Garage Sales

Having a garage sale is no simple task. Many people get off track and behind schedule with them because they think of it as a "to do". Might I suggest that you think of it is a major project that incorporates many to do's.

Best day? Saturday. Forget thinking about running your garage sale on a Sunday,because many people will be attending Sunday worship and the time you spend setting up won't be as conducive or profitable.
Best time? Spring and Fall. If you live in an area that has continual warm weather then just about all year long is a "go."
If you are putting an ad in the paper, make sure you do your advertising preparation work early.

Note: A lot of people will map out their Saturday according to the location of each sale. Placing an ad is a good return on investment.

Do you need signs to direct traffic or attract attention? To accomplish this, use bright colors on heavy cardboard (paper will flap in the breeze too much for it to be seen properly.
Run a joint sale with a neighbor if at all possible. The more items you have to attract peoples attention, the more successful your sale will be and the more fun.

Note: If you run a joint sale be sure to have a system set up for tracking who sold what for whom. (How about color coding the price stickers?)

Know exactly what you will be doing with the remains of any unsold items at the end of the day. Give yourself ample time to run down to the Homeless shelter, Goodwill,Salvation Army, etc. In many areas you can even get these items picked up directly at your home.

Note: Whatever you do, have a plan for these items. Don't let them land in your garage to collect dust. In order for someone to use them they will need to receive them.

Whenever you are cleaning, collect items that you know you no longer need or use.

Avoid relying on your memory to remember what items were designated for the garage sale at a later date. Keep these items in a box that will be easily accessible to add to in the future.

Designate a time to go through the collected items. Clean, mend and tag these items all at once to avoid the rehandling of them when you are ready for your big sale day.
One of the longest tasks to accomplish is tagging all the items for your garage or yard sale. By completing this task a little at a time when the items are first collected, you won't find yourself doing this tedious task at all hours of the night - the night before.

Remember, the goal is to handle each item as little as possible.

Display! Display! Display as much as possible. Place "curiosity catchers" out in front in order to invite people to come and browse.
Utilize hangers for clothes .Avoid leaving them all piled in a box. They don't have to be freshly ironed (of course a mass of wrinkles isn't too appealing either), yet they do need to be clean.

Note: Make sure you have a private area people can try clothes on ...without having to enter your home.

Put large items on a table or a blanket on the ground to enhance your vast array of goods.
Make sure you have an extension cord available for any electrical equipment you are selling.
Be ready early. You will need to be all set up and ready to go at least an hour before your designated start time. Understand that there will always be someone who will arrive early expecting to catch the best deals.
Have plenty of spare change available. It never fails that the least expensive items will be paid with the largest bills. (A good mix is: 2 -$10; 6 - $5; 20 - $1 and $10 in small change).

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