Im moving and these great Things for sale!
Set up card tables or ping-pong tables to display small merchandise. Place tables in a manner that will leave room for shoppers to browse without feeling crowded. Display your wares attractively. Be sure they are clean, usable, and priced temptingly.
People are looking for bargains. Don't disappoint them. Remember that what you sell is something you don't want anyway, so whatever you get is gravy.
Take advantage of the space under the tables if you need more display room. You will be amazed how buyers spot the smallest item under the table. Colorful table covers draw a lot of attention to your items.
You will save yourself a lot of time answering questions if you show a price on all merchandise. Use a heavy black felt marking pen for lettering. If more families go in with you, identify your price tags with a code such as G 75 cents or M 25 cents. The letters designate, perhaps, the first letter of the last name of the family who contributed items to sell.
Keep all the tags and at the end of the sale, divide the tags according to code and total the sales. You may not come out right to the penny on sales and change you had on hand as anyone can make errors in making change for a customer.
Be sure you have electrical outlets nearby to plug in toasters, blenders, electric skillets, irons, hair dryers, electric razors, etc., to show people that your articles do work. If you have to use an extension cord, make sure it is in excellent condition and preferably a heavy duty one.
If you have any fragile, rare or expensive items such as crystal, cut glass or jewelry, be sure they are displayed on a sturdy table and up high out of reach of kiddies. They are curious and you might be too busy to watch them.
Drinking glasses, dishes, cups will sell faster if you price them in sets of 6 for $1.00 instead of 15 cents each. Paperback books, magazines, records and items that have titles will sell more readily if they are marked separately. If they want them collectively, they'll ask you. Then bundle them all up and sell them. Sell everything!
Advertising. Run an ad in your daily newspaper. If you run your ad one day only, have it in the Thursday paper. You might like to run the ad two days to appear in both the Thursday and Friday editions. If your sale runs through Saturday, your sale is about over before the paper hits the street on Saturday. Therefore, 2-day advertising is usually adequate unless your sale is continued late Saturday night and through Sunday.
However, whatever you decide to advertise - BE READY! Be ready to meet any customer as soon as the paper hits the street, because some will come before the sale and before you even get ready to start the next day! In addition to placing an ad in the paper, place signs at points where people will see them. Some laundromats have bulletin boards on which you can place notices. Advertise all you can. Work word-of-mouth all you can. If employed, place signs on your company's bulletin boards. Use the WEB to advertise your garage sale too. You can advertise your sale on craigslist or setup a blogger account.
The best days for your Garage Sale are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sundays are usually a waste of time unless you're staying at home all day doing nothing anyway.
