Tip Tuesday - Garage Sale Prep

There are a lot of different approaches when it comes to setting up a garage sale. Most people fall somewhere in between setting up a nice display where everything is priced & throwing it all out in the street and letting people rummage through it!

This process has worked really well for us every time. BUT I realize it may not work in every neighborhood or for everyone’s schedule.

• Choose a date that works for you! I try to choose a week where I have a lot of flexibility in the days leading up to the sale.

  • Consider the weather forecast for the weekend too!

  • If I’m going to go through all of the effort to have the sale, I want to have it for two days. I typically do Friday & Saturday 7am-Noon.

• Invite other families to join in with you.

• Declutter your entire home. Make sure you’ve gone through every nook & cranny. Getting your home decluttered is the real reward here. The money you make at the garage sale is just the icing on the cake!

• Sort into categories (kitchen, clothes, toys, electronics, etc.)

  • Not everyone does this, and I think it’s one of the reasons I always make $$$$$ with garage sales!

• Clearly display items.

• Price everything

  • Again, not everyone does this. It’s up to you…but you are reading my blog after all. 😉 This is what works for me.

  • Don’t overprice items. Be reasonable.

  • Bundle items. For example, If I have a table full of books I’ll make one small sign that says, “All books .50 unless otherwise marked.” 

• Be kind!

• Play music.

• Keep change on hand.

• Reposition items as things sell.

• Use hand sanitizer often. (This was part of my list pre-COVID19.)

• Make sure you’ve got plenty of change.

• Advertise well. (This is another thing that contributes to a successful garage sale!)

  • MAKE LEGIBLE STURDY SIGNAGE to put up around town!

  • Use Facebook and other social media platforms to promote your garage sale. 

• Be safe!

  • Recruit family or friends to help you out!

  • Wear a mask when you’re within 6 feet of someone outside of your family.

• When you’re done: donate what’s left or box it up for a future sale. Don’t leave it stacked around in your garage, this completely defeats the purpose of turning clutter into cash. Instead you’re turning some clutter into cash and the rest into garage clutter. DO NOT DO IT.

  *If you want to have a garage sale but don’t want to do the prep work- I offer a garage sale set-up service!**