Garage sales should be fun and hassle-free, with your goal to make some good money and off-load your unwanted items – our garage sale checklist is your hassle-free, step-by-step organiser for achieving this.
2-3 weeks before the sale
- Start sorting through your household for unwanted items
have the mindset that almost anything will sell if it is a bargain
- Price your items
price items about 25-35% of what they cost new (clothes are exceptions - 5-15% here)
- Pick a date and time for your sale
weekends are the best; avoid public holidays or special events
- Write your ad
give the address and hours of the sale; mention items that are of particular interest
- Place your ad in local newspapers and using free garage sale adversting sites
put up flyers on local community boards; inform neighbours as they might want to have a joint sale
1 week before the sale
- Make sure items are cleaned and repaired
the better condition it is in, the higher price you will get
- Determine where signs will go in and around your neighbourhood is best; one in front of your house is smart too
- Make your signs
use arrows, print the address, start and end times, use big letters ( [http://www.egaragesales.com.au/signs.asp]free printable signs)
1-2 days before the sale
- Set up your sale area
use tables to lay items out, display clothing hung up; you want to create an area so people can browse and shop in comfort
- Get checkout area ready
have plenty of change; spare bags; calculator; newspaper (to wrap fragile items); paper & pens
Night before the sale
- Put up signs
- Make some refreshments and have a radio ready to play some soft background music
music will create a pleasant atmosphere for buyers to shop (always works for me!)
Morning of sale
- Make sure your house is locked up and fully secure
don't want to give buyers the opportunity to snoop around
- Open the gates/door to your sale
greet all customers with a freindly smile and "hello!"; be prepared to bargain with buyers
Right after sale
- Take signs down
not only is this courteous to the environment, but you might incur a fine or penalty if you don't
- Count your money and rejoice!
Copyright George Grubetic. An avid garage sale enthusiast, he is the webmaster of [http://www.egaragesales.com.au]http://www.egaragesales.com.au, a website offering tips, hints and resources on how to have successful garage sales, including free listings across Australia.
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