It’s time for a Garage Sale! You look around your home, and all you see is all you see are items you no longer use or need. Especially keeping up with your children outgrowing their clothing and toys. You sigh when you see all the tools you haven’t used in ages in your garage. And you wonder how you were the one to acquire Great-aunt Emily’s shot glass collection.
Before you put all your unwanted treasures out on display for the entire neighborhood to peruse, there are several things you can do to ensure a successful garage sale.
Organize Your Items
The more shoppers have to dig through items, the more likely they will walk right by and not buy something. Make shopping as easy as possible by grouping like items together.
Make sure you have a designated area for books, toys, kitchen items, tools, holiday items, or whatever else you may have for sale.
Organize your clothes by gender, season, and size. Many shoppers come looking for specific sizes.
No one wants to dig through a pile of clothing to see if the size they need is somewhere in there. Make it easy by folding clothing and having just a size or two on one table. Make it even easier by having signage for sizes on the table.
Reorganize the Garage
To keep your sale organized, uncluttered, and safe, make sure you create enough space for people to walk between tables and items for sale.
Sweep the garage floor. Check there are no oil spots, wet spots, or patches of loose dirt that may cause shoppers to slip. A quick sweep before you set up should avoid this issue.
Avoid confusion about what is for sale. It may be necessary to cover up items you aren’t selling with tarps or sheets. This strategy also focuses on the treasures you do have for sale.
Gather Your Tables
People are more likely to pick up items, look them over, and purchase them on tables versus the floor or ground. Ask neighbors, friends, and family if you can borrow their folding tables. Make sure every table you borrow has the owner’s name on it!
Folding tables aren’t the only thing you can use. You can use a board placed between two of the same object. Ladders, upside-down five-gallon buckets, chairs, or sawhorses work well as a makeshift table when you use a board. Just make sure all structures are secure and won’t tip over on someone.
Garage Sale Signage
Having plenty of signs around the neighborhood, pointing any passersby to your sale, is quite helpful to drive traffic to your house.
Next, make sure your signs are large, easy to read and have very little text. The easier a driver can see the sign, the better. Leave off the details such as items you have or even your address. Skip writing the days and the hours of the sale.
Often, “Garage Sale Today” with a huge arrow gets the point across. Make sure the writing is dark and big enough to see from several yards away.
Advertise Online
You’ve done all the work to set up your sale. Don’t make the mistake of not telling people about it.
Use social media to post pictures and details of your sale. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all great platforms to advertise your garage sale for free.
Another place to get the word out is Craigslist. Many die-hard garage sale shoppers use Craigslist to plan their bargain-hunting route. List key items you have for sale—post photos.
Advertise your sale a couple of days leading up to it, and then each day before you hold your sale.
Money
Lastly, have plenty of small bills on hand to make change. Keep all of the money on your person, if possible. Use these tips to prep for your garage sale, and you’ll be ready to open up the garage door and welcome shoppers.
Are You Ready For Your Garage Sale?
At Door Tech, we are all things garage! Contact us if we can help with repair or replacement for your garage doors, We also take care of garage door openers, and we can inspect your door and opener to ensure it stays in top form! We’re here to help!