If you discover that you have to move on short notice, you may find that getting rid of all of your possessions quickly can be difficult. Fortunately, an old fashioned garage sale can help tremendously. However, you need to ensure that your garage sale is a profitable one. Consider these five tips to make your garage sale more successful.
1. Advertise In Advance
If nobody knows that you are having a garage sale during a particular time, then they cannot come and buy what you have. For this reason, making sure that you advertise your garage sale in advance is recommended if you want to get your stuff sold before you move. Upload photos of your best items and place them in ads online. Advertising your garage sale on social media is another way to get the message out there to everyone with the help of social media groups.
Penny Hoarder also recommends the use of Craigslist and local messaging boards and forums to get the word out online. Consider creating a themed garage sale to increase consumer interest. You can also post advertisements in local grocery stores, and place flyers on telephone poles if your neighborhood allows it.
2. Set the Right Price
If you want people to buy more of the merchandise that you have to offer, you must set the right price. Keep in mind that some people will come and the attempt to negotiate with you. Being open to negotiations in price can help you let go of your possessions faster and make money while doing it. Sometimes, it is better to set no price for larger, big-ticket items. Consumer Reports suggests that you should avoid putting a price on things in a garage sale because some consumers will offer you more money than you may have asked for.
3. Organize Everything
If people show up to your garage sale and find out that everything is placed in random piles, they may just leave without buying anything. Organizing the items at your garage sale helps consumers to find what they need with less hassle. HGTV recommends that you use lots of tables to keep people from bending down and place groups of items together. Clothes and shoes can be sorted by color and season. Other products like furniture, household appliances, and toys can be separated into categories for easy browsing.
4. Offer Deals
Consumers are more likely to come if you offer exclusive deals at your garage sale. Giving juicy specials to folks who buy in bulk can help you to clear out items quickly. You can bundle groups of similar items together and offer a discount. Consider allowing people to fill up a paper bag and charge a flat fee for it to sell lots of smaller items faster.
5. Make a Fun Event Out of It
If you can turn your garage sale into a small party in your neighborhood, you can bet that you will sell more items before you move. Your garage sale will be a bigger hit on a day that has good weather. Offering a few hot dogs and bottled water can go a long way in amping up your garage sale and getting people to pull over. Playing music and using bright sales signs can get more people to notice and participate. Encourage everyone to bring a friend to reel in higher profits.
Finding out that you have to move at the last minute is an opportunity to let it all go during a garage sale. Your garage sale does not have to be a complicated endeavor if you plan it well and take action quickly. Remember that anything you are not able to sell in time can be donated to a community center or given to the less fortunate. The profits you receive can be used to buy furniture, appliances, and other household items for your new residence.