How to Plan a Garage Sale
One of the demanding tasks for downsizing is getting rid of possessions that you no longer have room for. You’ve been organizing and de-cluttering like mad and now it’s time to get rid of what you’ve culled. The secrets to a successful garage sale are preparation, organization and presentation. Do your prep in advance and enjoy the big day while the money rolls in.
- Schedule your garage sale far enough in advance that you can place classified ads in city and community newspapers.
- Organize your neighbors to hold sales on the same day as yours. An enormous block sale will attract flocks of buyers and generate great foot traffic. Offer to sell stuff for friends and family.
- Scrub, wash, polish and launder anything you plan to sell. If an item needs a simple repair to greatly increase its selling price, do it. Hang clothing on makeshift racks, sorted by size, without cramming too many garments onto the rods.
- Use tags, masking tape or colored dots and a permanent marker to price everything. Organizing items into “$1 or less” and “$5 or less” tables will attract shoppers. It the purpose of an item is not generally known, describe it on the tag.
- Be realistic when you price things: You may have spent a fortune on that beta VCR, but you’ll be lucky to get a dollar for it now. Stay flexible and remember, the goal is to get rid of stuff.
- Display your merchandise on folding tables (or plywood and sawhorses) to keep it off the ground. And organize your goods: Don’t make buyers root through piles of junk to find the gems.
- Put some real crowd-pleasers up front to entice passing cars. Good looking furniture and large children’s play structures make great bait near the curb.
- Be cheerful, get people talking and encourage haggling. Many people are reluctant to negotiate but find its fun once they start.
- Set up your cash table near the house. Have plenty of small bills, change, a cash box, a calculator, pencil and pen, bags, boxes and newspapers to wrap purchases, and a tape measure.
- Make sure anything that’s not for sale is safely behind closed doors. Protect yourself against theft by displaying small valuables within eyesight and close to the cash box. Keep money in a zipped fanny pack if you’re bustling about.
- Acknowledge a point of diminishing returns. Be ready to slash prices drastically when business drops off. Or donate your leftovers to charity and take a tax write-off.
Tips
- Save paper and plastic grocery bags for several weeks before your sale.
- Provide a live extension cord so buyers can test electrical items.
- Stash large sums of money in the house during the sale and keep it locked up tight. Garage sales can be distracting, and bad guys will take advantage of that fact.
- Never accept personal checks.
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