Here are just a few tips for having a successful garage sale.
Signage Tips
When putting out your street signs, select the high-traffic areas of your neighborhood and around the streets that will guide the people to you. Also, flimsy construction paper is not very effective for street signs, especially on rainy or windy days. A good piece of thick cardboard cut from a box, spray painted in a unique color, with your address, and sale hours printed large enough to read, will bring the people to your door.The dollar store has some pre-printed "garage sale" signs if you choose to buy them.
Merchandising Your Items
Garage-sale hunters like to feel like there is a lot of nice stuff for them to choose from, so take the time to think out how and where you will place things.- Avoid putting items in boxes on the ground. Not too many people will bend over or kneel down to dig through it.
- Hang clothing like dresses, suits, skirts, blazers, coats and jackets.
- Designate a table for folded clothing. Include sweaters, t-shirts, jeans, and select baby clothing.
- Sheets, draperies, blankets, and bedspreads should be neatly folded. Use a pretty ribbon to tie grouped items together and price as a set.
- Place your most appealing items within eyeshot of the street so people driving by can see them.
- If you have sets of dishes, display all of them out. Avoid putting one plate with a note telling the visitor that there are more. Seeing is believing, and they will want to inspect each piece.
- Tools, lawn equipment, workout benches, etc., will appeal to both men and women, so place them in a high-visible area.