Step1
Schedule your garage sale far enough in advance that you can place classified ads in city and community newspapers. Hold your sale on a nonholiday weekend, unless you live in a resort town with lots of vacationers. Check the long-range forecast for good weather.
Step2
Give boxes to everyone in your family a few weeks before the sale. Have each person fill a box or two with things he or she wants to sell (beyond what's already piled in the garage). Let the kids know they can keep the cash from their items.
Step3
Give your neighbors a courtesy call before the yard sale. They'll appreciate it, and may even have items to add to your stock.
Step4
Organize your neighbors to hold sales on the same day as yours. An enormous block sale will attract flocks of buyers and generate great foot traffic. Offer to sell stuff for friends and family for a commission.
Step5
Take out an ad in the paper, and create large, easy-to-read signs for the neighborhood. Tap into no-cost resources, such as online listings or community newspapers that publish free classifieds.
Step6
Set and post a starting time, and put out a sign that warns "Early birds pay double"--and stick to it. Otherwise, your doorbell will start ringing at 5 a.m., and the good stuff will be gone before the majority of your customers arrive.
Step7
Round up volunteers if you expect large crowds. Friends and family may be willing to help in order to get rid of their own junk.
Step8
Scrub, wash, polish and launder anything you plan to sell. If an item needs a simple repair to greatly increase its selling price, do it. Hang clothing on makeshift racks, sorted by size, without cramming too many garments onto the rods. Provide a changing area and mirror.
Step9
Use masking tape or colored dots and a permanent marker to price everything. Setting up "$1 or less" and "$5 or less" tables or boxes will save you time and attract shoppers.
Step10
Be realistic when you price things: You may have spent a fortune on that beta VCR, but you'll be lucky to get a quarter for it now. Stay flexible and leave yourself room to bargain down--and remember, the goal is to get rid of stuff. Have a "One thin dime" box to encourage further browsing.
Step11
Display your merchandise on folding tables (or plywood and sawhorses) to keep it off the ground. And organize your goods: Don't make buyers root through piles of junk to find the gems.
Step12
Put some real crowd-pleasers up front to entice passing cars. Good looking furniture and large children's play structures make great bait near the curb.
Step13
Make sure there's plenty of parking. Move your cars if necessary.
Step14
Spread a rug or blanket on the lawn with a few toys that you're selling. Kids will bond with the toys and demand that their parents buy them.
Step15
Share your family memories if there's a funny story behind an item. People find it harder to resist buying something with a history.
Step16
Be cheerful, get people talking and encourage haggling. Many people are reluctant to negotiate but find it's fun once they start.
Step17
Set up your cash table near the entrance. Have plenty of small bills, change, a cash box, a calculator, pencil and pen, ledger book (to inventory commissions), bags, boxes and newspapers to wrap purchases, and a tape measure. Keep your cell phone close by to call in relief when you need a break.
Step18
Make sure anything that's not for sale is safely behind closed doors. Protect yourself against theft by displaying small valuables within eyesight and close to the cash box. Keep money in a zipped fanny pack if you're bustling about.
Step19
Acknowledge a point of diminishing returns. Be ready to slash prices drastically when business drops off. Or donate your leftovers to charity and take a tax write-off.
