Garage Sale Update

Despite awful weather, I hit my goal on my garage sale. The first day we had about 2 hours before it started raining. Once the rain hit, we stuffed everything in the garage but kept the sale open. Surprisingly, we had several die hard garage salers stop by. The rain stayed away most of Sat. but it turned cool and threatened rain the entire day. Even though the weather stunk, we still made $400! I'm sure it would have been higher had the weather been better but this was exactly my goal so I'm happy. The few items of decent value we still have will be posted on Craigslist today and the rest is being boxed up for Goodwill. My intention was to box it all up Saturday when we closed but lucky me came down with a migraine Saturday morning and I was too wiped by the afternoon to clean it all up.

Hosting a Garage Sale: Part 4

If you missed the first three parts of this series, here are part 1, part 2 and part 3. This week's focus is on marketing the sale. Here are a few of the ways to market your sale in order to gain the most customers:

Newspaper: Yes, newspaper readership is declining, but for many people this is the first stop when deciding their garage sale strategy for the day. I used to always advertise my sales in the paper and received many customers directly because of it. The few sales I haven't advertised turned out to be pretty pathetic sales. This year the paper drastically increased their price so I'm trying my first sale in years without advertising in our local paper.

Craigslist: In most areas, Craigslist is free to advertise and is rapidly gaining popularity. I put up an ad earlier in the week about the sale and then relist it the day before and day(s) of. I recommend not putting your actual address in for safety reasons but to put a good starting point as to where your signs will be. I've actually presold a few items through my postings so I find this an easy way to gain customers.

Local media websites: Many TV and radio stations in our area have a garage sale section on their website and the majority are free to advertise on.

National websites: More and more national websites such as Garage Sale Tracker are popping up to promote garage sales. I do not have a lot of experience with these sites but my best guess is that they will grow with popularity since our economy has tanked and people are having to bargain shop more than ever before.

Signage: This is probably the most important marketing tool as it gains drive by customers. Start your signs at a major intersection and provide easy directional signs all the way to your house. I live on a cul-de-sac kind of hidden back and I always put out a ton of directional signs so people can find me. I've received many compliments on the signs because most people would turn on the street attached to mine, not see the sale, and turn around but that last sign telling them to keep going let's them know they are close.

My other piece of advice for signage is to keep it simple. As people drive by, it is hard for them to read a lot of wording, therefore I usually just put SALE and an arrow. I'm not a fan of putting times or addresses as people abuse this.

This is the last in my garage sale series - I hope you have enjoyed it. If you have a garage sale, I would love to hear how it goes. Ours is going on right now and I will update everyone once it is over. So far, it has rained almost the entire day but our sales are still good considering.

Hosting a Garage Sale: Part 3

This week's focus is on setting up the garage sale. If you missed the first two parts of this series, here are part 1 and part 2.

Start a few days before the sale. There is nothing worse than waiting until the night before the sale to begin setting it up. You will wind up staying up way too late working on it and being exhausted when the sale starts very early the next morning. Our sale is a week away and we set up the tables Thursday night. I've been slowly bringing items out to the garage as I get a chance. It is supposed to rain parts of next week so I will really focus then when I can't get outside but it is nice to know I won't have to wait until the last minute to get everything organized.

Sweep the garage floor. Sweep out the random leaves, grass clippings, and dirt that have appeared in the garage before setting anything up. If your garage is a mess, try to clean it up a little too. A nice appearance will appeal to the customer instead of distracting from your sale.

Visualize the layout. Decide where you want items to land before randomly setting them on tables. I have taken scrap paper and taped category names on tables so I can sort as I price. This is much easier to do from the get go instead of waiting until everything is priced and then realizing it is not organized at all.

Group like items together. This goes with the point above, but keep like items such as kitchen, toys, etc together. It will make it easier for the customer to find what they are looking for and therefore boost your sales.

Cover anything that is not for sale. There will most likely be items in your garage that are not for sale, simply cover them with a sheet so no one tries to buy them.

Stay tuned next week for how to market your sale. If you have any other great garage sale hints or tips, please leave a comment below.

Hosting a Garage Sale: Part 2

For part one of this series, click here. This week the focus is on gathering supplies in order to set up the actual sale. I'm sure you have not had enough time yet to clean out your house for a sale, but hopefully you have a good start. Here are the basic supplies you will need for a sale:

Tables: If you do not have tables, get creative or ask to borrow from friends. I find I always need more tables than I think I will. A great way to make a table is to put a piece of plywood on top of two saw horses.

Prices stickers & markers: Feel free to buy the pre-priced stickers in order to save you time when pricing. Years ago, my parents cleaned out their office (they own their own business) and came across boxes of random sized labels. I took the stash they did not want and use these for my price stickers. For the larger labels, I cut them into smaller sizes. I usually create several pages of labels in the popular price categories (25, 50, 75 cent, $1, etc) so that it is quick and easy to price items as I come across them.

Signs: Cardboard boxes make great signs. I usually break down a box or two in order to have enough signs. Posterboard is good too. Plant stakes work great for areas you cannot staple a sign too. Please do not wait until the day of the sale to begin thinking about signs, you will be plenty busy with everything else by then.

Special Signs: This is more than a directional sign. I always put up a few signs saying "Not Responsible for Accidents". Signs will also be needed for some furniture or if larger items are available inside. During our last sale, it rained off and on all weekend so we had to leave the furniture inside. We posted signs all around the garage so people would know we had the furniture. These special signs can easily be created on a computer and saved for use at future garage sales.

Cash box & change: If you do not have a cash box (I found mine on clearance at Walgreens for less than $5), a shoe box will work too. Begin now collecting ones and quarters as these are the most needed for change.

Stay tuned for the remainder of this series as I discuss setting up the actual sale and marketing the sale in order to gain the most customers possible.

Hosting a Garage Sale: Part 1

Garage sale season has already started in some parts of the country and for others, it is just around the corner. Garage sales are a great way to clean the clutter from your house and make some quick cash at the same time. This series is going to break down how to hold a successful garage sale into manageable steps. We have a sale every year or two and I constantly hear that it is too much work for the money but hopefully this series will help you see otherwise. I'm not saying having a sale is for everyone, but it can be easier with a little planning. Today's focus is on cleaning up the clutter.

First, designate a place in your house to hold garage sale items. I keep a bag in my bathroom closet for garage sale items. Once it is full, it gets moved to a shelf in the garage. Keeping it in a handy space allows me to get rid of items as I come across them instead of waiting and forgetting about them.

Next, set a date for the sale. If you are like me, you will say you are having a sale but never actually get around to it. I find if I set a date, it is much more likely to happen. We put a date in May on our calendar months ago and it has really helped me prepare for the upcoming sale.

Then, start cleaning up the clutter a little at a time. Earlier, I talked about simplifying by reducing clutter and this is the same concept. We've been going through every single room in our house in order to rearrange it for a new baby. You do not have to go to such extremes, but find a problem area or two and tackle them. You might just be motivated enough to keep going. When the clutter is gone, you will feel better, be more organized, and have some great items for an upcoming garage sale. Feel free to put anything and everything into your garage sale pile as you will be amazed at what will sell. Usually what I think is junk sells right away and I'm always surprised.

Your challenge this week is to tackle one area in your house (it doesn't even need to be a whole room) and start cleaning it out in preparation for an upcoming garage sale.

Stay tuned as I continue this series with topics such as setting up the sale, advertising, etc. If there is a particular area you would like me to cover, feel free to leave a comment or send an email. As a final note, check out this newly redesigned site all about garage sales. You will find some great features including a listing of garage sales in your area. I will also be guest posting on their blog in the near future so check back often.