Everyone seems to have extra 'stuff' they are willing to part with for a price. And, when times are tight, you might even part with more stuff to make some extra money.
How much am I talking about? Well, that all depends on what you have for sale, your neighborhood, if you do a bit of advertising, how you display your items, and whether or not you know your market. Lots to know to have a successful garage sale, huh?
Here are a couple of books about having a garage sale:
Everything You Need to Know...
Garage Sale Magic
And there is information available on the Internet:
About Garage Sales
Plus a whole lot more. But please remember, just because it's on the internet it isn't always right. Always evaluate what you are reading and the information you are receiving.
The Basics
Decide what you want to sell.
Decide when you want to sell it - weekends work best.
Post signage where it will be seen. don't be afraid to post signs on streets that get enough traffic so you will let people know you are having a sale. Post signs at least one day, and two days are better, before you have your sale.
If you have valuable items for sale, think about posting to Craigslist.com to let folks know about your garage sale (it's free) and putting flyers up where people will see them. The more people that know about your sale, the more people will come by.
Watch the weather as the day gets closer. If it gets bad, at least post a sign that the garage sale was postponed and let people know the re-scheduled date. That's just being courteous.
Decide the prices ahead of time. And, decide on a pricing strategy - what offers will you take? What if people buy several items - will you provide a discount?
Price items before you put them out - several days in advance of your sale. There will be enough to do just setting up your items - don't think you can set-up and price on the same morning.
Be set-up on time. Remember, it's your store and you posted hours of operation. Be ready to go on time which means everything is out and displayed.
Speaking of display. Take a bit of time to think about how you want to display your items. I have seen items neatly displayed - almost as if it were a display in a store. And, I have seen items that seemed to have been thrown out there in piles. Both methods can be successful depending on what you have for sale and who you attract as customers. If you have time, take a look at several garage sales and see how they are displaying items, hang around long enough to see if they are selling items, and talk with the people having the sale.
The Big Day
It's here. Your big sale day. The signs are out. You have even posted some flyers. You have some great stuff for sale. And, you are ready to make several hundred dollars, or more. Just do one thing - Show Up. It's kind of important that you are out to greet potential customers and are available to take their money. Don't laugh. I don't know how many garage sales I have driven by and seen a lot of stuff, but nobody around to take money. Show Up.
Be ready to sell. Know where you will deal and how you are going to deal to make sure you make money. Have a few dollars in your pocket for change - $1's, $5's and maybe a $10. If you can't make change, maybe you can offer something extra to sell you don't have to make change.
Have fun. Be kind. Smile. Don't bother people as they look. If an item has a story that might influence a sale, tell them the story, but keep it short.
Make money.
It might sound a bit more involved and take a bit extra planning, but that is the difference between a successful garage sale and just sitting in your driveway for an entire day and have nothing to show for it.
Good Luck and God Bless. Let me know how you do.
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