Im going it alone this weekend, any advice on tricks to sell? I washed and hung up all the baby outfits on a clothesline, and im going to have a "free" box.
Any other words of wisdom?, c'mon i know you got em!
i love going to garage sales, when i can find them. at least half of the signs i see either cannot be read as you drive by, or takes me down a sidestreet and then goes nowhere. i would say the first step in selling is to get people to actually come. big neon signs, all the same color, a big fat marker, and lots of them. all you really need is SALE, a date, and a big arrow.... good luck!
Use as many tables as possible.. Even use wood on work horses.. People do not like to bend over to look at things.. It also makes the merchandise look like it is not important if it is on the ground or on a blanket on the ground. .
If you can tag items. lamps, furniture toys.. . it makes it easier.. If you make a price list on a poster board.. you will not have to price individual pieces of clothing.....
Remember Garage Sales are to get rid of stuff... Not to make lots of money... The money is a bonus.. Make sure you have change .People always come with $20. dollar bills, because that is what the ATM's spit out.. .
one trick... For things that you are firm on the price, price it slightly higher than you actually want for it... most people try to haggle. So you can come down in price and still get what you wanted. :) (of course, if it isn't selling, mark it down! lol)
advertising on craigs list can get you some traffic.
My girlfriend and I did one a few weeks ago.
Depending on your location, hang up signs and make sure they can be read from a distance.
Price your items. Part of it is for your own sanity. It's annoying to have people asking you all day "how much?".
Put large items near the curb where they can be seen by those driving by. I was amazed by how many people don't bother to get out of the car and we have a long driveway with items from the street to the garage.
Organize things by group. For example, we had an area for toys and game, an area for entertainment (cd's, video tapes, albums), etc.
Read some of the older post. There are some really good ideas.
there are TONS of old posts if you just search mamapedia.
just make sure things are cheap. I walk away when I see too much stuff overpriced. I generally show up at garage sales with no more than $10 in my pocket.
hang up as many clothes as you can. Easier than sorting thru a big box. I hate bending over and looking thru boxes. I just refuse to do it.
If you own a steamer, steam all the clothes to make them look nice. We sprayed starch on our stuff and steamed them. Much of it looked so nice. Of course a free box is great, but also have a 50 cent box and a dollar box. On the second day we had a "sale" that was all you could fit into a bag for $2.00, that started at 2 p.m.. We had many people from the first day of the sale come to get the $2.00 bag that I could barely believe it. We did put a sign out that advertised it on day one. Have rulers available to measure clothes, a live plug to let folks test anything electric and lots of lighting to see great small items (such as jewelry or electronics). We also had lots of change (as someone suggested) and we always were willing to discuss lower prices. I would also encourage you to give away free things to someone who looks like they could really use it and says they don't have the money to buy it. Always go with your gut and err on the "side of the angels". You will never go wrong.
If you don't have tables for everything, take a long shelf from inside your house and put it across two larger boxes. Even lining up boxes that are similar in size and putting a sheet or towel over it will keep things off the ground. In addition to a long extension cord, have batteries close by so someone can see that something still works. If you are selling a table, don't cover it with stuff. Make sure you line things up in some kind of order instead of just throwing it on a table. I don't even bother going to a garage sale that looks like they just dumped stuff out of a box. Lay stuff out the night before on tables in your garage. Then just have someone help you pull the tables, boxes, etc. out in the morning. The less you have to set up in the beginning the better. Most of the serious shoppers come right away.
As someone suggested, post on craigslist. Be sure to list items that will bring people: baby outfits on hangers, child's bicycle, dorm fridge, crock pot hardly used, ...
Have bags and boxes for people to put their things in. If you see someone grabbing lots of items, offer them a spot behind you where they can make a pile.
Stuff that doesn't usually sell should be priced so cheap that someone will buy it because they just can't resist that ridiculously low price. Who really needs another coaster, for example.
