1 A general rule of thumb is to price yard sale items at 10 to 20 percent of what they currently retail for, depending on their age and condition. 2  People won’t pay a lot for anything old and worn, so price those items on the lower end of the spectrum—possibly less than $1 per item, especially if it’s clothing. Price most things below $5. 2  Lots of people go to yard sales with no intention of spending more than a few dollars. 3  Having a variety of lower-priced items will give them plenty of things to buy—and those small sales really do add up over the course of a day.