Get Rid of the Clutter and Make Money: How to hold a Garage Sale

For some people their favorite sign of spring is the sight of flowers turning colors in the front yard. For others it's the taste of that first crisp asparagus stalk or the feel of short sleeved shirts. My favorite sign of spring is the road sign advertising a garage sale. For a few weekends every spring and fall I like to get up early, scan the paper and go trash-to-treasure hunting with my family.

Garage sales have helped me clothe and furnish my house on a one and half income budget. But attending one too many can clutter up your house. If you are like me and cannot resist that last one dollar sweater from the church rummage sale but your husband has threatened to hide the Saturday paper, then holding a garage sale of your own might be the prefect get-rid-of-the-stuff solution. You might even get to sell that pair of fuchsia shoes you might as well admit will never match anything else on the planet.

And unlike Ebay, you don't have take photos of your merchandise or make a trip to the post office.

Here are a few tips to help make your sale a successful one:

Advertise

Consider taking out an add the Friday before the sale. My local paper charges only $5. Advertising will help you attract more people to your sale than just putting a local sign at the intersection for people to see when they're whizzing by at fifty miles an hour. You can also use the paper to make sure you have a backup rain date. It is not a good idea to hold a garage sale when rain is forecast because bad weather will drive away customers.

If you don't want to advertise, put up the largest handwritten sign you can in black magic marker on the nearest busy street. The sign should allow passing motorists to easily read it. That means BIG, BOLD, THICK LETTERING, bigger than you might think you need.

Don't forget to take the sign down after the sale is over or you may get people knocking on your door the next weekend.

Whether you advertise, post signs, or both, be sure to include more than just an address and a date. Sale times are just as important. I typically hold my sale starting at nine and ending at three, but whatever times you choose, make sure you can stick to them. It always takes more time than you think to get all those items out on display. And be prepared to deal with early birds, politely but firmly. I've gotten people swinging by as early as 7:00 AM for my 9:00 sales.

The best months to hold a garage sale are April, May, June, September and October when the warm weather allows you to hold a sale outside. I hold my sales on Saturday because that's the day you're likely to attract the most customers.

Enlist your neighbors

Make your sale a block wide affair. Multifamily garage sales tend to attract more buyers than a sale by just one person. If your neighbors aren't interested ask your friends. They can bring their items for sale over to your house and then put them out on separate tables.

If you have an apartment without a lawn, ask permission to hold one on a grassy area from the landlord or Home Owner's Association. I've been to fabulous sales where an entire apartment complex participated.

Choosing the Inventory

The day before the sale look through your house and decide which items you want to sell. If you haven't worn it in a year, sat on it for six months or opened it since November -- sell it. I have seen people buy everything from stained clothing to broken furniture so don't hesitate to put out something even if you think no one else would want it. I am always surprised and amused when I see what people buy.

Displaying the Merchandise

Clothing can be spread out on the ground on a clean sheet, placed on top of chairs or even hung between tree branches using twine. Larger items can simply be placed on the ground. For smaller items, it is always to your advantage to haul out the old folding card table so everything is within easy reach of potential customers to pick up and admire.

Jewelry looks very nice when set against a dark cloth. Ask your local supermarket for extra boxes and use them to store books for sale.

If you are selling clothing, allow people to try on items over their clothes. Consider putting out a "not for sale" mirror that they can use. If you are selling CD's consider bringing out a CD player so people can hear the music first. You can also bring out an extension cord to demonstrate that any small appliances or electronic gadgets are in working order.

Pricing

Visit the bank and make sure you have lots of one and five dollar bills to use as a personal bank to make change. You'd be surprised how many people expect you to have change for a twenty when they're purchasing a twenty-five cent toy.

A good rule of thumb about pricing items is to price them at one tenth the retail price. Thus the jacket you paid $50 for but have outgrown becomes a five dollar garage sale find. I have found that you can get more for certain items. Maternity clothing is particularly popular in my neighborhood because it is expensive to purchase and only worn briefly.

Make sure each sale item has a clearly marked price tag but be prepared to negotiate. You want to make money but you also want to avoid lugging the leftovers to back to the attic or down to Goodwill.

More Quick Tips

On the day of the sale make sure the signs you put up about the sale are clearly marked and securely attached so they won't blow away.

Keep any pets in the house during the sale with enough food and water. Even the friendliest of pets may not react well to the sight of dozens of strangers on the front lawn.

Young children should be watched carefully but older children may choose to participate. Let them look through their possessions and decide if there are items they don't need anymore. A garage sale can be a great opportunity to teach your children about the marketplace firsthand if you designate a place at the sale solely for their stuff. Expand the object lesson by deciding beforehand that anything that does not sell will be donated to charity.

Whatever you do during the sale, don't forget the first rule of the day: have fun.

Garage sales are a great way to make money and empty your closets - just in time for you to go to a few more and fill them again.

~Stacy Herlihy

See also:

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