Part one of a two-part article on tips to host the easiest and most fun garage sale yet.
Here are some tips to help you make the most out getting some cash in exchange your unwanted goods. Make sure you set the date at least two weeks in advance, to generate anticipation and to give yourself some time to prepare for the event.
Planning For a Successful Garage Sale
- Gather your friends and neighbours. This holds many advantages: If you don’t have many things to offer, you can make the sale more worthwhile with more items. Plus, with more hands on deck, you can offer each other breaks from time to time, or work in shifts.
- Set up a floor plan. By having enough tables set up with enough room to manoeuvre between them, you can organize tables according to price, or type of goods. Some signage with price ranges or description of goods can be helpful, too.
- Consider Layout and Presentation: It’s not recommended to put things in a box and have customers rummage through it: People seldom buy what they can’t see. Put everything out in plain view.
- Clean your goods before the sale. Even if it is just one tiny item, a clean and shiny product brings out the inner magpie in consumers. Even it's in perfect working condition, a dusty, chipped item will not be touched, much less considered as a potential purchase. (Would you pay for someone else's dirt?)
- Place price tags on everything. If you have a lot of items, it might save time for someone to see what the offered price is, instead of asking you “how much for this?” every five minutes. Masking tape and markers work well, or just put a sign on the table: “Everything on this table, $2 [or whatever price you see fit.]”
- Have spare plastic bags or cardboard boxes on hand. Some garage sale customers are just spur-of-the-moment passers-by, so ensuring an easy and ready way for them to carry goods makes for a quick sale.
- Have spare change ready. Have items in whole bill increments so you won’t have to worry about much in the way of change, but expect that someone will need to have bills broken.
Location, Location, Location: Where to Have a Garage Sale
Arrange a place to hold the garage sale weeks before the event. Sometimes, apartment dwellers, or condominiums don’t allow yard sales on the premises, so finding a site for your sale means getting creative.
It’s not recommended to host a yard sale in a park or on city property (like parking lots) without permission in the form of a permit. You could risk a fine, or worse. If the cost of a permit outweighs the potential profit, consider the following options:
- Ask among your other home-owning friends if they would mind giving up their front lawn for a couple of hours, and of course, ask them to join in.
- If a yard or garage is not available among any of your friends, try asking your local community centre if they would be interested in hosting a jumble sale in their gym or on the grounds.
- If your community centre or place of worship won’t host a jumble sale, try your local high school or university grounds: They may provide a locale for free - or a reduced price for alumni. To sweeten the deal, offer to provide half the proceeds to go towards their fund raising.
Part 2 of How to Hold a Profitable Garage Sale will cover tips on how to promote your yard sale, as well as how to get rid of your garage sale's rejects.
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