How to rock a garage sale
We’ve held two garage sales to help downsize before moving and netted around $2,500. I’ve discovered that it takes a certain level of swagger and extroverted-ness to put a bunch of your stuff out on the sidewalk and get people to buy it.
Here’s what I’ve figured out so far:
Price to sell but don’t give it away
The internet kept saying the rule of thumb is to price items at 10% of the original price, but I’d say that’s a very broad rule of thumb. If it’s something you know people will want, go higher. If you could sell it for more on Marketplace, go higher. If you don’t need to get rid of it, go higher. If it’s something you really want to get rid of, go lower. If you don’t care about it at all, go lower. If you’re not sure anybody will want it, go lower. You can always try higher on the first day and cut prices on the second day. Or assess half-way through the first day. If things aren’t moving, maybe it’s time to reduce prices.Hold your sale on Friday and Saturday
Friday is the busier day, so start early and go long, and put out the big pieces you want to make money on. Saturday is more relaxed and slower. Start making deals, throw in stuff for free to help sweeten the deal and get rid of more things.Team up with neighbors
Our first sale was part of a neighborhood-wide garage sale, which was a great way to do it. Tons of traffic and no need to advertise since the neighborhood association does it for you. For our second sale, we coordinated with two other households to all hold sales on the same days. That way, there are more options for customers to browse and hopefully more traffic. (Plus, less pressure if you want to close up shop early and have a drink.)Don’t forget to advertise
You can’t go wrong with those classic road signs, they are the best way to get the word out. You can post on Nextdoor and Facebook too, obviously, but I never got feedback from anyone that that’s where they heard about us. And in my experience, if you speak Spanish with one customer, they will tell their friends and suddenly everyone who stops by will be your Spanish-speaking neighbors. Buenos dias, buscas algo especial? Hace calor!Expect the unexpected
Garage sale customers are unpredictable. All the cute lamps end up sitting there, while the half-empty bags of birdseed are the first to go. I just never knew what was going to sell. Lots of people in trades stopped by looking for any types of tools and garage stuff. People tended to browse books, kids’ toys, plants and home decor. We never sold any clothes - they are a waste of time to try to sell, even if you have nice stuff.Plan for a free pile and Marketplace
We had a free pile going during our sale (Please, anyone, take our Christmas tree!), and we put some more stuff on the curb afterwards. The magical curb where your junk becomes treasure. I’m using Marketplace to try and sell a couple pieces of furniture that didn’t go during the garage sale. I took some books to sell at a used bookstore - they gave me a great deal, surprisingly! And I took some sports stuff to a used sporting goods store to sell to them. So don’t feel like you can’t recoup some money in other places, too, even if you strike out during your garage sale.
Things you’ll need as you prep for a garage sale:
Tables and surfaces
You need more than you think. I had five long tables for the first sale and only two for the second, and it was a big difference. You think you can put stuff on a blanket on the grass, but nobody wants to shop like that, and stuff doesn’t sell that way. And don’t forget a clothes rack if you’re going to sell clothes (but don’t bother, seriously, it’s a waste of time).A mix of items
Gather up a few groups of things - kitchen stuff, kid stuff, books/records/CDs, home decor (like plants, lamps, vases, pictures/frames), furniture, garage/garden things (like power tools, rakes, shovels, lightbulbs, hammers). Even if you’re not sure it would sell, why not just put it out there and see what happens. It’s nice to have a random mix for people to browse.Price tags and bags
I’d say this is optional. I bought some price stickers online and used them on a few things, but sometimes didn’t bother. It’s kind of nice for someone to pick up a few things and you look at the pile and go: $5? Sure! Have some plastic bags on hand too, it’s helpful if people buy lots of things.Change and Venmo
I found most people just wanted to use cash, but a few people used Venmo, so nice to give options.At least two people
You need another person to help you carry furniture, and it’s crucial to have someone around to cover you if you need a break. Luckily my mom came and helped with the kids. It would’ve been hard to manage if I’d been trying to take care of them and help customers. Sometimes it was really busy.
Ultimately, it’s a long couple of days, but it was definitely worth it. We got rid of a ton of stuff, made a decent amount of money, and gave people a good deal on things they wanted. Win-win-win. We might hold one more sale, we’ll see how much energy we have in a week and if we have enough stuff to sell that it would be worth it. One step closer to moving!
