Earn On The SideCash In Your Spare Time

Having the ultimate garage sale is a great way to get rid of all of that “treasure” that fills your closets and garage. I recommend a good annual purge of anything clothing or item you haven’t looked at in over a year or that you even forgot that you have. Chances are that if you forgot that you own it, you probably won’t miss it. People all of the world love junk and the adage is true….One personals trash is another person’s treasure. This article will provide some tips on having the ultimate garage or yard sale. Don’t have a yard or a garage? Borrow one from a friend of family member. As long as you don’t let the mess get out of hand and make sure to respect their time and space, they might be willing to host you so they can sell some stuff of their own.

What to Get Rid Of

Like I said above, if you don’t use it or don’t know that you even own it, chances are pretty safe that you can get rid of it. We tend to be a culture of collecting “things” and with advances in just about everything; those items we had to have can become outdated in months. Our tastes and interests change and most of us simply don’t have enough space to keep up with everything. Simplify your life and get rid of excess clutter. Chances are you won’t miss it and having the extra cash could be a benefit. Make sure you have enough sellable items to even hold a garage sale. People like big garage sales, and the more stuff you have to sell, the more people will stop by and shop. Think about getting together with some friends and having a combined garage sale. If they don’t want to help out, offer to sell their junk for a 30% commission.

Planning the Sale

Pick a date. If you live where it’s cold or tends to rain, put the sale off until you are more likely to have good weather. People do not come out when it’s cold and rainy. Once you select your date, check the weather and if it looks bad, seriously consider changing the date. Get everything you have together to sell. This could take several weeks to several months. I try and keep a stack for ‘Goodwill’ and a stack for ‘Garage Sale’ throughout the year. Make sure you have several big ticket, nice items. People come to garage sales early looking for furniture, electronics and other big ticket items and they’ll be there early. Advertise if you can. Most newspapers have cheap rates for garage sale ads. Think about placing them in your local Pennysaver and then post on free websites. Two that I would use are; Backpage.com and Craigslist.com. Advertise at least a week in advance.

Signs

If you don’t get traffic near your street, signs are going to be the best way to get people to your sale. With the right sign, you can get the soccer mom to stop on the way to the game or the dog walker out for their morning stroll. My last garage sale got more comments on how great my signs were than anything else. I laugh when I see a flimsy sign written in ball point pen taped to a pole, and wonder if the sign was left from a sale three weeks before. Go to any office supply store and for less than $10 buy a package of at least 10 pieces of neon colored poster board. White will do nothing for you. Also make sure to invest in a BIG permanent marker. They have some that are two inches or so across. Get a couple…you’ll dry them out. Make sure you have clear packing tape or a staple gun for wooden signs and then some thin wooden sticks. I used some dowels that we had in the garage but you could also use paint sticks or anything light and firm. You’ll use these to tape to the back of your signs to keep them steady in the wind. Print a map of your neighborhood and mark out the high traffic corners within about ½ to 1 mile of your house. Plan where you’ll be putting the signs so you can put arrows on your signs directing customers closer and closer to your sale. An address is nice, but people won’t be able to find them without the signs if they are unfamiliar with the area. Make sure to draw arrows pointing customers in the right direction Make your signs simple so that they can be read from the furthest distance away. “Moving Sale”, “Garage Sale”, “HUGE Multi-Family Sale”, “Empty Nest Sale” or even “Kicking my Husband Out Sale” with an arrow is really all you need. In smaller letters, you can add your address, the date and the time, but if your signs are good and you only keep them up until your sale is over, you don’t need too much information to clutter up your sign. The bottom line is that you want people to come and clear out your junk on YOUR terms and your time line.

The Day of the Sale

Here are some tips for getting the most money for the items you are selling

• Make sure that you have enough change- Go to the bank the night before and get at least $50-$100 dollars in change. Be smart about the change you get, if you have a lot of items under a dollar, then you will need coins. If your most expensive item is more than $50, then you might need a few $20’s. Most of the change you get should be $1’s and $5’s though.
• Be prepared for early birds- There WILL be people waiting when you open the garage door and some are even so bold as to knock on the door. If you don’t want early birds, post a clear sign on the front of your garage that indicates exactly what time you will ‘open shop’ and stick to it. You will get some good traffic and good sales from the people who want first shot at a good deal.
• Know what things are worth- You don’t want to get rid of a rare collectible for $1 if it’s worth $50 just because you were ignorant. If you have antiques or collectibles, you might want to get them appraised first.
• Put a price tag on everything, and leave some room for negotiation- People will always haggle, but that’s what the point of a garage sale is. You want to make the most money and the customers want to pay as little possible. You need to find a way to meet in the middle.
• Clean items up and make sure they are in working order- If something doesn’t work, label it as such and expect not make a lot of money on it. Dust everything and clean with those antibacterial wipes. People will spend more money on a nice looking item.
• Put things on folding tables or shelves if you can- Hang clothing and put shoes in pairs. Customers are more likely to stay and browse if they don’t have to work to see what you have and if it is higher off the ground like in an actual store.
• Have a $1 table or a 25 cent box- This will encourage further buying and browsing and will keep people shopping.
• Keep your money with you at all time- If you don’t, someone will walk away with it. Also if you have any expensive items, make sure they are within sight of you at all times.
• Get Help- If you are expecting a lot of people then you need to realize that you can’t do it alone.
• Have a snack stand- If you have kids or some extra volunteers, think about having a soda or coffee stand and possibly some donuts for sale. Garage sale shopping is hard work, and having snacks on hand is a great way to make a few extra bucks.
• Talk to your customers. Stand up and stay busy- Customers don’t want to walk up to a messy garage sale where someone is sitting in a lawn chair scowling. Keep consolidating items and making your sale look great.

After the Sale

TAKE DOWN YOUR SIGNS. There is nothing more irritating than signs from garage sales three weeks ago. Your neighbors and the city won’t appreciate your ‘art.’ So make sure that you go out and take down your signs as soon as you close up shop. This will also stop the flow of traffic to your front door. Bag up anything of value that you didn’t sell and make a nice donation to Goodwill, the Red Cross, Amvets or any number of great charities who will happily take your items. Some will even come any pick them up and you might even get a nice tax deduction. Sit back and count your money.

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