Unlocking the Secrets of Garage Sales : Consumers: A carefully planned garage sale can lead to greater profits, says the co-author of a how-to-sell book.
Every Saturday morning, hundreds of paper plates and jagged pieces of cardboard sprout on trees and telephone poles in towns from La Habra to Laguna Niguel. The hand-lettered signs send people down alleys and up side streets in strange neighborhoods in pursuit of one of the county’s weekend passions--the garage sale.
But as prolific and common as garage sales are, finding a well-planned, well-executed and attractive one is rare, says Fabie Combs, co-author of “Secrets for a Great Garage Sale,” an A-to-Z primer for those who want to give a “great garage sale, have fun and make money too.”
The soft-cover manual that Combs calls a “must for anyone seeking to maximize profits” includes instruction on timing, variety, legal considerations, merchandising, pricing, advertising, signs and refreshments.
It is also the required text for Combs’ workshop by the same name, taught for the first time recently through the Department of Parks, Beaches and Recreation of the City of Newport Beach.
“There are obvious reasons to have a garage sale,” said Combs. “You want to clean out, make room or make money. But it’s also a wonderful opportunity to have fun, meet people, make contacts and learn new things--if you do it right.”
Combs, 45, wrote the 36-page book with her salesman husband after spending almost four decades buying, selling and bartering for used goods.
She said her father, an Arkansas farmer, instilled in her the principles of “horse trading” at a very early age.
When she was 13, Combs started selling at Orange County swap meets. She also did a lot of bartering then, a technique she still makes frequent use of.
“In today’s market, free enterprise is dwindling,” she said. “But you can still create a market from whatever you have and make a profit. One person’s junk is still another person’s treasure.”
Today, Combs said she never makes less than $200 with just a “little bit of junk.”
“That’s because I work on my stuff,” she said. “You can put some boxes out in the front of your house and take what you can get, but I like to strain the gain. And that takes planning.”
Combs said fewer than 20% of “garageteers” do any planning at all and therefore lose hundreds of dollars.
“I’ve been to sales where the people giving it didn’t have too much pride,” she said. “It’s like they took a shovel into the house and dumped it on the lawn. You don’t even want to touch it--you want to take tweezers and go through the stuff.
“When it’s over, people know what they made, but they have no idea of the profits they lost.”
Combs first deals with terms used to describe various types of sales, “garage sale” being the most common and deriving from people using their garages to store things overnight during two or three-day sales, Combs said.
Other types include estate sales and moving sales.
Once you know what to call your sale, it’s time to start planning, preferably weeks or even months in advance.
The first thing to do is decide what you’re going to sell. A good rule of thumb in selecting items, said Combs, is if you haven’t used something in two years, you should sell it and buy something you will use.
And when gathering items, keep in mind that variety and quantity are important. If you don’t have variety, join forces with other people in the neighborhood.
“Variety really is the spice in a good garage sale,” she said. “Leave out the spice and you will often miss the high profits you deserve. Include everything; don’t assume that because you don’t want it others won’t.”
Combs said it’s amazing what will sell at garage sales.
“Pyrex lids, beds, old license plates, beaten tennis shoes, old car cleaning waxes, broken things--they all sell,” she said. “Give all your stuff equal rights, because you never know until after the sale. Heck, I’ve bought used nail polish at garage sales. I wouldn’t rule out anything as long as it’s legal and in good taste.”
Once you’ve decided what to sell and made sure you have enough, check with your local city hall or county office to find out if there are any restrictions on items you might plan to unload, such as firearms, fireworks, food, prescriptions or wines.
Next, think about timing.
“Obviously weather is a factor,” she said. “Also, avoid holiday weekends, peak vacation months and April, when people are worrying about paying taxes. The best times are spring and fall, on a weekend after the mid-month payday, when people are not as likely to be paying bills.”
As far as what days to choose, Combs said Saturdays are best and Fridays are second-best. Pick Sunday if you can’t do Friday, she said.
“Sundays are less profitable, plus people think everything is all picked over and sold by Saturday,” she said. “And the time of day is very important to state if you don’t want people knocking at your door at 6 a.m.”
Combs said “early birds” are generally garage sale “pros” who want to buy things for resale at flea markets or swap meets. They may come as early as two days before an advertised sale.
“They want to get to you first and get there before you’ve set up, because in your confusion they can buy things cheaper than you intended,” she said. “One favorite tactic of theirs is to get there early, group items together, throw them in a bag and suggest a low price. Don’t accept this. Take them back out and add them separately.”
Combs recommends holding sales from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays.
Once the date and time are set, think about advertising, because more people equals more money, an obvious fact that people tend to overlook, said Combs.
Paid ads should be placed to reach a five-mile radius around the sale, she said. Full-page flyers can be distributed, and index cards can be placed on bulletin boards at the supermarket, retirement centers and laundry facilities.
One of the most important advertising tools are signs, the size, quantity and location of which are vital, Combs said.
“Friday shoppers come from ads, but Saturday shoppers come from ads and signs,” she said. “Almost all Sunday shoppers come from signs, so it’s important to do them right.”
Two double-sided signs facing opposite directions should be placed at intersections within a mile of the sale. Additional signs should be placed at intermediate points to keep buyers on the “trail to the great garage sale,” she said.
Signs, of which there should be at least six that are consistent in style, should be made of neon yellow or orange poster board or spray-painted cardboard. Lettering should be in caps and drawn with a large felt-tip marker or painted with enamel.
To grab attention, decorate large signs with items such as 12-inch ribbons, balloons, pompons, children’s pinwheels, strips of aluminum foil or metallic-looking wallpaper and wrapping paper. Attach the decorations so that the air and wind from passing cars will move them.
Also, cut and attach stars made of foil or paint glue over the top of letters and around borders and then dust over the glue with glitter, techniques that will make the signs shine in the sun.
Signs need catchy phrases, said Combs. Examples are “WOW sale!,” “A-to-Z sale!,” “First Time Ever Sale!,” “Believe It Sale!,” “Total Stuff!” or “Great Stuff, Good Stuff and Junk,” she said.
“Do the signs two weeks ahead,” said Combs. “If you don’t put dates on them, you can reuse them later. And check your signs frequently throughout the sale, because they might get stolen or torn down.”
At the sale site, hang big banners or balloons. Anything extra and unusual helps draw customers, she stressed.
Before the sale, get adequate money with which to make change.
Combs recommends a total of $50 broken into 15 $1 bills, four $5 bills, one $10 bill, and $5 in coins. Also, keep extra money in the house, because some people will show up with $100 bills, she added.
You should also merchandise and market your items to their best advantage. “Items should be grouped by categories, such as kitchen, hobby, sports or toys,” she said. “Clothes especially should be grouped by gender and age or size and placed on hangers.”
Group and display items in attractive combinations, as a store would do. “Put furniture, lamps and vases in an arrangement as if you’re in a room,” she said. “Seeing a lamp on a table helps sell it faster than if it’s sitting on the lawn. Place accessories with dresses. And make your display functional, with cords, nearby electrical outlets, batteries, light bulbs and a measuring tape.”
Pricing is always a big consideration.
“To tag or not to tag, that’s the big question,” said Combs.
But tagging saves time over verbally pricing during the actual sale, said Combs, especially if you have little or no help dealing with customers.
If you decide to tag, use colored or different-shaped stickers that can be stuck on a sheet of paper and help you keep track of what you’ve sold. Use only cent signs, no dollar signs, because psychologically it makes the amount appear to be less, Combs said.
“People will try to haggle with you,” she said. “And this can be fun if you don’t take it personally. There’s a lot of finesse and psychology in selling anything.”
After your sale, Combs said, take down your signs and box unsold items for a future sale. Unwanted items can be donated to a charity and should be photographed for tax purposes.
