Pros and Cons Of a Yard Sale

When I was 11 or 12, I begged my parents to do a yard sale. They laughed and asked what I would sell.

After reading a book about decluttering my home, I quickly decided to try it and sell anything I did not use anymore. Today I am outside writing this as I wait for people to purchase things at my yard sale. What are the pros and cons of a yard sale?

Pros of a Yard Sale

1. You can make a lot of money. I would donate or throw away everything anyway, so I decided to charge a dollar an item. You may think this is crazy, but I had a lot of takers because of the low price. Maybe I would be making more had I charged more.
2. Cleaning your house gives you a new start in life. I wouldn't say I like keeping a lot of stuff around, but pulling out all my things and considering each item, I found hundreds of things that I do not use or like anymore. After calling my parents, they were a little concerned when I said I was putting together a yard sale. My mom asked me, what do you even have to sell? I don't think people realize how much they have in their home until they go through it.
3. Going through things brings back fond memories. There are pictures I have not seen in years. I found clothes that I have not worn since I was first married. Everything brought back such good memories. But it was also nice to move on from those memories.
4. You are giving things a second chance. A pan we may not use in our home could be used in someone else's home. It is 100% worth it. Recycle!
5. Helps kids give up toys they have not played with for months. Today my daughter realized she had something she had not played with for a long time and offered to donate it to the yard sale. It gave the kids a chance to see what they use every day.
6. You get to meet new people. As a stay-at-home mom, I don't get the opportunity to meet people very often. I love being around others! It has been a lot of fun to talk to the customers and get to know them a little. If you're an extrovert, yard sales are totally up to your alley.
7. We've been able to spend a lot of time as a family. It has been forever since I've blown bubbles for the kids. If I'm out here anyway, why not?
8. A little vitamin D never hurt anyone. It's about 50° out here with beautiful sun and clouds. I couldn't complain about it has been the perfect day.

Cons of a Yard Sale

1. You can meet some crazy people! You do not control who shows up at your house, there are some good people, but there can also be creepers. Do you want them to know where you live?
2. You will sale nothing close to what you are prepared to sale. After all, is said and done, at least half have to donate. It may have been easier to all donate it in the first place. It is for you to decide.
3. Some people can be dishonest. For instance, we had a large item taken without being paid for. Maybe I missed it somehow or because it was just a dollar for everything. It makes me smile to think if someone did take it without paying, that is low.
4. It is a lot of a waiting game. At first, at least ten people were waiting to look through all of my things. Now it has been an hour in between each person. It is fun to sit for a while, but it gets tiring. I am glad I am only making a six-hour yard sale.
5. Our kids were a little restless. After a while, they went inside to watch a little show. After the show was through, they cried a lot. I do have small children, and they are used to the schedule. Without one, they have been a little stir crazy.
6. The weather can be crazy. It was supposed to rain every day besides Friday when I made the yard sale. When I woke up this morning, I looked at the weather again after advertising, and it said that it had a chance of rain. You never know what kind of weather you will have. Are you going to lay out all of your things and have them soaked? Good luck gathering them up.
7. People aren't exactly soft to the items or your layout. I love watching people interact. As I have, I've noticed something familiar in all of them. They are very rough with the items laid out in our yard. Some will throw down books hard or drop items. If you love things you're selling and hope for a better home, it can be discouraging. I thought it was interesting that the people have been so rough.
8. It can be challenging for people to find parking to come to your yard sale. We are blessed to live on a slow neighborhood road. If this was not the case, I feel like we'd have fewer people stopping.
9. Advertising can be a little overwhelming. It is up to you how much you want to advertise, but considering the time it takes to collect everything. I didn't go all out there with our yard sale. This could have hurt the success, but I didn't want to put hundreds of signs out around the town; I would have to gather bleeder.
10. It can be awkward. How can you make them feel comfortable while still being around?

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey." 

- Pros and Cons Team

Written By: Sarah