25 Tips for Garage and Yard Sales

Posted by Ian McKenzie

Written on May 29, 2008

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Posted in The Simple Life

It’s the time of year—at least in this part of the world—for garage and yard sales. Spring cleaning is finished and now it’s time to get rid of excess possessions.

One person’s trash is another’s treasure. Garage sales are a great way to get rid of things you no longer need, you’re giving others a chance to reuse and recycle and you can make a bit of pocket cash along the way.

Here are a number of tips to help make the sale successful:

Prepare yourself in advance. You will have to sort, give up, clean, test, repair, label and count all the odds and ends to be included in the sale.
Find out about any applicable bylaws from your municipality. Certain cities control the number and length of garage sales in their area by issuing permits. As a general rule, you aren’t allowed to hold it on the street.
Get groups together in your neighbourhood. The more the merrier. This will give your sale a party atmosphere, which is sure to draw larger crowds.
If you want to sell used articles for babies, such as beds, carriages, car seats or toys, make sure they conform to current safety standards. You could be held responsible in the event of an accident.
Instead of separate prices on items for single family yard sales, group many items and charge the same price. For instance: have a dollar table; all toys this group 50 cents, this group $1; all shoes $2 per pair; all clothes $1 per piece.
Post a sign the day before, announcing “Garage Sale Tomorrow.” Make your signs noticeable, big and bright with large letters and graphics. Make lots of signs including one for your front lawn. Check to see if you can read your signs as you drive by.
Have plenty of room for your yard sale as well as for the people to move around. Even if that means blocking your driveway at the end, and having people park on the street.
Keep your prices in even multiples like, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents, $1.00, etc. Don’t price at $2.99. It is difficult to make change.
Clean items will sell better that dirty items. Take time to clean up items as much as you can.
Stick a price on everything. You are more likely to sell things this way. Use removable stickers or masking tape that is easy to remove. Post a sign on a box or table of items that applies to the whole box or table.
Make sure you have hangers for clothes and a big table so your treasures are properly displayed. Organize different objects by category—with smaller objects wrapped in sealed bags—to increase their appeal.
Spread out your items neatly and group them with similar items (baby stuff all in one place, kitchen items together, etc. Some people don’t like to go through piles of items to find something they would like to buy. It is easier to browse through items that are laid out nicely.
Mark the price of articles (usually varies between 10 cent and $10.00) and leave some room for haggling. Don’t be too rigid about the price.
Make your goal for the day is to have fun while cleaning out your house and garage. Make it an opportunity to mingle with the neighbours and create a sense of community.
If you have a lot of clothes or books, consider offering a certain price per bag full or box full.
Consider serving or selling beverages on the side: soft drinks, coffee, etc. It could bring in a little extra cash, and people may stay to browse longer.
Don’t hold your yard sale on a holiday weekend. The best days to hold a yard sale tend to be Friday and Saturday. Make sure to post a rain date.
If you get eye contact from a customer as they approach your yard sale, greet them. Make them feel welcome. Treat your sale like a retail business for the day.
Make sure that you have lots of change: quarters, loonies and five dollar bills. Also have someone on hand to help.
Have bags handy for people who purchase multiple items. Use saved grocery bags - paper and plastic (recycle) a few empty boxes would be nice too.
Track the items you sell. Keep a notebook and calculator handy for recording
Make sure that everything is in working order. Have batteries and an extension cord on hand to test electrical appliances, etc.
Prepare an End of Sale sign if you want to boost sales and get rid of everything at the end of the day. Donate what you don’t sell to a charitable organization such as The Salvation Army.
Be considerate of your neighbours and clean up once you’re done. Make sure you remove all signs after the yard sale is over.
Count your proceeds and do something special with the money.

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