There might not be any sign of spring, but some of us are already sorting and cleaning out for better weather! ‘Spring cleaning’ is traditionally followed by a summer garage sale, and in order to make yours a real success, here are some valuable tips that I’ve put together over the years!
1. Collect Clutter Year-Round
Keep a space in your home where you can stash all the things you know you no longer need. When you finally decide to have a garage sale, you won’t have much work at all! It’s always best to clear out your kid’s room right before the sale, because they grow out of toys very quickly!
2. Have a Plan
A successful garage sale does not happen without organization. At least a week before the sale, go through your home and clear out everything you no longer need. You’ll also need signs put up well in time for the sale, and even advertise in the weekend paper to make sure the word gets out! 2-3 days before the sale, take an afternoon to price everything and organize it in categories. And then the day before the sale, devote a few hours to final organization. Don’t wait until the last minute to pull off a garage sale. Either it will flop or you’ll run yourself ragged–or both.
3. Team Up
One of the best ways to have a garage sale, is to not do it alone! A lot of people will ask friends and family to join them, and nowadays, you’ll see a lot of neighbors putting a ‘street sale’ on at the same time. It’s a great way to get rid of your old stuff, and keep yourself company as you do it!
4. Timing is Everything
We all know not to have a sale in the freezing cold winter, but you also need to beware of a day with heavy rain. In case you’re not the best at predicting weather, make sure you check local weather networks to get an idea on what the trend is. Even if you end up delaying your garage sale, at least make sure you’re not rained out!
5. Put on a Price Tag
If you organize a table with ‘everything for a quarter’- chances are, things will get mixed up and land in the wrong place. Your best bet is to make sure each item is priced, unless it’s a bunch of small things that you’ve put in a marked box. It’s always hard to make up prices on the spot, so try and steer clear of the challenges of coming up with the right price at the last minute.
7. Price Things to Sell
If you want to get rid of your things, you need to make sure people will eagerly pick them up. Garage sales usually tend to offer things for next to nothing, so make sure you price everything for a quick sell. You should also be prepared to let things go for less. A lot of people who visit garage sales are expecting to bargain the price down even more!
8. Advertise Around the Area
The marketing of your sale is usually the number-one factor in how well your sale does. You can have great items and great prices, but if you don’t tell people how to get there, they won’t find it on their own. Put some time and effort into making several quality, clearly-readable signs which you put in conspicuous places to easily lead to your home. The brighter, bolder and bigger the sign, the better.
Hopefully these few tips will help make your garage sale a smashing success, and once you’ve got that little bit of extra cash, you can treat yourself to something special!