How to Organize a Successful Garage Sale!

Success at the sale

My Mom used to have garage/yard sales at least once a year during the spring time. (Hi Mom!) And the tips she would use to prepare for her sale almost always guaranteed her sale to be a success. She taught me that more people will purchase your items if they are displayed well, well, that and low prices! Here are a few pointers for making your sale a success!

1. Organize your items by category 
When you go to the store you don't see items that don't belong together put next to each other on purpose, do you? You wouldn't go down the shower curtain isle and want to find a suitcase and a half used bottle of vitamin c would you? Keep your items with similar items. If you have enough tables, put one category of items to a table. Have a kitchen table, a home decor table, etc. 

2. Keep your items reasonably priced
When going through and pricing your items ask yourself "how much would I pay for this?" Keep in mind, also, the area you live in. If you live in a relatively poor area don't price your items too high, or they'll never sell. Remember these are used items, if you do have an unopened brand new item, you can try pricing it a little higher. And if you aren't sure what to put for a price, try asking for offers, someone else will always tell you what they want to pay for it.

3. Test your electronic items
If you have electronics in your sale, people will almost always ask "does this work?" be prepared with a detailed answer. Explain any operation flaws and offer to let them test it out before taking it home. It may come in handy to have a power strip and an outlet ready for this. If you tell people "it worked back in..." You won't find many takers.

4. Hang your clothes
If you have the space and the resources, try to hang your clothes. People are much more likely to go through clothes if they aren't laying on a table. If you decide to hang your clothes and need hangers try a department store like Kohl's or JC Penny for free hangers. Keep women's clothes and men's clothes separate. If you do not have the space or resources to hang your clothes, keep them folded nicely on a table and separate them by gender. And if you want to be a pro, place them in size order. 

5. Advertise! 
This is especially important if you live in a bad location. Put up signs, advertise on Facebook, craigslist and other social media (It's free!), put an ad in the newspaper, post flyers in grocery stores and don't forget to tell your friends! Keep your signs simple, but include information. For example "Huge Garage sale Sat 7-12 123 Main St!" Make sure you're writing in bold lettering, because a lot of people won't try to read the sign as they're driving if the writing is too small.

6. Be friendly
How many garage sales have you gone to where people seem like they absolutely abhor having to sell their items to you? There are a lot of people who get grumpy when having a sale. Try your absolute hardest not to be one of those people and say hello to people coming up your drive way. Think of it as people coming into your home. If you are too shy to say hello, offer a smile. It's not as hard as you might think. Make sure you drink your coffee in the morning if you feel like you can't be friendly early in the morning!


People who go out to sales are usually looking for something they just can't live without, by following these simple steps, if you've got it, they're sure to take it off your hands!