How to Have a Garage Sale Successfully Tips

Add balloons to your signs to attract shoppers.

Having a garage sale or yard sale can help you declutter your home and earn spending money or money to pay bills. For the best results, take time to plan thoroughly. Otherwise, you may be disappointed by low shopper turnout and low earnings.

Things You'll Need

• Fliers
• Cardboard or poster boards
• Markers
• Price stickers
• Tables
• Beverages
• Snacks

Instructions

1. Plan a date for your garage sale when shoppers will be likely to visit and when shoppers will have money to spend. Saturdays are a good choice because many people are off work. Also, dates that follow typical pay days such as the first or 15th of the month will likely result in more sales because shoppers have more money to spend.

2. Distribute detailed fliers a week or two before your sale to friends, co-workers and family to advertise your garage sale. Also, display fliers on grocery store bulletin boards. Include details on the time and date of the sale, address, simple directions and a list of some main items or types of items you will be selling. Advertise your garage sale in your newspaper(s) and on sites such as Craigslist.

3. Prepare a money bag or money box to accept payments and to make change. Have at least 75 $1 bills at the start of the day and about $20 worth of quarters, nickels and dimes. If you prefer to move around more freely, wear an apron with pockets to keep money in.

4. Prepare signs from cardboard boxes or poster boards using bright-colored markers. Place a sign on the nearest main road with an arrow pointing in the direction of your home. If several turns are required to get to your home, you may want a sign for each turn. Also, place a sign in your yard. Attach signs to wooden stakes and place then in their appropriate locations the evening before the garage sale. Take the signs down the same day the garage sale ends.

5. Prepare for the garage sale as much as possible the night before. Have everything set up at least an hour before the scheduled start time to be ready for early-bird shoppers.

6. Display items to maximize visibility. Group small items together on tables and hang clothing on racks, if possible. If you do not have clothing racks, use clothing lines. Put like items together such as kitchen items, decorative items, linens, toys, books and sporting equipment. Draw attention to your garage sale by placing large, eye-grabbing items such as TVs, furniture and appliances near the road.

7. Price items to sell. Visit other garage sales and thrift stores in your area to determine reasonable prices for the items. Use stickers or pieces of paper taped to items to post prices. You can find blank stickers at supermarkets and office supply stores. Price everything or indicate the price by putting a sign near a group of similar items such as one indicating that all books are $1. Offer some items as part of a bag sale where shoppers can fill a bag for a certain price such as $5 or $10.

Tips & Warnings

• Boost sales by offering beverages and snacks. Offer beverages such as coffee and bottled water. Offer snacks such donuts and individually wrapped snack cakes. Shoppers will likely spend more time looking at garage sale items if you give them drinks and/or snacks.

• Schedule a charity to pick up any garage sale leftovers on the next pickup day following your sale so that you can quickly get rid of anything you do not want to keep for a future sale.

References

• Bankrate.com; 6 Tips for a Successful Yard Sale; Clark Palmer
• University of Florida Extension; Garage Sales; Mary N. Harrison; Revised June 2005
• New Mexico State University Extension: Garage Sales; Susan Wright
• West Virginia Extension Service: Yard Sale Savvy; Molly Grace Reichard