Table Of Contents
Are you thinking about hosting a garage sale? If yes, then you’ve come to the right place.
Below are a handful of efficient garage sale tips for organising and holding a garage sale.
1. Set a goal for your garage sale
One of the first things you need todo when thinking about organising a garage sale is to determine your goals fordoing it. Many people who do garage sales want to raise money for a specific cause. On the other hand, some people just wanted to find a new home for the things they don’t use and need anymore.
Having a goal for your garage sale allows you to pick and price items to sell a lot more carefully.
2. Sell the things you genuinely don’t need
When organising a garage sale, you want to do away with everything you no longer need and use. If something does not hold a purpose in your day-to-day life anymore, then the garage sale is the perfect time to let it go. Moreover, as the famous Japanese organisation consultant, Marie Kondo has said, if something does not spark joy, discard it.
3. Clean and organise your garage space
A dirty and disorganised garage will put off potential buyers. You want passersby to focus their attention on what you have on display rather than the overgrowing lawn or muddy driveway. Organising your garage is also key to help buyers go through your items with ease.
4. Organise all the items for sale
Once your garage space is thoroughly cleaned and free from any hazard, the next thing you’ll want to do is to bringdown the items you’ll put on sale. If you are selling loads of clothes from your wardrobe, you might want to have space where you can have them hung or folded just like in thrift stores.
Also, make sure to organise the items by category so people can easily shop. Have a separate section each for apparel, homeware, books, etc.
5. Ready all the garage sale essentials
Plastic bags, receipt books, a calculator, pens, scissors, mirrors, hand sanitisers and boxes are some of the many essential things you’ll want to keep around whilst having a garage sale. If you are selling drinks and beverages, you might also want to have tables and chairs on the side.
6. Pick a convenient day to have your garage sale
The day and date your garage sale starts is also an important factor to consider. Ideally, the weekend is the most suitable day to hold the opening of your garage sale as most people are off from work and school during this time. Additionally, it is also better to start in the morning so you can maximise the time of the whole day.
7. Put up loads of garage sale signs
A few days before the start of your garage sale, you would want to put up tons of signs and fliers with the date of your garage sale on them to announce your upcoming sale to the neighbourhood. You can find ultimate garage sale printables on the web and post them around your area.
When putting up garage sale printable signages, make sure to choose easily noticeable ones.
8. Advertise your upcoming garage sale on social media
Aside from putting up signs and fliers around, you can also take advantage of the internet and advertise your garage sale on social media. As most people have social media accounts these days, promoting your upcoming garage sale there is a powerful way of encouraging people to come to your place.
9. Put price tags on each item in your sale
For an easier shopping experience for your customers, it is ideal to put a price sticker on all of your items for sale. Some people are hesitant to ask for prices thus having a price tag is a must. Moreover, having the price indicated for each item is highly convenient for both you and your customers.
10. Make your best items the focal point of your sale
Having your best items as the star of your garage sale is a good way of attracting by-passers. Have your valuable items displayed in an area where people can easily see them even from a distance.
11. Allow people to haggle
To encourage more customers and repeat buyers, you must be willing to negotiate in terms of the prices. By allowing people to haggle, you can encourage them to buy more items from you. Favourably, they might even recommend your garage sale to their family and friends.
However, make sure to only agree with bargains that are fair and reasonable.
12. Maintain a welcoming atmosphere
Your place has to be neat and organised so that customers will not hesitate to come in. Aside from your place, you as the host of the sale must have a welcoming impression as well. Allow people to freely browse your garage without you tailing along. In addition, be courteous and approachable enough to answer people’s questions regarding the items.
13. Have some change ready for cash sales
Having no change for large bills can be a huge hassle for you and your customers. The last thing you’ll want to doin the middle of a busy sales day is to run around looking for some change. Thus, it is highly important to have some change ready before opening your garage sale for the day.
14. Sanitise and reorganise the items now and then
Given the current global health crisis, having everything sanitised is a must for you and your customers’ safety. In addition, because people will come and browse your items from time to time, you must also make sure that the items are put back in the right place, the clothes are folded back properly, etc.
15. Sell drinks and snacks
As additional income, you can also sell snacks and beverages on the side as people might want to munch on something after or before shopping.
Garage sales can be fun and easy!
Now that you know the basics of organising a garage sale, you can now gather all of the items that you no longer need and make money from selling them.
Moreover, to gain more customers and have a more successful garage sale, you may also post your items on Facebook Marketplace as it is one of the best buying and selling platforms on the internet to date.
