How to Storm the Garage Sale Scene

It's time to clean house! Gather up all your no-longer-needed belongs and let someone else have them. Of course, not until after they pay you for them! Follow these simple steps to running a successful garage sale:

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. When your closets are bulging and your wallet is empty, it's time to have a garage sale! It's an easy fix for a famished checking account, so start gathering up the things you can learn to live without.

2. Try to find items that are in decent condition, but that you know you can live without. If you haven't used it, worn it, or even looked at it in over 6 months, chances are--it's time to get rid of it. Take several weeks to go through each closet, room, storage shed and garage in your house (and even your neighbor's or friend's house, if they're willing) to find every possible item that you could sell.

3. Look for clothes that are lightly worn (make sure they're clean and ready to show). Bed sets, CDs, plate sets, pots and pans are all items needed by most garage sale go-ers. Give everything a good cleaning so they'll be presentable for the big day.

4. About a week before the sale, put an ad in the local newspaper telling where and when the sale will be. Most garage sale go-ers (and there are some serious ones out there) prefer to shop around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, so be ready to start early! You can even give a sneak preview on Friday evening (some people want to get there before all the good stuff is picked over). Also, hang up colorful, bold-font signs on street signs and light posts at busy intersections. Make sure your house is clearly marked (bright balloons) the day before the sale (those early morning shoppers often drive by the afternoon before to make sure they can find your house the day of the sale).

5. Affix prices to your big or more valuable items. Lay these out on tables or wide surfaces so they can be easily seen. Hang clothes along a wall in the garage and sell them for a reasonable price ($.50 or $1 for each shirt or pair of pants). Have a grab box (everything you probably won't sell for much) and price it "Everything for $.25!!!". People love the cheap stuff, and you'll sell a lot more if you keep the prices LOW.

6. Have fun! Serve coffee or apple cider, play some oldies (or other lively, familiar music) and enjoy the show from your favorite lawn chair.

[cinderbug1]

on 7/30/2009 good article!

[dtwelloh]

on 2/27/2009 Excellent advice and info. Well written article. Give it 5 stars and a recommendation.