Need a quick $200, $300, $500 or even more? Why not hold a garage sale in the next few months? You’ll clean out your clutter and make some extra cash for the upcoming summer season! It is a win-win situation.
To maximize your garage sale income, you’ll need to make sure of a few things:
Your sale has a good selection of items
You have a lot of traffic to your sale
You make your sale easy to shop
You price your items correctly.
Let us take a look at the above factors in more detail.
A Good Selection of Items
A good selection of items will not only entice people to get out of the car and shop for treasures, but will yield you more money in your yard sale. The more you have to sell, the more money you will make, plus families coming for one item may find two, three, or four more they take home as well.
To ensure that you have a good selection of items to sell, you should take at least a couple of weekends to go through your home, your garage and any other storage that you have. Tackle one section at a time, so you don’t become overwhelmed. Get the whole family involved. The more you can part with, the more you will make in your garage sale.
Toss any items that are clearly broken or dangerous, but try selling the rest. You would be surprised to find out what people will buy, if the price is right. That hideous chair that you can’t wait to get rid of just might be the exact thing that someone was looking for.
A Lot of Traffic
To maximize your garage sale income, you need to get as many people to come see your stuff as possible. If you live along a busy road, you have an advantage, but even the most rural garage sales can get plenty of traffic.
First of all, advertise, and do it in multiple forums. Place an ad in the paper, advertise online and through social media, spread the word with posters placed where people gather, such as the grocery store or school, etc.
Become involved in a community sale or multi-family sale. Convince your neighbors to have a garage sale at the same time you do. Don’t worry about the competition. People are more likely to come out to a garage sale if they know that there are multiple families involved.
A Sale That Is Easy to Shop
Sales that are easy to shop will make the most income. It is as simple as that.
Start by grouping things together and have clearly delineated sections for different types of goods. Everything should be laid out nicely. No one wants to rifle through boxes, and will pass your stuff right by.
Place a few interesting or large items near the curb, so people driving by can see what you have. If you have mostly baby items, place a stroller out front. Tools? Place your biggest or best.
Hang all clothing if possible from a garment rack or some clothesline strung between trees. Baby and children’s clothing can be folded neatly on tables and organized by size and gender.
Don’t place anything on the ground with the exception of large items or toys. Kids can get down on the ground to play while their parent’s shop, and they will hopefully fall in love with a toy or two. Place the toys on a tarp or blanket to keep them clean.
Items that Are Priced Correctly
Garage sales aren’t for selling very expensive items. While you might be able to sell one or two high ticket items, for the most part, people are looking for real bargains. Let go of what something cost you originally and just concentrate on getting it sold. To increase your garage sale income, sell a lot of stuff (volume) for fair or even low prices.
Visit other yard sales ahead of time to see what people are pricing things and then come in for less if you can. Your sale will sell out before lunch!