Some Garage Sale Tips

Do you have boxes of stuff that you no longer use anymore? Do you need some quick cash? Is it time to do some spring cleaning? Does your garage look more like a storage shed than a garage? Whatever your reason for wanting to have a garage sale, the garage sale tips listed below will ensure that your garage sale is a success.

Planning

The first of the garage sale tips is probably the most important. Search your house, garage, and yard for the major items you're going to sell. As you will see later, these are the items you are going to advertise in your garage sale ad to lure your customers in. Make a list of all of these major items or consolidate them all in one place.

Important: Do not plan on selling anything you really can't stand to part with. There's nothing more annoying than having a garage sale host decide they're too attached to their daughter's first pair of shoes to sell them to you for $4.

Next, pick a date that you would like to have a garage sale. The next garage sale tip is that most garage sales fall on a Saturday, in the early morning. Think of a Saturday that you wouldn't mind giving up sleeping in. Plan on having your garage sale from about 8am to 12 pm.

Advertising

An essential garage sale tip is how to let others know when and where you'll be having your garage sale. There are two easy ways to do this, both of which are mandatory. Anything else beyond this is fine. List your garage sale on Craigslist in the appropriate section the Friday before the garage sale and make signs directing people to your house within a half mile radius of your garage sale. The idea here is that Craigslist will let others far away from your residence know about your garage sale while the signs will help them get to it and let the locals know about your garage sale too.

Make sure your Craigslist ad contains your address, date and time of garage sale, and the major items you will be selling. Major items could include things like baby furniture, TVs, furniture, or even clothing if you have a significant amount of it (e.g., baby girl clothing). Close the ad by telling them you'll have donuts and coffee, or any other similar items of refreshment.

Hang up your signs on major intersections around your neighborhood. The signs should contain your address and have an arrow pointing to where to turn to get to your garage sale. Make sure you remove the signs after your garage sale is over.

Setup

The final garage sale tip is how to properly set up to ensure your garage sale is a success. A few days before your garage sale and the night before, organize and price your items. Use all available tables for display. Outside patio tables and card tables are great for this purpose. For clothing, you might want to consider portable clothing racks.

Purchase an array of sticker dots and place them on individual items after you have scribed a desired price on them. Similarly priced items should be arranged on the same tables or racks. You can label entire tables or racks that say something like "Toddler clothing, $2." Some people like to just have people make offers on all their items, but many people are too shy to do this and are more likely to buy an item if they at least have an idea of what you want for it before they consider buying it.

Lay out your clothing racks and tables in your garage or in some other area the night before your garage sale. Find a place outside of your own driveway to park your own cars. Have donuts, cupcakes or some other treats prepared as well. Make sure you have enough coffee and disposable plates and cups for your patrons. Make sure you have at least 20 dollars in singles and a few five dollar bills for change.

Wake up early enough to put all your makeshift kiosks in appropriate locations, brew coffee and set up your refreshment table. Be outside, ready to sell at least a half hour before you advertised as there's bound to be some early birds out there.

The Garage Sale

As your patrons arrive, be sure to greet them and offer them some refreshments. Instruct them where particular items are or ask them if there's something in particular they were looking for.

Count your cash and revel in the fact that you got paid to do some of your spring cleaning.