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We at the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor are excited
and hopeful that you will have fun and make money on your BUY-WAY Yard
Sale event this year! We have made a commitment to promote yard sale
activities along the Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway...and this
includes all alignments of it; i.e., those roads that were once the
Highway that may have been moved to straighter alignments up to 1928.
The Ohio Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor (OLHHC) is not responsible
or liable for any personal or public activities connected with this
event.
Here are some helpful tips on hosting a successful sale.
The idea of the BUY-WAY Yard Sale is to bring people to rediscover the
lesser traveled path of the original Lincoln Highway, once a bustling
road that began connecting America by automobiles, and changed the way
we travel today. This event encourages small businesses to gain
revenues through increased tourism. This activity helps the local
economy. It is our goal to "preserve, interpret and promote the
Lincoln Highway. Our effort will strengthen education, increase
tourism and encourage economic development along Americašs first
coast-to-coast paved highway."
Getting Started...
Anyone who owns property along the Lincoln Highway is
welcome to set up a sale. It can be a yard, garage, antique,
collectibles or "whatever" sale. Just be certain you are aware of and
considerate of all the highway safety laws, and be aware of how
traffic will need to respond when stopping in and leaving your site.
Encourage your friends and neighbors to set up
together. Groups tend to attract more stoppers and shoppers! Also
check with your local chamber or visitors bureau about local
organizations' group sale areas. You may wish to locate there for
better exposure.
Plan to advertise in your local paper. Classifieds can
be powerful in promoting your location and event, especially if you
have one or two unique items to mention. Your local newspaper can help
you plan this inexpensive investment that will pull shoppers to you.
Run these ads for a few days in advance of the event, being sure to
note your "open" times and dates.
Churches, organizations and multiple table hosts:
Attract more shoppers by advertising the number of
participants or tables you will be hosting, as well as your location
and times. Also specify the charity, if any. This adds validity to
your event .
If serving food, be sure to check well in advance with
your local health department for proper permits and inspections! Some
communities require a special event permit. You may want to check with
your village or city hall.
Place banners and signs high enough to be seen from
approaching motorists so they have time to plan parking without quick
stops or turns.
You may also want to provide a packaging booth for
shipping purchased items. Contact local shipping stores, or designated
UPS shipper businesses for partnering in this add-on money-maker.
Signage:
BUY-WAY Yard Sale Signs: Using our BUY-WAY yard sign, draw arrows
pointing the direction of your location. There is ample space to the
right of the logo for other important wording such as your location or
hours, or even a specific featured item.
If the ground where you plan to put your yard sale sign
is very dry, you may want to soften it the day before by pouring a
bucket of water on the area. The wickets will go in much easier.
Use clear tape to fasten the fold-over sign onto the
wicket.
Plastic dry cleaning bags are good for covering signs
in the event of rain.
Be sure to remove any signs immediately after your
event!
Churches, Organizations and multiple table
hosts:
Our large Tyvek banners are designed for indoor/outdoor
use, but may not withstand strong thunderstorm winds. Take care to
remove the banners if there is an impending storm.
Use lengths of nylon braided rope to fasten.
Be sure to display it as high as possible, and in
advance of parking. There is a large area to the right of the logo for
adding specific information about your event.
You may want to provide a number of our table banners
to your vendors as an inclusion to their table fee.
Lay out your parking lot with 10 by 10 foot sections,
using a carpenteršs chalk snap-line. You may also number the plots in
chalk. Allow at least an 8 foot wide causeway for shopper traffic
between rows of tables.
You may also want to control the "look" of your event
by providing all same color table covers (sold by the roll or packed
in multiples at discount, foodservice and party stores).
An additional cover given out with a roll of tape will
work as a rain cover for the products, if needed.
If serving food, create a separate area with tables for
shoppers to rest and eat, preferably in the shade.
Don't forget entertainment! Get local bands, groups and
other talents...even a roving magician will create talk among
shoppers.
Have a volunteer relieve yard sale table attendants for
restroom and food breaks.
Pricing
Price your items to avoid the use of pennies. Yard or
Garage sale items typically sell for 50% to 90% off the original
selling price, but some high-ticket and sought-after items in good
condition will sell for prices you'd expect to get by advertising in a
newspaper classified ad. Use your best judgment.
Be sure to know the going price of an antique from an
appraiser if offering it at a yard sale. Don't give something of a
great value at a low price unless you are certain you want to get rid
of it.
Have items priced clearly.
It is helpful for your record keeping to have an
inventory sheet to monitor your sales. Simply log your item and its
sale price; then the actual amount sold. This is also helpful for
referring to when pricing items next year.
Another trick is for same-price items to simply be
color coded. Display a color code sign; i.e., a red dot sticker equals
a dollar; green is $.50; yellow, a dime, etc.
Selling:
Plan to have about $30 in change. (Five ones, 2 - 5's
and a ten; the last five dollars breaks down as follows: 20 nickels; 8
quarters, and 20 dimes).
Our canvas carpenters' nail aprons are handy for
keeping change close at hand.
Price items a little over the amount you'd take if
someone haggles on price.
It sounds like the obvious, but really...be sure to say
"hi" to everybody who wanders in. A friendly door-opener greeting
helps strangers relax and want to buy!
Instead of offering a specific dollar amount off the
marked price, you may want to think in terms of 10% off, or 15%
off, offering this may actually be less than your "dollars-off" offer
and will still be a good concession for the buyer.
Play music in the background. This 'noise' actually
helps the shopper discuss an item privately with a friend. In many
cases helps the sale happen.
Have an electric extension cord available so anyone can
test an appliance if desired.
Put a note onto the item about its working condition
even if it doesn't work (and be honest, of course) You'd be
surprised who may buy it for parts or fewer functions.
Make sure your items are clean and free of dirt,
grease, etc. Have paper towels ready for any typical accidents.
Build a Project Kit!
Here is a valuable idea that will save you time, money
and frustration at any event you become involved. Buy a cheap or
used toolbox, then fill it with those mission-critical tools that you
will need at the drop of a hat to save the day. Here are some items:
ink pen, pencil, masking tape, duct tape, clear tape, double-stick
tape, push pins, thumb tacks (maybe take just a few and place them
into a small vial, you don't need a whole box of each), rubber bands,
small wood screws, post-it notes, thick tipped black and red permanent
marker, small bullet point permanent marker, scissors, X-Acto knife
with a protective sleeve, box cutter, small measuring tape, length of
nylon rope, 6-foot extension cord, 3-prong electrical plug adapter,
pocket calculator, pad of paper, sheet-sized cardboard for emergency
signs, and the obvious...a tack hammer. A multi-head screwdriver
is a lifesaver, pliers, bottle opener, small clamps and (roll up a
mini-roll of) paper towels! Believe it or not, you can put this
together for under $20 new from a deep discount or closeouts store and
it will be your best friend at future projects!
If you are designing a Group ad event, take this above logo to your
local paper to use in the ad. Or have them download a logo.
Remember that you are welcome to use this logo to promote your yard
sale activities, but NOT to produce items for resale. For resale
signature items, please call 419-468-6773.
See a map of where the Lincoln Highway travels
in your area of Ohio.
List
your group event or to find out who is
providing a multiple yard sale event in your area.
Also available at this site is our BUY-WAY
products. You can order a complete guidebook to a profitable
garage/yard sale at this website, too.
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