A garage sale/yard sale is one of the best ways to de-clutter a house or an apartment before a move. Not only does it allow you to get rid of a significant amount of junk but you can end up making some extra cash as well. Garage sales do take some planning, it doesn't have to be as overwhelming as it may seem. Here are a few tips to help you plan and execute a garage sale.
#1- Start a few weeks out by clearing out space to store items and supplies for the sale. This area should be big enough to put boxes, signs, and labels, as well as the items that will be included in the sale. If you’re planning on selling large pieces of furniture, don’t worry about moving them to the sale area until the day before the sale.#2- Gather items from your house. Go from room to room with a box and select items that can be sold. Items to consider could be things like clothes that don’t fit, clothes that haven’t been worn in a year, outgrown toys, broken toys, extra books, items that were never used, items that were meant to be returned and never were, items that haven’t been used in a year, gifts that were never given, and other similar items. Make sure to clean your items as you pack them for the garage sale. Clean items will sell much better than old/worn looking items.
#3- Decide on a date. Pick a day and time of your garage sale, make sure the date is at least a few weeks out. Weekend days usually work best, since most people will be out driving around on Saturday’s and Sunday’s. Start your garage sale early in the morning, around 7:00 am, and expect it to run late into the afternoon.
#4- Make more signs than you think you will need. Signage is huge when having a garage sale. Drive around and make a map of all the places you want to put a sign. Make sure you put signs at all large intersections and well-traveled roads. Signs on bright poster board that are simple and easy to read are usually most effective. Also, make sure that there is an arrow or directions, on the sign, that are easy to understand. Using all the same colored signs usually make it easier for people to follow them. Make extra signs in case as your putting up your signs one gets ruined.
#5- Don’t forget the little things. Be sure a few days before the sale that you gather up all the items you need for the sale. Don’t forget small extras: like having change on hand, extra labels, a calculator, bags, boxes, a chair, and something to put the money made in. Also having a radio or ipod player on hand to play music makes the day go by faster and adds to the atmosphere. You can also sell soda and water at your garage sale for $.50 a can/ bottle.
#6- Keep prices in $.25 increments. To keep prices easy to understand and easy to add, keep all prices in $.25 increments. Put items that are all the same price in the same area or group items 2 for $.25 and so on. Also, make sure you price items higher than you would expect someone to pay for them. This will give you some haggle room.
#7- Setting up your sale. Start setting up a couple of days early, in the area you designated in your garage. Wait until the night before the sale, or the morning of, to bring out items to the driveway. Set-up tables so items are easy to see. Hang up clothing so it can be easily browsed through.
With these tips and other tips available on www.danielsmoving.com, your garage sale will be a success! Daniel’s Moving and Storage can help you with every step of your moving process.
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