Yard Sales

Tips for Hosting Successful Garage Sales

Planning ahead

Throwing together a garage sale at the last minute and stapling a sign on the electrical pole at the corner to advertise is a good way to end up with all your stuff at the end of the day - and possibly a fine, depending on your local laws. Take the time to plan your sale as an event, with all aspects thought out and done right. The extra effort will pay off in traffic and sales. A few things to do in advance:

Choose a good date. The success of your sale can depend largely on the date you choose to hold it. The best day of the week to hold a yard sale is Saturday, and the best time of year is spring or summer, depending on where you live. In parts of the country where spring months (March-May) mean rain, summer is the safer bet. But if summer where you live means triple-digit temperatures by noon, spring will provide more comfortable shopping temperatures.

Get any needed permits. Some cities limit how many yard sales a homeowner can hold in a given year, and some require a permit for each sale. If you're limited on the number of sales you can hold, be sure to plan them when you're likely to get the most traffic (May instead of January, not on a holiday weekend, etc.), and be sure you've secured any necessary permits ahead of time.

Advertise. Advertise in a variety of places:

• Newspapers - If you can afford to buy a classified ad in the newspaper, do it. Some people still check those ads every week and plot a course for the tag sales they want to attend.
• Online - Sites like Craigslist.org have special categories just for advertising garage sales, and most listings are free.
• Word of mouth - Tell everyone you know about your rummage sale. Tell co-workers, family, friends, neighbors. Heck, tell the clerk at the grocery store! He or she may live nearby, and the person behind you in line surely does.
• Signs - Put up signs if your city and neighborhood allow it. Most allow you to put up a temporary sign on the corner in your neighborhood, but check your local laws and neighborhood restrictions and post wherever you're allowed to. And make signs both informative and eye-catching. Don't just staple a piece of paper with "Garage Sale" and your address to a telephone pole. Use large, free-standing signs, with legible writing in bold lettering, color and arrows that point to your house. And be sure to put the date and time of your sale.

Make sure you have plenty of merchandise. The more stuff you have to sell, the longer your shoppers will look, and the more they're likely to buy. If they pull up to your sale and see just a few items scattered around, they'll likely give no more than a cursory glance at your inventory - if they look at all. Your sale needs to look worth their while. Need more merch? Consider the next tip...

Make it a joint effort. Unless you're having what amounts to an estate sale, there's likely room to add someone else's stuff to the mix. Ask your friends and family if they would like to sell any items in your sale. You may not get a commission on their sales, but you'll have more quantity and more variety, which will hold shoppers' attention longer (which leads to more stuff sold). You may also convince the other participants to help with the sale.

Stock up on small bills and change. You may get some experienced garage salers who bring small bills and change, but many of your shoppers will have only have $20 bills, so you'll need lots of change on hand from the start. A good starting point is $100 worth of small bills and coins.

Gather supplies. You'll need several supplies on hand when your sale starts, and you won't want to have to scramble to find them during the throes of your sale. Gather the following items and have them handy during the sale:

• Money box - Have a secure place to keep the money from your sale, and make sure one person is in charge of it at all times.
• Calculator
• Notepad and pen - You might need to write a makeshift receipt if you're selling large items, or you may need to write up a quick "SOLD" sign if someone pays for an item but needs to come back later and pick it up. A notepad is also especially important if you have more than one seller in your sale and need to keep track of sales.
• Tables for displaying items
• Tape measure
• Bags - You don't have to go out and buy bags, but you will want to have a bunch on hand to make it easy for your shoppers to buy and tote away an armload of items. The bags don't have to match or be any particular type. Just gather as many as you can from shopping trips, the office, etc. in the weeks before your yard sale.

Day of sale

Group items. Shoppers may be looking for something specific, so grouping items makes it easier for people to find things they want. Put all the kitchen items together, all the clothes together, all the media (books, DVDs, etc.) together, etc.

Be flexible. Some people will pay whatever price is marked, but many people will haggle. If your goal is to get rid of all the things you're selling, then be prepared to bargain. Be flexible about prices or offer to throw in an extra item if it will close the deal. And as the sale starts to wane, drop your prices. Some shoppers come early to yard sales get the good stuff, but some people come late to get the deepest discount.

Be vigilant. You'd think the prices at yard sales would be low enough, but some people think free is the best price and will try to steal, particularly if things get busy and hectic. It's best if you can have at least two people staffing a sale: one to man the money box and do transactions while another walks the merchandise to answer questions and watch for sticky fingers.

Plug stuff in. If you have electronic items or items that must work to be used, be prepared to demonstrate to buyers that they work. Have a an extension cord or a plug handy to turn a lamp on or show that a toaster works. If you're trying to sell CDs or DVDs, have them playing while people shop.

Sell refreshments. In the early hours, sell doughnuts and coffee. Have the pot of hot coffee out where shoppers can smell it (Bonus Tip: If you're selling mugs, sell a mug of coffee for $.25, $.50, $1, etc. and say the mug is theirs to keep for free!). In the afternoon, sell iced down water and sodas. Be sure you buy flavors you'll want for yourself in case all of it doesn't sell, though.

How do you make your yard sales successful?

Got a tip for hosting a successful garage sale? Share your wisdom with your fellow readers!

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