Having a garage sale Saturday - any advice?

[AllegroRondo]

I spent most of the weekend digging through all the boxes in the basement, and found things I didnt even know we owned. Most of the junk is going up for sale on Saturday morning.

I've never done a garage sale before - what words of wisdom can the Lounge provide?

I think I have the basics - clean everything, have lots of change handy, price in 25cent increments, and bring a good book. What am I missing?

[InvisibleTouch]

1. Hope it doesn't rain, for one thing!

You might also consider doing a Thursday-through-Saturday sale, as the end of the week and earlier part of the weekend tend to have more traffic. Sundays usually are dead, though you may get a few families stopping by on their way back from church.

Definitely advertise in your local paper - and if at all possible, try to team up with some neighbors, as the lure of several sales in the same area will bring in more people. You could even go in on a newspaper ad together.

Put up signs at both ends of your street and at any nearby busy streets to direct traffic. Make sure you have a sign in front of your house, too, and you might tie some colorful balloons to it.

Oh, and keep a close eye on your money box. Carry it with you if someone tries to draw you away. People do try to make off with it.

I love garage sales. Have fun! :)

[AllegroRondo]

4. I think most of that is taken care of

Its a "subdivision wide" garage sale, so the HOA is taking care of advertizing, balloons, and signs.

Money box - good idea. I dont have one yet.

[Bunny]

2. Be prepared for people to show up well before the posted starting time.

I don't 'do' yard sales, but I understand there are those earlybirds who get there way before you're ready, hoping to snag an original Declaration of Independence hidden inside your old toaster box.

[AllegroRondo]

5. I hear the furniture re-sellers are the worst for that

one of my wife's co-workers, who "does" yard sales a lot, warned her of that. Apparently there are local stores that re-sell used furniture, and they like to show up early to offer you $10 for your sofa (which they re-sell for $100 at the store).

[myrna minx]

18. That happened to a friend of mine. My friend brought out her vinyl albums to "sort through"

before the sale. Well, these greedy bastards opened up her garage door and started swarming the garage before the sale started. They descended like locusts upon her albums, buying her Beatles albums on Apple records for 10 cents each. The person, a helper for my friend, that sold them to had no idea that they were valuable. Make sure that the only things that are accessible to people are things that you want to sell, otherwise things may be unintentionally sold.

Oh, never allow anyone into your home to use the bathroom. Be prepared to direct people to the nearest public restroom. :hi:

[barb162]

23. Good idea about the restroom!

Another one is asking for a glass of water; I have heard from a friend that sometimes if you let them in the house, the friends outside steal the stuff off the tables.

[AllegroRondo]

24. nearest public restroom

heehee

that would be the port-a-john up the street, where they are building a couple new houses. I'll have no problem directing people there!

[regularguy]

21. Not only will the get there early (sometimes days before),

but they often fail to understand only certain items - not every last one of your possessions - are for sale.

[InvisibleTouch]

3. Oh, and another thought...

...if you have stuff that really is pretty worthless and you just want it out of your way, consider having a "Free!" box, boldly marked. People love freebies, and it'll lure them in close enough to where they might see something to buy. Worst-case scenario, they may not buy anything, but they relieve you of an item in the free box that's useful to them and won't end up in a landfill.

[SPKrazy]

6. Check and see if you need a permit

some localities require that

have plenty to hydrate yourself if it is hot where you are, and be ready to mark things down and let people haggle, that's half the fun.

:hi:

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. A table or two for the smaller items to keep'em safe and in view

And, if you have things in your garage that you aren't selling, put those toward back of garage and hang a sheet over them. You'd be surprised how far into your space people will go if there aren't some sort of boundary indicators. If you can get at least one other person to help you with your sale, do it. It helps to have an extra pair of eyes and someone people can go to if you're busy.

And don't leave you cash unattended. If you don't want to use a box, a fanny pack is a good idea. Then, you can make change and collect money without ever leaving your money unattended

[Gormy Cuss]

8. Fanny packs are great for this.

One with two pockets. Use the outer pocket for bills and the large pocket for coins. Money boxes are good if there are two people working the garage sale, one overseeing the tables and the other sitting at a table with the task of price setting and taking the cash for sales.

[Lars39]

9. Get some start-up money, including change.

Keep it in a fanny-pack on your body at all times. Keep your house locked. No one gets to use the bathroom, no exceptions. Sell soft drinks, too. :)

[AllegroRondo]

11. good idea!

a cooler full of soda and bottled water should sell fast on a hot day.
:)

[MonkeyFunk]

10. That precious Rembrandt you found in the attic?

It's worth more than fifty cents.

[Richard Steele]

12. Try not to forget that "yard sales" aren't about making money.

They are about "getting rid of stuff".

Any of the more expensive items that haven't sold in
the first few hours, probably won't sell at all. At
some point, you have to forget about the price tags
and take ANY offer for anything.

If you can't give it away, you're gonna have to box
it back up and store it again!

[AllegroRondo]

15. anything not sold by the end of the day

goes straight in the trash bin

except for clothing, that gets donated.

[Richard Steele]

16. That's the spirit!

Good luck with your sale! :thumbsup:

[LibDemAlways]

13. Make sure you have help. I had a

garage sale a few weeks ago and spotted a woman putting several small items into a purse she had picked up. When she held up the purse and asked "How much?" I took and emptied it before I gave her a price. It's really hard to watch everything that's going on if you get busy, and people will take advantage if you're alone.

Also, don't be afraid to stick to a price if you think it's fair. Better to hang on to something for the next sale than to give it away for less than you might get for it next time. My friends and I have frequent garage sales, and just about every item that goes unbought for a long time will eventually sell.

[leftofthedial]

14. don't take less than five bucks for that green glass bottle that belonged to your grandmother

it's Depression glass and is worth about a hundred bucks

[reyd reid reed]

17. Run for the hills!

I'm terrified of those things. All the cleaning and sorting and then sitting around hoping that it doesn't rain -- and then everyone going through everything that I'm already practically giving away and trying to get it for even less.

:scared:

Good luck. And it can be fun. Just get a friend to help you. Worst-case scenario, y'all can sit around and talk about everyone that shows up.

:hi:

[AllegroRondo]

20. My wife is a first class "people watcher"

so Im sure we'll have plenty of fun in that regard.

[MissMillie]

19. lots of change

make sure you have some shade to sit in.

cool beverages and a radio would probably be useful.

Remember what your goal is... for me it was to get rid of stuff. The stuff I was selling was stuff I was completely willing to do without, so I priced stuff low to get rid of it.

[RetroLounge]

22. Get a cheap canopy to keep the sun off your head

and in case it rains...

Also, if it's hot out, 2 coolers of cold cheap bottled water and soda is easy profit...

and don't haggle over quarters. Take the offer if it's reasonable...

Have Fun. We just did one this weekend...

RL

[Kali]

25. lock the rest of the house - people can be really obnoxious

when my MIL died the kids did a yard sale - people were in the house wanting to buy half empty boxes of cereal!

[AllegroRondo]

27. Cereal?

wow.

Well, if someone wants to pay $1 for my stale box of two year old cocoa crispies, they can have them.

[Kali]

28. they will buy it but probably will only offer a quarter

:rofl:

[AllegroRondo]

30. cheapskates!

the box alone is worth a quarter!

[geardaddy]

26. Get a microphone and talk like a carnival barker...

telling passers-by what kind of deals you have. It's annoying, but also a lot of fun!

[Connonym]

29. Take it all to Goodwill and write it off

I don't think the shit you have to deal with is worth it. I've never made more than $90.

[AllegroRondo]

31. I like the idea of not having to load it in my car and take it there

plus, I dont think Goodwill really cares about my complete set of Ren and Stimpy videos. But some kid might pay 25cents each for them.

[Kali]

33. OMG I will buy them!

Seriesly!!1!111!!!I'm HUGH fan!!1

[AllegroRondo]

34. really?

I thought no one would want them, as they were released on DVD a couple years ago.

[Kali]

37. ...

:rofl: :blush: ok I'm totally embarrassd and obviously spend way too much time on the internets. I am not sure if we even have a video player anymore and I haven't actually watched much TV since about the time Ren and Stimpy were first on the air!

Yeah I guess DVD's are what people watch nowadays. Or is it ALL on the computer now?

[KitchenWitch]

32. Security hint

Have a second person to help you run the sale. Periodically take the larger bills and secure them inside the house, just in case someone comes and holds you up for your money. This way you will not lose everything.

Have your cellphone handy.

[Left Is Write]

35. My only advice is: don't.

[Sanity Claws]

36. That was the conclusion I drew too

The sale of my house will close later this month. I've thought about a garage sale but I hate the idea of people pawing through my things or having access to my garage where they could slip into my house, if I'm distracted. For what I could make from the sale, I didn't think the risks were worth it.
Instead, I will donate things to Goodwill and the Salvation Army.