Tips on Holding a Successful Garage Sale: There Are Some Do's & Don'ts

We have held our share of garage sales (or tag-sales or yard-sales, as they're called in some locales). We are also very avid visitors of tag-sales ourselves. As a result, we have become self-proclaimed critics of "proper-tag-sale-setup-and-operation."

Here are our 10 top items we recommend for when YOU decide to setup and operate your own.

1-Set the date/time/location
2-Make signs (enough to attract traffic from all around your specific neighborhood).
Notes about signs:
*Make signs large enough so you can print large letters! You do not want people to have to stop or even slow down too much, to read your signs!
*Signs should read: "TAG SALE" (or whatever your demographic uses...these vary).
*Also include: STREET ADDRESS, DATE & TIME, clearly readable.
*Also, always use ARROWS on signs...do not "assume" people know their way around your neighborhood!
*Put out signs no more than 2 days in advance of your sale date!
*When sale is over, remove all signs no later than 1 day after your sale; preferrably the same day if possible.

*Use discretion and caution when installing your signs around your neighborhood. Some states or municipalities have specific guidelines and restrictions; know and follow those, and "be safe" when setting them up in high traffic streets.
3-Set up (empty) tables at least 2 days in advance of the sale, weather permitting. Or, if sale is to be held inside garage, the earlier the better!
4-Gather all sale items to the sale area at least the day before the sale date; preferably earlier if possible.
5-Using whatever label system works for you (i.e., whether you've purchased those pre-price-printed stick-on tags, or you're using masking tape and ball-point-pen), label ALL items, unless you're prepared to have a lot of questions from your 'customers'.
Notes about prices:
*Be fair when deciding on a price for your sale items.
*Remember, just because something might have cost you considerably, you cannot expect to recoup those costs at a tag-sale! People shop at tag-sales for bargains, not store prices.

*Be prepared to haggle. Some people will just not pay the marked prices without haggling first. Seems to be part of the culture of these kinds of sales.

6-Pay attention to your customers. If someone appears to be interested in an item, you may offer some important information about the item to help them decide. You may also offer a price reduction if you think it is appropriate. Do not get pushy, or too talkative, though...you might turn them away!
Notes about customers:

*Though it's not a very comforting thought, there are some shoppers who may prefer to just "walk away" with something without paying; so, it pays to keep alert.
7-Rotate your "stock". Occasionally, as items are purchased and removed from your sale, you should shuffle some of the items left so they're arrayed neatly and as appealingly as possible.

8-Offer special bargains. If your goal is to be rid of some of your no-longer-useful-to-you items, you may need to offer some incentives if things don't seem to be selling. Specials can be in the form of marked-down (in which case, you'll literally re-mark the label with the new price to show it's been marked down; or, you'll offer the special when a customer appears to be interested in the item.

9-Last-hour-clearance. Again, if your goal is to be rid of things, you can try further mark-downs and even freebies. Many shoppers plan to hit the ends of sales for this very reason, so if you get stragglers near the end of your alloted time, let them browse, let them take what you're comfortable giving away.

10-Cleanup. The true reward of a successful sale will be readily identifiable by how much is involved in the cleanup effort. A successful sale will require a minimum of cleanup, obviously. Here's where the rubber meets the road, though. Here's where you get to decide which things you'll bring back into the house to put back into the tag-sale boxes...and which things will go to the curb for the trash pick up and/or the "curbshoppers".

Notes on cleanup:
*As noted, decide which items will be kept and which will be discarded; pack up those to be kept, and put those to be discarded out by your curb. You may want to setup a "Free" sign with the items so curbshoppers know your intentions of those items being near your curb. Some folks are shy about stopping if they're not sure.
*Put away tables, etc. as needed.
*Be sure to remove all signs no later than 1 day after your sale...same day is preferrable if possible.

Good luck, and enjoy!