The summertime tradition of holding a garage or yard sale is part of the informal American economy.
It makes sense. As gas prices rise and consumer confidence wanes, more and more people turn to alternative ways to earn extra cash. Others hold garage sales for reasons that aren’t motivated by profit: they see it as a necessity to clear out their space or they hope a new owner will extend the usefulness of their well-loved items.
If your goal is to clean house, then donating your items with the potential tax write-off might be a better strategy. But if you’re looking to make some money, then we’ve got tips to turn your clutter into cash.
Drive more traffic to your sale by being part of a community garage sale or holding a multi-family sale with your neighbors.
Saturdays are the best sale days, but you’ll boost your visits with a two-day sale on a Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday.
When it comes to what to sell, just about anything goes. If you have bigger or more expensive items, consider selling those online or at a consignment store. Everything else can go into your garage sale—even broken items. People often look for spare parts at garage sales, especially tools and electronics.
Boost your profits by selling other items. Do you make crafts? Try selling homemade jewelry, crocheted rugs, or pottery. Are you a baker? Sell your homemade bread, jams and jellies. Do you have a garden? Consider potting plants, like hostas, and selling starter seeds like tomato plants and herbs.
Before you put your items out, make sure you’ve looked them over. Check pockets of clothing for stashed cash and empty out boxes and drawers so you don’t accidentally part with a precious keepsake you carefully tucked away.
Make all signs the same size and color for continuity. They should be big enough to read, but not so big they’ll flap in the wind. A good format is 15 × 15-inch yellow poster boards with black lettering.
Put the signs up only for the days of the sale, not before. And take them down when the sale is over. Make sure to check with your city or neighborhood in case there are sign ordinances in place.
You can advertise your sale for free on GarageSaleFinder.com, Gsalr.com, and YardSales.net. Post about your sale on neighborhood websites, popular sale platforms like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, and share your sale with your friends on your social media channels.
Make your sale stand out with photos, a short video and a creative description. For example, mention if you have items that fall into a popular design category like mid-century modern, arts and crafts or boho. If you’re selling lots of clothes or yard items, you could describe your sale as a “pop-up boutique” or a “garden shop.”
While many people believe everything should have a price tag, others say it’s not good practice.
Consider this. Pricing items is very time consuming, and some people could take advantage by moving tags around for a better deal. Plus, if you ask buyers for their best offer, they may come back with a number that’s much higher than you expected.
On the other hand, if buyers have to ask a price they may choose not to bother and simply skip the purchase all together.
Regardless of whether you put a sticker on everything or not, make sure you have items that sell at different price points.
Also, go into your sale with a good idea for how much items are worth. Visit other garage sales and look for similar items online.
Prevent drive-by shoppers by putting the most exciting stuff closest to the curb. This is a good place for bigger items. Having a “free” box close to the curb also helps get people out of their cars.
For smaller items, organize them like a retail store would, putting similar items together and offering promotions like "buy 3, get 1 free." Put items on tables or racks so people don’t have to get on the ground to rummage through stuff. A box of books or CDs is a great way to keep tag-along shoppers busy while the main shopper is looking around. Above all else, keep things organized. If you have a lot of items, consider holding some things back and bringing them out only when there is room to display them.
Don’t forget about the atmosphere. Selling baked goods and lemonade sets a scene. Especially if your kids are staffing the stand. Consider playing music softly, which is a tried-and-true way to get people to linger.
It’s a good idea to have at least two people working the sale. If you’ve decided not to use price tags, make sure each person knows the minimum amount you’re willing to take for an item.
When it comes to negotiating, lowering the price is just one tactic, you could also offer to throw in something for free to seal the deal. If the buyer has young children, consider giving the kids something too. Not only will you get rid of items quicker, but it also establishes goodwill, and it might make other shoppers buy something too.
Help shoppers out by having batteries or a power-source available so they can test electric items. Make sure to have a mirror available if you’re selling lots of clothes.
Finally, practice good customer service. Welcome people to your sale and be available to answer questions and negotiate prices.
If you’ve made a good chunk of change on your sale, consider putting your earnings into a high-interest savings account like a money market account or in a certificate of deposit. It’s a great way to earn more from your profits.
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