Think Ahead Thursday: Garage Sales
Published with Permission Flickr, Creative Commons, photo by Von Floto
This post is truly self seeking (although I do hope you readers get some use out of it too). I, with the help of a friend who actually has a garage, am going to have a garage sale in two weeks and I need HELP! I have never had a garage sale so I am feeling a little nervous and under educated. I know, I know, it isn’t really rocket science but I am a girl that likes order. So, what to do?
This is where you come in. Those of you that have had a garage sale before, would you mind sharing some of your secrets for having a successful garage sale? Here are a few things I am wondering about:
- What are your overall suggestions?
- What has worked for you in the past?
- What would you suggest never doing?
- What are some things that I need to make sure that I have on hand for the sale?
I also have had a notion to actually go garage saling but have also never done that either. Any suggestions you want to give in this department go right ahead.
And thanks in advance for your wonderful ideas. I really am not sure where to start.
Advertise well! Especially if you do not live on a high-traffic road. Craigs List has a section for advertising garage sales.
I only hold my sales for 2 days. (typical in MI is Th-Fr-Sat) With little ones, that is all I can commit to.
If you go into it with the mindset “I just want this stuff out of my house” and not wanting to retire off of your garage sale earnings, you’ll be much more relaxed, and be much more pleased with your overall success.
Cut people deals. They are paying YOU to haul away your junk, after all!
Have plenty of change (quarters, singles and 5′s) and platic shopping bags. Have a “free” box.
Price like items the same. All clothing items $.50 each, all picture frames $.25 each, etc.
Have batteries and an extention cord available to make sure items work.
Be willing to hold larger items for 2-3 hours with a deposit.
Have a “plan B” in case of rain.
We always put cones across the bottom of our driveway to discourage people from driving up.
Be friendly! Say hello to your customers!
The last few hours of my sale, I would have “fill a bag for $2″. I would hand out plastic grocery bags and whatever they could fit in the bag, they got for $2! At that point, anything left was being donated, so it was just less for me to haul!
Good luck!!!
1. Put big colorful stuff all the way down your driveway and toward the road. I won’t stop if I can’t see a lot of stuff that I’m looking for.
2. If you’ve got furniture, get it out on the driveway too. Anything big ticket can get someone to stop.
3. Price to sell. You’re not really going to get $50 for something you paid $100 for 10 years ago.
4. Have lots of change available.
5. Have a quarter and dime bin, but not a free one. People assume it’s trash and don’t even look.
6. Price everything or have clear signs. I won’t wait in line to find out how much something is.
7. Spread things out on tables/ blankets / etc. I’m not going to dig through a pile of stuff. I want to see it.
8. If you have clothes, sort them by size and clearly label them.
That’s a good start. Happy selling.
The very first thing is try to go to a yard sale or two beforehand. It will give you a few ideas of what you want or don’t want to do in yours!
1. Spread things out as much as possible, group like things together – this helps you out too! If all your kitchen type stuff is together and visible and that’s all someone is looking for – BINGO!
2. Remove DVDs & CDs and keep them separate next to you. There is a growing trend of people stealing the discs but leaving the empty case behind.
3. Pricing is the most important issue that will flop a good yard sale. If you notice alot of people don’t buy and just look then maybe next time (or on the last day) you should lower your price (1/2 is GREAT!).
4. Having kids around can help or hurt. Some kids cause problems because they don’t want to get rid of their stuff. Other kids talk a customer’s child into buying something, especially if they get the money HAHA! Babies usually sweeten up a customer. Teens can help carry something heavy to a customers car (if they are not sullen teens!).
5. Don’t be afraid to talk to the customers! And don’t degrade your items or play up your items — honesty within reason is best. Example – selling an old curling iron? don’t tell the woman in front of you it’s because you can’t find time to curl your hair since having a kid, she may have many more kids and think jeez maybe I don’t need it either! just say you didn’t need it anymore =)
6. Have a calculator or adding machine. Save all tags and split up the money afterwards. Use a notebook to stick the tags to. Have one take off tags, one to add — then one to collect money, while the other bags.
The most important one –
7. Give yourself and your friend first dibs on going through each others stuff! Pay each other at the end with your profits.
you’ll do great! have fun!
My best advice is organize, play soft inviting (classical) music, and chat with the customers. For some tips and printables from my favorite organizing website: http://organizedhome.com/garage-sale-savvy-free-printables
I’ve had about 5 garage sales, but I never let anyone in my actual garage. We always set up in a U shape on the driveway. I put the biggest stuff at the end of the driveway near the street to get traffic. Having a few big ticket items helps a lot.
Even non-working lawnmowers or large electronics can be lucrative. And of course furniture.
Then like others said, put like items together…however if you have lots of clothes…but have women, men and children…put the kids clothes opposite the adults. I often look for kids clothes and hate having to sift thru adult clothes to try to find the kids. Also, I use cheap hangers and a rolling rack to hang as much as possible…especially the nice stuff.
I always have a .25 or free basket on my table, usually with kids items.
I’ve never sold any, but I’ve had many old ladies looking for jewelry. If you sell it, keep it on your table so you can keep an eye on it.
I wear my old waitressing apron…1/2 apron with pockets. I keep change in one, incoming bills in one, and outgoing bills in another. This way I can quickly see what I’ve made. I usually get 1($10), 2($5), 20($1) and a roll of quarters…more if I have bigger ticket items.
I only price by the quarter…nothing lower. I don’t bother with dimes and nickels.
CDs $1
DVDs $3-$5
Men’s clothes sell well. I’ve always sold out, usually to blue collar workers who need imperfect clothing for their jobs…so my husband’s khaki pants and ss polo shirts were big hits even tho they had some stains/holes. I think I sold them for $1 or $2 each.
I personally tag everything…with little colored dots and a handwritten number. People will remove them and ask you a price. Don’t be surprised…and be ready to respond.
Nothing is too weird to include. Put it all out! No matter what you think. My sister and I put out a panda our grandmother had brought back from China. It had the creepiest eyes and real fur and we were trying to give it away for free. Our last sale of the day was to two young men (like college fraternity boys) who thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. We gave it to them, but they still paid us $1 for it. We still laugh about it. Truly one person’s trash is another’s treasure.
I price my stuff knowing that at least 50% of people will barter the price. So, I try to find a number I’ll be happy with…but I’ll be willing to drop a bit. I don’t offer my lowest upfront.
Also, I always offer deals. Like with movies and music…buy 5, get 1 free…whatever you are comfortable with.
I put all of my stuff on tables or surfaces not on the ground…as much as I can. It’s hard for people to stoop and bend and search. The less they have to do, the more you will make. Get card tables from friends, use your breakfast table, coffee table…whatever you have. Then make signs for all of them. TABLE NOT FOR SALE. People will ask…so I make signs so I don’t have to answer that question all day.
Good luck!! Have a great sale!
great tips from the ladies above! mine few are simple ones.
1. have bags to put things in. i just keep my stash of walmart bags handy. it is nice to be able to put the items in and makes it easier for the customers.
2. be ready early. even if you don’t “open up” early be ready so that you could. nothing like going to a sale and having the sellers still pricing or carrying stuff out of their house.
3. engage your customers. don’t just sit behind your little table.
4. and along those lines, don’t yell back and forth to your friend about something. an example would be if someone asks you the price of her item and you don’t know, don’t yell and ask her. instead walk to her. i know this seems like common sense, but my sister-in-law and her daughter did this the entire day i was at their house (joint sale) and it drove me crazy!
have fun and hope you have great success!
It is well worth your time to clean a toy if it is dirty, or iron a very wrinkly item.
In my area, most people WILL NOT pay more than $1 for an item of clothing unless it is very nice – like a business suit, coat,etc.
Customers with kids do like a free box – if nothing else it gives them a place where their kids CAN touch.
Don’t be pushy – like bringing things to people that you think they might like (i.e. they have a little girl with them and you know you have a dress in approx her size, don’t say ‘Hey, did you see that dress, I think it may fit your daughter as you grab it and come at them with a deranged look in your eye – yes, personal experiences)
Do be helpful – if someone has a few things in their hands and are still looking, offer to let them set what they are carrying near the pay table so they can have a free hand to look some more.
Yes, people can tell the difference between someone who is doing this to earn cash, and someone who needs to get rid of stuff. Your motive will come through in your pricing and in the tension you exude as they peruse. It is better to go for moving volume rather than selling a couple of high ticket items and still be left with a lot of little stuff – little stuff adds up.
This may not be your last sale, and you don’t want people to recognize you or your location and just drive on by next time. So if they have a suggestion or want a deal, be kind.
Remember that people text to each other. This can work for you or against you – pricing is huge here.
Be friendly, but then just let them look, don’t stare. I know this is common sense, but there may be really boring times when you have to watch yourself on this one.
Its up to you, but if you advertise certain items that will be in your sale, and then sell one of them to a person who arrives before you said you were going to open your sale, you will probably tick others off.
If someone (or their child) breaks something, say something like ‘oh, yeah, bummer, accident, I’ll just take 1/2 for it.’ Really, please don’t say its ok and not have them pay for the broken item. It makes people into really rude and belligerent customers for the rest of us.
I don’t know where you live, some places this is an absolutely necessary tip, other places you can take it or leave it. Put up a sign that is in bold print and somewhere visible saying that you are not responsible for any accidents and that you are not Walmart and do not accept returns.
Have a good time with your friend – and kids if they are there!
I purchased a price tag gun off of eBay to use on clothes. I have since seen them at Walmart for less than $10. I like this way better because price tags don’t fall off and stickers don’t get stuck on. I just attach a cut up index card onto the tag or seam of the clothes with the gun.
I don’t price all of my clothes the same price, simply because some are in better shape than others and sets are priced more than single items. Jeans are usually sold for more than pants.
We keep the garage closed too, but we have a long driveway. We sit about half way so we can watch everything.
Keep the money on you and periodically lock up some of the bigger bills. I’ve even seen people steal a shoppers purse of cell phone when they set it down to hold up an item. Be careful about accepting large bills or use a counterfeit detection pen.
Have a sign on the main road and a sign at any turns to your house with an arrow if possible. A lot of people think of garage sales as a weekly shopping trip and come from other neighborhoods or towns and may not know the streets in your area.
I also agree that you should scour a few garage sales to get an idea on pricing.
We have also sold things you least expect to sell. You never know what someone else can use. Even really old clothes may be bought by someone doing a play set in the past. Or used as a halloween costume.
I know some people refuse to bargain the first day, which I understand if it is a 3-4 day sale. Our sale is only 1 day, during a city-wide sale, so I usually wait until about noon to accept a lower offer. More times than not the item is gone before noon. But you also have to realize I do have plenty of free storage so I can store stuff until next year if it doesn’t sell.
Good luck and have fun!
I’ve had several successful yard sales with my mother- and sister-in-law.
Figure out in advance who will be doing what–who will handle the money till, who will refold the clothes, etc.
1) If your sale is on a Saturday, advertise in the paper the Friday before your sale. Hang up signs in your neighborhood as well.
2) “Multifamily yard sale” in the ad works wonders to attract people; makes it seem like you have a lot of stuff.
3) Baby items also attract a lot of buyers.
4) If possible, put your stuff out in your garage or driveway the night before. Just block it from view with your car or van. This may not be feasible if there’s a chance of rain during the night, or your house is on a high traffic road.
5) Expect people to show up WAY earlier than the start of your garage sale. If you advertise 7am be prepared for 6am customers. All the more important to have everything out the night before or super early in the morning.
6) Put a price tag on everything. Nothing more annoying than going to a yard sale not knowing what everything costs. At least with a price tag, a customer can get a better idea of what they want to pay and if they can strike a deal with you. For more expensive items, put a sign saying something along the line of “$50 or best offer”.
7) Color code your price tags for each family. I always used red stickers, my mother-in-law used green, and my sister-in-law used yellow. Otherwise, we never knew exactly who was selling what unless it was our own stuff.
9) Price your stuff to sell. What’s the point of having a garage sale if everything is too expensive?
10) Take any leftovers to Goodwill or Salvation Army. No sense keeping something if you had put it in your garage sale.
I actually did a whole series on hosting a garage sale. Here is the link to the final post and it has links to the other posts in the series.
Good luck!
1. BIG & nice, well placed signs. list on craigslist too!
2. several helpers is nice to have, have adequate change.
3. not pricing every item. people don’t want to search for you. they decide within seconds if they want the item.
4. i wear an apron and keep a pen, tape, calc & anything else i need.
little notes: people will try to talk you down, i never go down on prices until about 10:30 or 11. at that point i want to start getting rid of things and in early morning you never know if someone is going to come and buy it at full price!
one more thing! i always have my tables set up and just drag them out the morning of… you won’t have time to set up beforehand. if someone sees you outside they will come and buy right then, no matter what your signs say!