RETURN TO ARTICLES INDEX

RETURN TO GARAGE SALES DIRECTORY

Ways to Make Money at Garage Sales

A garage sale is one of the easiest ways of disposing of excess possessions. Given the emphasis on ‘recycling’ today, it can even be considered an environmentally responsible way of keeping serviceable items out of the garage dumps.

Before planning your sale, you should check with your municipal authorities to see if you require any kind of permit to hold a garage sale. You should also enquire about the necessity of collecting tax. Usually this is not necessary unless the sale is expected to reach a certain dollar figure.

Visit other garage sales to get an idea of the best way to set out the items, pricing etc. Similarly visit resale shops, antique shops and flea markets to get some idea of the value of certain items.

If you plan to dispose of a number of larger, more expensive furniture items, you may want to consider checking with local re-sale or consignment shops. You may find that even with the commission you pay to them, you will get more for your items than by including them in a garage sale. This may also be true for very high quality clothing items.

Decide when to hold your sale. Traditionally weekends are best except for Holiday weekends when many people are away or involved in other activities. Mid- spring and mid-fall are generally good garage sale periods and they often coincide with preferred moving dates. Even if you are planning to move during the summer months, it is a good idea to hold your sale in the spring. Getting rid of excess items often makes your home more attractive to potential purchasers as it appears more spacious. Real estate agents often recommend garage sales or the storing of items just for this reason.

Normally, most people like to attend garage sales before noon so plan to get an early start.

Most sales are set up in front of your home, either in the garage and driveway or across the lawn area. If you have a large porch, you can use it for the more expensive items that might be damaged if a sudden rain shower should appear.

What to Sell

Go through your home and make a list of serviceable items that you no longer want, need or use. When planning a garage sale, it is better to have a lot of merchandise to attract potential purchasers.

Pre-Planning a Smooth Garage Sale

It is better to price each article in advance. You can always accept less if someone is interested but it will reduce the amount of time spent bartering if the purchaser has some idea of what you expect to sell the item for, prior to making an offer. A general rule of thumb is to charge between 40 and 50% of the store price if an item is new or almost new. Used or older items will fetch between 10 and 20% of the original cost.

Make the items as attractive as possible. Clean and dust things before putting them out. The less they look like someone’s “junk” the better chance you have of selling the items.

Put a price tag on everything with self-adhesive tags.

Advertise Your Sale

Put a notice in your local community paper. Advertise your sale as a ‘Moving Sale” instead of a garage or rummage sale. People are inclined to expect a higher quality of merchandise if someone is moving. It is a good idea to advertise the sale more than once. If you are selling furniture or other really worthwhile items, be sure to include that information in your ad. Include your address, date of sale, hours and a rain date. You can even include your phone number in case people want more information about specific items. Check your local radio stations - sometimes they advertise garage sales as part of their free community service announcements.

Put notices up on bulletin boards at supermarkets, libraries, club-houses etc. If permitted by your municipality put notices and signs up on lamp standards to direct people to the sale. Put a large sign up on your front lawn. You can make an attractive one with a piece of art board with cut out or written text.

If you have access to a computer, you may want to make up an attractive flyer and have your children deliver them to houses in your neighborhood.

Be sure to tell everyone you know that you are holding a sale and ask them to pass the word along.

Be Prepared on Sale Day

Have plastic shopping bags, small cartons, string and elastic bands available so that people can pack up their purchases.

Have a calculator, pen and pad of paper handy to make it easier to total purchases.

Arrange small items on tables. Hang clothing on racks or from poles. Put size tags on clothing (hanging from the arm) for customer’s convenience. These items can be rented for a nominal cost and may be worth the small expense to make your sale look more attractive.

Furniture items should be fully assembled so that people know that parts are not missing.

Run an extension cord from the house or garage so that people can test appliances.

Bundle items that go together.

Arrange goods as attractively as possible.

Place books, records C.D.’s etc. in cartons - standing upright if possible so people can easily see what is there.

If you have a lot of small items (costume jewelry etc) put together in a grab bag with one price for the lot.

Have lots of change available. Record the amount of your ‘float’ in your notebook before the sale starts.

Put a sign up that states ‘Cash Only’. It is not a good idea to accept checks from someone you don’t know.

If you are using your garage to display items and there are goods that are not for sale, be sure to put a large ‘Not for Sale’ sign on them.

Make it Fun

Have everything on display by 8 a.m. or earlier.

Serve coffee and donuts to make your sale more inviting. Or you could provide home-made banana bread cookies etc.

Mark sold items off in your notebook and indicate sale price if it differs from established price.

Periodically rearrange displays to keep them neat.

Consider reducing the price of items near the end of the designated time period in order to dispose of what is left. Consider a 2 for one sale. Have extra cardboard available and make a display to that effect to put on the lawn or up against a table.

Security Issues

Keep your cash box out of sight and put larger bills in a pouch around your waist.

Keep the doors to your house locked.

Watch for shoplifters.

After the Sale

Count the money. Remember to deduct the amount of the ‘float’ you started with before the sale.

Take down all the outdoor signs including those on light standards on the street.

Decide what to do with the left-over items. Anything useful can be donated to the Salvation Army, Goodwill etc. or given to your church or club organization for a future sale.

If you have any interesting stories or tips about setting up a garage sale or shopping at garage sales please e-mail us at CBHcontact@gmail.com.