As everyone knows by now, we’re moving and it has been absolute and utter chaos. And unpacking might have moved up on my list of things I deem agonizing. But I wanted to stop and do a check-in, let people know I’m still kicking over here.
The majority of May was spent decluttering and sorting through all of our belongings. No more junk drawer, no more extra 10 blankets, no unused toys, etc. With everything that we were parting ways with, I came up with a great idea to host a garage sale.
Now, I know garage sales aren’t as popular nowadays since the Facebook marketplace was created, but I never had any success on that platform. So I opted for a good ole fashion garage sale! As a first-time garage sale-er person, I realized there were a lot of things I didn’t even account for when I decided that I wanted to have one.
I crash-researched everything I needed to pull off my garage sale and had one the 2nd weekend after we moved in. And to save you from having to search the internet high and low, here is your one stop shop for everything you need to know.
5 Tips for Having a Garage Sale
• Plan: Spend time deciding what items you want in the garage sale, what price point you want to set it at, what days you want to have it, how you will set it up, what type of buyer you’re attracting, where you’ll advertise, etc.
• Advertise: Whether it’s just local signs saying you’re having a garage sale or it’s posted on your neighborhood’s page, make sure to let the surrounding area know you’re having a sale. This will help gain more traffic.
• Set up: Use foldable tables to display what you’re selling. Showcase it where it’s easy for cars passing by to see if it is potentially something they would be. Use covered tents during the hotter months.
• Pricing: This is a garage sale, if you want high dollar prices, try a pawn shop. Your ideal buyers are bargain shoppers and will try to talk you down on prices or just walk away if the price is too high.
• Money: Have change on hand. Mostly one-dollar bills and quarters. I suggest getting a cash box for your garage sale, and putting about $15 worth of ones, $5 worth of quarters, two $5 bills, and two $10 bills. This way you have change for buyers who only have bigger bills and frequent garage sale buyers who only pay small bills.
Items like kitchenware, small appliances, kid’s toys, gently used baby items, furniture, and home decor were my biggest sellers compared to items such as adult clothing which we ended up just donating after the weekend.
Once you have everything ready, sit back and sell! Enjoy the early Saturday mornings and don’t forget to mingle with all your potential buyers. The best way to have a positive garage sale is to be genuine in all your interactions.
And to make things even easier for you, here is everything I used that you’ll need for your garage sale.
XOXO – A Busy Mama