5 Best Tips to a Successful Garage Sale

Photo Credit to angusf

I've been working on my garage sale for next weekend, but I'm an avid yard sale shopper. I was thinking about what makes a good garage sale.

There are tons and tons of tips to have a successful garage sale. It can be a lot of work, but if you plan it right you can make quite a bit of extra money. I think my BEST advice comes from seeing what others do wrong! Here are my 5 best tips! Good luck

1. Advertise. Definitely utilize every free site you can. There are tons of places where you can tell everyone about your upcoming garage/yard sale without costing you a dime. On top of that I would recommend that you invest in your local paper. It might cost, but it will be worth it!
2. Signs are important! This is one of the most important things because if people can't find your sale they won't come to it. Firstly, signs should be large, easy to read, and have all important information. Make sure you can write in wide stroke big block letters on preferably white background (with possibly a bright colored border ... I do like those fluorescent colors for accents). It sound have an arrow pointing the way to the sale (very helpful), say Yard/Garage Sale, Address, and Times. Make sure it is readable/noticeable while you are driving by (everyone else will be driving!). Put a sign (possibly consider ballons, flags, etc) in front of your house, at the end of your block, and on all corners to the next main road. Consider making more paths if you live in a sub division with multiple entrances. Remember to check your city for any rules concerning signs. Take them down when you are done!
3. Organize your items. Organize your items so that they make sense and are easy to see and clearly marked with price. Make items look attractive and clean them up as well as organize your tables, hang up your clothes if possible, etc. You can either make a big sign that says something like 'All Books .25 cents' or you can individually mark each item, but NOTHING makes a potential customer walk away faster than having to ask about a price! Big items need big price tags, and small items can have stickers (they even make pre-printed ones) that are visible without picking the item up.
   
4. Don't overprice it! Remember that even though you liked something that it is still old junk. You will sell a lot more stuff if you price your stuff reasonably. Remember that your stuff is not unique and a person can go down the street to the next garage sale to get some old sneakers for half the price of yours. You don't need to underprice, but the key here is quantity and to get rid of stuff while making some money. If it's something you still can't bear to part with...don't sell it!
5. Bigger is better! People are drawn in by big items, so the more you have the more you can attract people from the street. Put them up front so everyone can see them and beckon people like a beacon of trash. Also, the more people you can get involved the more it will draw in people. For instance, try to organize a block sale, or a sale with a few neighbors, or friends. You can share costs, and people love to stop at one place and get multiple household sales.

I hope these help. Here are some resources that may help you.

• Garage Sale Pricing Guide
• Garage Sales Tracker
• Craigslist
• Yard Sale AD