7 Best Garage Sale Tips For Making Hundreds in a Day
Are you having a garage sale this spring? And do you know the secrets to making the most money possible with your hidden treasures?
I’ve done a garage sale with my family for years. And I give all the credit for our continued success to my mama. She has tried and tested dozens of things to make sure she has a sale that makes hundreds – every time.
Below are the best money making garage sale tips. They’re small tweaks that lead to mighty results!
1. Planning is Key
Before you even start sorting your stuff, plan ahead. You’ll be thankful you did!
- Decide on location. I’ve tried garage sales in multiple locations. The result? I make twice as much money at the house located on a through street by a church and school.
- Weather. No one wants to be outside if it’s rainy or cold. So, try to plan your sale on a sunny, relatively warm weekend.
- Tell the neighbors. Mention that you’re having a garage sale in case they want to do it too. The more garage sales that people see in the area, the more likely they’ll stop.
- Include your family. Having multiple families in your garage sale brings in more people. You have more variety and more stuff. It turns a small sale into a big event.
2. Put Bright signs on prominent corners
My mom writes her signs on neon green, pink, and yellow card stock. Then she tapes them for durability. They are hard to miss as you drive by. And that’s the point!
3. Mark Everything
I can’t tell you how many times we’ve walked away from a garage sale that didn’t bother to mark their items.
No one wants to ask you how much each thing is – they’ll leave before they do.
If it’s too much work to mark individually, then put similar items in a tub and mark the tub.
Pro Tip: to make it faster, you can use stickers that already have prices.
It’s also important to consider your prices. Drop in on a few garage sales in your area to see how high or low your competitors mark their items.
4. Show It Off on Facebook Marketplace
Using social media can make a huge difference in traffic. When you take pictures, highlight the items you have that are big and unique. These catch people’s eyes and have them driving to your sale.
5. Display Items Well
Similar to social media, how you display your items will determine how many people stop as they drive by. Put your big and unique items closer to the street (but keep anything valuable close to you if you’re worried about stealing).
Display more out on the driveway so it looks like you have lots of stuff – further motivating people to check out your HUGE sale.
Other great display tips:
- Group similar items together (DVDs, books, etc) to make it easier for people to shop.
- Use bookshelves and vertical furniture to help display
- Create package deals for related items
6. Be Open to Negotiate
Some people love haggling and some hate it. But you’re guaranteed to have a few customers who try to get your best deal.
Decide what your bottom dollar is beforehand, so you won’t be worried about giving anything away.
7. Accept Multiple Payment Methods
Get change beforehand so that you can accept many different forms of cash.
Plus, you can also accept cards through phone transactions. This helps people who don’t have any cash on hand.
Decide not to take larger bills or checks if you’re worried about counterfeits.
After the Garage Sale
Have a plan for items that don’t sell.
Put them in a box as you pick up your sale and then drop them off at the nearest donation outlet. You’ll be ending your garage sale with cash in your hand and the stuff out of your house. Double win!
What’s Next?
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