* Have plenty of change: coins, dollar bills. (Note to shoppers: Don't show up with $20 bills to buy 50-cent items.)
* Offer bags. Stockpile supermarket plastic or paper bags. Have newspaper on hand to wrap breakables.
* Dirt doesn't sell. Dirty dishes, mugs with dried coffee rings or baking pans with burnt-on crust are losers.
* Package related items to give more bang for the buck. No one's going to give you a quarter for a plastic bag of rubber bands, but package them in a plastic letter tray with related items you're trying to get rid of - a jar of paper clips, an unopened packet of note paper and that Rolodex you never took out of the box - and suddenly it's a desk set, and somebody will give you $3 for it.
* Be realistic about what will sell and for how much. You're not going to get $2 for a tumbler marking a class reunion or a plastic mug commemorating a 10K race eight years ago.
* A better way to get rid of that endless supply of coffee mugs: Perk a big pot of coffee and sell it for 25 cents a cup and serve it in those mugs! Buy a cup of coffee, get a free mug.
* Display goes a long way toward catching the eye and opening the wallet. A nice arrangement of china or of related holiday items is very appealing.
* Pricing alternative: Use colored adhesive dots, then post a sign: red equals 10 cents, blue equals 25 cents, etc.
* For big-ticket items, state a firm price but post a sign where shoppers can write down a name, phone number and offer in case you decide to lower the price later in the day if the item doesn't sell.
* Set aside some boxes of free stuff. But differentiate between "free" and "trash." If you've got citrus trees, offer free fruit.
* To keep browsers' interest, display items by "department": kids', garden, men's and women's clothing, kitchen, tools. * More is better. Shoppers will pass a forlorn-looking sale with just a few items, but they'll pile out of the car if they see lots of merchandise.
* Visit some yard sales before you schedule your own to get an idea of how much to charge, which items sell quickly or slowly, and what attracts buyers.
- JUDY STARK, Times Homes editor, with staff reports
