Need Garage sale Advice!!

[Tiggerlovinggrandma]

DH and I are having our garage sale next weekend. We had one 2 years ago and it did not do well at all. Have no idea what went wrong but this year we would very much like to do better. So if anyone could pass along tips on how to have a successful garage sale I would be very thankful.

What is the best time of day to have one?
How long should we run it?
Should we do anything special to the items we're trying to sell?
What about pricing? We will have baby and children's clothing, baby items, toys, stuff animals, books, nic naks, photo frames, some furniture (desk, book cases, lamps, etc), kitchen ware, tools, etc

 

[butterflygirl3]

Hey, I noticed nobody commented to help so I figured I would try and give you some

Tip #1- Advertising!!!! I cannot stress this enough !!! Signs, signs, and more signs !!!! Arrows directing the way if there are two many turns off of the main road. Seriously this is VERY important.. There have been MANY times I have gotten frustrated looking for a particular sale and given up cause I couldn't find it. Also a good free form of advertising is if you have Craigslist in your area LOVE there garage sale section!!!

Tip#2 - Pricing. My motto is better cheap than left in a heap I usually price most of my clothing at 25 cents or 50 cents apiece.. Dresses and nicer clothes sometimes up to a dollar or two, but really I would rather be on the low side then having to put all the stuff back into the garage

Tip #3 - If possible schedule your garage sale around other's in the neighborhood... I would MUCH rather go to a neighborhood that is having even a couple of sales then just to go to one here and one there and one over there.... even if it is in the same city...

Tip #4 - If you have outdoor items that you are selling make sure you wash them (even if they will continue to be outdoor toys no one wants to buy even a moderately dirty item ).. I had some outdoor toys that I sold at my last garage sale... I knew that if I gave them a good cleaning I could possibly get a little more for them and they looked alot better too They sold for my full asking price Even with inside toys it would be a good idea to give them a good washing... It takes some soap and water and a few extra minutes, but may be the difference between a sale and not...

I'm sure there is more, but right now at 11:30 at night and after a FULL day that's all I could come up with Good Luck and hope you do better this time around !!!!

 

[akcire]

Around here 8-3 our the best hours. You may get an Early Bird or two depending upon what you advertise. Put an ad on craigslist with some photos of your "wow me" items.

My husband always throws a couple of tools in the mix, guys like garage sales with tools. They buy all sorts of other random stuff, but the tools get them to stop.

Generally price things 10-20% of retail, less for clothes....more for complete plastic children's toys. (Not everyone will dress there kids in used clothes, but nearly everyone would buy a Little Tykes Plastic House).

Make sure everything is priced.

Have lots of bags and change.

Make sure during your garage sale your whole house is locked, and the kids know they can only use the door connecting to the garage. You don't want to be selling someone a $1 trinket while they are walking the good stuff out the back door. Also NO one goes in your house!

Good Luck.

 

[aggielawyer]

DH and I are having our garage sale next weekend. We had one 2 years ago and it did not do well at all. Have no idea what went wrong but this year we would very much like to do better. So if anyone could pass along tips on how to have a successful garage sale I would be very thankful.

What is the best time of day to have one?
How long should we run it?
Should we do anything special to the items we're trying to sell?
What about pricing? We will have baby and children's clothing, baby items, toys, stuff animals, books, nic naks, photo frames, some furniture (desk, book cases, lamps, etc), kitchen ware, tools, etc

We do ours on Friday and Saturday from 7 till whenever people stop coming by. Always do the first weekend of the month--most people get paid on the first, so they will have money to spend. Work with your neighbors to do a neighborhood garage sale if you can. In your advertising, make sure you list that you have baby items and furniture. I think those items tend to draw the most people. I wouldn't pay for advertising, but use signs and craigslist as others have mentioned. Price everything, even though it is a pain in the rear. And when you are pricing it, don't think about how much you paid for it, think about what you would pay if you found that item as someone else's garage sale. Finally, if you have a good friend or family member, see if they want to join you--that way you'll have lots of stuff (more likely to get people out of their cars when they drive by) and someone to work with.

Oh, one other thing we do, though its not really necessary, is to keep plastic grocery bags for people to take their things home in.

 

[Lear]

Lay everything out in a way people can see what you have no one wants to dig. Hang up a few things etc

 

[momof1princess]

yes, i've always read that clothes sell better when they're hanging up. it can be as simple as a length of clothesline or twine tied between 2 trees or ladders, as long as the clothes are hanging on it. i need to have a yard sale myself. good luck!

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

We had a yard sale this morning! We live right off of a main road, so one big sign in each direction is enough.

We never bother with a newspaper ad but I would if my house was off the beaten path.

I agree with the PP who said ..better cheap than in a heap. I'm sooooo stealing that phrase!! Everything we're not selling today is visiting the Goodwill later today, so I'll take whatever someone is willing to give.

Personally, I never bother with pricetags.....mostly because I'm likely to change the price throughout the day.

Around here people tend to start early to avoid the heat.....I started at 6am and was breaking a sweat sitting down. We end around noon and that's when you'll see the real bargain shoppers show up .....they can smell desperation

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

DH and I are having our garage sale next weekend. We had one 2 years ago and it did not do well at all. Have no idea what went wrong but this year we would very much like to do better. So if anyone could pass along tips on how to have a successful garage sale I would be very thankful.

What is the best time of day to have one?
How long should we run it?
Should we do anything special to the items we're trying to sell?
What about pricing? We will have baby and children's clothing, baby items, toys, stuff animals, books, nic naks, photo frames, some furniture (desk, book cases, lamps, etc), kitchen ware, tools, etc

We are garage sale junkies. It is all about perception.

Have all your tables in rows with walking space between them so it makes it look like you have even more.

Grab a few friends to hang out for the garage sale so it looks busier, and get them to carry stuff around so it looks like people are buying stuff

Do NOT have anything on the ground for sale unless it is big (ie sled)

Do NOT put things for sale on tarps!

Your signs should be big neon signs with black sharpie writing so people can ready them easily.

Advertise ALL over the place! Newspapers, online, whatever your community has.

Go in with a neighbor and make it a multifamily yard sale - twice as many people will bother going.

Open the sale at 8AM rather than 9 - people will go to yours first since most start at 9!

 

[poohfriend77]

I've had better luck having garage sales on Fridays rather than just Saturdays (or both days). I think this is especially true if you're selling a lot of baby/kid stuff, because the majority of your shoppers will be stay-home moms or retired grandparents. There is also less competition (fewer sales) on Fridays.

I agree that hanging clothes sell better. If you have to put clothing on tables, sort it by size. Have one table for 0-6 mo. stuff, another table for 6-12 mo., etc. Clearly label each table, so people know what is there. I never waste time digging through a pile of baby-adult clothes all jumbled together.

I also found that those little price stickers do NOT stick to clothing, especially if it's humid out. I put play clothes on tables, marked 50 cents an item. Hanging clothes were individually priced, but I safety pinned a small piece of cardstock with the size and price on the outside shoulder.

Good luck!

 

[KayBella]

I read once to have a "guys table" out front..tools, electronics..etc..It said men will most likely stop if they see that out front rather than just kids clothes and misc. things. I price my kids clothes 50 cents. If they are nicer-I hang them up with $2 on them. Signs, signs and more signs with arrows work the best for us! Where we live, Thursdays are the best days to start them and continue into the weekend. I love having garage sales just as much as I like going to them! My family says its a disease!!