The
flurry of spring cleaning invariable leaves our homes looking cleaner
and less cluttered. Unfortunately, the process also leaves a few
unwanted items that are too good to throw away, yet not quite treasure
enough to sell online. Not to worry. With these expert tips, you
will be clearing out the garage and making a tidy profit in no time.
First,
choose the date for your garage or yard sale carefully. Saturdays
are generally best, followed by Fridays. Sundays are rarely a good
day for outside sales as most people are either busy with family
or just catching up on the work around the house. After picking
the day of the week, check your date against the community calendar.
Are there any major events going on that might draw potential customers
away? Does your community hold festivals, concerts, road races,
or other large events? If so, stay away from those dates. Pick a
day when nothing is scheduled as people are more apt to go shopping
when they have nothing else to do.
After
you have picked your date, check with the local authorities to determine
if you need a permit. Many cities and some unincorporated communities
require garage sale permits to limit the number of sales going on
throughout the year. In cities with regulations, the most common
limitations are on the number of sales you can hold annually and
where you can place your sale signs. Permit fees vary but are generally
in the $5 to $10 range. Thinking about skirting the law? In communities
with aggressive code enforcement programs that could be costly.
Ticket penalties range from a verbal warning to shut down all the
way up to a $100 fine per offense.
The
next thing you need to do is advertise. The most successful sales
are a direct result of how much advertising the owners do. Check
your local newspaper for its classified rates. You might be surprised
at how reasonable a two line garage sale ad will be. For around
$20 you can receive area-wide exposure. Some cable television companies
also advertise on the local access channel for free. Many communities
provide this service on their government access channels in return
for obtaining a permit.
On
the day of the sale, pricing is everything. Label each item with
your asking price or better yet, group items together on tables
by price. Have a $1 dollar table, $2 dollar table, $10 dollar table,
etc. Items that are unique or more expensive should be labeled individually.
Many people are too shy to ask how much a particular item is. By
having everything marked, it allows them to think about whether
they really want to buy that rocking chair, instead of wondering
how much you are asking. Also, if you are flexible on your prices,
make a huge sign that says so. Garage sale shoppers love to wheedle
you down. If you are willing to play that game, let them know. On
the other hand, if your prices are firm, adding that to the price
tags is helpful as well. It limits confusion for both you and the
customer.
Have
plenty of change on hand early in the day. Even if it means making
a special trip to the bank to buy a roll of quarters, it will be
worth it when that first customer buys a 25 cent trinket from the
toy box and hands you a $5 dollar bill.
Start
early. The serious customers, willing to pay the most, are out searching
the streets by 7:00 AM. Having your sale set up by first light will
guarantee you access to the best garage sale shoppers. Likewise,
some shoppers look for people just setting up and take advantage
of the chaos going on as you move items to the driveway or are looking
for your price tags. Being caught off guard can mean letting a valuable
piece go for much less than you intended or missing out on a sale
altogether. Better to have your prices marked the day before and
set your alarm early. At the same time, do not hesitate to close
after a few hours if you have sold everything important you wanted
to get rid of.
Another
key to garage sale success is to recognize that the value you place
on an item may not be realistic in today's marketplace. Even though
you paid $100 for that crystal vase, you may only get $5 at your
garage sale. If you are not willing to part with it for less than
$50, it may not be garage sale material. Better to donate those
expensive items to a charity thrift store and take the tax benefit
next April. Suddenly, that $5 dollar garage sale income turned into
a $50 tax deduction, benefiting a worthy charity in the process.
At
days end, tally up your profits! By following these tips, you may
very well find yourself with an extra $100 in your pocket after
four or five hours. Not bad money considering you have a less-cluttered
home as a result.
