Every weekend countless numbers of people go about the rite of rounding up all of their unwanted "merchandise" in order to have a garage sale. If you have ever gone out visiting these sales, you may have noticed that some are much more enjoyable than others. Here are some tips to help you make sure that your garage sale is a winner.
1. Advertise Your Garage Sale
It is a basic fact that you will get a lot more visitors and probably experience more success if people know that your event is taking place. You can purchase low cost ads in local papers to spread the word or you can take advantage of the many free advertising outlets available to you on the Internet. You also should not forget to take advantage of the free advertising space sometimes provided by local retail outlets and grocery stores that allow shoppers to hang advertisements on their bulletin boards. Thousands of local people could see these over a week's time. Before hanging any signs, you should make sure there are no restrictions in your area about what you can hang up. You should also check to see if your town requires a permit to have a garage sale.
2. Do NOT sell Junk
Some people may be tempted to see if they can make a buck or two by putting out some things that should really just go in the garbage or a recycling bin. Do not do this. It is very bad form. You might also be asking for trouble if someone manages to get injured trying to use an item that you knew was broken.
3. Let People Try Things Out
If you are selling items that require electricity to work, provide an extension cord so that potential buyers can test the items before buying them. You should have this set up before the sale ever begins and make it known that you are willing to let buyers try before they buy.
4. Be Honest
This goes hand in hand with not selling junk. If you do not know how old a potential collectible is, just say so. Many people go to garage sales looking for specific collectible items. Although many of them will know a lot about what they collect, you should not knowingly try to pass off reproductions as original items. In the spirit of being honest, you should also answer any questions from buyers as truthfully as possible.
5. Have Enough Change
You certainly plan on selling some items, so you need to make sure that you have change available if a few people in a row decide to cash out using a twenty dollar bill. If possible start out with at least fifty dollars in small bills as a change bank.
6. Only Sell Clean Merchandise
If you are going to sell something, take the time to give it a quick wipe down. Nobody really wants to buy something that is filthy. You might even be surprised at how nice some of your older items look when they are actually cleaned up!
7. Clearly Mark Prices
One of the most common frustrations for buyers at home grown selling events like garage sales is not knowing how much the seller wants for an item. Clearly mark your items for sale so that potential buyers do not have to hunt you down for a price quote. Many potential buyers will pass on an item rather than track down the person having the sale. You do not have to put stickers on everything. Try putting all items with the same price on one table or even a blanket. Place a sign along side of them stating how much the items cost. You might have a one dollar table and a five dollar table set up in one area and then individually price more expensive items in a separate section of your sale.
8. Do NOT Put Price Stickers On Everything
The value of many collectible items has been seriously damaged by over enthusiastic sellers with a pack of colorful stickers. Placing price stickers on items like old paper back books can result in irreparable damage when the sticker is removed. Likewise, do not place price stickers on old labels, album covers or anything that could possibly tear or otherwise be damaged when the sticker is taken off by the buyer. See number seven above for some better options.
9. Be Nice to Your Customers
Believe it or not, some people are actually rude to the people who arrive at their sale. Often this is a disgruntled spouse who did not really want to be bothered with a sale. Regardless of the reason for the grumpiness, being nasty to your customers will only result in people leaving without buying anything.
10. Remember That It is a Garage Sale
Sometimes people get caught up in a sort of collectible fever and decide to price everything they are selling based on a story they heard about someone making money by selling their old items on eBay. You must remember that you are having a garage sale to get rid of your extra stuff. Most of the time, pricing things as if you were running a collectibles shop will only result in your having to haul that item back in from the curb. If you want to sell the item on eBay, do it, but you should not expect to get top dollar prices from garage sale shoppers. Most people will just look at you like you are crazy and then leave.
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