How to: Have a Successful Garage Sale

• TIPS:
• Get organized first
• Advertise online for free (days or a week before your sale)
• Use bright signs with big clear lettering on busy street corners
• Setup an organized area for buyers to shop
• Have change and extra cash on hand for transactions (keep it in a safe place)
• Know how you want to price and expect people to try and negotiate

Preparation

Get organized first!  Notice the picture above?  It’s organized and easy for people to browse and shop.  Since you are going to be turning your garage or yard into a store for the weekend, get a good plan together.  Which items do we want to sell and which ones are you going to keep?  Who is going to be the cashier?   How many people do you need to help (based on the size of the sale)? Where is the actual sale going to be held?

It can be stressful for both buyers and sellers if there are items that are ‘off limits’ and mixed in with items you are trying to sell.  Buyers will be looking at everything in front of them so it’s a smart idea to keep items that are not for sale away from the area.  If you are going to use your garage it might be a good idea to put a small ‘cashiers’ table or even just a few chairs in an area to close off the areas you don’t want people to go.  You don’t need to have a formal sale, just make it easy for people browsing to know where to go and what is for sale.

Advertising

List your sale online a few days before your sale.  No matter what type of sale you are planning on having it’s a great idea to post it online.  There are a few great websites that you can advertise your sale for free: 

• Craigslist
• GSALR
• Facebook Marketplace. 

Also, take some good pictures and use them in your ads.  If you are planning on doing a full estate sale on your own, pictures can also help you sell some of the larger items like furniture, large tools, appliances, vehicles, etc., before the sale and give you extra space.  It’s also difficult for people to move large items out while the sale is going on and there is a crowd of people.  I highly suggest trying to sell those large, awkward or bulky items before the sale especially if you have a limited amount of space.

A lot of people like me plan out their route a day or two before the sales begin and pictures are usually the most important thing while planning.  I often see ‘Household items’ or ‘lots of stuff’ but that could literally mean thousands of different things.  Only the individual buyers know what they are looking for and a picture is worth a thousand words.  Plus, with smart phones it’s really easy to shot a couple of pictures while you are organizing your stuff.

Bright color signs, big lettering, clear directions and sale days / times!  I often see small garage sale signs on the street corner with small lettering, bad handwriting or vague directions.  You will have a much better chance of getting more people to your sale if it’s easy for them to find.  Also, big signs with bright colors (bright pink, neon green, yellow) are also a good way of getting more attention because it seems more exciting!  If I can’t figure out exactly what a sign is referring to by the time I drive by it, I will usually move onto the next.  With 1000’s of garage sales each weekend buyers are looking for the most interesting and easiest to find.

Setup

Like the picture above, spreading out your items in an organized fashion will help your buyers see everything.  Another good strategy is to designate different areas for guys, girls and kids stuff.  Unless it’s a packed estate sale with rooms full of cool things, most shoppers only stay a few minutes at each sale.  If they have to dig through a lot of boxes or move a bunch of items to get to everything they may not find that ‘treasure’.

Another important tip: Make sure you have enough $1’s, $5’s, $10’s and $20’s on hand and keep the money in a safe place.

Pricing

Places like Walmart, Target, Amazon or eBay sell little pricing stickers (many different denominations) which makes it very easy for buyers to know your asking prices.  Just be careful not to put a sticker on something that it may damage or might be hard to remove (paper dust jacket, baseball card, cover of a comic, or other delicate materials).  It’s better to keep these types of things (or other valuable items) in another area and have a pricing sign nearby.

It’s best to try and price your items at a reasonable amount with a little bit of negotiating room.  Not so low that you are giving something away but not so high that you can’t sell anything either.  Depending on how motivated you are, a good rule of thumb for a starting price is around 25% or 50% less than a new one.  You can always try a little higher but the better your prices, the more you will sale.

Negotiating and Selling

Many people out there shopping are out looking for a ‘good deal’ and many sellers are looking to make some extra space or get rid of items they no longer use.  If you are looking to really clear some space you might want to run a ‘best offer’ type of sale and not even price you stuff.  Some of the best sales I have been to were ‘make a pile’ types of sales.  Sometimes I am able to offer more money than a seller realized their items would sell for and was able to buy in bulk and clear out some significant space.

On rare occasions you might have a rude or disrespectful person that you don’t want at your sale.  Some buyers will have a bad attitude, talk down or belittle people about their pricing to try and negotiate stuff for really cheap.  Just be calm and ask them to leave.

Private Estate Sales

There are a lot of estate sale companies out there that can help you run a full estate sale.  They will typically offer a commission split of around 40% – 50% but there are many different variables. The size of the estate, quality of items, estimated value from the sale, how the remaining items leftover will be handled, ETC.  Do your research and find a reputable company if you decide to use one.

If you decide to run a private estate sale  yourself there are a few things to think about.

• Make sure you have the proper permission to be selling items from an estate as there can be complications (often between family and friends).  If the person had a legal will or an estate plan, those documents must be followed properly and taken care of prior to having a sale.
• Check with an accountant and an attorney with any questions you may have before the sale (legal questions, taxes, etc.).
• You should have one person at every entrance so that they can assist buyers and watch for anyone with sticky fingers.
• Having more than one cashier (people handling transactions) can really help with congestion as many sales get slowed down by one person trying to handle everything.  * This can be very stressful for everyone.
• Keep expensive items and valuables in one area where the main cashier can keep an eye on them throughout the sale.