How to Hold a Garage Sale or Estate Sale

Holding a garage/estate sale is relatively easy, but it does demand a bit of prep work...the hardest of which is deciding what to sell!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Colored stickers.
• Pen.
• Cash Box of some type
• At least $30 in change - bills and coins
• Card Table or small table

1. Decide what you want to sell. This is the hardest part of garage/estate sales. You really have to be in the mood to declutter (or in the case of an estate sale, to get rid of everything). Do a quick evaluation of every item --- Have I used this in a long time? Do I need it? Does it add to my life in any way? Am I keeping it for sentimental reasons? Would I rather have the money for this?

2. Clean out the garage. Or, if you are having an estate sale and letting people walk around the house, move as many things as you can to the first floor. There are several reasons for this. First, you don't want anyone falling up or down the stairs to the upstairs or to the basement...you don't need a lawsuit. Second, moving the heavy furniture down to the first floor will let buyers move it out easier...and will reduce damage that would be caused by them moving it up or down the stairs themselves. Third. Keeping as much as possible on one floor reduces the chance of theft.

3. Buy stickers and use them to price every item. Try to price everything as a straight dollar amount --- it will be easier to make change. Write the price on the sticker and press it somewhere on the item where it will stay. Good rule of thumb: price each item at the price YOU would pay for it at a garage or estate sale --- do not base the price on how much you paid for it. People expect low prices at these sales. If you don't want to let something go for less than a certain price and are prepared to keep that item if it doesn't sell, price it for the lowest amount you will accept. NOTE: If you're uncertain about the value of any item, go online! Type the name of the item (e.g., "Croydon China Plate") in the search box -- you'll get several sites that price Croydon China. If it is a valuable piece, you might want to consider consigning the item to a local consignment store or contacting one of the major auction houses (Sotheby's, etc.) to auction it for you.

4. Arrange your sale and set up your check-out table. If in the garage, borrow tables from friends and family and use them to group like items together --- all kitchen goods in one area --- sporting goods in another --- books in another. Put all $1 items in a box and put a sign on it saying "Everything in Box $1." Do the same for other items that are the same price (scarves, books, etc.). Set up your checkout table so people have to pass you on the way out and you can see everything and everyone. Keep any jewelry and other expensive items right on the checkout table.

5. Advertise the sale. Newspaper ads are fine, but posters on poles a day in advance of the sale (local laws permitting!) work just as well. Be sure to use large letters on your signage, giving the address in large numbers along with the date/time of the sale.

6. Ask everyone you can to help on the day(s)of the sale. For a garage sale, have one person man the checkout table and never leave the cashbox. At least one other person should be standing by in the garage to help people or answer questions. For estate sales, have two people at the checkout - one to handle money and one to write down sales. In addition, ideally there should be one person in every open room --- hard to believe, but there are lots of thefts at these sales --- people actually try on shoes and leave their own in place of the new ones! If there is nothing in a room or closet, tape the door closed. If no one is allowed up or down stairs, tape across the opening to the staircase.

7. Be prepared to bargain. People will ask "Will you take $$ for this?" It's o.k. to stick to your original prices on the first day of the sale (if the sale is more than one day!)but the last day, people come expecting bargains --- sometimes they expect everything to be half-price. Whatever you decide, be consistent with everyone.

8. Have a backup plan in place for things that won't sell. Call a local charity that makes pickups and make arrangements for them to come the day after the sale and take whatever is left. Sorry, but you still have more work to do --- list everything that you are donating and give it a value so you can take the donation as a deduction on your tax return --- also, be sure to get a signed receipt from the charity.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are selling out of the garage, make sure all other doors to the house are locked.
• If you are holding an estate sale and people are walking through the house, block and lock other doors to minimize theft.

[ttbirdie]

on 7/1/2009 I love this stuff, I sell at flea markets, 5*