Things You'll Need:
- items to sell
- bags and boxes
- price tags
- change
- garage or yard sale signs
- advertisement
- electrical outlet with extension chord
- tables/tarps/clothes line
- balloons (optional)
- newspapers for wrapping
- markers
-
Step 1
Set a date, place and times. What type of sale will it be, will it be a multi-family sale, neighborhood sale, block sale and how will advertising be paid for. Ensure you have enough time to gather things together. Remember just about anything can sell. One person's junk is another's treasure. A good guide for determining what to sell - if you haven't used it or worn it in a year you probably will not miss it.
-
Step 2
Advertising - This one is important. There are so many ways to advertise and many of them are free. Be sure to advertise big items, collectibles and other high traffic items (e.g. baby clothes, baby items, antiques, books). Some ideas of where to advertise are community bulletin boards, Laundromats, and word of mouth. You can also advertise in the Thursday or Friday paper.
Some websites that allow for free or cheap advertising.
www.yardsalers.net
www.salesigns.info
www.weekendtreasure.com
www.garagesalesource.com -
Step 3
If it is a nice day be sure to place as much of the sale items out front so that passers-by can see what you have to offer (many people decide whether to stop by what they can see). Try placing typically male items up front (lawn mower, power tools, sporting goods), many times the man is driving and you need to get the man to stop so the woman can shop. Use card tables, boards across cinder blocks, clothes line strung for clothes, tarps on the grass to arrange the items for sell. Be sure to keep the items neat throughout the sale.
-
Step 4
Children - If you have children, it might be fun for them to set up a soda pop and snack table. Sell cans of pop on ice and sealed packages of snacks.
-
Step 5
Be sure that you have a working electrical outlet nearby or at least an extension chord to show that electrical items do in fact work (blender, toaster, etc).
-
Step 6
Keep fragile items up high. Keep like items together. You may want to have a bargain table with anything less than a dollar. If you are really bent on cleaning out the house you may even want a freebie table.
-
Step 7
Labeling - If you are selling items for other individuals insure that those items are marked with that persons initials to properly account for sales. A simple method is to label items with masking tape that can be removed at the time of sale and stuck to a sheet of paper.
-
Step 8
Pricing - Make sure all items are clearly marked. About 25% of what it cost new is a good start. People are looking for bargains at sales - don't overprice your items. However, be sure to properly price your collectibles and antiques. Remember that haggling is part of the garage sale experience. Be prepared for it. If you choose not to haggle, beware some buyers will walk away.
-
Step 9
Signs - Place signs out the night before or the morning of the sale and be sure to take the signs down as soon as the sale is over. Make sure your signs can be seen from the road (arrows pointing the direction are good). Try driving by at regular speed and check if you can see the sign. Placing balloons at the end of the drive way can help.
Comments
tundranut said
on 3/5/2009 I love garage sales when they are other people's garage sales. But it's a great way to make money and clear out your house. Great article. 5*
DUSTYMILLS said
on 5/12/2008 All good ideas............thank you.
Ladybugblue said
on 5/11/2008 This was a good article and the right time of year to be thinking about it. I enjoyed this article.