Wondering How to Organize a Successful Garage Sale? We’ve Got the Right Tips

The Number One Tip for How to Organize a Garage Sale: Think About Every Little Detail

Organizing a garage sale is not much different from running a shop. You have to think about a lot of things, and your primary goal is to sell stuff. That is why you need to attract customers.

A yard sale is so much more than just putting stuff in front of your home and waiting for someone to come by and buy a random thing from the chaotic pile of items. It requires a certain degree of organization and the right timing. Do it step by step and turn it into a fun activity for you and your family, as it’s supposed to be.

Things You Should Do First

• See if you need a permit to organize a sale. If you are not sure, go to the city hall and ask if you need a license. It is better to play it safe than to be caught and forced to shut down the whole operation and pay hefty fines.
• Pick and sort the items you want to sell. Make sure that all items are well-sorted. Clothes in one, and shoes in another pile. Kitchen supplies in third. Separate books from magazines. If you have adult kids and you want to sell some of their old toys, put them in a separate pile, as well. When things are categorized, it will be easier for you to arrange the sale, and most importantly, it will be more accessible to customers.
• Have enough tables. The number of tables you will need depends on how many items you’re planning to sell. Before you decide on the tables, establish the capacity of your yard. The space you will need has to be big enough for all the tables, but also for customers. It is crucial that everyone feels comfortable and can walk around freely.

Purchase Plastic or Paper Bags and Prepare Change

• Don’t forget about the bags. If you want everybody to remember your yard sale, try to do something different. Be cool but professional. Try to stick out. It might sound funny, but having bags is an excellent way to do that. Just like in shops, when a customer buys something, they expect a bag. Go through your kitchen; you might find some bags from previous shoppings. Be the kind of seller who thinks about every detail, and surprise your customers by putting the item they bought from you in a plastic or paper bag.
• Smaller bills for change. You might forget about the change. Just to be sure, put it on your planning list, and a day or two before the big day, make sure that you have enough small bills for when you need to give the change to a customer.

Additional tip: If you have the time, you can prepare some food, for example, cookies, for the customers to enjoy. It could be a sweet present for all buyers – delicious snacks right from your kitchen.

Chose the Date Wisely

Picking the right date can be tricky. Sometimes the event is triggered by an upcoming move. You might be trying to get rid of some stuff to lower the price of moving services, or you might simply be moving to a smaller home and forced to downsize. If that’s the case, it can be a bit hard to pick a date. It all depends on when the move is planned.

On the other hand, if the sale is taking place just because the owners want to get rid of the extra stuff, they can pick a more suitable date.

Spring Is the Best Season

Spring is an ideal season for organizing this kind of thing. The same goes for the weekends. Try to organize it at the end of the week, ideally Friday. Just be sure that the timing is right. Friday afternoon, when everyone is relaxed because the weekend is coming, should be your primetime.

Make Signs to Announce the Yard Sale and Advertise Online

All successful businesses start with good marketing and advertising. The same goes for a yard sale. You could promote it by making signs and putting them all over the neighborhood. Just in case, if there’s a chance of rain, you can wrap them in plastic. Be creative, let your signs be the true representation of your upcoming sale, but don’t forget about the main things – your address, time, and date of the event.

Online Promotion Is Just as Important for a Successful Garage Sale

There are a lot of websites where you can announce your yard sale for free, but some of the most popular are Garage Sale Hunter, Yard Sale Search, and Craigslist. Keep in mind that this could potentially bring a lot more people than you’re expecting, so only do this if you’re making a big event.

Make Price Tags for All the Items You Want to Sell

Every item you plan to sell has to be priced. The best time to prepare price tags is a day before the sale. Make the tags large and clear enough to be visible.

Calculate the Best Selling Price and Make Some Money

If you are not sure about the pricing, just try to remember how much money you gave for some particular item. The selling price you will put on the item should be approximately 10 percent of the original price. So, if you bought something for, say, 20 dollars, you could sell it for 2 dollars.

Instead of the amount of money you spent on it, you can also use the state and quality of the item to define the selling price. To price some items, you can ignore the 10 percent rule from the tip above and work out the price depending on the quality and state of the particular item. If it is something you’ve never or almost never used, you can maintain a higher price. If the item is somewhat worn out, you should lower its cost.

Put Aside All the Things You Want to Give for Free

One of the best ways to attract customers is to put a pile of things you want to give for free. When someone who does not know that there is something going on walks by your property and notices the free pile, they will want to see what’s in it. That way, they will be attracted to take a look at the rest of the items on display.

An Important Question: Where Can You Donate the Leftovers?

If you have some unsold items, you can think about donating them. You might be wondering: Where can I donate clothes for the homeless? Look online or ask some of your friends or neighbors. By donating stuff, you will do a double good – helping others and getting rid of all the things you don’t need. That way, if you’re moving, you will have to do way less packing on your own. Or, if you plan to hire professional packers or a storage unit, you’ll leave some money in your pocket for the things that would be otherwise professionally packed or stored.