This article provides a guide and tips to have a successful garage sale at your home. Welcome to Shebang, your free information site.
Garage Sale
A garage sale can bring in a good amount of solid cash. You can turn unwanted and unneeded items into cash, and in the bargain, you get to de-clutter your home.
There is a lot of preparation, and a good amount of organizing to have a successful garage sale, the benefits are worth it, and you get out what you put into it. There is a satisfaction at the end of the day that makes it all worth while.
Preparation for a Garge Sale
Find a place in the garage, basement, or a room where you can place items for a future garage sale. Start now, as you spot items for the sale, move them to the location that you have decided on.
Garage Sale Sign
The garage sale sign can make the difference whether someone will come to your sale, and stop and shop. You can buy ready made garage sale signs, or you can make your own. A home made large colorful sign works even better than store-bought signs, people like creativity, and this reflects on what you may have for them at your sale. Bland signs, often translate into bland products. Buying and placing colorful balloons out in front of your yard works very well to draw customers.
Advertising Your Garage Sale
Keep you advertising costs down, use as much free advertising as you can possibly get. Any money put into advertising comes out of your profits from the garage sale. Use free sites such as Craig's List, and Kijiji, which will get the attention of internet users. Early in the morning of the sale, place colorful home made signs on telephone poles at busy street corners. The signs must be on stiff cardboard that will not bend in the wind. Make sure the signs provide clear instructions that direct people to your place, the lettering has to be very large, clear enough for drivers to read the sign,
without stopping. Place signs with large arrows that will lead and direct vehicles to your home, most people do not know addresses in the city, so arrows that lead the way are important. Talk to friends and make up signs that they can post at work. Remember to remove the signs, and any nails from the poles at the end of the day.
Item you are Selling
All items for sale must be clean and in presentable condition. If an electric item does not work, state this on the item, someone may still want to buy it for parts. Have an electrical extension cord handy so the customer can test electrical devices.
Anything that may seem like junk to you, can be seen as a treasure to someone else, keep this in mind when pricing.
Pricing Items in Your Garage Sale
If you are not sure how to price an item go with one tenth of the original price. Price higher on items more sought after. Antiques and jewelry go for
higher prices as high as the market can bear. Keep in mind that most of this these items are things you want to get rid of, so price very low. Remember at the end of the day, anything not sold, you have to carry back into the house. Price all your books at 25 cents each, whether magazine, hard or soft cover. There will be some exceptions. Books must be laid out on something like a tarp, so one can see the cover of each book, without picking it up. If possible place same authors in the same spot, you may end up selling a bunch of the same author in the one sale. Place a small bench or chair where people can sit and look over the books that they are interested in.
Use masking tape and a felt marker to price items. Price all items in even numbers to make giving change easy. Price nothing under 25 cents. Do all
the pricing the night before the sale.
Furniture is more in demand and can be priced higher. Always price items a little higher than what you want to get, you can bargain with the
customer and drop the price a little, and still get the value you wanted, out of the item. If you are not sure you really want to sell an item, price very high.
Have a small box that you can keep in a safe location to make change. Have an assortment of bills and coins.
Tips
Keep plastic grocery bags and boxes for your garage sale. Customers will use these to take away the items they have bought.
Clothes do not sell well in a garage sale. They need special storage to keep them in good shape, and take up too much room. It is advisable to take all clothes in the very best of condition to a consignment store, you will get your best value there. Take all other unwanted clothes that you
have not worn in the last 2-5 years, but may still be of use to a Salvation Army, Value Village, or thrift shop. Someone else will find use for these clothes.
Encourage others in the neighborhood to have a garage sale the same day, buyers love a neighborhood sales. If you are by yourself, and your neighbor also, you may want to cover for each other during a bathroom break.
Have your sale on the first weekend of the month, this is just after payday for most people.
The night before the sale have your table and garage sale items moved closest to the outside as possible, you must get setup and all your items out
as quickly as possible. There is always someone who will turn up earlier than you want them too, and you can't be in two places at the same time.
State on your sign the time the sale starts, and then start an hour before that time setting up.
Provide yourself with a chair, something to eat and drink, once the sale starts, you will only have a moment here and there to eat and drink.
Only accept cash, unless you know the person.
Place a free box by the curb and place anything in it that you think has no sale value, but may still be of use to someone. This promotes a happy feeling for the shopper. If they are looking at the free box, they may also buy something with a price tag.
Have a felt pen with you throughout the day, products that are not selling, may need to have their prices lowered.
Be alert, watchful, available, and helpful.
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