Technology has become a primary piece of our society. We use it for entertainment, learning, healthcare, communicating with each other, and preserving our memories. There likely isn’t a person reading this article that doesn’t own a TV or a cell phone. Now, we can use new technology and the power of the internet to help us market our yard sales or estate sales and the items they offer.
New Technology Will Bring in the Customers
Garage sales, yard sales, estate sales and the like have become staples of warm weather weekends and socializing between family, friends and neighbors. After all, they are a quick way to make a buck while getting rid of things you no longer need or want that may be of use to someone else. Many shoppers follow these sales with cult-like enthusiasm. In fact, according to signs.com, as of 2013, nearly 700,000 people bought one item at a garage sale each week. Now, thanks to technology, that number is sure to rise rapidly with its promise of easy exposure and convenience for buyers and sellers alike.
While posting signs around the neighborhood is still a worthwhile place to start advertising, apps and websites are now available to list these types of sales and reach people outside of one particular community. Not only does posting across multiple websites maximize reach, most of these channels allow you to post pictures, share specific product names, and general descriptions of sale items.
While newspaper ads and sites like Craigslist have assisted with secondhand sales for years, YardSaleRadar.com is a prime example of a company that has used tech to its advantage to build its business. They’ve created a niche resource through their website where users can search listings from near or far, post a yard sale or estate sale for free, and learn related tips and tricks. A posting includes the location, hours, and the date of each sale. It’s also possible to add images and descriptions of things for sale. Filters are available to look for specific items like appliances, clothing, baby items, electronics, furniture, and tools. Browsing the listings allows price comparison of items between yard sales and assists in planning out yard sale stops and routes. Collectors can benefit as well since they’ll know where to focus their efforts to find what they want. Not only does this make things easy for buyers, it’s a tool for the seller to garner more overall attention for their sale – and it can all be done with the click of a button.
While modern day online access easily connects you to yard and estate sales, these types of events are geared towards selling a large number of goods in person, over a period of a few days. Apps like Letgo and OfferUp, on the other hand, are some of the latest popular and profitable mobile-friendly platforms to buy and sell single items at your leisure. They are free to use and send you notifications when someone is interested in a posted item. On these applications, users can haggle prices before even seeing the product that’s for sale and make secure payments. While it’s possible to find larger items, these tools are more focused on selling smaller goods on an individual basis.
Social media is another way technology has stepped in to help advertise yard sales or estate sales and sell these used goods. Facebook is probably best known for this and, in fact, offers its own marketplace feature for buying and selling items. Of course, the advantage of using social media is that it allows you to rapidly share information. So if you’re hosting a sale or post an item online, the benefit is that it can be shared immediately, all over the world.
Tips for Using Tech to Promote Your Yard Sale or Estate Sale Listings
The web is also a great resource for pricing items for yard and estate sales. Researching items online, via a Google search or sites like eBay, provides an idea of an item’s target price. Not to mention, looking up products online provides an opportunity to discover if someone’s piece of junk is actually worth something. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as they say.
Once your items are priced, these are some ways technology can help boost sales even further and make online listings pop:
- Take good photos – Use photo editing apps or advanced camera settings to capture details of items and improve lighting. Today’s cell phones even offer remarkable picture taking capabilities. Otherwise, shooting an image in daylight or in front of the natural light from a window is also helpful. Don’t use blurry or out of focus photos.
- Be descriptive – Not only are detailed descriptions attractive to buyers, they help websites filter the information to get items in front of the right people. They enable you to use specific keywords that are commonly searched to draw more attention, too. Plus, it’s an opportunity to mention if an item is missing something or model names/numbers that buyers can cross check online to ensure they’ll have all the pieces or components needed.
- List early and everywhere – The sooner a yard or estate sale is listed and the more places you post it online, the better. Use an app or a website like Yard Sale Radar or Craigslist to help you gain exposure.
It’s a no-brainer that a profitable yard or estate sale is based on marketing to a large number of people. With all the online tools available, it only takes a little time and effort to easily maximize your chances of having it be a success.
With today’s technology, it is simple to navigate all things yard sales whether you are a new budget shopper or a seasoned pro. Shoppers love the convenience of finding items and sales from the comfort of home and sellers love the fast exposure that allows them to quickly make some extra cash. While each online yard sale platform has its advantages, the priority of them all is using technology to connect people to what they want quickly and seamlessly.
Going forward, generations that have only lived in a world with online access will be carrying the torch for this neighborly venture. It will be exciting to see how they use technology to further transform yard sales.
Bio
The Yard Sale Radar Guy is an electrician by trade and a yard sale enthusiast in his spare time. Seeing a helpful opportunity, he created Yard Sale Radar as an easier, faster, and cheaper way to connect people, like himself, who are interested in these types of sales, but not the hassle of traditional advertising and selling techniques. When he’s not buying or selling at yard and estate sales, Yard Sale Radar Guy can be found cheering on his favorite hockey team or exploring new travel destinations.
