Tips for Having an Awesome Garage Sale

Summer is the time for garage sales as sellers are cleaning out their basements and garages and buyers know that there will be some deals to be had if they are willing to drive around to find it.  Summer is also the time for moving sales, which also can be a place to find some good deals. For the seller, a garage sale can bring you both cash and extra space from items you no longer want. However, there is a difference between an average garage sale and an awesome one. An awesome garage sale will bring more money to you and have fewer leftover items for you to get rid of in another way. While setting up for an awesome garage sale takes a little more work, the profits will definitely make it worth your while. 

Advertise – There’s no use having a garage sale if no one knows that you are having one.  If you have a small community newspaper or neighborhood newsletter, consider advertising in it, but remember there may be a charge as well as a deadline for getting your advertisement places.  Advertising digitally on craigslist.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, and any other social media site to which you belong is a great way to reach people in your social circle for free.  There needs to be signs posted around your neighborhood advertising your sale with simple directions if possible.  At the end of your driveway, you will want to put more signs as well as balloons or something that will catch people’s attention as they drive by. You will want to block off your driveway either with merchandise or some other way so no one decides to park right in front of your sale.

Organize, organize, and organize more – An organized sale makes it easier for people to shop.  Set up your tables in a logical, easy to follow path so your customers won’t be bumping into each other or end up becoming frustrated at the lack of organization.  For the die-hard garage sale shopper, a little digging is part of the territory; however, many people won’t spend their time digging around in a disorganized jumble of boxes to maybe find something they want.  Put as much as you can out on tables and put like items together, such as kitchen items, clothes, toys, etc. 

Price it right – No one wants to pay as much or more for used items than they would for new.  This doesn’t mean that you should give your things away, but price them reasonably.  Be sure your items are priced clearly.  Price items either in increments of whole dollars or increments of quarters of a dollar.  Try not to mix the two, such as pricing something at $1.25 – just make it a dollar.  You will have an easier time adding up the customer’s total purchases if you don’t have a lot of extra math to do.  You may want to create a free box to stimulate interest and keep kids busy while their parents shop.  Consider posting several “you break it, you bought it” signs so people shopping with kids know that if something is broken or damaged, they will have to pay for it. 

Clean it up – Clean merchandise sells faster and for more than dusty items that look like the just came out of the basement.  While it doesn’t have to be sparkling, people are more likely to buy items that look well cared for and clean.  Just wiping things off when you price them will dramatically increase the likelihood of selling that time.  If you have boxes for items, be sure to take the item out of the box then pack it for the customer when the item sells.  Most garage sale shoppers understand that all items are sold in “as is” condition, you may want to post a sign by your cash-out area just to be sure.  Be certain to sweep the garage and driveway to make your sales area also look clean. 

Would I buy it? – It’s true that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, no one will buy trash.  Items that are broken, missing pieces, or in bad condition should be thrown away or recycled as it is highly unlikely that anyone will buy them.  Look at your items objectively and put out the things you feel you would be able to sell.  If you wouldn’t buy empty butter tubs or stained plastic containers, probably no one else will either.  The better the quality of items you have for sale, the more likely people will purchase things from you.  If an item is in good shape but you still aren’t sure about it, put it out and see if anyone is interested. 

Power it up – When selling electrical items, you need to have the ability to plug it in and show that it works.  You should also have batteries on hand for the same purpose.  You don’t have to include the batteries with the item, but you do want to show the buyer that the item works.  Putting a tag on an item that says “works” may not be reassuring enough to a buyer for them to purchase the item based on your word.  If an item doesn’t work, tag it as such.  There are many people who shop garage sales looking for electrical items with parts that can be harvested for other projects.  If you know what’s wrong with the item, you may want to put that information on the tag as well as someone who like repairing small electronics.

Having a garage sale is a great way to clear out items you don’t want and make some extra money at the same time.  By taking a few extra steps and some cues from retailers, you can move your garage sale from average to awesome.  The extra work and extra attention to detail will result in better sales and possibly your buyers spreading the word about your sale to others.  After you have gotten everything ready and your doors are open, get ready for a fun, profitable, awesome garage sale!

Tommy Mello owns A1 Garage Door Service in Phoenix, Arizona. He enjoys sharing garage improvement ideas and maintenance tips.