A garage sale is a great way to make some extra cash while clearing away your clutter. Now that warmer days are ahead, it is time to start planning a garage sale of your own. Take a look below at some helpful tips for how to plan the ultimate garage sale. When you give these tips a try you can be sure you clear away the most clutter and make the most cash!
1. Decide on the specifics.
Choose a weekend when there are not any big events in town. You want to pick a weekend where the weather will be comfortable as well. Invite other family members or friends to join you so you can have a nice amount of inventory and split any advertising costs.
Many communities have a large community garage sale once a year, usually in the late spring. Check out your community and see if this is available in your area. You have the opportunity to have a much larger turn out if you hold your garage sale at the same time.
Once you have decided on a date, it is time to start advertising.
2. Advertise.
Place an ad in the paper if the fees are reasonable. Some papers give deals on garage sale ads. If not, use free outlets such as social media, news websites, and Craigslist. Did you know that Facebook also has community garage sale pages where you can advertise your garage sale for free. Google your town’s name along with the words “garage sale” in the Facebook search bar and you can find out what is available.
Making sure others know about your sale is key! In your ad, be sure you give examples of some of the larger and more unusual items you will have for sale. The more items you can add, the better. This will help hook in potential customers. You can also post pictures on Craig’s List of your big ticket items. Photos really grab people’s attention and when they actually can visualiaze the item, they tend to go to those sales first.
Did you know you can also advertise your garage sales on local radio stations in smaller communities? Those stations usually have a set day and time when they review all of the weekend garage sales and avid garage sale bargain seekers always make sure they tune in.
Include clear directions to your house as well as exact sale times.
3. Use bright signage.
Get bright poster board and a permanent marker to create attractive signage. You want to make sure that drivers can easily find your sale. If they can’t, they may get frustrated and stop looking for it, which costs you a sale. Instead, hang bright signs a few days prior to your sale near street entrances where they can easily be followed. Balloons are always a nice added touch as well.
4. Organize your items for easy browsing.
Shoppers love a well organized sale. Just like a retail store wants to appeal to shoppers, you should want to do the same. Organize your items according to category and have them clearly priced. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not pricing items. Customers don’t want to play guessing games! Have batteries in items or an outlet available for easy testing, and be sure clothing is hung up nicely so it can be inspected well.
5. Have the right materials.
Make sure you have all of the right materials on hand. This includes plenty of change, a calculator, plastic shopping bags, wrapping materials, tape, price tags, pens, and a measuring tape if selling large furniture pieces. It also doesn’t hurt to have a helper on hand who can assist with wrapping and adding up customers.
When you follow these tips for planning the ultimate yard sale, you can not only clear away the old but bring in some cash as well! Give them a try and see what results you can achieve!
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
March 16, 2015 at 3:49 amWhere I live, it’s all about the signs. Yard saling is big business and the signs are what draws them in!
Heather D. (@GirlGoneMom) says
March 16, 2015 at 5:28 amWe have had quite a few yard sales. Signage/advertising is key.
Carmen Perez (listen2mama) says
March 16, 2015 at 8:38 amWe don’t have a lot of great yard sales here in Miami. And the signs I sometimes see througout town are awful. I agree with you, signs make a big impact, everything is always about the advertising!
aimee fauci says
March 16, 2015 at 8:43 amI LOVE garage sales! I love going to them and I love having them. I volunteer to help my friend’s with them.
Life as a Convert says
March 16, 2015 at 11:42 amI think preparing ahead of time to get all your advertising and such in place is a great tip. I know advertising my sales have worked well for me.
Jeanine says
March 16, 2015 at 12:03 pmThis is great! I need to have a garage sale! I just always think of them and get scared off! This is helpful!
Rachelle J says
March 16, 2015 at 12:38 pmThese a great things to keep in mind while planning a garage sale. It’s getting warm enough here to start planning mine!
Lesley says
March 16, 2015 at 1:31 pmVery interesting. I can see this being a good way to make extra money from your garage sale.
Pam says
March 16, 2015 at 1:43 pmWe didn’t have much luck with our previous garage sales. Hopefully with these tips will help with our next one.
Lois Alter Mark says
March 16, 2015 at 2:16 pmGreat tips! We had a garage sale once and, although it was very successful, it was also exhausting! Not sure if I would do another one.
Helene Cohen Bludman says
March 16, 2015 at 2:36 pmWe had a neighborhood yard sale a few years ago that did very well. Now that the weather is getting warmer we’ll start seeing a lot of them.
Liz Mays says
March 16, 2015 at 2:37 pmMy friend and I always liked to have a joint garage sale. Advertising in papers was a great way to go!
Amber NElson says
March 16, 2015 at 4:19 pmTis the season for garage sales! You just never know what you can find!
Maureen @ A Debt Free Stress Free Life says
March 16, 2015 at 4:42 pmIf you want to make money at a garage sale you have to plan. Great post.
celebbabylaundry says
March 16, 2015 at 8:01 pmI haven’t held a garage sale in so many years, I almost forgot about them being a thing; it’s almost Spring so they’ll be coming soon! Thanks for these tips!
Annie says
March 16, 2015 at 9:27 pmSigns are a big deal! Lame dinky signs don’t do it for me, it needs to catch my attention.
Denise Gabbard says
March 17, 2015 at 5:37 amOur community does big Spring yard sales, and it’s a great time to unclutter closets, basement and garages. Luckily, they do tons of advertising so half the work is done for us.
Donna Ward says
March 17, 2015 at 6:27 amWell, I needed your help years ago – I had one and never had another one – now I can agree with each point you’ve made – I did not do the planning – sounds like you do know how!
Sarah Bailey says
March 17, 2015 at 9:32 amGarage sales always sound such fun, we do car boot ones more here, though you do see the odd one pop up outside someones home in summer.
mykidsguide says
March 17, 2015 at 10:51 amThose are terrific tips to organize a garage sale. Advertising is key. Otherwise how people will find you.
Ann Bacciaglia says
March 17, 2015 at 12:21 pmThese are great tips. I will be having a yard sale this summer and will have to use these. I can get overwhelmed when i start organizing all the stuff.
Tess says
March 17, 2015 at 5:15 pmGreat ideas for garage sales. I have a lot to get rid of.
Veronica says
March 17, 2015 at 5:56 pmMy garage sales are always a big hit. I lay my stuff out so they look appealing
Tough Cookie Mommy says
March 17, 2015 at 6:05 pmThey have a lot of garage sales and yard sales where I live. It is a great way to find some hidden treasures.
Rosey says
March 17, 2015 at 7:14 pmMy neighbor across the street has two a year like clock work. She puts a flag banner across her front lawn, a sign up, and a sign for parking. I’m thinking she must advertise too. Whatever she does, she sure gets a big turnout.
Alice Chase says
March 17, 2015 at 8:19 pmI will be using these tips very soon! We moved last summer and I STILL have things I need to unpack in the garage.
Fariha @canadianmomeh.com says
March 17, 2015 at 8:35 pmGreat timing. I was just thinking of planning out our first garage sale this spring.
Evelyn Diamante says
March 19, 2015 at 1:48 pmI like garage sale because its cheaper compared to original price. I can save more while getting the item I want.
Jennifer Shelton says
March 19, 2015 at 1:53 pmI needed these tips. I HAVE to have a garage sell this summer! If not, my husband will throw it out lol
Michael Perkins says
March 19, 2015 at 3:54 pmNeed to have one
Michele Cupp says
March 20, 2015 at 3:52 pmI always say I will never ever have another one. Maybe I just need to be more organized.
Alison Gibb says
March 30, 2015 at 7:51 pmAll great ideas for a successful garage sale!!