Do you have unwanted, gently used belongings laying around your house that you can't bear to simply throw away? Is your house unsightly, marred with piles of odds and ends that seem to have no place to go? What you need is to have a Garage Sale. I know what you are thinking; A garage sale is a waste of time and energy for the small amount of pocket change you claim at the end of the day. I am here to tell you that you are wrong! Now is the time to De-junk, De-clutter, and re-create the sanctity of your home.
Top Tips for Garage Sale
Success:
1. Plan 2-4 weeks ahead
Allow ample time to organize your un-wanted items. During this time, zone off your house. (i.e. bathroom zone, bedroom zone, kitchen zone, family room zone...etc.) Decidicate 1-2 days per zone. Enter the zone and scan your items. For every item in the zone, ask yourself, "Do I use this item at least once a month?" If your answer is no, my suggestion is to sell it because you probably won't miss it once it is gone. The exception to this rule is keepsakes. But, be wise what you deem as a keepsake...because in all honesty, some stuff is just clutter!
2. Designate a Center of Operations
Like any large plan of action, there should always be a center of operations. This is where you will bring all your yard sale items from each zone to be priced and kept neatly until the great day! Having a space for yard sale items helps to cut down on the day before preperations because all your items will already be organized by zones, and priced and neatly kept in one area. So make sure when you bring items into the operation center, you keep the items organized by zone...resist the urge to just toss the items into the pile because then you will have the headache of having to sort through your yard sale items....more work means less fun!
3. Post Alluring Advertisement
This is the key to luring garage salers to your home in droves. This is truly the key to making the big bucks! Post your signs 4 days to 1 week ahead of time. This is important because it will allow people to plan on attending your sale and it will hype up the buyer; thus, priming your buyer to spend, spend, spend. Make sure your signs are simple to read. Use large letters to indicate Where, When, and What....Keep it to those three pieces of info. The worst yard sale signs have too much info. You do not need to list everything you are selling on your card board sign. Make sure that your letters can be read from at least 20 feet away. So make a tester sign and then walk 20 feet away and see if you can read it as you run by. If you cant, try again.
4. Set the Stage
Since you have already priced all your items and organized them by zones, all you will need to do is procure the tables and tarps you will be using to neatly display your belongings. NEVER throw your belongings on the ground or stuff them in a box. If the buyer cannot see how clean and neat the item looks, the buyer will not feel the yard sale temptation. So, get up at 6 am, set up your tables, organize the items on each table or tarp by zone.
5. Set a Bank Station
Make sure you start the day with two 5 dollar bills, 8 one dollar bills and 8 quarters. 95% of the time, this will be adequate. Make one station where people come and pay...DO NOT ROAM! Sit and allow the shoppers to shop, while you focus on totaling each buyer's purchases. It is also helpful to have plastic grocerie sacks with you so you can pack up buyer's purchases and have near your pay station tempting treats (these act as impulse buys). I have found that just having two options is best...perhaps something salty, and something sweet!
Testimonial:
If you follow the above tips, you are sure to double your yardsale money! I have used these techniqes over and over again and found them to be fool proof, success finding tips of the trade! -Erin, an avid garage saler
George and I attacked the yard sale world to day by following my tips of success. We lured in shoppers with our big signs which we posted days ahead of time. George sold caramel popcorn and of course, Spam Musubi. As Mark likes to say, we made out like bandits!!!
8 SPLURTS:
You guys look so cute in your aprons- you are the garage sale queen! I remember how much fun it was participating with you guys in your garage sale with Leslie in Orem!
Erin--You live such a clean, uncluttered life that I find it hard to believe that you could scrounge up enough stuff to fill up a card table, let alone a suitable amount for an entire yard sale. Did you sneak into your neighbors garbage cans and garages and swipe their goodies? Or are you unloading and having a moving to Nigeria sale?
I agree with the above comment - pictures of your house always looks so uncluttered and professionally decorated.
I also agree with #3 - I have passed too many yard sale signs this week that I'm interested in, but they are too itty bitty to ready while driving by. They definitely didn't give it your 20-foot test.
Question - don't people try to bargain you down in prices? I always want to while shopping, but the one time I did it yesterday, I got shut down...booya! (by a grandma!)
You should sign up with Associated Content and sell this article. Sure you might just get $3-$5, but hey, it's already written.
I almost forgot that I wrote an article of Associated Content about yard sales. Though it's not nearly as optimistic as yours. The Pros and Cons to Having a Yard Sale
Okay, a few things:
I was just at your place in the spring, and your home and your stuff were all so nice and neat that I am not sure what you even had to sell.
Also, how do you ensure that you get top dollar for your stuff? Last time I had a yard sale here in the ghetto of Provo I hardly made any money. I think that location is important, too!
Great tips, I will fly you to my place next time I need to have a garage sale! And the pics are great - great way to create some mommy one on one time!
I have read and reviewed your instructions and have this Saturday set for my yard sale, though I don't think spam musubi will sell in our town. Hmmm, maybe snickerdoodles?
Post a Comment