Tips on Having a Garage Sale

I love garage sales that have a cooler of drinks they are selling for 50 cents and bags of chips for sale as well. I always look for those at garage sales, esp in a community garage sale where likely people may be out for a while and getting hot and thirsty.

http://www.yardsalequeen.com/yardsale.htm

I really liked this site. She has very helpful tips.

Be flexible on pricing but figure out which items you want to get a minimum on (should be large or valuable items only... not every decorative nik-nak.)

Since people bring a lot of clothes to sell, when we help a group g-sale, we did a fill the bag for $5 with loads of grocery bags on hand. Just be sure to watch what people are stuffing in them as we had a few more valuable items that were neat them disappear.

Have an extension cord hooked up to a strip so that people can check any eletronics that you are selling.

Have prices on the items or group them on tables with prices. The two main questions will be:how much is it and will you take x dollars/cents for all these?

Place some eletronics, kids car seats or other items that will draw in a crowd near the street for visibility. Have any furniture items visible, too.

Have refreshments for yourselves, maybe even music playing and enjoy!

Hi,
I just organized a street-wide garage sale on my block. We had LOTS of traffic and everyone made good money! Here are my suggestions:

-- price everything clearly
-- when pricing, keep in mind you will be negotiating (so price something $1 and be willing to sell for 50 cents)
-- THIS IS HUGE: advertise on www.craigslist.com (be sure to include directions and pictures if possible - esp. pics of furniture!)If you aren't familiar with it, www.craigslist.com is a free service and very easy to use and I'm convinced that by advertising our sale on it, we brought in a TON of traffic!
-- a cooler of drinks for 50 cents can't hurt
-- go to the bank and have lots of quarters and singles and a few 10s and 20s, too. Furniture goes FAST which means your first sale of the day could be a $65 item and the customer gives you a $100 bill and you gotta have the change early in the day!
-- If your big items aren't sold by 11am, start marking it down. Wouldn't you rather take $5 less for the item than having to haul the item back in the house or to Goodwill?! Mark through the old price and clearly mark the new - that way people see it's being marked down and are more apt to buy.
-- Check any city laws about putting up signs and where you can put them. A lady I heard of said her sale was going OK but then her traffic stopped and she was told it was because the city was taking down her signs (in the middle of her sale)!
-- Place signs every three-quarter mile or so. Put the address or street name on every sign and make sure it is easily read. Use BIG signs that are secure and aren't going to blow in the wind or blow down. They need to be easy to read for the passers-by.
-- Have a handful of plastic grocery sacks for your customer to haul away their purchases. These go fast so start gathering them up now.
-- I found it helpful to have a table with ample space provided for "checking out". That way your customer can put down all their purchases while they are digging for their quarters, and you can easily add up their total and package their items.
-- Expect people to show up at 6:30am or 7am while you are setting up. Some people advertise "no early birds". Personally, I would sell if they are willing to buy. Just decide ahead of time how you want to handle. Don't underestimate the early bird - they WILL show up!
-- Have at LEAST two people working one sale. Easier to keep an eye on everything that way.
-- Call Salvation Army ###-###-#### after your sale and tell them what items you have left. Then they will send the appropriate vehicle and take away your leftovers free of charge. They won't schedule pickups ahead of time - they need to know what kind of items are left so they will know what kind of vehicle to bring.
-- Again, advertise your sale on www.craigslist.com (you post your ad and it appears within minutes, so today isn't too late if your sale is tomorrow!). You can also advertise your leftovers on this site. I've sold several of my leftover items on this site within a couple days after listing.
-- Display like items together. Any furniture or appliances should be prominently displayed.
-- Clothes should be hung up if possible. Match shoes and socks together or hats and mittens, etc. Put them in a ziploc bag and price the PAIR or SET. This way items that go together don't get separated. Same with clothes: for example, use a safety pin to pin together a top that goes with a pair of shorts and price the SET. Don't throw a bunch of clothes in a box! This will not appeal to buyers! Hang up clothes or at the very least, spread them out on a table (and keep it looking nice in between customers).

Whew! That's alot! I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

L.

Have lots of extra dollars on hand. Be sure to start set-up at least one and a half hrs ealy so you are ready for the first coustomer. Def have as many tables as possible to set out your items. Try to arrange them by the items that are alike.

Clothes will sell (esp kids) if they are dispplayed on hangers or layed nicly on tables in sets and arranged by season and size. I had a sale 3 weeks ago and made $250 on Fri only and mainly had only clothes. We had very little left for the next day so we donated the rest. You need to watch people b/c I have had people steal from me.

Also dont take checks or bills over $20.00 for your own saftey. If they want something bad enough there is always a corner store to get change at. Also for the people who want you to hold an item so they can go get money tell them you will for 1 hr and if they arent back then you can put it back out so you will be sure to sell it.

Be set on your price b/c people will try to get something for nothing nad thats not fair for you. I normally do jeans $2 shirts $1, shoes (esp if they look new still) $3-4, kids sets $3 and individuals for kids .50 or $1 if in perfect shape.

Keep in mind that most garage sale shoppers are also resale shoppers and know how much they sell items for there. That is how I set my prices and I think they are super reasonable.

Well I hope this helps a little. Good Luck w/ your sale.

Hi J.,

I can give you some tips about having a successful one. Depending on your area and how you want things done.

Email me at ____@____.com and I can send some info.

One big thing is organization!! Don't just throw stuff into a bin, unless it is all basically the same thing, like onesie rompers size 18 months to 2T for $1.00 a piece something along those lines, mark your stuff.

Do price tags off the computer onto 8 1/2 x 11 scrapbook paper and then staple all your price tags on your nicer stuff. Clothes sell better if they are on racks.

Email me.

Gladys

Yes, I agree with the other tips--have prices on everything. That doesn't mean a sticky on each item---you might just have a table and have a sign that says everything is $1, for example. Also, get things off the ground. People don't like looking at things laying on the ground even if it's on a blanket/sheet. At my last garage, we used large storage tubs to place things on and my husband made a makeshift table with plywood and my child's safety gates. Be creative. Also, be ready early. No matter what time the published start time is, people show up before so don't be surprised. Have fun--my children always have a blast. Also, I always have a box of "junk" that I give to all kids that come for free (bubbles, etc.)

and bring an umbrella for the sun!
The other lady's gave already good tips.
My experience is that childrens clothes don't sell well... It helps to have them on a rack on hangers...

Good luck, and have fun

I.

Make sure you are prepared with lots of $1 bills and coins.

Have fun!

-Char