Any garage sale tips?

[HunnyPots]

This weekend, I am having my first garage sale in about 8 years. I can't believe how much stuff I have!

Do you have any tips for a successful sale?

I have everything from toys to winter coats to a treadmill and exercise bike. I also have lots of things like framed prints and kitchen items.

My goal, of course, is to get rid of it all and make a ton of money in the process

What works? What doesn't? Any and all advice is appreciated!

 

[Cinders]

Good Luck!
Few things I've done
1. Use the neon yellow and pink colored posterboards to advertise on other streets.
2. Run the plastic toys through the dishwasher if they are the heavier plastic. All other toys wash by hand.
3. Bundle toys that have small parts into Ziploc bags.
4. Price everything
5. Have a free box with junky lil stuff like McDs Happy Meal toys....helps keep kids quiet while parents shop
6. Hang as much of the clothing as you can.....and hang it by size.
7. Put the big stuff outside to make it more noticeable.
8. Be flexible on your pricing...some people love to haggle
9. Cut your prices on the last day....better to get 1/2 the money than get nothing if you're going to donate it to Goodwill afterward.
10. If the weather is really warm (first I'll be jealous ) have a cooler with cans of lemonade and pop for sale.

 

[blanq]

I have only had two garage sales, so I'm not really an expert; but, I made almost a $1000 in my 2 day sale, and $700 in my one day sale. So, I did get fairly good results! Both sales helped us get to WDW with extra money.

I think it is really important to clean all items thoroughly! I have been to a lot of garage sales where items are dirty, and I think that is a turn-off. If it's clean, it looks nicer!

For small items, ziploc bags are great to put all of the pieces together so they don't get separated.

If you are selling electrical things (TV's, lamps, appliances that plug-in, etc), make sure that you have an extension cord for people to plug them in to see how they work,

I do not think that clothes, other than baby/toddler items, sell particularily well. If you do have clothes, it works better to have them hanging on a pole. If you fold them and put them on tables, you end up with a mess and have to constantly straighten up!

Put like items together: kitchen items in one area, knick knacks in another, etc.

I like to constantly rearrange so things look good, as other items sell.

My parents, who sold the contents of their whole house a year ago, had free coffee and donuts holes. I thought that was a good idea!

Have plenty of wrapping, such as newspaper, bubble wrap, grocery bags on hand.

Garage sales can be a great time to involve your children. Selling homeade cookies, cocoa, lemonade, etc. You/the kids can make some extra money, and these things seem to go over well! Nothing beats the smell of homeade cookies! You can also make items ahead of time and pre-wrap them for sale (rice krispie bars, etc).

Also, I took some nice furniture pieces from my house to showcase some of my items I was selling. I took a corner cupboard, for example, and arranged a lot of decorative items on it. Those items flew off the shelves, and then I just stuck more stuff on them. You can put a "sold" or "not for sale" sign on any furniture you use for this purpose.

Think of other creative ways to showcase items. For example, quilts could be arranged on a clothesline.

So, those are some of my tips. I hope you have great results with your upcoming sale!

 

[Local_Girl]

You've been given some great tips...here are a couple regarding the cash. Make sure you have lots of change on the morning of your sale...lots of ones and quarters, and a few larger bills also. Personally, I would only price items in $.25 increments because it makes it a whole lot easier to calculate and make change, etc.

My other suggestion is to keep a close eye on the money box. People handle the money different ways, some like to have a fanny pack, some use a money box. I would plan to discreetly remove large bills and piles of ones periodically and take them into the house for safekeeping. Sad to think someone might try to steal from you, but it happens, so better safe than sorry. Also along those lines, it's best to keep the doors and windows around your house locked up...except perhaps if you are sitting right there in front of one! It's also been recommended that you don't allow people into your house to use the restroom or phone, and be prepared to direct them to the nearest public place (gas station?) if necessary.

Hopefully you'll have help that day...you need to have others helping you to cover bathroom breaks, and help with general customer service (taking payment, answering questions, etc.). Sometimes, it seemed as though everyone wanted to pay and leave at the same time!! We also had some items for sale that required extra time to prepare for the customers to take home, such as a crib and a computer. Things like that can keep you busy for several minutes with one customer...

Good Luck!

 

[twinklingstars4u]

I just had a moving sale and one tip I have is keep the money close. I used an old waitress apron (Home Depot has some like them). It has 3 pockets and I kept change in one small bills in another and the bigger bills in the last one. That way I wasn't pulling out a wad of twenties!!

I also set my stuff up in a horseshoe and put my sitting table at the open end so I could keep an eye out, but not look like I was watching every move people made.

Oh, and one last tip that is as good for you as your customers. Have nice background music playing! Makes people feel at ease!

Good luck!

MB