When was the last time you went through your house and collected everything you don’t want? Well if you can’t remember the last time, consider having a garage sale. They can be fun and at the same time make you money. The first thing you want to do is look at everything you own and ask yourself if you really NEED an item. If the answer is no, then you may want to consider selling it or throwing it out. Once you know what you are going to sell, it is time to organize the sale. Here are some tips on having a successful garage sale.
- Label everything with price tags
- This may seem like a tedious task, but it will help you during the sale when there are many people that may be asking you for the price. It is also helpful when there are multiple people running the sale. One thing to be aware of are dishonest people who may try to switch price tags if you are not looking.
- Try to lay everything out
- This is important because people may not want to dig into a huge bin with so called “junk.” The items will seem much more appealing if they are displayed nicely and they appear to be organized. There are exceptions to this such as having a large supply of books that you may want to store in boxes.
- Clean everything first
- Polish anything that needs to be polished. People will be more likely to buy if it looks like it is in good shape and they don’t have to do it themselves.
- Wash anything that needs to be. This may seem like common sense, but you would be surprised how many garage sales I have seen where people don’t seems to care that something has been sitting in their garage for 2 years and is covered in dust. These include everything such as tools, clothes, China, crystal, and even dustcovers for books.
- Bring an extension chord for electrical items
- This will save time and will many times help sell an electrical item. If a person has any doubts that an item works, they can test it for themselves. This also saves you the trouble of someone complaining afterwards that an item may not work.
- Have a tape measure
- This is a helpful tool if you have any type of furniture for sale. You will have a better chance of someone buying something if they know for sure that it will fit where they want it as opposed to just guessing.
- Place the best things in front
- Some people may disagree with this because it may suck someone in to find a bunch of junk. However, this will help bring people in. If you have something nice for sale, heck put it in the front (assuming it can’t be stolen easily). Many people will decide if they will stop by just by driving by. If it does not look like anything but junk, you have lost a potential sale.
- Have Bags and Boxes Ready
- This is not necessary, but helpful if someone buys multiple things or wants their items to be protected (ex. dishes or glasses). Having these ready will help save you time by not having to leave your sale to go inside. Another benefit is that these bags and boxes will be put to good use after laying around in your house for months.