Organize the perfect garage sale
Posted by Caroline Ranoia
Written by Marjorie Preston

Spring is peak season for garage sales! Make sure yours is a success by following these simple but effective rules:

Advertise. Place a small ad in your local paper under “Garage sales” or “Yard sales.” Some people build their whole Saturday schedule around these sales, going from one to the next. Mention what you have to offer—books, furniture, clothing, etc. Then post a few signs around your neighborhood on the Tuesday or Wednesday before the sale (make sure all the signs look alike, and include address and arrows, to avoid confusion—and don’t forget to take them down afterward).

Time it right. Start your sale early, and don’t go on all day, because sales will slip in the afternoon. Start at 7 or 8 a.m., and wrap up around 2 p.m., unless you have tons to sell.

Tag everything. The simplest way to price your stuff is to assign all $5 items to a $5 table, all $2 items to a $2 table, etc. Otherwise, get simple colored stickers at the stationery store to mark each item. Keep a list of each item in case the sticker falls off, or heaven forbid someone switches it.

Display it right. Display your goods according to category as well as price. It makes sense to include toys in one big bin, power tools on a separate cart, and of course, clothing on a rack or clothesline or neatly piled on a table (know in advance that people will mess up your nice neat piles!).

One or two days? Again, unless you have a houseful of furniture to sell, you can have a successful sale in a single day. Most people do garage sales on Saturday. Don’t over-commit yourself by including Sunday too. You may end up just sitting there, twiddling your thumbs. No fun!

Enlist your neighbors. Multi-family yard sales can be more successful because buyers expect a bonanza. Divvy up the advertising budget, and watch the money roll in.

Enlist your kids. Make the kids your customer service people. They can help with sales, take charge of the toy department, point out different items to your customers, and maybe make a little dough themselves by setting up a stand with lemonade and cookies.

Keep plenty of cash on hand. Start your day with a “bank” of petty cash—$50 is a good amount—including fives, ones, and lots of change. Otherwise, as the night follows the day, people will pay you in twenties, and you’ll have run to the bank or convenience store to beg for small bills. And be sure to have one “banker,” to avoid confusion.

What about those early birds? Early birds are those inveterate garage sale shoppers who show up before the sale starts to skim off the best deals. Many ads say, “No early birds,” because it can be distracting if you listed your sale for 9 a.m., and someone shows up at 8:15, while you’re still preparing. Don’t send them packing, because they are there to buy! But make sure you’re prepared to sell before your official start time.

Limit entry. You want to attract a crowd, then control it. Have a limited entry and exit path, with your banker prominently positioned at a table there, so no one can slip in and out unnoticed. Close off doors where buyers should not enter.

Lock up your pets! You never know when someone with a dog or cat phobia is going to show up. Worse still, a child could approach your pet and frighten it, provoking a bad scene. If your animal scratches or bites a stranger, you could have big problems.

Should you haggle? It’s more important to price your items to sell, so you don’t have to cut the sticker price right away. On the other hand, you DO want to get rid of this stuff! So negotiate if you must, but unless it’s the end of the day, don’t give items away.

Plug it in, plug it in. If you have an electric outlet outside your home or garage, use it to let people check out toasters, lamps, etc.

Send them packing! When someone buys more than one item, be sure to have some plastic bags on hand, as well as newspapers for wrapping dishes.

Closing time. It’s mid-afternoon, you’ve made some money, and you’re happy. But what about unsold items? Now’s the time to cut your prices and make deals. Toss stuff in a “free” box, make two-for-one deals, and let ‘em have it!