“Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things
that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along.”
Og Mandino (1923 – 1996)
Having a garage sale or yard sale is an amazing way to clear out clutter, get rid of the items you no longer want and even make a little extra spending money!
Here are four practical, easy-to-use ideas to improve your success, make more money, have more fun and get rid of that stuff! It’s one of the final steps in your garage organization project. Don’t put it back in the garage. Sell it or give it away. Seize the day!On the other hand, you can waste a lot of time, wait around for people who never show up, or encounter some other unexpected challenge leaving you with a wasted day and no profits.
#1 – Create a “Shop” Feel In Your Yard
Most of the time, a garage or yard sale consists of a few tables, some hanging clothes and boxes of things people just aren’t sure about.
One way to make your sale a success is to spend some time making your yard feel like a shop. Organize your items into categories and put all the “like” items together.
For example, you might create a table just for books and CDs, a hanging area for jackets and sweaters, separate ladies, men’s and children’s clothing areas, etc.
This will make it easier for bargain hunters to find the things you have for sale, and increase the chances that they buy something.
#2 – Advertise
Most people throw a few hand-written garage sale signs together and post them around the neighborhood. If you really want to make your sale a success, you should take another step and advertise. Place an ad in your local newspaper or “thrifty ad” paper.
Many people get up early on weekend mornings just to go to “hunting” in hopes that they will find the next best treasure! Let them know where you are.
When you make or buy your garage sale signs, a little extra effort can really help. Don’t get too fancy or artsy, but be sure to provide the most important information like “what” it is, “when” it is and “where” it is. This is a great way to show your neighbors and others in your area that you’re having a garage or yard sale.
Put signs by local supermarkets, at busy intersections and anywhere else where a lot of people will see them (check with your local city, town or neighborhood authority to be sure it’s OK to place signs in public spaces). For a more detailed discussion, visit our page dedicated to garage sale signs, which includes examples of good garage and yard sale signs.
You can also check with neighborhood stores for “community bulletin boards” where you can post your garage sale information. Post offices often provide bulletin boards for their patrons.
#3 – Keep Your Prices Low
While everyone loves a great garage sale, few people are going to pay outrageous prices for used things. Expecting to get $20 out of an old lamp that you adored in college is unreasonable!
Pricing items properly will help ensure that people will actually buy the items. Books priced at $1 or less, children’s clothing for $2 or less, etc. Think about what you would pay if you were in someone else’s shoes (or you wanted to buy someone else’s shoes!). A more detailed discussion on pricing is available here.
If you want to learn 4 Steps to Pricing for Garage Sale Success, visit the Garage Sale Pricing Guide page for more information on the (almost) free book. It’s only $1.00, unless you want to pay more :-).
Remember, one of the primary reasons people have a garage or yard sale is to clear out the clutter and regain some of their life. The extra money is nice, but clutter control and stress relief far outweigh the monetary gain!
#4 – Negotiate
Another thing people love about a garage or yard sale is the chance to negotiate a better price for the items they want. Leave room in your prices so people can bargain for their advantage.
For instance, if you mark your books at $1 each but have someone offer to buy an entire box of 30 books for $20, make the deal! You will “lose” $10, but you will get rid of the entire box of books! Similarly, if you price jackets at $5 and someone says they will give you $3…take it!
People have a lot of fun hunting for bargains, and then negotiating for a better “deal.” If you leave room in your pricing, you not only increase your chances of making a sale, it’s actually a lot of fun to “play the game.”
Helpful Resources
After completing your successful sale, you will likely need to store your “things to keep” in an organized manner. For a great selection of helpful garage organization tools, check out the Stacks and Stacks website where you will find a wide variety of shelves, cabinets and other helpful garage-related items.
Learn more about Garage Sale Signs
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