Tips to Have a Successful Garage Sale
I am not a lifestyle coach, but if I was, I would tell you to throw away all of your junk. You will feel better instantly.
I learned this lesson when I was moving from Alabama to Waco. When I moved to Alabama, I realized that I had a ton of stuff for someone who just graduated college.
I had clothing from high school, a mod-podge of home decor items and pointless keepsakes. After reading through the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up before my move it Waco, I purged.
I brought 5 boxes of clothes to consignment stores, sent all of my DVDs to a website called Decuttr and everything else went straight to Goodwill.
So when I arrived in Waco, every item I unpacked I had a use for or I needed it.
Ever since this experience and buying my new home, I have thrown a huge garage sale once a year. I have constantly changing styles, and I get so many products sent to me that I have to just get rid of them.
If you are ready to change your life, throw a garage sale. And if you have never thrown a garage sale, read these tips to make a few extra bucks to add updated items to your wardrobe or save for a vacation!
TIP #1: GET A FRIEND TO JOIN YOU
The one word that gets people to come to your garage sale is “MULTI-FAMILY”.
After a long day of garage sale hunting, people want to know that when they make the drive out to your house, there is going to be something that will interest them.
Whenever we host a garage sale, I let everyone in the office who lives in apartments know. They are able to add their stuff to the garage sale. I also ask my family, and they give me all of their unwanted items.
The key to this strategy is organization. If you are selling a ton of people’s stuff, you are going to have to keep up with what they sell and how much they made.
We have found that the trick is to color code the sale tags on the items and to keep a notepad with you when you make the sale.
With this strategy, we create columns for each party at the garage sale. When you sell an item, you put the amount it sold for underneath the person’s column.
This makes for a slower sale process, but it is completely worth it!
And if you have to pay for a permit or took cash out for the register, be sure to deduct that before you pass out the final totals!
TIP #2: PUT OUT SIGNS
In today’s age, we find most of our garage sales online – but there are still so many people who rely on signs to find your garage sale!
Or you might catch someone just driving through who saw your sign and decided to check it out! Be sure to get large signs and to write the address clearly.
You will also want to make sure they guide your future customers efficiently to your sale.
The most important things with this tip is to remember to pick up your signs after the garage sale! Be a courteous neighbor!
TIP #3: POST YOUR SALE ONLINE
Posting online about your garage sale is still super important! Post details about your garage sale on Craigslist, the Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Swap Shop Groups!
Make sure you include photos of your garage sale, the address, the location, the dates and the times you will be selling.
TIP #4: DO NOT PRICE THE DAY OF
If you wait until the day of the price items, you will be miserable. Figure it out a week ahead of time, so the week before you can focus on marketing and putting everything together.
The rule of thumbs is not to price more than one-third of what the item is worth.
TIP #5: USE LARGE FLAT SURFACES ON TOP OF TOTES AS TABLES
You will want to present your items in an organized way, so people won’t just drive by your garage sale. If you do not have a lot of tables, you can turn over totes and lay a flat surface on top as a temporary table.
We had a large piece of sheetrock and an old door that we used as tables, and it
TIP #6: SAVE GROCERY BAGS
This is something that people always forget – you will need plastic grocery bags to help your garage sale attendees bring all your old goods home.
Are you planning on throwing a garage sale?
