Need Garage Sale Advice

I LOVE... I mean LOVE do to Garage sales!!!!
I keep around $100 for change. Depending on what you price things will be what you want to keep on hand. If you have a lot for under a dollar, or for for with change in the amount such as 1.50 or 1.75 then I would have about 20 in change.
I round stuff up, so they can talk me down. I keep the rest of the change in 1's and 5's.
I only keep around 30 in the change box, and the rest just inside the door. This way if someone tries to walk off with your cash box, then you don't loose everything. I have NEVER had this happen.
It is ok to put "make offer" on items you are not sure of. I post a sign that says "Make Offer".
I also keep Soda-(pop)/water and chips to sale. It works if you put the kids at the "food table" People love to buy from kids.
I also chose a charity to have a jar for at the table so that people can drop change into for that charity.
Good luck
B.

1 mom found this helpful

I started out with $100 and broke it down from there. If you think about it most people get twenties out of the ATM. If your their first stop then you might be breaking those twenties. I didn't have anything under a quarter so I wouldn't have to worry about dimes nickles and pennies. Good Luck

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Every couple of years I have a garage sale with my SIL and MIL. Depending on the size of garage sale we keep up to $100 starting money. 1-2 rolls of quarters, $20-$40 in ones, $20 in fives and $20-$40 in tens. We don't start with $20's because you will get those from buyers. We all wear fanny packs so we can make the sale at any place and we also have a table for people with large purchases that need a bag. If we collect large bills or feel we have too much on us then we take it inside and put in a Tupperware container. Make sure you have newspaper to wrap breakables and have plenty of bags on hand. (The neighbors are usually glad to get rid of some). Hopefully you have another adult to help so you can have potty breaks. Also it's good to have another pair of eyes on the "goods". We had a guy try to walk off without paying one time. Good luck and have fun.

1 mom found this helpful

We've always started with 1 roll of quarters, 1 roll dimes, 1 roll nickels, 15-$1, 3-$5, and 1-$10. Good luck!

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I did a yard sale in October. I didn't want to mess with coin, so everything was priced $1 or higher. I also bundled socks, shirts, etc so that they'd get 2 or 3 shirts for a buck.

I had $40 in singles, $40 in fives and a couple tens. I also decided that if someone was going to give me a $100 for a $5 purchase, I was going to send her to the bank that is just over the hill.

Most of the people who came had small bills and change, they're yard sale shoppers and know what to bring. I only took checks from neighbors and friends I knew, and they were the ones who bought some of the bigger things or lots of stuff. One was pregnant and bought a changing table and another was a brand new grandma and was outfitting her house.

Good luck and get a friend to help you. If you need to run inside for a minute, you can, and still have someone "minding the shop".

$20 in one dollar bils and change- you will receive plenty!

Hi K.,
I also agree with Zoe...however, I wouldn't get a roll of pennies unless you have things in your sale under 5 cents. Most of the g-sales I have done, I have never needed to give change in pennies - I did get them but never got rid of them! As far as nickels and dimes, yes, keep those. People will try to bargain down an item for a quarter down to a dime or even nickel. It depends on how much you want to get rid of something. (Personally,I would rather have the item gone than have no money and keep it). Quarters and ones will be the most popular change but I would definately have 5's and twenties. I normally have 4-$5 bills, 1-$20, 20-$1, and 2-$10 ($80 total). Then I get a roll of quarters, dimes and nickels ($17 total). This way I always know how much I have in my own money so I know how much to deduct out when I am figuring how much I made at the end of the day. Just be sure to put that $97 back where you got it in the first place so you don't accidentally blow it (I've done it before!!). Have fun!

I agree with everyone. The one thing I would do is to make sure you can break several $20's first thing and have lots of ones. At our garage sale last year the first three people gave me $20's and I only had $20 to start with. I had to have my husband run up to the bank really quick and get change! Good Luck and have a great sale!

I'd go with what's easy: a roll each of each kind of coin, and then break 3 twenties: 20 ones, 20 fives, 20 tens. While it's unlikely that you'd need to break a 50...it might not be a bad idea to have a few extra 20's on hand.

Not sure how big your sale is, but from my experience you can never have too much change! I would say a hundred one dollar bills is not out of line. i would not even bother really with fives too much. People will bring the bigger bills and you dont want to run out of change part way through the day, it can difficult to find a store or place willing to sell their change to you. Depending on your pricing schedule - how many things are less than a dollar or like 1.50 pricing, i would have probably a couple rolls of quarters at least. Hope this helps and good luck with your sale! Oh, another note, we have found that clothes can be a tough one. If you have the room and have LOTS of clothes, you can sell by the bag - for $2 or $2.50, maybe $3 a bag. You will need to have grocery bags available for people to fill. This way you avoid having to price all this stuff. Nicer items that are truly worth more, can be hung up in a different area, with prices attached. Clothes will sell better if they are hanging or easy to sort through. Depending on weather, you may consider having a cooler full of bottled water or otter pops to sell. Your five year old could be 'in charge' of this part... maybe? Find bottled water on sale and you can profit. or even soda... Remember, one person's junk is another person's treasure - so put it all out there and at the end of the day, consider donating the remaining items to a local thrift shop or Goodwill if you dont want to re-absorb it. If you dont have a till, a great substitute is a rubbermaid type container that has a snap on lid. One with partitions helps keep things organized. Be aware of your bank at all times and keep the lid on it. Unfortunately, some people would be willing to steal from your bank, if the opportunity is there. It is my experience that you will have the bulk of your customers before noon and that after lunch and into the afternoon, it is pretty slow. Have a magazine or some busy work on hand. be prepared in advance with whatever lunch will be for you and your child, especially if you are doing this alone. You may not want to break away for very long and if lunch can be quickly put together or is already ready and can be eaten outside picnic style while you watch your sale, you will not be stressed. Best wishes for a successful event!

make sure you have enough to break big bills because that always happens to me. I agree with what Zoe said. That should be plenty to get you on your way.
Unless you have things prices at nickles and dimes, don't get those, just get quarters.

I agree with Zoe..thats close to what I try and start off with because I don't want to have to turn anyone away because I can't break a larger bill.
Good Luck! I can't wait till garage sale season :)

First of all, I never price anything below a quarter. It just isn't worth the time/effort. I usually get about $40 in change. I get a roll of quarters, ones, and fives. If someone has a really large bill, I would suggest holding their items while they break it elsewhere (nearby store or whatever). Good Luck! S.