Garage Sale Checklist
___ Pricing – discussed in a previous blog post. Price as you go, use masking tape instead of expensive labels, and price everything individually if you are partnering with a friend or neighbor to keep sales separated.
___ Determine your hours of operation – check out local garage sale notices in advance and plan to open a half-hour earlier than everyone else in the area. Hard-core garage sale-ers will hit your sale first before making their rounds. Staying open late usually doesn’t generate enough sales to be worthwhile.
___Advertise, Advertise, Advertise – here are few ideas to get your sale noticed:
1) Local newspaper - learn your local paper’s dates and deadlines. You’ll want your ad to appear at least 5-6 days before your sale so this will have to be submitted at least a couple of weeks in advance. Highlight any popular categories of goods you have for sale such as tools, sporting equipment, and baby items.
2) Online – Craig’s List and Facebook are great vehicles for spreading the word.
3) Local bulletin boards – stores, restaurants, etc.
4) Signage – check your local zoning codes about the types of signage permitted. Put a sign at every turn from the main thoroughfare to your location, and be sure to take them down when the sale is over! Keep them simple – address, dates, and times – and print as large as possible so they can easily been read as people drive by. Nailing signs to telephone or electric poles is almost always prohibited, so plan to use ground-mounted signs.
5) Flags or balloons – eye-catchers for passers-by
___ Get change – Make sure you have enough fives, ones, and coins to make change for your customers. Keep it simple and price everything a quarter or more to eliminate the need for smaller change. Keep your money in a waist pouch, apron, or backpack so you can move around without leaving your earnings unattended.
___ Collect bags and boxes for shoppers to carry home their purchases.
___ Collect folding tables, etc. for arranging your items. Try to avoid setting things on the ground, folks will look right past them. Clothes sell much better when they can be hung on racks instead of folded in piles on a table.
___ Arrange for access to electricity to test powered items. If it doesn’t work, say so on the price tag, otherwise they buyer will expect the item to be functional.
___ Prepare to negotiate – If it’s sitting on a table in your garage with a price tag on it, chances are you don’t want it to go back in your house. Be realistic about the price you can get for your items, and be open to reasonable negotiation.
___ Have a plan for ridding yourself of unsold items at the end of your sale. Contact local charities to see if they have a pickup service, or have a truck on standby to haul your usable, unsold items to a donation site. Get out your trash toter too – no charity wants your unsold plastic butter bowl collection – don’t be afraid to toss it if it truly has no value.
