GREAT TIPS FOR GARAGE SALES



 

Holding your own garage sale is a fantastic way to offload unwanted household clutter, help the environment by reducing waste and make some cash at the same time. But turning trash into treasure isn’t as easy as putting up a sign in your driveway and hoping for the best. Garage sales take some careful preparation, which — if you follow these tips — can bring you financial rewards.





PREPARATION

  • Set a date: Pick a weekend when you have nothing planned and mark it on your calendar. Avoid long weekends and public holidays because your neighbours (who could also be your best customers) are less likely to be around.
  • Think ahead: Two weeks to a few months in advance, start putting your unwanted oddments and sale items aside in boxes in your storage space so they’re out of the way. If you’re undecided about selling something, put it in the box. If you don’t retrieve it after a month, you obviously don’t need it!
  • Double up: If you’re a bit low on things to sell, consider joining forces with a friend or family member for a dual garage sale. This means you’ll have extra helping hands on the day and you can split the costs of advertising, too. On the day, make sure you record all transactions in a notebook so you can divide the sales accordingly at the end. Colour-coded stickers on items make for easy tracking of who owns which items.
  • Advertise: Your local paper’s classifieds and online garage sales directories are good avenues to get the word out. But consider other places where you can advertise for free. These might include bulletin boards at your local supermarket, mall or community centre, or even online social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
  • Target your market: Make sure you describe in your ad the kinds of items that will be available and ensure the ad is seen by relevant buyers. Whether you’re retiring from a hobby and selling your old gear or selling baby goods you no longer need, post notices where potential buyers are likely to see them — at club houses or childcare centres, for example.
  • Parking: Consider how easily people will be able to park at your garage sale. Will there be plenty of spaces available? If not, suggest somewhere in your advertisement where customers can park, or hold your garage sale at a friend’s place where there is ample parking.
  • Have significant goods valued: If you’re unsure about the value of some items that you or a relative owns, it’s worth seeking out an authorised second-hand goods valuer for pricing advice. The Auctioneers and Valuers Association of Australia (www.avaa.com.au) has a national online directory of valuers.
  • Display tables: You’re going to need a few tables and possibly other display racks to present your wares. If you don’t own many, borrow from friends well in advance.
THE DAY BEFORE 

  • Make signs: Advertising may attract people from afar, but to grab the locals’ attention you need eye-catching signage. Create signs using cardboard, permanent marker (in case of rain) and clear, bold lettering and attach them to prominent posts in your area the day before. Streamers and balloons can’t hurt either. Include the date, address and sale opening time on the sign. Be sure to remember where you put them and to take them down.
  • Pricing: Many garage sale holders are happy to price items verbally on the day, but while this may mean no sticking or tying price tags on the day before, it could lead to costly mistakes. Bargain Shopper recommends — especially for items of significant value ($10 or more) — to mark your goods with a price. That way you can put some thought into its worth and don’t have to field so many questions on the day. When pricing, consider the item’s condition, age and value to the target market. Always go a little higher than the price you want to allow for negotiating.
  • Price tags: Many people use stickers as garage sale price tags. Some find it helpful to colour-code these stickers according to price (eg blue is $1, yellow $2, red $5 etc). Keep in mind, though, that stickers can be difficult to remove. Put them on the bottom of the object or alternatively you could use tie-on tags. Get creative with your swing tags. Use an old deck of cards, old board-game cards or colourful cardboard scraps. Also, Put ‘not for sale’ tags on any items that aren’t for sale, or else you could find yourself negotiating to hold on to your dining table!
  • Spare change: Always make sure you have a couple of hundred dollars in change, including notes and coins. Change the money at your bank. Make sure you have a calculator to help with transactions on the day.
  • Mixed bags: Kids will love this one. A good way to get rid of all those kids’ toys and bits and bobs is to divide them into plastic bags, throw in a few lollies and sell them at a fixed (cheap) price. Mums will grab one just to keep the kids occupied.
  • Vintage value: Vintage items can attract higher prices. Make these old wares even more appealing by providing a description of the item on the swing tag, the year it was made and bought, how much use it has had and what it could be used as for now.


Giuliana Miranda, Flickr.comON THE DAY

  • Presentation: It’s a simple fact that shoppers are more inclined to stop, have a look and buy something if your goods are presented in an attractive way. If you have clothing to sell, hang it orderly on a rack; for bric-a-brac, tier the items from shortest to tallest on the table and always try to keep the table looking full. Arrange the jewellery in special pots or pin the pieces on a notice board. Books and CDs should be presented in boxes so their titles are easy to flick through. If you have a set of oddments, package them together in an open box, and decorate with a ribbon. If the customer doesn’t want it for themselves, this might inspire a gift idea. Use bright tablecloths or decorations to catch the eye of passers-by and take pride in your front yard or lawn as well.
  • Atmosphere: Put some music on. It relaxes people, and a comfortable customer is more likely to splurge. If it’s a hot day, consider selling soft drinks or other refreshments.
  • Change room: If selling clothes, and especially any clothes of significant value, ensure there is a space for the shopper to try it on. This could be as simple as a hanging rack with a sheet thrown over it, and a full-length mirror.
  • Wrap it up: Supply newspaper for wrapping breakables, and bags or boxes for carrying.
  • Be honest: If something is broken, let the shopper know. Write it on the swing tag, and always suggest an alternative use for the item.
  • Security: Keep your house locked and guard your money. Many experienced garage sales people suggest wearing a money pouch. You may get requests from people to use your bathroom. Unless you have an outside toilet that is accessible and in sight, don’t let people into your home — especially unsupervised.
  • Involve the kids: Garage sales can be exciting for kids, too. Let them set up their own table with a few knick-knacks or put them in charge of selling soft drinks.
  • Handling hagglers: There will no doubt be a few people who will try to reduce prices as low as possible — and sometimes even lower! The best way to handle them is to put some thought into just how low you’re willing to go on certain items beforehand and then enjoy the negotiating game. Always quote your lowest possible price a little higher than what it actually is! Also, weigh up the hassle of holding onto the item. Is it worth holding onto it just so you can get an extra $10 at your next sale, which might not be until years away?
  • Gift of the gab: Presentation is one thing, but what you say to customers could really be the clincher in making a sale. While some people don’t like to be bothered as they browse, others like to have a chat. Find out if they’re looking for anything in particular and let them know why the item they’re eyeing off is so wonderful/reliable/beautiful. Explain why you (regretfully!) have to sell it.
  • Repeat business: If you plan on holding garage sales regularly, it’s time to build your customer contacts list. Get started by holding a raffle at one of your sales. Sell tickets for next-to-nothing to encourage entrants and make sure the prize is decent. It’s a great way to capture information (phone numbers and/or email addresses) of your customers so you can let them know when your next sale is on.
  • Early birds: A common complaint among garage sale holders is that — no matter what time you advertise — someone will always turn up at the crack of dawn to score the best bargains. These are often second-hand dealers or flea market vendors. If you don’t want to get out of bed before your specified time, mention in your ad that anyone who turns up early will have to pay double the price. This could dissuade the early risers from tapping at your window. Keep in mind, though, that you could be missing out on a good sale if you turn them away.
  • Be flexible: Everyone wants to make top dollar on their goods for sale, but at the end of the day you don’t want to be left with as much clutter as you began with. Sometimes getting rid of your gear means selling it for less than what you think it’s worth. When the day is coming to a close, don’t hold back on reducing items drastically unless you’re prepared to hold onto it until next time.
  • Next time: While your next garage sale will be the last thing on your mind at the end of the big day as you gleefully count your newly acquired cash, it shouldn’t be far away. Since many products we buy today become outdated so quickly (for example, electronics of baby car seats), it’s wise to hold a garage sale every two to five years, rather than once a decade, to get the best returns on yesterday’s investments.
ONLINE GARAGE SALE DIRECTORIES
www.egaragesales.com.au  
www.garagesales.com.au
www.sydneyexchange.com.au  
www.gumtree.com.au  
www.classifieds.fairfax.com.au  
www.tradingpost.com.au  
www.cracker.com.au  
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