Summer is the perfect season to hold a garage sale! Before you get started, here are some tips to ensure your garage sale goes off without a hitch!
Step one: Buddy up
Although running a garage sale on your own may be an ideal option, the more neighbours or friends you involve, the better. Having a street sale, rather than an individual sale will help attract more people. The increased number of people also makes it easier to divvy up tasks, making the planning and execution of the garage sale much simpler.
Step two: Pick a day
According to Canadian Living, Saturday is the best day to hold a yard sale. This allows you some wiggle room to move the yard sale to Sunday should Saturday be a rainy day.
Step three: Spread the word
Once you have planned your yard sale, the next step is to determine how to advertise your event. Utilize social media, or free advertising websites such as craigslist or Kijiji to post your garage sale. You can even create posters for your event and place them at your local community centre or library to attract more attention. You may want to add an alternate date, time and location for the event in case of rainy weather.
Step four: Determine your price
Now that you have your date, time and place determined, and your advertising is in full swing, the next step is the gather all of your items and determine a price for each. This process is important to do prior to the yard sale. Discuss the pricing scheme with your neighbours to determine a fair price. It’s more beneficial to price items slightly higher than you would expect to get for them. This way, you will have some wiggle room if buyers start to bargain. Once you determine the price, place price tags or labels on each item to make it easier for buyers to see.
Step five: Organize
According to Peter Walsh, host of TLC’s Clean Sweep, categorizing and arranging items neatly, similar to how they would appear in a store setting, is the best way to display your items at your yard sale. The easier it is to find items, the better the experience will be for the buyers.
Step six: Set the mood
Add a little spunk to your yard sale by playing background music. This will help liven up your garage sale, and make the time fly by. It may even attract people passing by! Selling baked treats is also a great way to boost your yard sale. This will not only increase your revenue stream, but also give buyers something to snack on while searching.
Declutter, destress, and most importantly, have fun!
