Making Your Garage Sale a Huge Success!
By Julie Johnson, MA

Garage sales can be a fun and profitable way to get rid of all the things that are no longer serving you: clothes you’ll never wear again, toys your kids have outgrown, books that just sit on the shelf, an old couch, etc. Garage sales can also be lots of work on a long day that leaves you with little to show for it. Here are some tips to having a successful garage sale.

Keep in mind your goal is to get rid of stuff! Sure, it’s great to have a wad of cash at the end of the day, but chances are you aren’t having the sale to supplement your income. You’re probably doing it to get rid of all the useless stuff you’ve just simplified from. So, don’t trip yourself up about the prices and just sell, sell, sell!

Get everything ready beforehand. Spend a little time preparing your things, so they’ll be appealing and the day will be easier for you. Items: Think of the dust rag as your friend- people are more likely to buy something that looks like it’s been enjoyed and cared for. Play one last round to see that games and puzzles have all their pieces and are secure in their boxes. Launder clothes that are just too dirty to sell, but keep in mind whoever buys it is going home to wash it anyway. Don’t bother with clothes with stains and tears (most likely these won’t sell, but could be great dust rags!). Supplies: You’ll want change to start with and bags for people to buy lots of stuff! You might consider having newspaper on hand if you are selling fragile items as well. Get your signs and something to hang them with ready the day before.

Set your prices. Keep it low, simple and get ready to bargain! Figure your prices out beforehand for a hassle-free (relatively) day. It’s great to have tables or boxes where everything is the same price. You can use white removable stickers for prices or use colored dot stickers (all red dots are $1, yellow $2, etc) to make it even easier. For “big ticket items,” start a little higher than you’d want- everyone loves a bargain! By noon, start discounting everything! Consider “discounts for people buying in bulk,” like one price for a whole bag or “$5 for all the towels.”

Get the word out! Signs are the staple for garage sale advertisements. Use a side of an old box and a dark marker, no need for frills. The sign should say SALE, have your address and the date. If you have key items like furniture, toys, collectibles, you can mention those as well. For advertisements, try your local papers, penny savers or Craig’s list (be sure to mention specifics, kids, collectibles, etc). You can also join your efforts with friends and neighbors; “multi-family” and block sales draw more people. I’ve even seen a real estate broker “host” a neighborhood garage sale, where they did all the marketing for everyone and each participating house just did their own sale as usual. Be sure to go back and take the signs down afterwards: it’s considerate and helps to reestablish your privacy. You can also place ads for large ticket items (like appliances, couches, instruments) on the internet at places like craigslist.com or your local classifieds, and have your sale be the contact time/place to see, purchase and pickup.

Set it up. On the day of, group like things together, use tables to display fragile items, use boxes or bookshelf for books, hang clothes if possible. Draw attention with great items in front, and be sure to leave space for people to walk through and access items.

Get everyone involved! Adults can keep each other company, so be sure to solicit involvement from your spouse, friend, or family. It’s also important to be able to take breaks. Older kids can run the cash box- great to build math skills! Beforehand, talk about money, change etc. Kids can sell their toys and keep the money. Kids can have an old-fashioned lemonade stand, or sell coffee, hot chocolate, water, cookies, banana bread, etc.

Take care of you. Be sure to have plenty of water and snacks on hand, and give each other breaks. If you have kids, be prepared for them not wanting to be out there all day. Have good snacks and activities that do not require supervision ready for idle hands.

Make it fun! Play your favorite music, bring a great attitude, and keep yourself entertained with a good book or Sudoku for the down times. If you’re really daring, you could play games with your customers, for discounts. Try taking 25 cents off for every basket they shoot, or 50 cents if they can answer a trivia question or figure out a Mad Gab. People are more likely to buy more (and pay more) if they are having fun and feeling a connection, and it makes it so much more fun for the host as well.

Be done. My number one rule for my garage sales is, if it goes out, it doesn’t come back in. Don’t decide to keep something because it doesn’t sell. Don’t bring it back inside until you can figure out what to do with it. Plan ahead for a bulky items pick up, arrange for a charity to collect your donations, or load it up in the car right then and take it to a donation drop-off center. You’ve put in a day of hard work, so don’t torture yourself with the potential clutter of stuff you know you don’t want.

If this has terrified you further and you’re dreading the day, listen to that inner voice screaming, “NO!!!” You might consider forgoing the sale, and try these other places to sell: Craigslist.com, Ebay, local consignment stores, or the Penny Saver. You can also gladly accept the tax write-off and just donate everything!

With a little bit of planning and a light attitude, your garage sale can be both fun and profitable. Good luck and good selling!