You find yourself in a cleaning and organizing spree and realize you have a lot of “stuff”. You are cleaning out your house, garage, shed, or helping a family member downsize and wondering what to do with all that “stuff” you don't need.
Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is “can I make money off of this item by selling it?” and sometimes the answer is “YES!”, but often times, the answer is more like “is it worth trying to sell it?” so you toss it in the trash.
Tossing it in the trash is probably the easiest way to get rid of it, and sometimes the best option to keep your sanity, but you have other options. One of those options is a garage sale (also referred as a yard sale, rummage sale, estate sale or flea market sale)
Garage Sales are a great way to try to get money back for some of your treasures and pass them on to someone else. This will help keep that “stuff” out of landfills and continue its use. After many, many, many years of putting garage sales of my own or for my communities, I put together a list of tips to help you make the best out of your garage sale.
Planning:
Look for other neighbors that might want to do it with you. You can also look up community garage sales in your neighborhood.
Advertise in your local newspaper, Craigslist, NextDoor, Facebook community pages, etc. (two days before the sale is the best time to advertise for your garage sale, but if you are having a bigger event or have the time, feel free to advertise as much as possible the weeks leading up to the sale).
Check with your community about permits on hosting a garage sale (yard sale) and about where you can post signs. Some neighborhoods require permits and approvals from the city/county/HOA. Asking a neighbor or a quick internet search should help you answer that question.
Clean/Dust your items! I cannot stress this enough. Having a clean item (even a semi-clean item) will be the difference between not selling it and selling it. First impressions do matter and a little dusting will go a long way.
Plan ahead. I personally like to sort and organize my items the night before (sometimes even set up on the tables in my garage). Having your items ready the night before lets you ease into the morning without having to be in a rush to sort through everything the morning of.
Set up your garage sale as close to the beginning of the month as possible. People tend to have a little bit more of that extra money to spend at the beginning of the month versus the end. Also, having it when you know there will be a lot of traffic around your neighborhood will help you get additional visitors (maybe the same weekend as a festival, concert, community event, etc.).
If you can, try having tables. If you don't have any, some bricks and a hardy piece of wood can work, too. The closer the item is to the potential buyer, the better (less bending and more touching/connecting with the item).
Make signs! They don't have to be fancy. The inside of a cardboard box flattened out works great. Write with some extra paint or a very thick marker, and you're all set. The key is to have good signage from the main road leading drivers to your garage sale (yard sale). Don't forget that drivers are driving, so they only have a second to see your sign. Make it BIG, BOLD and SIMPLE. “YARD SALE –> 123 Fast Lane 6/12 & 6/22 7am-2pm” is simple enough. (oh and check with your local municipality/HOA on what the rules/laws are with posting signs).
Pricing your items:
Don't emotionally price items. This means, don't price an item just because it means a lot to you or you have had it for a long time. People shop for items because they have their own purpose for it and value in mind, your emotional attachment means very little to them. Ask a friend or do an internet search for what the items you are selling are going for and work down from there.
Unlike flea markets, people that frequent garage sales don't really go there to barter as much, so price your items at the price point to sell.
Get it appraised. If you think you have a valuable item (antique, item of value), get it appraised or sell it through a reputable auction house.
Displaying the price or not? Well, that depends. This is a personal preference. It is said that things get sold much faster if there is a price tag on it, but if you like to barter, then feel free to not add prices to your items. You can either individually price all the items or group them together: “$1 table”, “$3 table”, etc. Just note that if you don't individually price items, people may move them around to different tables and you'll forget how much they were priced for originally.
Bundle price items if you can! A great way to get your stuff sold quickly is to bundle. Maybe give them a bag to fill with clothes and charge $10 for the entire bag, instead of individually pricing each item.
Day of the garage sale (yard sale):
Early birds. If your garage sale (yard sale) starts at 8:00 am, you'll almost always have someone arrive at 7:58 am. The professionals like to arrive early and scope out things. Don't be afraid to tell them to come back later but just know that if you say you are open at 8:00 am, people will be there at 8:00 am.
Have change and small bills on hand. A good rule of thumb is having change for $50 (20 x $1's, 4 x $5's, $10 in change).
The little things matter: adding a mirror around clothes and accessories, having batteries available for the items that require them and having an extension cord handy for items that need to be plugged in can go a long way and give you that quick sale.
Have plenty of plastic bags and newspaper/tissue paper for those fragile items if you can. Don't go out and buy any, but if you have it handy, use them! It's so much easier to carry fragile items in bags and wrapping paper.
Take pictures. Take the opportunity while your items are on display, to take pictures if you plan on selling it online after.
BE SAFE! Take precautions such as closing and locking up all of your house doors when you are outside. Try doing it with a family member, a friend or a neighbor.
Have a plan about what you are going to do with the items that are left over after your sale. Many charities will pick up your items for free, just reach out to a handful and ask. You can also sell some of your items online or even during your garage sale.
Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Enjoy the day being outside and earning a little extra cash for the items you once treasured. Hope these tips help you with your next garage sale (yard sale). Do you have any other tips? Comment below!
Kindly, Stephanie
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