Garage sales are great for ridding yourself of old belongings and putting extra money in your pocket, but only when they’re done right. You want this to be a productive and profitable use of your time and energy, so take the necessary measures to maximize your garage sale profits. These tips will help you to stage a successful garage sale every time.
- Price Items to Sell
One of the most common mistakes that people make when putting their old belongings up for sale is setting their prices too high. Remember to detach sentimental value from monetary value, and price your items to sell. While you may feel like a certain item is worth $10, your average garage sale shopper might not be willing to pay more than $5. Imagine yourself as the customer, and assign your items prices that you could imagine paying yourself. Remember, if you’re going to throw these things away at the end anyway, then any sale is a profit. - Be Open to Negotiation
Understand that your front yard is not a supermarket. Prices are not set in stone, and shoppers will try to haggle with you. For many garage sale shoppers, the haggling is the best part of the experience. Be open to negotiating with your shoppers. If you can’t offer a few dollars’ worth of wiggle room on one of your items, you risk losing the sale altogether. Offer a slightly lower price for an interested customer, or throw in something extra for free to sweeten the deal. - Organize Your Sale Items
Nobody likes to shop in a mess. Retail stores everywhere are carefully organized for a good reason–shoppers are more likely to stick around and find what they want in an organized environment. Think of your garage sale like a retail store when you set up shop. If you’re selling any big pieces of furniture, put them as close to the street as possible to entice passersby. Organize clothing by size and style. Put all of your kitchen items together, and so forth. Remember to group similar products, showcase your best pieces, and give your shoppers room to browse around. - Advertise in Advance
Your garage sale will only be profitable if people show up to shop, and you want as many shoppers as you can get. Advertise your garage sale well in advance. Post signs around your neighborhood and on major streets in nearby areas to let the locals know about your upcoming sale. Write up ads for online posting as well, and promote them actively to pull in anyone running an online yard sale search. Give descriptions about the kind of items you’ll be selling, and include photos of anything that might be especially enticing. - Sell Your Best Stuff
If you want your garage sale to be profitable, then you’re going to have to sell things that people actually want. If you have nothing but old junk to offer your shoppers, you’re not going to make any money. Use this opportunity to sell not only the things you don’t want, but the good stuff that you don’t need. Remember–if you’re not using it, it’s worthless to you, no matter how much it costs.