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Whether you’re preparing to move to a new home or just want to get rid of unwanted items that no longer “spark joy,” a garage sale is an easy way to lighten your load and make some money at the same time. It can also be a great way to connect with neighbors, who will be curious to see what you’re selling. How much effort you put into your garage sale is up to you, but the more effort you put into planning your setup and pricing, the more successful your sale will be. At the end of the day, a garage sale can be a very satisfying and rewarding event.
Planning and Promoting Your Sale
The first item on your planning agenda is figuring out when you’re going to have your garage sale. You will want to determine this at least a month out so you have plenty of time to identify, gather, and price all the items you want to sell. Spring, summer, and fall are the most common times. If you live in a place where winter is cold and can include snow and ice, most people aren’t interested in going to garage sales during that time of year. You can hold your garage sale anytime you want, but the weekend is the most common time to have one.
Will you have a one-day sale or a two-day sale? One-day sales are more common than two-day sales. What will the hours of your sale be? When considering this, keep in mind that “early birds” (people who show up early on purpose looking for good deals on items that interest them) will show up, often as much as an hour earlier than the time you’ve advertised for when the sale starts. The most common hours for garage sales are 8:00 AM–2:00 PM, but feel free to make the hours whatever you think will garner the most traffic.
Once you’ve determined the date(s) and hours, then you can plan on advertising to ensure people know you’re having a sale. Post your ads during the week leading up to your sale. Here are some advertising options:
- Signs: Most people will put signs up at the nearest/busiest cross street so people driving by will see them. Put some time and effort into making eye-catching signs on whatever material you have available (cardboard, foam board, and so on). Include the address of the sale, the day(s), and time(s). Signs are typically affixed to telephone poles or street signs. If you anticipate having future sales, you could invest in making yard signs you stick in the ground, or even a sandwich board you can use every time you decide it’s time for another sale. Be sure the writing on all your signs is big enough to be easily readable by folks driving by. Include a prominent arrow pointing people in the right direction.
- Online Listings: Use sites like Craigslist and Facebook (including Facebook Marketplace), as well as your other social media accounts to announce your upcoming sale. Include the address of the sale, the day(s), and time(s). Also include what forms of payment you’ll accept (see below).
- Payment Options: Cash is king, but you could also use payment apps like Venmo and CashApp if you already use those. If you’re going to be a garage sale regular, you might even want to invest in a portable card reader you can attach to your phone to take credit and debit cards. Having multiple ways to take payments beyond cash can really boost sales.
- Flyers: Make and post flyers on community bulletin boards at local business establishments, (coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, hardware stores, laundromats, and so on).
- Local Papers: Your local newspaper(s) might also be a good place as they tend to have classified listings available for garage sales, but those will also typically come at a small cost.
Another essential aspect of planning your sale is figuring out what items to include. You can spend as much time prior to the sale as you have available to gather what you want to sell and price each item as you select it so you’re not trying to price everything at the last minute. Remember, these are items you want to get rid of, and people are looking for bargains at garage sales; so keep your prices low. If your main goal is to sell as much stuff as you can to make it go away, then price things to move! After all, you’ll still have to deal with anything you don’t sell afterward, whether that means donating items to charity, hauling them off to the dump, or storing them someplace to try again next time.
Finally, consider collaboration. A multi-household garage sale will always attract more shoppers than a single garage sale, so ask your next-door neighbors if they’d like to participate, whether having sales on their own homes or adding their items to your sale and helping out during the sale. When several homes hold a garage sale together, there are more people to keep an eye on merchandise, talk to customers, and help move items.
Organizing the Sale Space
One of the most critical (and overlooked) elements of a successful garage sale is ensuring you have a welcoming, organized layout. Make time the day before your sale to start the setup process (if possible). You can even load tables with items and then cover them with drop cloths so you have less to do the morning of the sale. Use as many tables as you can.
Pro Tip: If you have sawhorses and plywood, you can make a table from those, too!
If you’ll be selling clothing, hang items on hangers and use a portable rack. Piles of clothes on tables start to look messy when people start picking through them. On your tables, group similar items to create themed sections (kitchen, tools, toys, and so on). You can even bundle similar small items together into “lots” to help move more merchandise faster. Have a cash box or pouch ready with plenty of smaller bills to make change; (people will inevitably only have a twenty-dollar bill to buy an item that’s priced at one dollar). If you have a stash of plastic bags, keep those available for buyers who would like them.
Another good idea is to have a space or a couple of big boxes labeled as “free.” You’ll inevitably have some items you’re on the verge of just throwing away because you can’t imagine anyone would buy them; however, if you put those things in your free box, you’ll be surprised how much of it gets scooped up. People love getting something for nothing, and one person’s trash is often another’s treasure. Finally, make sure anything that is not for sale is either out of the way or clearly labeled as not for sale. You don’t want anything you’re keeping to disappear!
Working the Sale
You can have a garage sale yourself as an individual, but it’s much easier (and more effective) if there are two of you available during the sale. One of you can be handle finalizing sales and manning the cash box while the other roams the sale, keeping things organized and tidying up along the way and perhaps answering questions shoppers may have, telling backstories on items (which is often a great way to get people more interested in specific items) and confirming pricing and/or making deals. It’s inevitable that some people will try to haggle a bit, so be prepared for that or put up a sign that reads “All prices as marked.” If some people are interested in possibly buying a bunch of things, feel free to come up with a lower price for everything to seal the deal.
Enhancing The Shopper Experience
If you’ve got unique, interesting, or eye-catching items, find a way to prominently display them at the front of the sale, so people see them first as they approach. This is especially true for furniture items, outdoor décor, yard/gardening tools and equipment, and so on.
Another way to enhance the shopper experience is to have a cooler stocked with bottled water / soft drinks and a table with snacks for sale. This will get people to spend more time browsing the sale, leading to more sales. If you price those items right, you’ll also make a little extra money. Remember, you’re a retailer for this sale and customer service matters!
Garage Doors of Indianapolis: Your Local Team of Trusted Experts
Now, imagine this: You’ve spent weeks prepping and organizing and advertising your garage sale, and your garage is going to be a main area where items are on display. It’s the morning of the sale and you’re ready to open up and move some merchandise. You hit the button to open the garage door and… nothing happens.
Don’t panic.
At Garage Doors of Indianapolis, we’ve been helping homeowners maintain, repair, or replace their garage doors since 1979! From the beginning, we’ve made a commitment rarely seen among our competitors:
Call us this morning for service today!
Today? Yes, TODAY!
317-860-0806
We make this commitment because few things are as frustrating as a malfunctioning garage door, no matter what time of year it might be. So, if you’re having “one of those days” right out of the gate, give us a call before 9:00 AM and we’ll come to help you as soon as we can.
The key to avoiding a scenario like a malfunctioning garage door on the day of a garage sale, of course, is regular service and maintenance to ensure your garage door is always functioning when you need it. Feel free to learn more about Garage Door Maintenance today.
Spring is a great time to start thinking about having a garage sale, and if you’re going to use your actual garage as part of your staging area, be sure to read our 4 Easy Spring-Cleaning Tips for Your Garage blog post.
From Sales and Installation to maintenance, repair, and replacement, GDI is your locally-owned and operated garage door experts you can depend on for all things related to garages and garage doors. Get in touch with us via our contact page or give us a call directly at 317-860-0806. We look forward to serving you!