Garage Sale Tips from a Shopper

I love to bargain hunt at garage sales. I'm very choosy, but when I find a good sale, I'll spend a good chunk of money. I'll spend more at 2 or 3 quality sales in one morning than I would wandering through a neighborhood of 30 sales. So, as a buyer, I offer my observations and tips on how to have a great garage sale where I will want to spend a lot of money.

1. Have a great ad in the paper. Specify what items and/or categories of items you are selling. Instead of saying "furniture", say "sofa, kitchen chairs, kids desk, bookshelf". Instead of saying "clothes", say "clothes: girls (0-4T), boys (2-8), maternity (S/M), women's (8/10), Men's (Talls)". If you have good quality merchandise, mention it by adding "Name Brand" or "High-Quality". There are a lot of sales I skip because of a plain-jane ad. I go where I have the best likelihood of finding what I want.

2. Have good signs. Make them bright, bold, and useful. Put one at every turn between the main road and your house. Make them all match with the same bright color and dark, heavy lettering. Don't bother with details about dates & times on your sign. Good, plain signage will drive a lot of traffic to your sale. You can save them to re-use at next year's sale.

3. Organize your sale. I refuse to dig through Rubbermaid bins and cardboard boxes filled with clothes (and who knows what). I will spend a lot more time and money at your sale if it is well-organized. If possible, hang clothing, or make neat, shallow stacks on tables. Sort by size. I know customers mess it up, but you can walk around in spare moments to straighten. Shallow stacks are fine, but deep stacks obscure your merchandise.

4. Put a price tag on everything. A lot of people won't bother to ask, and they'll walk away. Use stickers instead of pins so that you don't make holes in the garments.

5. Price to sell. If you are asking $3 for a pair of kids sweatpants just because they came from Gymboree, I'm probably not going to buy much at your sale. On the other hand, if I find a bargain for 50-cents, I'm going to stay and keep looking (and keep buying). There is a time for pricing higher for something special. Twice I have paid $10 for an American Girl dress. But, they were in new condition, and they were really nice.

Happy selling!