This great article on how to hold a garage sale (plus some great tips) is from Kovel's Antiques weekly newsletter. I'm bringing it to you here on my blog in case you do not happen to receive it:
Looking for extra income? Clean out your house and run a garage sale. Better yet, join with friends and host a big, big sale. Many newspapers offer a garage sale kit to tell you what to do. Find someone who has run sales before to help you out.
A few tips:
Run an ad online (Craig's list is good) and in your local paper. Read other people's ads to see what's selling.
Put up neighborhood signs that can be read from a moving car.
Set up a sorted display--clothes in one place, toys in another.
Mark everything with masking tape or another label that's hard to remove. Do not put labels on paper or other surfaces that could be damaged by the glue.
Make sure there's an electric outlet nearby that can be used to test any electrical items.
Price things low enough. Your selling cost is less than it would be with a lot of online listings.
Don't let anyone in your house for any reason.
Keep cash in a secure box with a trustworthy person watching it.
After the sale, help others by packing up what remains and taking it to a charity resale shop. You'll be adding a good deed to the list of your accomplishments that day.
Looking for extra income? Clean out your house and run a garage sale. Better yet, join with friends and host a big, big sale. Many newspapers offer a garage sale kit to tell you what to do. Find someone who has run sales before to help you out.
A few tips:
Run an ad online (Craig's list is good) and in your local paper. Read other people's ads to see what's selling.
Put up neighborhood signs that can be read from a moving car.
Set up a sorted display--clothes in one place, toys in another.
Mark everything with masking tape or another label that's hard to remove. Do not put labels on paper or other surfaces that could be damaged by the glue.
Make sure there's an electric outlet nearby that can be used to test any electrical items.
Price things low enough. Your selling cost is less than it would be with a lot of online listings.
Don't let anyone in your house for any reason.
Keep cash in a secure box with a trustworthy person watching it.
After the sale, help others by packing up what remains and taking it to a charity resale shop. You'll be adding a good deed to the list of your accomplishments that day.
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Hope this inspired you to have a garage sale or to get up early and go to a few! Enjoy your weekend and as always...
As one who goes to a lot of garage sales, the most important thing for me is the signs! They need to be big, with BOLD arrows. They need to have the date, so I know that the sign is from this weekend and not a leftover from last week that someone was too lazy to remove! Address is not important--I'm not going to know your neighborhood so it is meaningless to me, and I can just follow the arrows. And when your sale is over, be sure to take down your signs!
ReplyDeleteoh yes, rules to live by!! I have had quite a few garage sales over the years and it was good to be reminded of these points!
ReplyDeleteAlicia