Spring is just around the corner and soon we’ll be seeing garage sale and yard sale signs all over our neighborhood. Last fall I had my own garage sale, which was a huge success, raising $1600 in one weekend.
To hold a successful yard sale you need to plan and organize. I worked two hours a day for several weeks, organizing and cleaning the household items that I wanted to sell. People like to think they are getting a good deal when they go to garage sales, so it is essential that your items are clean. Make them look as new as possible! Even if they are not new, they can look new. When I stop by a garage sale and find dirty items, I walk away. Who wants to take something home that they have to spend time cleaning?
If you have anything with glass or mirrors, clean it to a sparkling shine. If you are selling crystal or glassware, run them through the dishwasher to make them look clean and new. If you are selling jewelry or any silver plated items, clean them to a shine with a silver or jewelry polishing cloth.
I used a spare bedroom to organize my garage sale items. The more junky stuff I either pitched or took to Salvation Army. At first this seemed like an over whelming task, there were so many items to go through. However, after about 2 weeks I had all of my items clean and ready to display.
Displaying your items is your second most important job. If your “customers” can’t see your items, they won’t buy your items. Arrange everything on utility tables, picnic tables, even an old dining room table works (especially if you want to sell it!). I used bookshelves, and made displays for beads and earrings. I packaged up my beads in small baggies, labeled them with the prices, and tacked them to a large cork board.
Put breakable items up high and out of the reach of young children. I was shocked when one family drove up and their son ran into our garage and grabbed stuff off of my picnic table and ran out into the driveway with it to show his mother!
If you have any clothing, hang them up on $20 clothes rack with wheels that can be found at Walmart and other stores. Again, people don’t want to wade through tables of clothes, they need to see them. I hung my coats and other more expensive clothing items on our garage walls where they could be seen immediately.
I displayed large items such as mattress comforters, king sized bedspreads, and sheets by bagging them up in Ziplock XXL Bags. Since there were handles on the top of the bags, I was able to hang these on my garage walls. Since we had a sunny day, I placed towels and other bulky items outside on lawn chairs. Old childrens items like highchairs and strollers I also put outside to keep my garage looking roomy and spacious.
There needs to be enough room in a garage for shoppers to move around freely without bumping into each other. Be sure your items have clearly marked prices!! People will try to talk you down, but if your prices are already low (and they should be, remember people want a bargain), stand firm and they will pay what you are asking. Dickering is part of the garage sale mentality, but you don’t have to lower your prices.
Remember, one mans trash is another mans treasure. Everything that you want to get rid of is potential cash in your pocket. If it can be cleaned, it can be sold. One man wanted to buy an old battery we had sitting around, and we didn’t even know if it worked!
My garage was organized two days before the garage sale, so I was ready to go. Next, I placed an ad on Craigs List for a “No Junk Garage Sale”, listing the items I had for sale and placing a few pictures of items that would draw in the casual yard sale shopper. Believe it or not, I made $250 the night before my sale started from people seeing my Craigs List ad and coming by the house to make a purchase. Be sure to list specific dates and times, as well as directions to your home. If you don’t feel comfortable giving directions, give a phone number or an address.
The morning of the garage sale you’ll need to get out and put up your garage sale signs, again with the dates and times clearly marked. I spent $20 on red and white garage sale signs that came with metal holders that could be pounded into the ground. I received a lot of compliments on my signs!
Most of my customers came early Friday morning, and my Friday was much busier than my Saturday. The traffic really slowed down after 3:00 pm, so that is why I ended my garage sale at 4:00 pm. No need to waste my time sitting around when people were headed home to make dinner.
So there you have it! My keys to a very successful garage sale. Organize, clean, advertise, display, and price fairly. These are the critical points, and if you follow these guidelines, I think you will turn your junk into cash.
