How to Plan and Execute a Successful Garage Sale
Summer is upon us and now is the perfect time to liquidate all that stuff you collected while spring cleaning. It’s garage sale season! As with most things, preparation is the key to success. Here are some tips for planning and executing a successful garage sale.
Organize Your Items
Group items into categories to make it easier to browse. Designate areas of your display for kitchen items, clothing, decor, toys, etc. Use the Brain Dump page to jot down your categories and help get yourself organized.
Most people don’t want to rummage through boxes, so try to display as much as possible. For example, hang shirts on a rack, fence or even from the bottom of your partially-opened garage door.
2. Decide On Prices Ahead of Time
What is the lowest price you’d be willing to receive for each of your individual items? Decide that ahead of time so when people want to barter, you know where your limit is.
Consider having a $1 table to display and easily liquidate a lot of smaller items.
Know when to settle. Would you rather make $0 and have to store an item or sell it for slightly less than you intended? If it’s there in the first place, is it really worth hanging onto?
3. Advertise. Advertise. Advertise.
This one I cannot stress enough. Advertise at least two weeks before the sale. Post on local yard sale pages, Craigslist, Facebook and social media. Make signs and put them in high traffic areas. Include pictures of some big-ticket items that will be there. Keep posting in the weeks leading up to the sale, even once a day, if need be. If it’s a multi-family or neighborhood sale, have your friends or family spread the word too.
4. Treat It Like a Store
Engage with shoppers. Approach them and ask if they’re looking for anything specific. For example, ask what sizes they’re looking for and pull out clothes for them. Let them know the price for an item they’re eying. Customer service goes a long way, even at a garage sale!
5. Have Your Payment Plan Ready
Make sure to have lots of small bills handy ($1s, $5s, $10s and coins). Store these in a fanny pack—yes, a fanny pack—that you can keep on you at all times. Also consider using Venmo. Print out your Venmo QR code for easy scanning (test it ahead of time) and your username and post it somewhere visible.
6. Get Comfy
Wherever you’re setting up, bring snacks, water, chairs, shade, and even a Bluetooth speaker to play music. If you’re going to be there, might as well make it comfortable, and who says a garage sale can’t be fun?!
Hopefully these tips help when planning your next garage sale, and at the end of the day, you can be happy knowing your things are finding use and a second life elsewhere!