Whether you’re downsizing to a new house or simply looking to dejunk your current home, throwing a garage sale is an excellent way to cut back on clutter. Not to mention, you’ll make a few extras bucks in the process. While no one ever got rich by hosting a yard sale, it definitely doesn’t hurt to get some of what you paid for back in your pockets. To help you stay better organized, we’ve put together a simple and structured checklist for a successful garage sale. Good luck!
Garage Sale Ideas And Tips
- Don't wait until the day of the sale to get prices for merchandise that doesn't belong to you. When a shopper asks for a price, she doesn't want to wait while you call your daughter or best friend. If other people want to sell their stuff at your yard sale, make them price the pieces in advance.
- I couldn’t choose and switch days, couldn’t add the ads from the local newspaper, couldn’t sync it with my iPhone and worst of all it wouldn’t optimize my garage sale route. None of the features worked, OK these things happen so I tried contacting yard sale developers but unfortunately if.
A month before the garage sale
- Decide on a date – When you’re ready to let go of your things, choose a date for the garage sale a month or two out. Rule of thumb: it’s always better to choose a weekend (preferably a Saturday) morning. People will be off from work and therefore, more inclined to go to a nearby garage sale. Make sure you also choose a date that works for your friends and family, so that they can attend and help out. Choose an alternative rain check date as well, just in case the weather doesn’t hold up.
- Check your community’s rules – Those who live in a community with a HOA (Homeowners’ Association) will need to check all rules and restrictions before committing to a garage sale. For instance, many condo and apartment communities do not allow residents to sell goods on the property.
- Read up on local regulations– Before hosting a garage sale, double check your city’s laws and regulations regarding possible permits needed. Also, look into whether you’ll need to collect income and sales tax during the garage sale.
- Decide what you want to sell – Go through your home and figure out exactly what you want to sell. It’s easier to keep track of everything by writing down and maintaining an ongoing inventory list.
- Figure out where to find your display tables – When hosting a garage sale, it’s important to prominently display your items. For instance, if you’re selling smaller knick knacks, such as picture frames and coffee table books, keep in mind that these could easily get overlooked. To make your items as appealing and presentable as possible, ask friends and family if you can borrow picnic tables, book shelves, clothing racks, hangers, carts and boxes for the day.
A week or two before the garage sale
- Determine prices – About a week before the garage sale, sift through your inventory list and determine the starting price for each item. It’s also a good idea to group together belongings, such as books, and sell them all for the same price. For instance, place the books in a box with a sign that reads “All Books $2 Each.” Keep in mind that shoppers will be paying with cash, so make sure that your pricing system is as simplistic as possible. If you choose to not place price stickers on individual items, it helps to have a general idea of what they cost – at the very least. Also, remember that no one comes to a garage sale to spend big bucks. Be reasonable (and flexible) when setting prices. If you own something truly valuable, try consigning it or selling it online instead.
- Get price stickers and place them on belongings – If you decide to use price stickers, you can find them at your local Staples store or on Amazon.com.
- Advertise – If you don’t advertise your garage sale, you can be sure that almost no one (save a couple of neighbors) will show up. So a week before your garage sale, start advertising on all of your online neighborhood listservs, including Nextdoor.com, your local Craigslist website and local Facebook community groups. Let as many people as possible know about your sale. Try placing flyers on neighbors’ doors and placing signs at the end of your street with the date of your garage sale.
- Prepare your stuff– A week or two before the sale, it’s important to properly prepare all of your belongings for resale. Trust me – no one wants to buy a wrinkled up old t-shirt. So put forth the extra effort to wash and iron all clothes, dust off old books, and wipe down furniture, so that your items will get the attention they deserve.
Don't schedule a yard sale for an 'off' day; Friday and Saturday are traditional yard sale days. Download quanta driver. In some towns, it's becoming common to start on Thursday, but only when the sale runs on Friday and/or Saturday too. Sundays are fine for the second day of a Saturday sale but don't make it the primary day unless it's customary in your area. Advertise multi-day sales as separate sales. If you are having a 2 - 3 day garage sale, treat each day as a separate one-day garage sale and place ads for each day. If people know it is a 2 or 3 day garage sale, they naturally will assume that all the good stuff has gone by the first day and not bother to go one the second or third day.
The day before the garage sale
Best Day For Garage Sale Saturday Or Sunday
- Have small bills on hand – One thing you’ll definitely need at your yard sale is plenty of change. So make a pitstop at your local ATM on the way home from work Friday night. It’s a good idea to have small bills, such as $1s, $5s, $10s and $20s on standby.
- Decide how you’re going to set everything up– The day before your garage sale, decide where you’re going to set up your display tables, clothing racks, furniture and other miscellaneous items. Make sure to place eye-catching stuff up front to grab the attention of those who are casually driving or walking by. Try to also keep things organized and tidy. Nothing turns shoppers off more than a sloppy, unclean environment.
- Grab supplies– If you arranged to pick up boxes or tables from friends and neighbors, now is the time to do it. Having to scramble for supplies the morning of the garage sale isn’t the best idea.
The day of the garage sale
- Set it up – First thing’s first: start setting up your yard sale as soon as you wake up. The earlier you can begin your yard sale, the better.
- Place signs along your street– Once you’re set up and ready to go, place a sign (or several) at the end of your street that advertise the garage sale. To grab people’s attention, try attaching balloons to the signs as well.
- Have shopping bags on hand– It’s a good idea to have a few shopping bags (grocery bags or used shopping bags) on hand, just in case people buy multiple knick knacks. I also recommend having a few cardboard boxes on standby for those who purchase heavier or fragile items, such as books, vases and kitchenwares.
- Be friendly– If you’re welcoming and friendly, people will be much more likely to stick around and browse through your things. A smile can go a long way in keeping people interested in your belongings. After all, no one wants to buy used items from someone they don’t like.
- Be flexible with pricing– If a shopper wants to haggle the price of a book down a dollar or two, don’t lose sleep over it. Once you’re able to enjoy a clutter free home, you won’t miss that book a bit.
- Don’t get attached to your stuff at the last minute –Remember – you’re letting go of these things for a reason. The last thing you want to do is show too much attachment to your things. Shoppers view your belongings with a blank slate, so try to keep it that way by not telling nostalgic (and unprompted) stories about the items on display.
- Figure out what to do with the rest of your stuff– Once the garage sale is over, you’ll have to figure out what to do with all of the stuff that didn’t sell. If the item has real value, I suggest consigning it or reselling it on an online marketplace, such as Craigslist or eBay. You can also donate all items to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity or The Salvation Army.
Planning to move after the garage sale? Find a reputable and reliable moving company in your area by checking Moving.com’s extensive network of licensed and insured movers. Good luck and happy decluttering!
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