Storage & Organization & Hacks

Handy Tips For a Successful Garage Sale

kelleysdiy

You’ve finished your spring cleaning, and now you have a section of the garage filled with items your ready to toss! If you are considering having a garage/yard sale, here are some handy tips and tricks you may find useful.

drawing boardJamie Hooper/Shutterstock
Pick Your Time and Day
Saturday is the most popular day for a garage sale, but if you have a lot of items, consider adding Friday and even Thursday to make it a multi-day event. Garage sale experts suggest you go for a time of year when the weather isn’t extreme, such as spring or fall. Regarding timing, start as early as 7 a.m. and go no later than 2pm, as most sales drop off in attendance by this time. Also expect early birds as much as a hour earlier than it starts.
garage sale sign
Location, Location, Location
Rural country roads aren’t the ideal location for a garage sale. If you live in a rural area, consider asking a friend or family member who lives in a neighborhood with lots of traffic—both foot and vehicle—if you can set up shop for a day. Many garage sale attendees will seek out sales in neighborhoods that are close together, opposed to one sale in a rural part of town.
garage sale in garageMonkey Business Images/Shutterstock
Multi- Family Effort
Before I start my garage sale, I check around with friends and neighbors to see if they have any items they want to get rid of. When you advertise Multi-Family Garage Sale it attracts more customers and creates more traffic!
sorting for garage saleKekyalyaynen/Shutterstock
Gathering Items
This is the perfect time to declutter your closet. Take a box to every room of your home and toss in anything you no longer use or that you just want to get rid of. Look in drawers for old power cords and cables, there’s probably someone looking for that exact cable!
full closet with clothesPeryn22/Shutterstock
Getting Organized
When it comes to garage sale organization, keep all like items together. If possible hang up those pretty nice clothes to make it easier for people to go through them, and it’s a lot neater. Put all your DVD, CDs and Electronics all in one area. Put your household items on tables. On tables, the items are more in the customers view.
garage sale price tagged itemsnature10/Shutterstock

Set the Price

It’s best if you price items individually as this will help you keep things organized. Keep prices fair and be willing to negotiate. When it comes to bigger-ticket items, know ahead of time just how low you are willing to go. Consider giving a discount for buying several similar items, such as making DVDs three for $5 or one for $2.  Any left over items can be donated!

Plastic Grocery BagsNatalie Board/Shutterstock

Mystery Bags

I see these Mystery Bags at craft stores all the time. Mystery bags can work well with children’s clothing or small baby toys. Consider putting several items in a bag, such as a bag of children’s pants, and offer it for a set price. Just make sure to note the clothing size and gender if you go this route.

garage sale adSuzanne Tucker/Shutterstock

Advertise

Personally, I use Craigslist to advertise my garage/ yard sales. It’s fast, free, and it seems to be where a lot of people look when they want to find a garage/yard sales. There are also other online places to post your sale, many of which are free, including craigslist, Garage Sale Hunter and Yard Sale Search. Brings so many people in…and did I mention it’s free?

But while you may pay a fee, consider listing your garage sale in your local newspaper and include some of your bigger items to draw attention to your sale.

box of toys for garage saleEvgeniy Agarkov/Shutterstock

The Night Before

The night before your garage sale, get everything ready.There will probably be people standing outside waiting almost an hour before your advertised start time. Make sure all the tables are set, the register is ready and you have all your supplies where you need them. This will be the last thing you want to deal with the morning of the sale.

stack of coins for garage saleWojmac/Shutterstock

Have Plenty of Change

Stop by the bank the day before your sale to stock up on change and $1 bills. Be sure to have plenty of nickels, dimes, quarters. If you have some pricier items for sale, make sure to have some $20 bills on hand just in case. Decide ahead of time if you will accept personal checks, but it’s probably not a good idea.

smartphone credit card readerred mango/Shutterstock

Accept Credit Cards

Anyone with a tablet or smartphone can accept credit or debit cards. Square is a popular service which requires a reader, which the company will send you for free. You will pay a small percentage in swipe fees, but this may come in handy if you have some high-ticket items.

bag of bagsVictoria 1/Shutterstock

Have Bags Handy For Your Customers

Keep leftover plastic grocery bags around for customers to carry their purchases. Small cardboard boxes may also come in handy for customers purchasing a set of dishes, several cables or tools. The customers appreciate carrying away their purchases in a bag.

Also…be sure you have a place to sit in the shade.

garage sale sign in yardTono Balaguer/Shutterstock

One Hour Before Post

Post your signs. An hour before your garage sale starts, place garage sale signs at the end of your street and in front of the house.

garage sale holder with tableMonkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Work Your Crowd

Be ready to answer questions from customers. If you have a unique item for sale, talk to customers about it if they seem to be interested. Keep your chair in a position that allows you to see customers arrive and greet them with a friendly hello. Make sure you (or someone you trust) have your eyes on the cash box at all times.

Good Luck!

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Published by kelleysdiy

I love creating new ideas. And now that I am happily retired, I have lots more time to create them! Whether its crafts for decorating my home, or up cycling items I find at garage sales, thrift stores, and even on the curb, and turning them into something wonderful. The creative juices flowing in my head are almost always in overdrive....so many ideas! I love sharing my new ideas with all of you! So please follow me and let me know how I'm doing! I hope I can inspire you.....and if I do....send me a pic. I would love to see your creation.

37 thoughts on “Handy Tips For a Successful Garage Sale”

    1. I hope so. I just began packing to move in Oct. I’m starting early ‘just in case’ I’m too out of it after surgery. I hope it doesn’t take long to heal. I asked all about the surgery, and nothing after. hahaaa..

      Liked by 1 person

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      4. Cervical 5/6. I never win anything either. That’s why I’m doing 12 in a row…so more people can’t say exactly what you said. Hows your new kitty doing???? Attracting attention??

        Liked by 1 person

      5. This is one of the two surgeries that I refuse to do! The other one is lumbar. I wish you best of luck, I am sending you blessings, and will pray for your health!
        New kitty is HUGE – she is always hungry and eats non-stop. But the face is still babyish, so cute! She is not as wild any more and even comes up for nose-to-nose kisses. The Main Chief Cat is still jealous, though.

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      6. My left arm and fingers are numb and useless.The pain is horrible.
        I’m glad my little girl is eating well and growing to be a little love muffin!
        How do you like the watch? Do you wear?What are peoples reactions?

        Liked by 1 person

      7. I am so sorry you are in pain, and believe me, I know exactly how it feels!
        I love the watch – are you kidding? Everybody goes like “WOW!” – where did you find it? And I say, I didn’t find the watch; I found a friend!” I did take a picture, have to send it to you, darling!

        Liked by 1 person

      8. No worries it will be over the 19th. I am so glad you love the watch! It looks so much like your babies! Have to go…your little one is trying to reach me.🤗

        Liked by 1 person

      13. In my case, iit’s more often leg than arm, and I use Sports Gel (that’s the name of it) that I buy at Whole Foods. I carry it with me to work. When I am at home, I have a comfortable position on a couch with a hot pad under my back. I also have back supports anywhere I go where I have to be sitting for a while. If it becomes real bad, I take Percocet, but it knocks me out for a long time, so that’s extreme.
        Enough of that, darling! I am fine, and you will be even better after surgery, when they fix it for good!

        Liked by 1 person

      17. I understand completely, but to me being able to walk, even on bad days when I limp, is much less limiting than riding around in a wheel chair. Same with using hand and arm, as long as I can use my head. Now, when pain starts shooting into my head, that’s truly limiting, but for now only temporary, so I know that I will get up, go to the kitchen, and have fun.

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    1. Being prepared is the best way to throw a sale …..like almost anything…it’s success is in the preparation. I was just thinking of a latest painting project I did. I had no idea it was so messy. I had paint in my hair, face, arms, hands, stomach., I think I had some on the back of my leg too. It was the Testors Medium paint. Messy, but comes up easy. I just kept jumping into the pool.

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  6. Those were good tips, I don´t get the puttting the sign one hour before the sale and also ……..now a days you can use credit cards, new world we live in.
    This post brought to me some fond memories when I lived in the U.S. Only in the U.S you can do a garage sale. Here in Spain you would have to go through a bunch of beurocracy and obviously get taxed to the eye lids so eventually there is no garaje sale.

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    1. Are you serious?? You have to go through all that for a garage sale? I have yet to go to a garage sale where they take credit cards. Most I go to are just families moving or just getting rid of stuff. If your working on your own, it’s good to get the signs out before your stuff gets laid out. You don’t want to leave your stuff out to put the signs up. I wish you a beautiful day. ❤️️☺️

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    1. What worries you? You know arlene, if you know your neighbor, you could join theirs, It could be a 2 family garage sale. More people would come thinking there was a lot more stuff. Have a girlfriend help you. Wish we lived close, I would help you! I love garage sales! On both ends….hahaha ❤️️☺️

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