Part 2 – More Garage Sale Tips and Tricks
Advertise, Advertise, Advertise
Here are few ideas to get your sale noticed:
- Local newspaper – learn your local paper’s dates and deadlines. You’ll want your ad to appear at least 5-6 days before your sale – highlight any popular categories of goods you have for sale such as tools, sporting equipment, and baby items.
- Online – Craig’s List and Facebook are great vehicles for spreading the word.
- Local bulletin boards – stores, restaurants, etc.
- Signs – check the local zoning regulations regarding the types of signage permitted in your area; there may be restrictions regarding the size, locations, and quantity permitted. Put a sign at every turn from the main thoroughfare to your location, and be sure to take them down when the sale is over! Keep them simple – address, dates, and times – and print as large as possible so they can easily been read as people drive by. Most home improvement stores carry a variety of pre-printed ground-mount signs that work well.
- Flags and balloons are great attention-getters at the site of the sale, and may attract additional shoppers. Make sure there are no vehicles or other obstructions that would hamper the view of the sale from those passing by.
Cash Handling
Make sure you have enough fives, ones, and coins to make change for your customers. Keep it simple by pricing in increments of 25 cents, which eliminates the need for any change under a quarter.
Keep your money in a waist pouch, apron or backpack so you can move around without leaving your cash unattended.
Supplies
- Bags and Boxes – make it easy for shoppers to carry home their purchases.
- Folding tables, clothes racks etc. for arranging your items – Try to avoid setting things on the ground; folks will look right past them. Clothes sell much better when they can be hung on racks instead of folded in piles on a table.
- Access to electricity – If it doesn’t work, say so on the price tag, otherwise the buyer will expect the item to be functional. Make sure there’s a spot for plugging in electrical items for testing
Prepare to negotiate
Face it – if it’s sitting on a table in your garage with a price tag on it, chances are you don’t want it to go back in your house. Be realistic about the price you can get for your items, and be open to reasonable negotiation.
Have a plan for ridding yourself of unsold items at the end of your sale
Contact local charities to see if they have a pickup service, or have a truck on standby to haul your usable, unsold items to a donation site. Get out your trash toter too; no charity wants your unsold plastic butter bowl collection, so don’t be afraid to toss it if it truly has no value.
Read Part 1 here
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