moved to the curb for garbage pick up. All decent items that have just not sold should be kept either for the next yard sale or donated to various charities.

Vietnam Vets and Lupus Foundation do pick up donations. Rescue Mission of Trenton, Salvation Army are other possible charities (not sure if they pick up).

Anything left on the curb should be listed on freecycle.com to avoid unnecessary waste in town dumps.