How to have a successful garage sale

In a previous post I made mention of several items which I thought it unwise to purchase second hand or used. I read with much interest the varied responses I received from my readers.

Some people felt that I was suggesting that all used goods are dangerous whereas others debated my choice of items which I had labelled as unsafe. So in a bid to clear the air let me positively state that there is some merit to purchasing used goods, however, I am still of the opinion that some items are not worth the risk even at the cost of saving a few bucks. Now that my stance has been clarified let me turn my attention to how you can successfully sell used goods at a garage sale.

Having a garage or yard sale is a great way to declutter your house as well as provide you with additional income. Some yards sales however, would leave some consumers running for the hills instead of for their wallets.

This is because those having yard sales are not usually aware of how to present their goods. Scattered items on a lawn are usually unattractive to the prospective buyer. The best way to display your goods is in an orderly fashion with clear tags. Price the items reasonably so that if the customer wants to negotiate you will still have room in which to lower or raise the price.

Avoid selling broken or soiled items if possible as that will make the entire display unattractive.
Be creative in your sales technique by ‘marrying products’. This means you when you sell one product that is in high demand such as furniture and appliances then they get a reduced cost on items such as pictures or magazines. Used textbooks, which I have blogged about before, can be easy to sell especially if they were kept in good condition and still currently being used in schools.

Ensure that there is enough security at the sale so that the products are protected. Have an assortment of change on hand for customers. Place an advertisement in the paper with the time and place of the sale.

Don’t forget to check the weather report especially if the sale is to be held outside.
Do you go to garage sales? Let me hear form you!!

Tags: budget, consumer, save