If your child has outgrown a special outfit that has a place
in your heart hold on to it until getting rid of it hurts less.
Otherwise, you will tend to mark it a price that the average
garage sale go-er will not pay.
You'll be hurt when they start to barter with you to lower the price.
"How could they not see how cute this is....I paid a fortune for it."
People garage sale for INEXPENSIVE clothes.
Getting the cutest thing possible for the lowest price.
So hold on to it.
Broken/torn things should be THROWN AWAY.
You want to sell the items you don't use - not junk.
Believe it or not you will have return customers next year.
I remember every house that sold crap.
Hang up clothes that should be hung up but don't crowd them.
Don't expect people to wade thru boxes looking for items.
Set them out so they are easy to see.
Mark sizes clearly especially for children's clothes
and try to separate them by age groups.
If you have clothing that you have torn the tags out of,
then mark them with the age at which your child wore them.
Nothing irritates me more than a garage sale with no prices
and a sign saying "Make offer".
I don't have time to ask about every item.
If there are a lot of people there,
I will just move on to the next sale.
Put some things out in the driveway,
especially the big things like strollers, cribs, etc...
Put all the little knick knacks in the garage.
And I cannot stress enough -- GET THE STUFF OUT OF THE BOXES.
If it's the middle of summer, have some fans going in your garage
and have a radio going so it isn't deathly quiet.
Don't "sell" your customers.
IF they have a question they will come and ask you.
Make sure to have an extension cord,
so that people can plug in electric appliances to see if they work.
If you're selling a microwave,
have something there to "cook" so you can show it works.
Most people (especially those in the morning) have just hit the ATM machines.
So be prepared to see big bills in the morning.
If your kids want to set up their own stand try to prepare ahead of time.
Sadly in this day and age,
people aren't very trusting of the lemonade stand.
So buy some soda cans (store brands are cheap) for your kids to sell
and maybe some bulk candy bars or chips (like from SAM'S CLUB).
A good profit can be made on this stuff,
and people are more comfortable buying it.
I love this idea, especially in the summer.
Garage Saling makes one thirsty!!
Okay, let's face it.
Your husband is probably NOT going to be especially thrilled
with helping with a garage sale but your best friends probably will.
It's a best idea to have easily removable tags with each person's initials,
so you can keep track of the money.
Also remember, these people are your friends,
some people are better at handling (counting) money than others.
Be willing to split losses from poor counting.
Friends are more important than money.
Well, happy garage sale throwing, everyone!!!!
To this excellent advice, I can add from my own experience
the following wisdom:
- Don't wait until the night before the sale to try and price everything.
- Group similar items together.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- Treat yourself to dinner out with part of your earnings
because you'll deserve it. - Offer your kids half of the money from anything they sell.
(Put the other half in their banks or save it for Christmas presents.)
This will encourage them to get rid of the toys
they don't play with or don't want.
Even teenagers will sell games, books, CD's and DVD's they don't want
if they know they're getting half of the money.
With teenagers, too, you can promise them a larger percentage
if they help work at the sale.
You'll be amazed at the salesmen you are raising!
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