To this day my mother refuses to have another garage sale. Partly because it was so much work and it took up an entire Saturday to conduct. But I enjoy a good purge and jump on the opportunity to unload useless items with the hope of a slight financial return. 95% of the year I donate my unused items to friends, Goodwill, and repurpose via crafting. But this weekend, we had our very first garage sale in our new home. Here are my 2¢ on having one of your very own.
The Prep
Do. Not. Skimp. On. The. Marketing.
People need to know about your sale. Make yard signs and put them out one full week in advance. We live in an area with high church and school traffic so you'd better believe we want every mom in a 10 mile radius to know of our sale and put it on their calendars. Additionally, repetition is key. The more they see the sign the more likely they'll be to remember it.
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| Here is my Craigslist ad |
Then, get your neighbors on board and gain hyperlocal support. The more the merrier! Besides, more sales in your area means more interest. Once you have a band of supporters, divvy up the advertising tasks. Put an ad in your local newspaper, drop an ad on Craigslist(repost it a few times), put a blurb out on the most relevant Facebook group for your area (county garage sale sites) and pass out flyers to other neighborhood mailboxes.
Know How to Haggle
I covered this in How To Haggle a few months ago, but seriously, negotiate. Before your sale even starts there will likely be men who show up early looking to snatch up good tools. Know how to speak their language and make a deal. For instance, when you're receptive to their offer come down another $5-$10. When you're not ready to come down you can move just $1-$2 or stay firm on your asking price.
Don't Be Afraid to Bundle
If someone is picking up lots of items to buy you can bundle their items and give them a better deal. For instance, if someone came up during my sale with $20 worth of Christmas items and $30 worth of clothing I may say: "I can do everything for $40." That way, they feel like they're getting a deal and I'm still making money.
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| Organize! |
Gather Best Practices
Before my sale I grilled my friends on their garage sale experiences. The best advice I received was the coding for a multi-person sale. Instead of trying to remember what items belonged to who, the price tags were color coded for easy identification. Additionally, we pulled tags off as items sold and put them onto a giant notepad to tally up later. Talk about easy!
Market
One of my favorite product marketers is Target. That company could sell a box of toothpicks for $10 because of the way they present the product. Be sure that your sale is organized well and things look neat, clean, and are easy to find. For instance, I had sections for Christmas decor, tools, clothing, furniture, games, kitchen items, and formal wear. When someone approaches your sale and sees organization, they know that you know what you have. They also know that they better be prepared to haggle hard because you probably know what it's worth too.
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| Remember: market! |
Answer Only What You're Asked
NEVER tell the seller why you're getting rid of an item. We had some rocking chairs at our sale. The selling party told the interested buyer that the vintage rockers weren't conducive to over weight guests and they didn't rock well on a porch with wooden boards. Do you think the buyer left with the chairs? She certainly didn't. When you wait all day for the perfect person to show interest in an item so specific, you don't want to let them get away!
The End Result
This year we was the most profitable yet and I hardly have anything left to take to Goodwill. One of our shoppers also told us about a phenomenal group at our local high school that collects dresses for students with disabilities. Did I forget to mention it's a great way to get to know those in your community, have unique conversations, and learn what buyers are looking for? Invaluable information for the next sale!
Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!
Cara
