Getting Ready for Your First Garage Sale? Here Are Our Top Tips!

Have you noticed that your garage is getting pretty hard to navigate? If you have lots of items stored in the garage, it may be time to consider cleaning it out! There’s no better what to start getting rid of unused items in your garage than with a garage sale! This article is an excellent primer on how to pull it off successfully.

It’s always a great idea to get your garage clean and organized by the summer so you can use the space. But we don’t recommend you just toss out things that still have value. You’d be surprised how many folks still love cruising around neighborhoods, looking for a little-lost treasure at a bargain price. It’s a win-win-win situation – you clean up your garage or basement, make some cash, and others find a steal.

If you are ready to throw a successful garage sale, here are some tips.

Decide if a Garage Sale is Right for You

The first thing that anyone throwing a garage sale needs to realize is that they take a lot of work. If you really just want to get rid of everything so you can have a fresh start, the hours of time and the headaches of a garage sale may not be worth it for you. Garage sales aren’t for the faint-hearted. You’ll need to invest time and energy.

However, if you want to make some extra cash, and you don’t mind spending a day haggling over prices and chatting with people who stop by, then a garage sale could be precisely what you need. In order to have a successful garage sale, you need to be willing to do some preparation. Here are some things that you’ll need to do to get ready for a garage sale:

Check List:

• Check the local laws.

  Some towns and cities require that garage sales happen on specific days or within specific parameters. Be sure you don’t need a permit or to schedule your garage sale on one particular day.

• Sort your sale items.

  The earlier you get started collecting and sorting items, the easier it is to be prepared on sale day. It’s even a good idea to get started more than a month in advance. Take a few weeks to gather all your items and sort them by category, such as toys, sports equipment, clothes, tools, books, kitchenware, etc.

• Wait till you have plenty of items.

  The simple truth is that more people will come to your garage sale if you have more items. If you don’t have a lot to sell, consider asking neighbors or family if they would like to have a joint garage sale.

• Don’t schedule your garage sale on holidays.

  It’s generally a good idea to have your garage sale on the weekend, but check that there are no holidays or local events that would prevent people from showing up, or would make the locals leave to go visit for holidays.

• Be sure to check the forecast ahead of time.

  While it is almost impossible to be 100% sure of upcoming weather, checking the long-range forecast is a good idea. At least check one week in advance to have the best chance of not getting rained out!

Start Spreading the News

To get the most visitors, it’s a good idea to spread the news about your garage sale about ten days in advance. Here are some ways to let the area know:

• Look for websites where you can post local notices.
• Don’t forget to post it on Facebook groups, and tell your neighbors.
• If you can, post signs around the neighborhood and local hot spots.
• The day before, put up coroplast (plastic cardboard) signs at intersections indicating the location of your sale more precisely.

A Couple of Days Before the Sale…

There are some tasks that you should not leave to the last minute:

• Get all the items sorted into their categories and make sure they are all in good shape.
• Make sure all items are clean.
• Collect as many plastic bags as you can for purchases.
• Get any small items you intend to sell together, grouped into small plastic bags, totes, or other containers.
• Make a complete inventory list.
• Put a price tag on everything. To make change easy, consider rounding things to the nearest quarter or dollar.
• Be sure to price things based on their actual dollar value, not their sentimental value to you.

Arrange the Items Attractively

Retail stores spend a lot of time and money learning how to display items so that people want to impulse buy. Here are a few things to consider:

• Use tables to elevate everything, so buyers don’t have to squat down.
• Don’t sell things that aren’t in good working order.
• Don’t leave open spaces on tables. As your stock is bought, group the remaining items on a smaller table to make the sale look “full”.
• Make sure your driveway and yard are neat and attractive.

On the Day of the Sale…

• Before you intend to open, check on the signs around your neighborhood to be sure they are still in place.
• Consider drawing attention to your sale by putting balloons or a sign on the mailbox.
• Be sure you are ready to go at the time you advertised the garage sale would start. Regular garage sale hunters usually show up early.
• Have change in the form of coins and small bills ready to go.
• Attract buyers with cheerful hospitality.
• Consider offering cold bottled water for sale. Offer small children one for free and parents may be more inclined to buy one themselves.
• Bargaining is part of the garage sale experience. If someone is going to buy several items, consider settling for a lower price than you want to to get the sales.
• Consider playing some fun, upbeat songs that everyone likes – or that are at least not objectionable. Think about what plays in local grocery stores to get an idea.
• If cooking is your thing, why not sell some baked goods? Kids just love cookies!
• If the weather looks like it may rain, consider getting some plastic tarps to have on hand to protect your items.
• If you have very young children, it might be a good idea to have them babysat by a friend or relative.

Was the Day a Success?

Now that the garage sale is over, it’s time to tidy up. Pick up trash that was left and organize any unsold items. Go around the neighborhood to get your signs or balloons.

Lastly, those unsold items could still have a second life. Why not donate them to a local organization for those less fortunate? The benefit of feeling like you did some good for others may help make up for the fact that they didn’t sell.

Does Your Garage Door Need a Facelift Now That Your Garage is Clean?

Then contact us anytime at 519-326-5888. We know garage doors better than anyone else. We can help you find a great garage door for your needs and your budget. We can also email you a quotation if you’d like.

We would also like you to visit us at our showroom. Another way to see what a new garage door would look like is to use our Design Centre, or even just spend some time looking through our image gallery to get some inspiration.