Planning Your Garage Sale: How To's and Pricing Guide

If you have never had a garage sale, or have had unsuccessful garage sales, this article is for you.
I will divide the information into 3 parts: advertising, set-up and pricing.

Advertising:
Place an ad in the paper. It doesn't have to be a long, expensive add. Something simple like Sale Today! At this address. 7-3 Something for everyone! Never Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you always want your customers to know they are getting the good stuff. For example, if you list Friday and Saturday, people might not some on Saturday, knowing you have been open one day.
Post signs. Post signs with large directional arrows on corners surrounding the location. Also pay special attention to highly traveled routes near your location. Don't put too much on your sign. SALE and an arrow are plenty. Too many small words will make people give up.

Set up:
Merchandise your merchandise! Confused? It's easy, just keep reading. Label your tables: clothing, housewares, baby stuff, toys, books, etc.
Price everything! It is also helpful to label things for example: new, used 2 times, batteries included, size 12, etc.

Pricing:
People are always asking me: How much should I ask for ________? It's hard, but I will help you out. These prices will help things move, if you just want to make a lot of money, and not sell everything, make your own prices.

Clothing: Brand Name $1.00-3.00
Generic $.50-$1.00
Shoes:(all) $.50-$5.00
Purses: $1.00-$5.00

Household: 15% of retail, more if new and unused.

Baby items: 20% of retail, more if new and unused.

Books:
Hardcover $1.00-$2.50
Soft-cover $.50-$1.50
Kids $.25-$.75

Toys .$25-$3.00

Electronics:
Price it to move it. Especially anything previous to a CD player or DVD player, this could be your last chance!
CDs $1.00
DVDs $2.00-$4.00
VHS Tapes $.50-$1.00

Furniture:
$5.00-$100 If it's ugly, sell it cheap. If it's nice, remember it's a garage sale. If you want more than $100 bucks, put an ad in the paper.

Other tips and tricks:
Sell soda and/or treats. You can add another $10-$40 in revenue. If you have a couple of cute kids, let them sell it for a bigger cash haul. (Always have them near you for safety purposes!!!)

Have garage sales frequently. Nothing is worse then going to a sale and seeing things just like what you wore 30 years ago. Sell it while it is marketable.

Park your cars a few blocks away. Save room on the street for your customers. Better yet, hang a sign on your vehicle listing where to find your sale.

Best of luck to you. I hope you found this information helpful.