Last updated Mar. 13, 2024 by Jessica Green
Hosting a garage sale is not as easy as you think. There are lots of things to put in place and consider.
A garage sale isn’t all about selling your unwanted or used items in your garage. If you randomly start selling in front of your garage or yard, you may not make as many sales as you should.
If you want to make big money from your garage sales, here are twelve proven tips to help you.
12 Proven Garage Sale Tips To Make Big Money
1. Inform Your Neighbours Beforehand
Do not wake up one random morning and decide to host a garage sale. It’ll take your neighbors by surprise, and most of them may not be prepared to patronize you.
Most people have a budget that they stick to strictly. Before making a spending decision, they make a plan so as not to run into debt. So if you host a surprise garage sale, your neighbors may not have it in their budget to buy from you.
In addition, informing your friends, colleagues, and neighbors of your garage sales plan can help spread the word around and get you more sales.
2. Put Some Thoughts Into The Date You Choose
To make big money from a garage sale, you need to pick a date that is convenient for everyone.
For example, if you decide to sell on a Monday, your neighbors who are workers may not be able to check your stall, which can lead to low sales. Selling during business days is a bad decision.
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are convenient days to host a garage sale. Public holidays are also a good time to host a garage sale.
To further boost your sales, consider hosting during the first weekend of the month – this is when most people get their salary and have yet to make plans for it.
3. Plan Out The Items You Want To Sell
Before the day of your garage sale, organize and plan out every item you want to sell. Place them in boxes and have them ready to be brought out on D-Day.
If you plan out items on the D-Day, you’ll end up stressed and disorganized.
So, organize your sales items into categories such as clothes, appliances, books, jewelry, and tools.
It is also important to make a list of all the things you want to sell. Doing this enables you to keep account of things you sold, and the things that are left unsold.
4. Decide On A Price For Each Item
When organizing the items you want to sell, decide on a price.
Do not overprice your items as it could be a turn-off to potential customers. Remember that the items being sold are secondhand, so decide on a convincing price.
In addition, do not let your emotions get in the way of your pricing. Just because an item is precious to you doesn’t mean it should have a high price. Buyers will not see it the way you do. Be rational!
Once you decide on a price, make a price tag and place it on each item – this is important for the following reasons.
- Most people who are curious about your garage sales may come to take a look. However, they may be too shy to ask you questions about the price since they think it’s out of their budget. But if you place a price tag, they may be tempted to make a purchase.
- Putting a price tag prevents you from answering numerous questions about the price of an item.
- It’s easy to get confused about what price you decided for an item. But a price tag makes it easy for you to remember.
Do not spend money to get expensive tags. Simply write the price on a sticker, and use masking tape to prevent it from falling off.
5. Make An Attractive Display
The way you display your sales items has a good impact on your sales. If your items are disorganized, it could be a turn-off to most people.
You do not have to set up fancy displays or banners. All you have to do is make your items look organized and attractive.
Here are a few ways to make an attractive display:
- Similar-priced items should be kept together.
- Place exciting items in visible areas to attract customers.
- Place jewelry, eyewear, and small items close to the cashout area. To make it more visible, hang the jewelry in groups.
- Group similar things together.
6. Advertise Your Garage Sale
The key to making massive sales is to advertise. If you randomly pull up a garage sales sign in front of your yard, you’ll make little to no sales.
You can go house to house to inform your neighbors or make simple posters that specify the date of your garage sales and your address. Handing out flyers in public spaces can also boost your sales. However, you have to make advertisement weeks in advance to give people time to prepare.
Another way to market is by posting about your garage sale on social media. If you have a good number of followers on Facebook, make a post. Facebook ads are cheap and targeted. So if you pay for an ad, it’s likely to show up to people who live around you.
Another Interesting Article: What To Do With Garage Sale Leftovers: 5 Smart Options That’ll Make You More Money
7. Make Preparations For Everything
If this is your first time hosting a garage sale, then you have to be prepared in all areas. There are lots of minor things you may have overlooked that would pose a big problem on D-DAY.
Here are a few things to make preparations for:
a. Make plans for digital payments: Although cash is the norm during garage sales, you may encounter a customer who wants to make digital payments. So have an account that is ready to receive payment.
You can download apps like Venmo or PayPal.
b. Keep Change In Hand: Since most people will make payments in cash, there will be situations where they’ll need the balance of their payment. So make plans for changes so as not to lose a sale.
C. Repair Broken Items: People are most likely to buy an item at a high price if it is in good condition.
D. Check Out For Competition: Before deciding on a date, check if others are hosting a garage sale the day you plan to host yours.
If two garage sales are happening at the same time, it could affect your sales.
8. Be Prepared For Negotiations
Customers will bargain prices of items with you – this is inevitable. So before a sales day, decide on the lowest price you can accept for an item.
For example, if the lowest you can accept for an item is $5, price the item at $7 or $8. So that when a customer negotiates on the item, they’ll end up pricing it at what you originally intended to sell it.
Note: To avoid driving away due to your high-priced item, set a poster to let them know that they can negotiate prices.
If you don’t want to go through the process of negotiation, set a reasonable price and make it known to customers that the price is fixed.
9. Offer Bundle Discounts
Everyone loves a good discount. If you want to attract sales and make money, set up a big sign that says “Discounts Available On All Bulk Purchases”.
Set a rule on bulk purchases. For example, if a customer buys more than three items, you can offer them a 10% discount. If they buy more than five items, offer a 15% discount, and so on. In order to reap the benefits, most customers are willing to make more purchases.
If you put up a brand new item for sale, do not expect customers to see the worth of the item through your lens. So put up a discount to convince them.
10. Organize Group Sales
A scanty garage sale stall can be a turn-off to potential customers. If you want your stall bustling with activities, organize a group sale.
Meet up with your neighbors and ask if they’re interested in hosting a group garage sale. If they reply positively to your request, begin to make plans with them.
To avoid problems, you can decide to sell something different from theirs. For example, if you intend to sell off your appliances and tools, you can inform them beforehand so that they can focus on selling items that are different from yours.
11. Make Freebies Available and Sell Snacks
To draw even more customers, you can put up a sign that says “Freebies Available” near your garage stall – this can lure anyone into checking out what you have to sell.
If a customer makes a purchase, give them a freebie. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It could be a cute piece of jewelry that you don’t mind giving out for free or a candy.
Also, make drinks or snacks available to customers. People are most likely to buy from a place that offers entertainment or small rewards.
Another Interesting Article: 10 Best Internet Freebies: Free Stuff You Don’t Want To Miss out On!
12. Check for Permit Requirements
Research and know the law of the state you reside in. Most states require that a resident get a permit before hosting a garage sale. While other states have certain rules that must be followed before holding a garage sale.
Most laws allow residents to hold a garage sale twice, thrice, or four times a year. So know what you’re getting into in order to avoid paying fines.
Garage sales permits are not expensive. They’re often less than $10. Most state permits are free, all you have to do is register online to let them know you’re hosting a garage sale.
Here’s more information on garage sales permits.
Bottom Line
You are guaranteed to have successful garage sales with the above tips. So remember, do not get worked up during the process of planning your garage sale. It’s supposed to be a fun event, so have fun and be happy.
Frequently Asked Questions On Garage Sales
What Is The Best Selling Item At A Garage Sale?
Some of the best-selling items in a garage sale include antiques, clothing, jewelry, toys, tools, vintage dishes, furniture, and books.
What Is The Most Popular Day For Garage Sales?
The most popular and suitable days to host a garage sale are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
What Time Do Most Garage Sales Start?
You can start your garage sale at any time you want. But it is often recommendable to start as early as 7:00 AM.
