How to Set Up for a Garage or Yard Sale

A festive atmosphere with colorful party decorations encourages customers to browse.

"One man's junk is another man's treasure," the old saying goes. A garage or yard sale is a way to earn a little cash and clean out the closets at the same time. You will need to perform a little investigative work about local laws and acceptable prices before you have your sale. Expect to enlist a few helpers for assistance. You can even offer to hold a combination sale with contents from several friends in exchange for their help throughout the day. With preparation and determination, you can create a sale that will reap pleasure as well as cash.

Things You'll Need

• Party decorations
• Snacks or drinks
• Tables
• Boxes
• Marker
• Price tags or stickers
• Cash box with lock
• Advertising flyers
• Garage sale signs
• Grocery bags

Instructions

1. Know your local regulations. Some municipalities regulate garage and yard sales, either prohibiting them or restricting them with regulations such as time of day or how far tables must be placed from the road. Call your town clerk or codes department to inquire local regulations. Failure to abide by local laws could incur steep fines.

2. Research appropriate prices for your neighborhood. Avoid overpricing objects. If you live in a middle-class neighborhood, you will most likely receive middle-income customers. Attend a few garage sales in the weeks leading up to your own sale, and take note of prices for items and how quickly they sell. Your old country quilt may be in excellent condition, but it will not sell if a customer can purchase a brand new one for the same price at the department store.

3. 

   Sort similar items into groups.

   Organize the sale items carefully. Place all merchandise neatly on tables, shelves or pegboards. Items sell better when they are neat and organized at arm's length. Larger items such as toys and furniture can be set on the ground. Clothing should be organized by gender and size, placed into neatly folded piles on tables or on clothing racks. Sort similar items into groups; for example, place all clothing together in one group, all toys together in another group, and so on.

4. Create a colorful and festive atmosphere. Play light music in the background. Decorate the yard or garage with party decorations such as balloons or colorful streamers. Place free or inexpensive snacks or drinks on a table for customers when they enter the yard. Attract customers with the party atmosphere, encouraging them to linger and relax.

5. Avoid throwing a bunch of items into a box and slapping a price tag on the box. Label everything with price tags, even the small items. At the end of the day, items may become misplaced and disorganized by the browsing and handling of objects by the customers, causing you more work and angst as you try to remember prices.

6. 

   Place the cash table in a conspicuous area.

   Create a small money station near the front of the sale. Fill the cash box with approximately $15 to $20 in coin change and about $20 in $1 bills. Sit prominently in the front of the yard or garage so you can monitor people coming and going. Ask a helper to monitor the back of the sale, or have the helper manage the cash box while you wander through the tables, offering help to customers or keeping the atmosphere lively with casual talk.

7. Place valuable items and attractive objects near the cash box or toward the front of the sale to attract passersby. Clothes, shoes and toys are very typical garage or yard sale fare; offer something different, and place it toward the front to catch the eye. For example, situate a colorful children's playset or attractive rocking chair or patio set prominently near the front.

8. Place a few succinctly-worded ads in the classified section of your local newspaper a week before the sale. Enlist family members to hand out advertising flyers, or ask the neighbors to spread the word about your sale. Place large signs in your yard advertising the sale. Colorful painted signs decorated with helium balloons draw attention well. If your municipality allows it, place lawn signs several feet from your driveway advertising your sale.

9. 

   Lower prices if sales are slow.

   Repackage items into a "bag sale" if items are moving too slowly. For example, charge one convenient price per bag for all clothing. This will also prevent you from having to relabel all the tags for every single item, too. Create a very large sign advertising your bag sale, and place it prominently in front of the appropriate tables.

References

• "USA Today"; Having a Yard Sale? Follow These Tips for a Successful One; Mae Anderson; June 2011
• "Time"; Top Tips for Hosting a Profitable Yard Sale; J.D. Roth; June 2011