by Carissa Johnson

Created on: July 12, 2010

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and this is especially true with garage sales. Shopping at garage sales is one of the best ways to find great deals and awesome new possessions, while the person hosting the sale has a great opportunity to get rid of a few unwanted pieces of clutter. However, holding a successful garage sale involves many factors, including preparation, advertisements, timing, quality of products, and price. Here are a few tips to holding a successful garage sale.

Plan ahead

Being prepared for your customers will make your sales much easier. Make sure you have plenty of change on hand (quarters, ones, and fives are important).

Stock up on plastic grocery bags, newspapers to wrap breakables, plastic hangers for clothes, and a calculator. Keep them all handy at your chair or table. Also, make sure you have enough parking in front of your house for a couple cars at a time. If your neighbors need to move their cars, let them know and find out if they would be gracious enough to move.

Prepare your merchandise months in advance so you have a good stock and a few days before the sale, price everything, preferably with stickers on the actual objects. A good standard for pricing is to ask for a quarter or a third of what the item cost brand-new.

Advertise well

There are many ways to attract customers to your garage sale. The classic brightly colored posters on light posts is a great tactic. Many people simply can’t resist turning onto your street when they see a well-made, organized sign listing the days and times of the sale. Make sure the arrows on the signs point clearly to the destination and guide people coming from many different directions. Don’t forget to take down all your signs promptly when you’re done.

Craigslist also offers a section where you can inform those in your city or town about the garage sale. The newspaper is another way to spread the word, but make sure it doesn’t cost more than the revenue from your garage sale.

Schedule properly

Traditionally, garage sales are held on weekends because this is when most people are off work. Many loyal weekend shoppers spend all morning on Saturday or Sunday driving around town with a few bucks in their pockets. You should be open and set up by seven or eight in the morning and plan on closing around one in the afternoon. Those in your neighborhood might have habits of staying open later, so make sure that you are open at the prime time for customers.

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