A guide for sellers
Your garage sale’s success depends on how well you plan and execute it. Give yourself at least a week to advertise, price your items and organize your merchandise.
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Getting started
Plan the basic details first, like setting a date and time. Weekends are the most popular time to host garage sales, though Fridays are common too. Sellers often hold two-day sales to maximize profit.
One of the best ways to boost your sale’s appeal is by inviting neighbors, friends and family to participate, which increases the selection of items for sale.
“If you band together with more people, then you’re more likely to have a variety of things and the volume of stuff that you have will attract people,” said Sal Perera, 55, who held a multifamily garage sale in Granada Hills last weekend.
Small extras -- such as offering refreshments and snacks, or boxes and bubble wrap for shoppers to package their purchases in -- can be a simple way to entice buyers to come to your sale. If you’re selling large items such as furniture or electronics, consider offering delivery.
Also remember to have change on hand -- go to the bank a few days before your sale to get rolls of coins and small bills. And if you live in an apartment or condo complex, get permission from your landlord or property manager before holding a sale.
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Selling your sale
How well you market your garage sale is just as important as the merchandise you’re selling, experts say.
Get the word out by advertising your sale in different ways, such as hanging signs throughout your neighborhood, e-mailing friends and posting ads online and in local newspapers. Be sure to include information such as the date, time and location of the sale; with online ads, you can also include extra details like what you’ll be selling and photos of your best items.
When making garage sale signs, the size of the type and poster are the most important factors, said Lars Perner, a marketing professor at USC’s Marshall School of Business.
“Neatness counts,” he said. “If you have colors that contrast nicely, you might want to have a white background and very intense colors in writing that’s going to stand out.”
To attract passing motorists, consider attaching helium balloons or streamers to your signs. And making signs in multiple languages could help appeal to non-English speakers.
Smart timing is essential when placing signs, experts say. Buyers could forget about the date of your sale if you put your signs up too early or could have made other plans if you advertise too late. Usually posting ads a day or two before your sale is ideal, Perner said.
“Unless you have something truly unusual, most people are probably not organized enough to plan to go to something like this a long time ahead of time,” he said.
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Pricing it right
Buyers expect bargain-basement prices at garage sales, so price items well below what you paid for them.
“From experience, I don’t ask too much,” said Perera, who made $400 from his recent sale. “The whole idea is to get rid of stuff, so you have to be really realistic in terms of pricing it to make it a bargain for people to buy. You’re not necessarily going to get what it’s worth.”
Rich Reams, who runs a permanent garage sale every weekend in downtown L.A., says he usually asks for 25% of an item’s original value, “but quite often we’ll sell stuff for 10 cents on the dollar.”
Many sellers modify their pricing strategy throughout the day.
Perera, for example, prices pieces of clothing individually in the morning, but “by the afternoon, I just say you can have three pieces for a dollar or four pieces for a dollar,” he said. “Otherwise, you just end up hauling it to the thrift store.”
If you don’t want to make your own price tags, stores such as Office Depot sell sticky pricing labels.
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After the sale
For items that you weren’t able to sell, you can try taking them to consignment stores, which will sometimes give you cash for items. Or if you’re feeling charitable, donate your leftover items to an organization such as Goodwill.
Also remember to take down the signs around your neighborhood.
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