When cleaning out your home or just decluttering room by room, it can be hard to figure out what to do with all of your excess stuff. It feels wasteful to throw it all out, but you might want to at least make some money off of your items before donating everything you don’t use anymore. A great way to get rid of unused or excess items all at once (while making a little bit of money) is to hold a garage sale. It’s faster and easier than going back and forth about individual items on Facebook Marketplace, and allows you to get rid of large amounts at once. However, it’s hard to know where to start when planning a garage sale. Read below for what to do, what to know, and how to pull off a successful sale.
Where to Start
The hardest, but most important step in conducting a garage sale is getting started. Make sure to check with your Homeowner’s Association or with the city to see if you need any permits or if you’re even allowed to have a yard or garage sale. Go to the bank and get coins and small bills for change. Make sure you have an inventory of what you’re putting out, and put out everything you can! Better to put out too much than not enough.
When Should I Have My Garage Sale?
The best time to have a yard or garage sale is usually at the beginning or end of the month, and on a weekend. Most people are off and have just gotten paid, so are more likely to make a stop and see what you have to offer. Start early and end by the early afternoon, when more people are heading home after a weekend activity of some sort.
How Do I Price Things?
It’s important to know how to toe the line between pricing things to sell and practically giving away your items. It’s better to make things cheaper to attract bargain hunters, than to make things too expensive and end up having to donate everything because nothing sold. Offer a discount for multiple items, and don’t be afraid to go toe-to-toe with hagglers.
How Do I Get Word Out?
Promoting your garage sale is almost as important as the sale itself. There’s no actual sale if you don’t have any customers, after all. Make fun signs and flyers to post around your neighborhood or by nearby roads, and make sure to include clear and direct instructions as to how to get to your home if you’re more out of the way. Promote it online through Facebook, Craigslist or Nextdoor about a week ahead of time to get the word out.
Having a garage sale can be a really easy solution for getting rid of a lot of unwanted items at once. Don’t be intimidated by having to coordinating the sale – it’s not as hard as you think! Clear everything out, price things well, and be prepared in the case of rain. You’ve got this!