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A lot of time and effort goes into holding a successful garage sale, but the results can be rewarding. Not only will you make some $$$, you will be getting rid of unused and unnecessary belongings.
There is nothing more discouraging however than to get to garage sale day, only to have a sad, lonely driveway filled with items but no browsers.
As a veteran of quite a few garage sales (and flea market stalls too!), here’s my checklist to ensure that your garage sale is a huge success!
Round Up the Items
First things first. Sweep your house – and your shed if you have one! – from top to bottom, in search of items to sell. Don’t be afraid to be ruthless! Haven’t used that punch bowl set or vase since you got married five or even ten years ago? Chances are that you never will, so off they go! If you are planning to have a garage sale two or three months down the track, consider stowing your sale items in a storage facility, such as Fort Knox Storage for safe keeping.
Advertising
Start promoting your event by using free, paid, offline and online marketing methods.
You can increase your effectiveness by trying it all: print some leaflets to distribute around your area, have road signs, whip up a social media frenzy and take an ad out in the local newspaper.
Purposeful Item Placement
Now it is time to think about where your items will be placed for sale. Consider supermarkets and convenience stores; often you will see impulsive-buy items such as confectionery placed right in front, near the cashiers. This is because the owners understand consumer buying patterns and the power of strategic product placement. Apply the same concepts to your garage sale, and remember to categorise the items for buying ease.
Pleasant Environment
It is amazing just how atmosphere can change people’s moods and spending. A welcoming, clean and colourful shop is much more likely to attract and retain customers than a bland, dirty and shadowy establishment. Turn your sales space into a place where you would want to be, by having background music and aesthetically pleasing signs.
Price & Label Items
There is nothing more irritating than discovering that there is no price tag on an item. Many people are shy – don’t expect them to seek you out to ask for a price. Make things as easy as possible for your customers by pricing and labelling all sales goods beforehand.
Have Money and Bags On Hand
Part of your preparation should include organising a cash float – make sure you have different denominations of money. Visit the bank the day before and make sure you have at least $100, if not $200, in change of all different denominations.
Many buyers may be stopping by on impulse and will not be adequately prepared for small purchases; be ready to trade in and provide change for large notes. Hopefully big purchases will also be made, so have bags on hand to make the shopping experience less stressful!
Finally, don’t forget to check the long term weather forecast or pray for a fine day!
Have you ever had a garage sale? Do you have any further tips to add to the checklist?
We had a garage sale around 2 years ago and I was amazed at what people bought. The tools (which were double ups that we already had) were the first items to go. I listed the garage sale online through garage sale directories, in the paper and and I did a leaflet drop. We had quite a lot of people come through because I did the advertising.
This is now on my favourites bar for when we finally organise all our things before we move in eighteen months. That’s the plan anyway. Great suggestions Janet however I know as soon as I sell that punch bowl I’ll suddenly need it:)
Always the way, Pinky! 😉
I love browsing garage sales… all your tips are pretty spot on in terms of what tends to appeal to me as a customer, a pleasant atmosphere, clearly priced items and convenient placement of items to make it easy to browse. I haven’t had a garage sale myself yet, but perhaps my chance will come as my little ones get older and start growing out of their clothes and toys and baby equipment… I’ll keep your tips in mind!
It’s a great way to make some extra $$$!