Top 3 Tips to Negotiate at a Yard Sale

It’s that time of the year. Half way to Christmas. Oh yes, and the 2^nd annual Rapp & Friends yard sale.

Last year was a first for me hosting a yard sale, and I loved it. A lot. It helps to do it with a friend so you can have random dance parties between customers.

For our second yard sale we followed all the lessons we had learned last year and had a very successful yard sale. The only things we did differently was to not put price tags on anything and treated the yard sale like it was the end the whole time. Meaning, if you wanted it, we would figure out a price that worked for both of us. Any money for it was pretty much okay with us. It meant one less item on our hands and at least one more quarter in our pocket.

But that didn’t mean we didn’t negotiate or try to read peoples’ bottom line.

As the various personalities paraded through our front yard, I definitely found that certain people were more enjoyable to talk, negotiate, and sell to. It made me realize  there were people I would rather sell an item to than others, regardless of the monetary amount we were haggling over.

Being on the seller’s side of the yard really taught me lessons on how to be the buyer.

So I thought I would share with you how to be the best yard sale negotiator based on people I would prefer to sell to.

How to be the Best Yard Sale Negotiator

1. Disarm the seller.

This is actually a lesson I learned in dealing with the media in my day job. The more you relate, be kind, and genuine, the less the media want to ask you the hard-hitting, career debilitating questions. This also relates to someone wanting to sell to you.

When you walk into someone’s yard, greet them. Don’t be obnoxious about it, but engage in some small talk while browsing. This may lead into a natural conversation, usually started by an object you’re, the weather, etc. As you talk, the seller will learn more about you as a person (and not just see you as a possible sale through dollar sign hooded eyes) and start to relate to you in some way.

After you have made that personal connection and are ready to buy something, the seller actually likes you and cares (even in a small, just met you kind of way) about you. Because of that connection the seller will most likely be more willing to negotiate a lower price. They like you, they want you to have it, and it’s kind of nice knowing your stuff (even though it’s your castoffs) is going to a good home.

Example: Towards the end of a sale a really nice couple stopped by. We ended up chatting for a few minutes, laughing and talking. The woman picked up this decorative box that every single person had picked up and almost bought. It was nice and had so much interest I had stayed firm at my $5 price tag. This woman was no different and really loved the box. She asked the price but didn’t want to pay $5 and only wanted to pay $3. I said no, just like I did to everyone else. We talked a little bit more and then they started walking to their car. Then I called to her and said, “Wait, you can have the box for $3. It’s nice to see it going to such a good home.” Then she responded, “Are you sure? I don’t want to take something you’re not sure about.” I happily handed the box to her and she handed her $3 to me. With a wave she happily walked off and I sat down smiling. Deal made and both parties were happy.

2. Don’t Be an Aggressive Negotiator. Be a Kind Negotiator.

This has been the hardest lesson I have learned. When I lived in China I negotiated all the time. I even prided myself in my hard negotiating skills. Now, on the receiving end of negotiations I don’t like people who are hardcore negotiators. They don’t come off personable; they come off rude. Personally, I don’t like selling to them. I actually want to negotiate less with them and might let them walk away without items because I thought they were rude.

This was a technique I thought worked like a charm. Stick to your price and eventually they will come down to it. Now I disagree. If you are so hardcore you might be walking away empty handed. That may be what some people want – the deal of the century or nothing, but it’s not just something I like to engage with as a seller.

Example: This woman came strutting up to our yard sale, a back seat full of earlier yard sale goodies. You knew she was a pro before even talking with her. She swiftly started collecting things she wanted. Then came time to negotiate. She would ask for a price. I would counter. She would say, “Girl, you are killing me. Sending me to the poor house. Ouch!”

She also came with a friend, who I negotiated with but then the other woman came up and said, “No! She will not pay $1 for that. Only 50 cents.” This while her friend was pulling out her wallet to pay.

After this happened over and over again, I didn’t feel like negotiating with her was worth it. I wanted her to just go on her way.

3. Don’t Be Weird

I freely admit I’m weird; however I like to think I am endearingly weird and kind of quirky. But the weird I am talking about it straight up weird. You know what I’m talking about. If you act kind of oddball, creepy, you make me want to get you off my lawn immediately.

Just be yourself, relaxed, and friendly.

Example: Please don’t take this as rude. I am a firm believer in each to their own. But there was this one man who came to the yard sale who was oh-so-weird and spastic. Like my friend and I stopped talking and the other yard sale shoppers gave us a look and left. He would go from table to table, muttering a little, picking up each item, and then abruptly turning around and say 25 cents.

There was a clock that he wanted to check what type of batteries it took. We couldn’t get it open so he abruptly ran to his car, got a screw driver, and then made us pop off the back, asking if it made the tick tock sound. He also made like 5 different purchases. He would skip from table to table, but one or two things for 25 cents, and then go back over the tables and do the same thing. Each time he would pull out a big wad of bills (another lesson – don’t pull out a big wad of cash) and have me make change.

If he picked up something I half way cared about, I wouldn’t enter into negotiations with him. I knew he would only pay a quarter. Everything else I would agree to just to get him away from me.

Now those are my top 3 tips to negotiate at a yard sale but what about yours? Any tips for getting that score at a yard sale?

Click here to watch a video on how to be the best yard sale negotiator!