Regarding packing and moving, the concept of “the more, the merrier” vanishes.
The less stuff you carry, the better. Hence, before your professional movers help you relocate, you should consider hosting a garage sale sufficiently in advance.
This is a great way to declutter your home and eliminate things you no longer use.
And why not make a little money while at it?
A garage sale is a great social event. It allows you to network more and get to know your locales closely. It also helps you clean the clutter while helping you prepare for your next move on time.
But are you wondering what makes it a huge success? Let’s learn the tips for planning, organizing, and hosting a garage sale like a pro.
1. Schedule Your Garage Sales on Weekends
People are always searching for “garage sales near me” on Google and usually have time off on weekends.
This indicates that your potential buyers are available mainly on Saturdays and Sundays, particularly during the daytime, to inspect the items better.
Hence, schedule your garage sale on weekends, targeting the month’s first weekend.
The first weekend is the payday for many, which is an excellent opportunity for you to attract early shoppers.
Set the date at least 6 weeks before to allow time to gather and price sale items.
2. Closet Cleanout for Moving Sale
Whether you are moving yourself or hiring movers, one thing that you have to do is clean out your closet effectively.
Your garage sale is an excellent excuse to start cleaning your closet.
Decluttering your closet helps you sort your items for sale well in advance, especially before your local movers arrive.
Start gathering the stuff and assign which items go to the sell, donate, and purge pile.
Are the ones that go to your “sell” pile clean enough?
Maybe they need to be washed or fixed. If necessary, take care of these aspects, and talk to other people in your house to ensure they agree with you selling these items.
3. What to Sell and What to Skip
When it comes to decluttering your home, we recommend going room-by-room.
It helps you gather all your garage sale items (various) and prepares you to pack for a move like a pro.
What Items Should You Sell at a Garage Sale?
Let’s face it: A garage sale will not make you uber-rich overnight. But it can be a successful hit if you sort your items correctly. Therefore, understanding the most in-demand items is necessary before you put a price tag on them.
| The Best-Selling Items | The Worst-Selling Items |
|---|---|
| Books: A new book at a retail price is expensive. Sales are the best for avid readers who buy a new book every week. | Shoes: Nobody will put themselves into your shoes, especially the used ones. |
| Video Games/ Gaming Consoles: Purchasing a new gaming set burdens the pockets. Gamers can be your good customers in a yard sale. | Old Computers: People usually don’t buy older PCs. |
| Handbags/Backpacks: Accessories grab customer’s attention when they browse for items. | DVDs, CDs, VHS Tapes: Again, your customers have shifted to the internet and OTT platforms, which limit the sale of such items. |
| Toys: Shoppers won’t hesitate to buy toys if they are well-kept. | Used Beauty Products: Once opened and used, it is better to discard skincare, lotions, and makeup products. |
| Small Furniture Items: Ottoman, upholstered furniture, bookshelves. | Mugs, Pots, and Pans: Selling used kitchenware at a garage sale is unpleasant, unlike selling new sets. |
| Kitchen Items: Vases, Vintage glassware, dishes that are not used. | Armoires and Entertainment Units: People are now switching to flat-screen TVs and no longer use them to keep their chunky TV sets. |
| Power and Garden Tools: These tool kits are expensive, and it’s a great deal for shoppers if they get them at a discounted rate. | Used Electronics: Unless gently used, broken electronics and appliances won’t attract shoppers, as they won’t spend time repairing them. |
4. Do Your Homework – Local Area Rules and Permits
Every city operates differently. Before hosting your garage sale, ensure you have done the homework to understand the city or town by-laws.
Some areas require a garage sale permit, prompting you to comply with the rules and regulations before you plan a sale on your premises.
For instance, Health Canada regulates what you can or cannot sell at a garage sale.
Similarly, thoroughly analyze the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, Municipal Law Enforcement, and other advisories before putting up signage.
This will prevent you from paying unknown taxes, penalties, or fines.
5. Leave No Room for Confusion – Organize your Garage Sale Items
The biggest turn-off for customers is not finding what they are looking for. Before starting, organize your stuff by category, gender, and age. This will help your potential buyers scout better and browse through your sale effectively.
Tip: Use bold labels and clear posts to help your customers navigate your sale. You can organize books, video games, and toys in one section and clothing, accessories, and shoes in separate sections.
6. Advertise Your Garage Sale
“Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them, and sometimes it’s an ad.” – Howard Gossage.
Promote, promote, promote! There are tons of events happening every week, so you need to ensure that yours stands out.
Learn How to Advertise When You Host a Garage Sale
The main objective of an ad is to spread awareness about your garage sale. Ensure your advertisements hook your audiences well.
Here’s what you should follow:
Come Up with a Catchy Post Sign
Ensure your post sign has all the essential information in bold colors and letters. You can also invest in a sidewalk sign, typically a 24×36-inch, robust, water-resistant frame. You should also put multiple signs on high-traffic roads and intersections where drivers and pedestrians can read your ad.
Leverage Social Media
Today, social media is everyone’s go-to application on their phones.
Hence, this method is the best for targeting shoppers always looking for sales, discounts, thrift stores, etc.
Once you finalize the date, start your social media campaign a month before your garage sale.
Remember that your posts and captions should mention all the essential details, such as date, time, and location.
You can also engage your audiences with sneak-peek pictures of the garage sale.
Online Marketplaces for the Win
Another platform to advertise your garage sale is on Facebook marketplace, Craiglist, or Kijiji to reach mass audiences.
All you have to do is come up with attention-grabbing headlines, talk more about high-ticket items, design a poster, and post it on these platforms.
Community Bulletin Boards
Your neighborhoods are your crucial target points. Ensure your ad at least reaches out to your local community groups, as it is easier for them to visit your garage sale.
For that, you can design an eye-catching flyer and post it on bulletin boards at local churches, supermarkets, schools, or cafes.
7. Price Items After Doing Your Research
Pricing garage sale items is the most important part of the process.
Remember, selling bulk items at lower prices is the key to generating maximum sales.
Hence, a good rule of thumb is to charge 10% of the original price you paid for.
For example, if your book was $25 when you bought it, charge not more than $2.5 for the same book at your garage sale.
If you sell some luxury brands or other household items such as designer clothing, shoes, or accessories, you can slightly increase the percentage to 20%.
Another way to determine certain items’ prices is to research online.
You can check the cost of your garage sale items on platforms like Craiglist, eBay, or Facebook Marketplaces to get a fair idea of resale values.
Essential Things to Keep in Mind When Determining Garage Sale Pricing
-
Put a Price Tag Based on the Condition of your Items
You can check the condition of your items before pricing them. Remember to keep the prices slightly high to allow room for negotiations when your customers counteroffer.
| Condition of the Garage Sale Items | Pricing based on Retail Prices |
|---|---|
| Likely New Items (Excellent condition) | 50% of the original retail price |
| Gently Used Items | 10-20% of the original price |
| Poor Condition or Broken Items | 5% of the retail price or bundle the items with other similar items [e.g., Toys, video games, board games can be clubbed together] |
- Be Open to Negotiations
At your garage sale, you need to be flexible with the pricing of your items.
The goal is to dispose of furniture, kitchen items, artwork, and other unwanted items before relocation.
Whether moving to a new city or a new office location, you must ensure that you carry fewer items.
Hence, be open to negotiating a little with your customers.
8. The Art of Selling More – Slash Prices Toward the End
Towards the end of your garage sale, try reducing prices to attract more customers.
You can create new signage with new prices, prompting buyers to know you are offering a discount on the last few items.
This selling technique might help you earn more profits and eliminate unwanted items before moving to a new place.
9. Keep a Handful of Bills and Coins
Your garage sale should be as smooth as you have imagined it to be.
Hence, avoid the last-minute hassle of arranging change.
Ensure you go to the nearest bank and get a bundle of $5, $10, and $20.
Also, if your garage sale lasts two or more days, prepare your small bills well.
Please Note: Nowadays, people prefer using digital payment methods over cash. Hence, set up your payment structure to add a board with your email or enable Pay and Tap and Pay Options with a physical card swiper.
10. Dispose of Your Garage Sale Leftovers
You put it all together to eliminate unwanted items, adopted the best advertising practices, and used the right pricing strategies.
Yet, you are left with unsold items. Don’t get disheartened, as you did your best.
Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so make the most of your garage sale leftovers.
You can donate your stuff before moving.
For example, you can donate old furniture to local furniture banks.
In addition, you can take your beds, cabinets, tables, and dressers to recycling centers, which reuse the wood for composting and dispose of metal to metal scrap yards.
If you are running out of time and your moving day is approaching, you can bring your unwanted items to the curb or hire a professional junk removal company.
With professionals by your side, you won’t worry about renting dumpsters or lifting heavy furniture.
11. Don’t Want to Put Everything on Sale? Rent a Storage Unit Before Moving!
Whether moving locally or long distances, a few household items are either too precious to sell or too tricky to carry everywhere.
In such cases, consider renting a storage unit.
You can rent a storage unit temporarily or for a longer period.
The best part is that some professional moving companies, too, offer storage services to keep your oversized furniture, extra mattresses, office furniture, gym equipment, and other miscellaneous items safe and secure.
Tip: Consider a climate-controlled unit for organizing your storage items.
This will give you peace of mind that your valuable possessions are protected from extreme temperatures, dirt, and debris.
Final Thoughts – Garage Sales are the Best Way to Declutter Your Home
Garage Sales indeed give you multiple reasons to be happy! First, they are an incredible way of getting to know your neighbors and interacting with the local community groups.
Second, they help get rid of unwanted items, especially when you are planning to relocate to a new city.
Lastly, you know your garage sale has been successful when you take home some big bucks in your pocket.
FAQs
1. Are garage sales profitable?
Yes and no. A garage sale doesn’t necessarily guarantee overnight success, but it can help you earn cash by selling your items at a cheaper rate.
Buyers bargain a lot at garage sales, making you settle for lesser resale value.
Hence, try to follow the right pricing technique of charging 10% of the retail price and use aggressive advertising methods to make it profitable.
2. How much can you expect to make at a garage sale?
Revenue earned at a garage sale is not fixed, but if you adopt the right pricing tips, you can earn between $500 and $1500, or sometimes more, if you sell high-quality items at a fair rate.
3. What is the best month to have a garage sale before moving?
The best months for people to step out are June to September, the peak summer months in Canada and the USA.
However, please check the best and worst moving months, see what aligns best with your plans, and then schedule your garage sale.
4. Which sites are suitable for posting a garage sale ad?
You can post your ad on Garage Sales by Map, Garage Sale Finder, Kijiji, and Facebook Marketplace.
These are proven sites where shoppers search for “garage sales near me,” helping grab the attention of mass shoppers.
