Wouldn’t it be great to not only get rid of some of your clutter but to make money as well? If you have an abundance of kitchen items you don’t use, good clothing that the kids have grown out of or an assortment of vintage or antique items you no longer want, a garage sale is an ideal way to dispose of your items and make a little money. Having a successful garage sale does take some work, but the rewards are quite worth it!
Plan ahead
Start planning well ahead of time. If you have a garage, you can begin setting up your sale weeks prior to the actual event. Some people run several garage sales during the summer, working out of an enclosed garage or porch. If you will be using the yard or driveway, set-up will be right before the sale. Have everything organized ahead of time so set-up will be quick and easy. Enlist some help on the day of the sale, as someone can help customers shop while another person takes the money. This is especially important at the beginning of the sale since quite a crowd can show up.
As you prepare, think about what makes a home or shop attractive and inviting and use these principles in your sale. You want to show off your merchandise, so make everything neat, clean and well organized. Furniture can be arranged to resemble a comfortable room, with accent rugs and pillows shown in a fashionable way. You should be able to plug in lamps or electronics to show they are in working order. Clothing must be clean and neatly folded or even better, hung attractively.
Don’t spend money to make money (well not too much anyway)
Since the point of having a garage or yard sale is to make some money from your unwanted items, try not to spend an abundance of money getting ready for the sale. Borrow tables rather than renting them to display your wares. Advertise in all the free places you can think of, but be sure to put an ad in the local newspaper too. You want to let as many people as possible know about your coming sale. If you have antiques or specialty items, be sure to mention them in the ad. If you don’t want people showing up at your door the night before the sale or before the sun rises on the morning of the sale, be sure to mention no early sales.
You will need to buy price stickers, everything should be clearly marked. Rather than having your customers have to ask about the price of each item, let them know exactly how much each item costs with a tag. Some shoppers are too busy or shy to ask for prices, while others assume that an unmarked item may be too expensive. You can sort items by price and have the tables they are placed on marked- all items on this table are a dollar, for example. Then, price other items individually.
Be ready to bargain
Expect bargaining at a garage sale, so pricing a tiny bit higher than your final price is quite all right. Garage sale shoppers know all the tricks of haggling to get the best bargains, so don’t be offended if shoppers ask for a discount. In the final hours of the sale, start marking everything down unless you are planning on repeating the garage sale. At the end of the day, donate all left over items to your local thrift shop.
About Grace
Grace Pamer is a thirty something mom of 3 gorgeous kids and a full time writer. She writes romance and dating tip columns for various publications.
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