Simple tips for a successful garage sale …

Having a garage sale is a lot of work. A lot more work than I am willing to do. I just take my unwanted goods to the local thrift store and donate them. But, for those who are willing to go to all of the trouble of having a sale, here are some tips to make that sale successful and to attract people like me - who won’t have a sale but are quite willing to go to garages sales - and in many cases - buy stuff we don’t really need.

Getting us there.
One of the most important things in having a successful garage sale is getting people to the sale. Good signage is everything! Please, no cardboard signs with thin, illegible scribbling. Make your signs all the same color - it makes it easy to follow. Print in big, bold letters - include the address, day and time of sale, and an arrow pointing in the correct direction. If there is room to put more, that’s great - but don’t print in small letters just to add more on the sign. Put up signs at reasonable distances - every two or three blocks or so - but not several miles apart (unless you note the distance to the next sign). And one more thing – make sure you check on your signs during the sale - just to make sure pranksters don’t move or remove them.

Place the signs so the writing is at least one foot above the ground. Many times we’ve found cardboard, illegible signs, mounted on the ground, and half falling over so you can’t see what it says. We do not pursue those sales. We just go find another one. Also, please don’t put your signs up early and the put the last sign (at the location) up just before the sale. Once we follow the signs - that don’t lead to anywhere – we don’t come back.

Keeping us there.
It’s very important to have reasonable parking (and places to turn around or back up) at your sale. If the parking looks too tight or if you have to back out from a long driveway - and it’s too far to walk in to the sale from the road, we just go to the next sale. I’m sure there are others who will still come to your sale, but some may not. Remember - we really don’t need to buy at the sale; we just have fun doing it.

Make it easy for us to look. Have the items laid out neatly, not piled up in huge piles or thrown in boxes. Separate clothing by size and who it is for - making sure it has been laundered. Make sure household goods, tools, furniture, etc. are cleaned to the extent possible – i.e. no cob webs. I think our favorite sale was one where the items where neatly displayed on tables or shelves in a three-stall garage that had painted and decorated walls. Jewelry was hung on table top boards, books were on shelves sorted by topic, and dishware was displayed on shelves or in cabinets. The items on the driveway were laid out neatly with plenty of room to walk around the items. Needless to say, we purchased several items.

Add a little something.
When it’s hot outside, it is hard to focus on shopping. Having cold water available is a nice touch to show your customers that you appreciate their willingness to shop despite the heat. And, if it’s cold - which happens with fall sales – a cup of hot coffee might keep folks shopping just a little bit longer. Just a thought.

Finally - for those of you who are shopping – bring cash in small bills. Many people won’t accept checks or larger bills. You’d hate to miss out on something you really want.