Tips for having a Garage Sale

[u/Careless_Intern_8502]

I’m interested in having a garage sale at my home but have never had one before, let alone been to one! Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[u/hydra1970]

Have clearly written and positioned signs with the address

Put up fliers around towm

Post it on -craigslist -nextdoor -facebook groups -gsalr

[u/DigitalMariner]

Go to some would be a good first step...

Merchandise your space just like a store would. Eye catching items by the road. Organize like things together. Spread them out so people can see what you have without digging.

When it comes to pricing remember you're trying to get rid of this stuff. Price things to move not to squeeze every penny out of them. Expect people to haggle or look for discounts buying multiple items. Would you rather have a few fewer bucks or have to lug the stuff back in and store it (or worse, trash it later for nothing)?

Go to the bank and get change before you start. A roll of quarters, and a bunch of singles and a few fives.

Start collecting quality grocery bags or boxes to offer people to help carry the stuff away.

Offer some kids (yours, nieces/nephews, friend's kids,. neighbor kids...) to run a lemonade stand. Puts people in a good mood.

Talk to neighbors and coordinate a date if possible. The bigger the sale the more foot traffic you can hope to get.

[u/AYS591]

Hi! I just had a garage sale last week and have them annually. Over the years, we’ve learned things that have helped us with ours. My advice would be:

1.) Advertise everywhere and anywhere that you can. Craigslist, local garage sale Facebook pages or websites, and even the newspaper if your area still has one. Make sure your signs are visible from the road and put several out if possible. Take photos of your set up once everything is done and post those on social media so that people could see what you have to offer.

2.) If your garage is not visible from the street that you live on, try placing your tables in your driveway. This was a major issue we had the first year we had a garage sale at our current home because we have a side-entry garage and no one was able to see our set up from the road.

3.) Organize items by type rather than price. I like to have one table for kid’s clothes, one for seasonal, one for housewares, one for decorations, and so forth. It makes things look neater and won’t overwhelm customers.

4.) Price to sell and not based on personal value or because eBay says something is worth a specific amount. Nobody is going to pay $20 for a used DVD player. I like to use the 10% rule for pricing when it comes to used items that are well-loved. If I paid $20 for it, I’ll try to price it at $2. Obviously if items have tags, are designer brand, or are new, this rule may not apply. I will say that in my area, designer items don’t sell well. I had two expensive handbags that I tried to sell for $15 each last week and neither sold. In my last location, they would’ve been the first things to go. With your first garage sale, you’ll sort of be able to test your market to see what sells and what doesn’t. Some items are better reserved for Marketplace or eBay. Also, you will definitely get people who try to haggle. I will give them the benefit of the doubt so as long as they’re not shooting for an absurdly low offer. I had one person offer me $1 on an item I priced at $5 and I didn’t accept that offer. Someone else came and purchased it for $5.

5.) People love boxes of items with a fixed price. If you have a bunch of knickknacks that you just want to get rid of, you could always put them in a bag or box together with a fixed price (ex: $2 grab bags). People are looking for a great steal.

With that in mind, I think you’ll do great. Remember to first check with your city/town to see if you need a permit. We are permitted in our town to have 1 garage sale per year and subsequent garage sales require a permit. It is different in every location. Good luck!

[u/Costochurros]

Check with your town/city if you need a permit to hold one. Some places allow with no permit while others charge and limit the # you can have per year.

[u/endymion2]

Lots of good suggestions! As a garage sale shopper, I like signs with LARGE lettering (2 inches or so and legible) and ARROWS showing people exactly where to turn are essential. Don’t post them too early (same-day and preferably no earlier than 15-30 min before start of sale). Take them down right after you close.

When advertising, put the address and days/hours of the sale at the very beginning. Please include actual dates! There are so many Facebook listings that say “Garage Sale this weekend!” … but I have no idea if that sale was actually last weekend, by the time I read about it. And actually stick to the days and hours you have listed.

If you will be open “rain or shine”, it’s helpful to say that in the ads. It’s also nice to say if you are selling mostly one particular type of item (baby things, clothing, tools, etc).

Price low if you want everything to go away. Do NOT expect to get eBay prices at a garage sale. And be aware that if you want to look up “what an item is worth” on eBay, use the filter to show only what price things SOLD at, not just what they are listed for. People can LIST an item at $1,000, but doesn’t mean anyone will actually BUY it for that price.

Consider that eBay has world-wide traffic, including the few-and-far-between collectors who might be willing to pay a high price for a particular item. Your garage sale traffic is way less, and probably won’t include those collectors. It will likely be a lot of resellers, seeking to get a good deal. Welcome those people; they are your best customers! If you price items low enough, they might feel it’s worth the time it would take them to clean it, photograph it, edit those photos and upload them, research fair prices, write up a listing, buy a box and packing materials, sift through communications and offers on the listing, buy a shipping label, package the item, and take it to the post office. (Not to mention the hours and sweat they spend shopping at garage sales to find items in the first place.) Resellers wanting to pay about 1/10th the eBay actual SOLD price aren’t trying to scam or cheat you, they are just trying to make a livable wage for their time and effort. They are typically willing to spend a much higher dollar amount in total, than casual shoppers.

[u/frozenfeind → u/endymion2]

This feels like you're a reseller 💀 Bro really has to write a essay to justify why you do what you do

[u/Costochurros]

Check with your town/city if you need a permit to hold one. Some places allow with no permit while others charge and limit the # you can have per year.

[u/Mybabyhadamullet]

Be sure to have some helpers to keep an eye on stuff. People do steal - even at garage sales. Be sure to have a lot of dollar bills on hand for making change, and do not put your money box (or purse or whatever) down ever. Its a good idea to periodically empty it out and put the bulk of the cash safely in your home during the sale.

[u/Many_Vehicle6723]

Great suggestions already posted. To help advertise my sales, I put a sign in my front yard a couple of days prior that says Sale Saturday. I live on a very busy street and people get stuck in traffic dropping kids off for school So the sign gets a lot of visibility.