Tips to a Good Garage Sale

You've finally decided to clean out the house and make a little profit off of the merchandise you either have no use for or no longer need. So you said to yourself (or your family), "we're going to have a garage sale." So now you're getting everything together, you've established date(s) and time(s) and you're ready to go. I'm sure you've seen some garage sales that were great and some where perhaps no one came. So what makes a great garage sale?

Tip #1 - Effective Advertising

Effective advertising means making clear signs that people are able to see from the road, putting word in to nearby block clubs or community organizations, word of mouth to friends and family and possibly co-workers if desired, and local businesses if they'll allow you to advertise an event of that nature in their store or place of business. The key to effective advertising is reaching people, by any means necessary. If you don't reach people, they won't come.

Tip #2 - Timing

Most people have their garage sales on Saturday, which creates a small problem for you given you want people to notice you and not others. With this in mind, you may want to consider alternative timing options. During the summer, you have later light hours, so perhaps you want to have a small garage sale on Friday night from 6-9pm. If you're able to get bright lights in your sale area, you could possibly extend this to 10pm. You don't want to disturb your neighbors however, so consider the area you're living in for this one. You could also flip the script and have your garage sale on Monday night. I haven't seen too many people have a garage sale on Monday night. Catch the crowd after work and on their way home, you may get quick sales that way.

If you do decide to have your garage sale on a Saturday, perhaps start in the afternoon when people start getting out. You could also consider having an early morning garage sale, you might get the runners and joggers that come nearby with this alternative. Sunday is a viable option as well. The church crowd usually begins mid-afternoon headed home, so perhaps a 3-9pm garage sale may get the most attention from your Sunday crowd. Again, if you know when you generally see the most traffic around your house, that's when you consider having your garage sale. With good advertising though, you might be able to shift people's schedules to meet your timing.

Tip #3 - Organization

Do not have your items everywhere. If you notice, retail clothing stores do not have their merchandise in disarray. Shirts are with other shirts, pants are with other pants, shoes are with other shoes. Also, if you notice there's usually a progression. If you're thinking clothes, then you may think head to toe, or the reverse - toe to head. Or maybe you consider organizing by age group. Have children's items first, then teenagers, then adults. Or maybe you organize by item type - clothing, technology, entertainment, cookware, etc. Good organization lets your patrons know that you're not trying to waste their time. It also helps you know what's what and where to put it.

Tip #4 - Clear Labeling

More than likely your garage sale will be in your yard or near your garage, right? You're most likely not going to have your garage sale inside your house (unless you have more items than you can handle). This means you should stay away from colors such as greens, browns, grays, anything that will blend in with the outside. Remember, the goal is to get people to see you from the street. If you're not near a stoplight then you have a split-second opportunity to reach people.

Make sure the items that you're selling are clearly labeled as far as pricing. Consider doing color-coding for pricing if you're not really sure how much to charge for specific items. For example, blue-ticket items cost between $3.00-$5.00, orange ticket items cost between $10.00-$15.00, pink ticket items cost $20.00 and over. This way when someone is inquiring about a cost, you can refer them to the color-coding chart and it'll be clear as far as price range. This will also give you breathing room to negotiate pricing for prospective buyers.

Tip #5 - Consider parking options

If you live on a street that requires permit parking, you may need to think twice about having a garage sale. If you have nowhere for your patrons to park then you won't get that many customers. If you are the fortunate few that have an alley behind you, then perhaps direct people to park in the alley, put their blinkers on, and have the garage sale in the back of your house or living space. Otherwise, you may need to have someone at the main street directing people to where parking is, or where to park for the garage sale. Going back to the advertising tip, having someone at the main street during the garage sale allows more access to potential customers. If you're at a side street, you won't have access to a lot of traffic. If parking is available on the main street but it's metered, perhaps provide people with a quarter as a courtesy to give people those 15 or 30 minutes to shop at your garage sale. A few quarters upfront may generate dollars at the end of the day.

Tip #6 - Appeal to your customers

The art of good selling is in knowing how to talk to your potential buyers. Generate conversation with them; don't just try to sell them stuff and not relate to them. People want to feel like you have their best interests at heart, not yours. Here's an example: say you see someone looking at your section for children's merchandise, maybe generate conversation about children, or ask the buyer about their children. You're making good relationships this way. A person who feels like they can talk to you is probably a person who is willing to buy from you. If a customer feels like you just want their money, they'll look and run. Yes, your purpose in this garage sale is to make a little extra cash, but you're providing a service to these customers and you have one shot at doing so.

Tip #7 - Treat this like a business

You are in fact running a one-day business (or however long you're doing this garage sale for); make it count! Greet people when they walk in, say "thank you" when they make a purchase or when they leave (even if they didn't buy anything). Don't be afraid to negotiate with a customer. If you're charging $10.00 and they are willing to pay $8.00, you may be able to meet them halfway. If they don't budge, then maybe you give it to them for $8.00 if they buy something else. If things are not returnable (which at a garage sale they usually aren't), make that known upfront. Make yourself stand out from your competitors. Be courteous, be considerate, be generous, and be aggressive. Garage sales should be fun, but they should also generate some cash.