Yes, folks. It will be spring soon. I promise.
You couldn’t tell that from looking out my window right now as another doozy of a storm is well under way. But besides cleaning out the pantry and straightening out your thimble collection for the umteenth time, what you can do is plan a garage sale.
Yes. Now. What else are you going to do with your time inside the house? You can’t go anywhere, anyway, so you might as well clean out your attic and the closets. And when the gorgeous spring flowers bloom, you can have a garage sale to sell all those that you don’t want to keep.
Here are some tips to consider for a successful garage sale so that you don’t haul them all back into your attic at the end of the day.
Having Garage Sale?
10 Tips for a Successful Garage Sale.
- Plan now and take all the items out and clean them. Yes. Clean and dust the items. You want to make them look desirable not junky.
- Check with your accountant to see if the profits will be taxable. While you have him on the phone, ask him if you need a sale permit and collect sales tax.
- Check with Consumer Products Commission on what you can sell and you can not. Yes, there is such a list. Check here for the letter on children’s products.
- For once, think like a big discount store. Would you go to a store that sells only ten styles of shoes? The more stuff and variety you have, the more people will show up. So if you only have a few items to sell, consider asking your friends, neighbors, and family members to combine to have one huge garage sale.
- Get the word out. Explore listing your garage sale on Craigslist and advertise on the Pennysaver. Research what you have to do now, not a week before the garage sale. There are deadlines to consider for Pennysaver and if you don’t already have an account with Craigslist, you will have to open one and so on. Prepare now while you are stuck at home. Make show-stopping signs to put up around the neighborhood when the time comes. (Make sure to take them down afterwards.). Search on Google for sites to list your garage sale. It’s a 21st century. Have a 21st century garage sale! Here is one site I found where you list your garage sale, based on your location. It’s also a great site to find a garage sale if you are looking to go to one.
- Price everything. Sounds like a no-brainer but people will pass by an item if it doesn’t have a price on it. So don’t miss pricing all your items.
- Prepare the following: Cash box, calculator, plenty of empty bags (start collecting them now), and wrapping materials for delicate items. And when you get nearer to the date, get lots of small bills and change to fill the cash box. And if you are a seller on Etsy, prepare a plenty of business cards and samples to your shop. A garage sale is a perfect venue for free advertising and marketing. Why not utilize it to advertise your shop?
- Sort out the good stuff from the “good” stuff. Don’t know if a dish is a collectible? Take it to a local dealer or an antique dealer for an appraisal so that you don’t end up selling a valuable Bakelite dish for a quarter.
- Hire Staff. That’s right. Make sure you have enough people to help you. If you are having a giant garage sale, organize with them to make sure you have enough people on hand to help out that day. Have more people than you think you’ll need.
- Plan a party. Plan on having a party-like atmosphere. Plan on having background music, coffee and cookies. If not for the customers, for yourself and the helpers. Make it a party. When you are not busy, it’ll help you pass the time. Why not? It’s a gorgeous day and you are outside enjoying the weather. Besides, the music and foods will attract more customers too.
Have you ever had a garage sale? Can you share your successful tips?
Off to dig up some old skis to sell that I’m too old experienced to use.
