How to Prepare for a Garage Sale/yard sale

Pricing items properly is the most important, and often most difficult, part of a yard sale.

Summertime brings out the bargain hunter in many people, as they get up early to hit the local garage sales. Called yard sales or tag sales in some regions, these events are an effective way to declutter your home, mingle with your neighbors and make some spare money in the process. Preparing for your sale is not just mentally prepping to haggle, sell and negotiate. You'll also need to do some organizing to ensure your sale is a success.

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Display tables, boxes, racks and tarps or sheets
Colored stick-on tags
Black magic marker
Large signs
Coins
Dollar bills

Instructions

- 1
  
  Check with your town or city government to determine whether you will need to apply for a permit to hold a garage sale. The town of Wilbraham, Massachusetts allows tag sales, but limits how many you can hold each year and what times they can run. If you live in a gated community or managed complex, check with your Homeowner's Association or property management to ensure you follow proper protocols.
- 2
  
  Set the date for your garage sale. Although you might be tempted to host a yard sale on the spur of the moment, the Quick & Simple website recommends giving yourself a minimum of four to six weeks to prepare. Determine how many days your sale will run and what time it will begin and end. Many tag sales start very early in the morning, end early in the afternoon and run for a full weekend. Expect an early crowd if you live in a heavily trafficked area where you will also gets passersby.
- 3
  
  Invite your relatives and neighbors to join you. Multi-family or neighborhood tag sales lend additional appeal to prospective attendees, as it assures them that there will be plenty of inventory to choose from ranging across a variety of tastes.
- 4
  
  Determine what you have to sell. Scour your attic, basement, garage and closets for inventory for the event. Repair items that need just a quick fix, and clean everything thoroughly.
- 5
  
  Price your items properly. Put sentimental value aside and come up with prices designed to make your inventory sell quickly. WeekendTreasure.com recommends prices that are 1/2 to 1/3 of the item's retail price, depending on its condition. Use color-coded tags and a black marker to price each item.
- 6
  
  Assess the equipment you have to display your items, and borrow anything you might need. Use racks to hang clothing, tables to set out smaller items, tarps or sheets to spread out on the ground to set larger items on and boxes with a clear label for smaller items such as toys.
- 7
  
  Ask friends and family for help. Running a yard sale by yourself is asking for trouble, as there are unscrupulous people who will take advantage of every moment you turn your back. Ensure that you have several sets of eyes on the goods for sale and the entryways to your home.
- 8
  
  Advertise the event. Look to local newspapers, community bulletin boards in your local stores, church newsletters and online classified sites. Ensure that you include the time, date and address for the sale, a summary of the types of things you are selling, whether it is a single- or multi-family sale and what happens to the sale if it rains on the day of the event. If your town allows signs, post large, readable signs with basic information, such as date, time and address, at the intersections near your home.
- 9
  
  Equip yourself with enough change, both coins and single dollar bills, to accommodate buyers, particularly if your sale takes place on a day that your local bank isn't open.

Tips & Warnings

Stockpile plastic bags from the grocery store well ahead of the event. It will please your buyers and may even encourage them to purchase more items.
Keep safety a priority for both you and your buyers. Do not discuss how much money you earned with anyone and never let buyers into your home for any reason. No matter how well-behaved your dog may be, keep him in the house and away from the sale.