These Garage Sale Tips Will Make You Money:
Spring is a great time to declutter your home and put it on the real estate market. You can even make some money from your clutter if you have an old-fashioned garage sale. Here are some simple garage sale tips to put more money in your pocket.
Schedule a date and time.
You ‘ll get more people if you have it on a Saturday morning from 6 am until noon. You won’t miss the early birds and the weather will be cooler.
Identify what you will sell.
Here is a list of some of the most popular items people purchase at garage sales
1. Clothes (especially children’s clothes)
2.Power Tools (saws, drills, sanders)
3. Sporting Equipment (golf clubs, workout equip.)
4. Bicycles (especially ones ready to ride)
5. Electronics (stereos, computerCls)
6. Toys (not broken)
7. Household Items (refrigerators, irons, dishes)
8. Furniture (chairs, tables, beds)
9. Books (especially children’s books)
10. Gardening Equipment
11. Jewelry (watches, rings)
12. Miscellaneous (wall hangings, quilts, bedding)
Source: Garage Sale Source
Don’t waste your time selling used magazines. You can have a box of them at the sale marked “free” as an added bonus for attending your sale.
Check about permits needed.
If your city or municipality requires a permit, make sure you have one. Inquire about the process on their websites. Search for “permits” or “civic responsibilities”.
Decide where you will advertise.
You can advertise for free online at Craigslist, Yard Sale Search, or Garage Sale Source. In addition, check to see what special advertising rates your local newspaper might have. Keep your ad concise because people scan ads. Emphasize your main items for sale by bulleting them. Include your address and the date and time of your sale. Encourage people to attend with a call to action, “Visit our sale on Saturday early to get the best deals first.”
Advertise your sale about two or three days in advance so people don’t forget to attend. Don’t neglect to advertise your event on your social media marketing sites as a free post, event, or paid ad for more reach.
Make yard signs if your town allows them. Check with your local police department to be sure. If signs are not a problem, print “Garage Sale” on brightly-colored poster board which you can purchase in the Dollar Store. Make sure you include your address with an arrow pointing to your house. Use paint stirrers, which you can get free from any home improvement store, to stick your signs in the ground.
Organize your garage before the sale.
One of the most important garage sales tips is to use a room in your home to sort what you are selling by category. Map out how you are going to arrange the location of your items. Save money on price tags by using manila tape and a Sharpie to indicate your price for each item. Don’t overprice your merchandise or people will walk away. You want to sell at a fair price and allow a little wiggle room for negotiating. Garage sale consumers love to haggle prices.
A day or two before the sale, gather the tables you’ll need to display your items for sale. Use card tables, folding tables, and patio tables, and anything else you may be able to convert into a table. Display items on the workbench in your garage, too. Have boxes for costume jewelry and other small items. People love to rummage through them to find a treasure. Gather all of your plastic and paper bags so you can give buyers something to hold their purchased items. The night before the sale, set up your tables and boxes. Don’t wait until the morning to do this.
How to prepare the day of the garage sale.
Start an hour before your sale and place all of your items on their respective tables. Put out your yard signs. Hang any clothes for sale on hangers which you can hang from your garage doors. Locate a chair to sit on and a place where you can take money. Wear a money pouch around your waist to keep your change easily accessible. It’s a good idea to have ones, fives, and at least twenty dollars in quarters.
Grab a chair and sit in a cool spot. Once your shoppers start arriving, let them browse. Don’t be overly pushy. Be prepared for questions and haggling. Don’t give away your rocking chair for $5 when you wanted $25 early in the morning. You still have a few hours to go. After the morning rush when things slow down is the time to really haggle so you are not left with the stuff you wanted to sell.
What to do with stuff you didn’t sell at your garage sale.
Take anything that you didn’t sell to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or a community hospice and get a tax deduction. Don’t just place things out on the curb with a “free’ sign.
Takeaway
Having a garage sale requires lots of preparation and time. However, if you follow our simple garage sale tips, you’ll surely have more cash than stuff you don’t want.
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