With spring in full swing and summer just around the corner, garage sales are popping up all over the place. If you haven’t had one before, you’ve driven by them. Generally on a weekend morning, if you are out and about early enough, you will see signs all over the place for yard sales, garage sales, boot sales, estate sales… The list of names goes on but the gist is always the same. A garage sale is a great way to get rid of items that are still in good shape that you don’t need or use anymore while bringing in a few extra dollars – seems like a financially healthy thing to do to me!
However, there are tricks that can make sure that you don’t end up with that pile of junk still sitting in your front yard at the end of the day. Obviously, some factors are beyond your control – if it decides to pour rain on the day you were planning, or if a construction crew blocks off access to your neighborhood, or any of a dozen other things – but there are still several things that you can do to ensure that your sale goes well!
- Spread the word. Getting word out that you will be hosting a garage sale is key to being able to sell off your stuff. Tell your friends, neighbors, local associations, post on local supermarket boards, craigslist, in the classifieds… The number of ways you can spread the word is endless. The more people that know about your yard sale, the more people will come – and the more you will sell.
- Ensure you can be found – signs, signs, signs! If you can’t be found in a car, getting the word out won’t do you any good. Signs need to be posted from the nearest major roads; if you have multiple entrances to your neighborhood, post at all of them! Make sure the letters are large (6-8 inches at least!) and well-written in high contrast to the surface. Black marker on a white poster board is a classic for a reason.
- Mark a price on everything. If people don’t know how much is being asked for a thing right away, many (myself included!) might hesitate to ask. Every person that doesn’t ask is a lost sale. Ensure that prices are clearly marked on items and visible. You don’t have to slap a sticker on every single item – you can just label a table ‘All Items $5’ and get the same effect.
- Display in a neat and organized fashion. There’s nothing worse than having to root through someone’s junk pile hoping to find something you are looking for. Few people will be willing to do so, and will just pass on to the next sale. If you’re selling clothing, sort it by type, size, and so on. Separate items in a logical fashion and you are sure to sell more!
- Say hello, but don’t hover. Greeting people is a business (literally – Wal-Mart employs thousands of people to do just that!) and an art form. Garage sales are too. Be courteous with a hello, offer to answer any questions, and then LEAVE your customers alone to browse. There’s nothing worse than someone breathing down your neck or watching your every move when trying to browse.
- The more the merrier. Garage sales with more items will have more people willing to stop. If you can get other families involved, that will be ideal! Which are you more likely to take a trip to and look around – a table with three or four items on it, or a yard full of interesting stuff?
- Provide coffee or kids with a lemonade stand. Both of these give people a reason to linger. Remember, a garage sale is a business. Retails stores around the globe know that the longer someone is in their store, the more they are going to buy! Beverages, donuts, even light music can improve the atmosphere and ambiance and make people want to stay. Plus, a lemonade stand could be a great chance for children to develop social skills and make a few dollars while doing so. You can even set them up with a savings account with their earnings!
- Have change. Many a sale has been lost because there wasn’t correct change and neither party was willing to budge the difference. Veteran garage sale buyers may travel with wads of twenties – be ready to break those! Fifty dollars in small bills and quarters (or, if you price everything intelligently, skip the quarters!) should be enough for most sales.
- Allow haggling. People love to feel like they are getting a bargain, and haggling can be a pleasure in and of itself. Putting prices on things will allow those who would rather not to simply pay what you ask, but allowing haggling will let people feel that they have gotten a great deal – and happy people buy more stuff!
- Know what to do with what’s left. If there are any items of value left, try using eBay or a similar auction site, or saving it for the next sale. If you really want to be done with your stuff, Goodwill or the Salvation Army are just two of many options – you are donating goods to support those in need and, if you want to, you may qualify for a tax write-off for doing so.
Good luck with your sales! Let me know of any other tips and tricks you have for making a garage sale a great success.
