How to Have a Successful Garage Sale

 Having a successful garage sale is an exciting experience and can net you additional monies for items you no longer want.  Hard work and a great deal of planning will give you the desired results.   Remember, your trash can be another persons’ treasure.

In the town where I live, a neighbor displays his unwanted items for sale a number of times a year.  I go out of my way to pass this house, hoping to see the “Yard Sale” sign by the road.  The people are accommodating and there is something for everyone.  Dishes and precious items are artfully displayed on tables and clearly marked with a price.  Toys are on the driveway so children can see them and old furniture, baskets and tools are strategically placed at the end of the driveway.  If something catches my eye, I stop to see what other items are available. 

Even though prices are clearly marked, I often negotiate a lower price.  I love yard sales and a bargain, so my suggestions are a guideline for a successful yard sale.

     1. Plan on the time of year you want to have your yard sale.  It is not a good idea to have a sale if the weather is too hot or cold or near the holidays and don’t forget a rain date.

     2. Look through your attic, basement, garage, back yard and shed or even in your home for the items you want to get sell.  Decide if you want to have a neighborhood sale or a combined sale with your friends or family.  Remember, the more of a selection of items, the better your yard sale will be.

     3. Advertise.  Advertise.  Advertise.  Go to http://www.urummage.com for an economical way to advertise your sale.  Remember, you can download signs, a checklist for your yard sale, as well as, get the maximum exposure in your area for a relatively low price.  The longer you advertise, prior to your sale, the more of a success you will have.  (Note:  Urummage.com does not guarantee a successful yard sale.  Success depends on you.)

     4. Now you can concentrate on marking your items with a price.  Try using tags or stickers on each item.  This way you can code the item with a letter and price.  If you have a multi-family yard sale, the letter can represent the last name of the owners’ item and the price of the item.  As you sell the items, collect the tags and at the end of the day, you will be able to calculate who gets the money.  You can also keep a notebook to jot down the code, price and brief description. 

     5.  Your customers will probably want to negotiate prices because everyone loves a bargain!  Be fair, you want folks to come back if you happen to have another sale. 

     6. If you have antiques for sale, a suggestion would be to have the item appraised.

     7. Finally, have enough cash on hand at the start of your sale to make change.

     8. Do yourself a favor, if you either have items left from your sale, save them for an upcoming yard sale or donate them to the needy.  The purpose of your sale is to get rid of your stuff!

     9. The Resources Section is a useful guide to help ease the pain of having a Successful Yard Sale.  You will find links to familiar sites on reference material, supplies and suggestions. 

The best sale is a planned sale.  You do not want to have to run around the day of the sale collecting your items.  Start at least two months before the sale and take inventory of the items you want to sell.  Maybe you have children’s items that you no longer need.  Group them together, take a picture of each group and list them on uRummage.com.   You will find when you are organized your sale can have a positive impact on viewers all over the country.

Now, get started and advertise on uRummage.com for exposure you will not get from advertising in your local paper.   Remember, uRummage.com will be the largest listing of rummage sales on the internet. uRummage