August 8 is National Garage Sale Day. Here are 7 Ways to Up Your Garage Sale Game this Saturday. The trick is to set your sale apart from all the others. That may be easier said than done. National Garage Day means that many a family will their “trash” into driveways and yards, in hopes it will become someone else’s “treasure” – for a small price, of course. Here’s how your sale can shine:
1. Advertise
Why spend money when I’m trying to make money, you ask? This is one time it will pay off. If you’re active on social media, spread the word. Check out these sites and apps for free advertising, like garagesalefinder.com, yardsaletreasuremap.com – as well as Facebook and Craigslist. What fun can you have negotiating that extra 25 cents if no one shows up to argue with you? Let your shoppers know right where you are. Advertising doesn’t just mean social media. Let your location be known the old-fashioned way as well. Post clear and concise signs throughout your neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. Also, use signage in your yard to let your shoppers know they’ve arrived.
2. Price (most) everything
There are two opposing schools of thought on whether to price everything or price nothing. We say price it unless it’s a substantial piece of furniture or something particularly special to you. You may find this hard to believe, but not everyone loves the thrill of the negotiation. For every person who stops at that pile of paperbacks and asks you “how much,” another would rather keep walking. There goes your sale. We get it. Pricing everything can be tedious, so when possible, consider bulk pricing. In other words, “all shirts on this table, $2.00”, or “all toys in this bin, $1.00”. Your faithful hagglers will begin the haggle, while your no-frills customers can simply make the buy and move along.
To read more about why not to price your garage sale items, check out this article on 7 Ways to Make the Most Money From Your Garage Sale.
3. Display your wares!
After all, you’re there to sell stuff, and it’s easier to sell stuff potential customers can see. Most of us head to garage sales and yard sales expecting to poke around someone else’s boxes of belongings, but it will help your sales if you display what you’re selling. Ask yourself if you would rather peruse through clothing hanging on a rack, or dig into an old cardboard box full of furry surprises.
Give your shoppers the ability to look over goods without having to rummage through boxes of items. Don’t leave things in piles that look like trash. If you give your shoppers the impression that what you’re selling is garbage, this is precisely how they will perceive it – and price it.
This is one of the oldest and obvious marketing tricks in the book, but keep your most enticing items out front and in view of the street. The idea is to get people to pull over by being intrigued by what they see from the comfort of their car.
4. Does this thing work?
If you have pulled lamps, electronics, or appliances out onto your yard to sell, “does this thing work?” is a reasonable question. Let them know it works or not. Have a power source available to your shoppers. Pull out an extension cord and let your shoppers test before they buy. Many shoppers won’t care, and that’s the beauty of a garage sale. Some may want to use that electric frying pan you’re selling for a planter.
5. Yes, Customer Service counts! Even at a garage sale.
There may be a fine line between making our shoppers feel pressure, but you want to be present for them to answer any questions that come up. This is no time to bury yourself in a book or your iPhone. Here are our five best customer service tips:
Be prompt
Start your sale when you said you would start your sale! Those people who read your advertising on the platforms we suggested above will be pulling into your driveway before you take your first sip of coffee. These are the Garage Sale Pros. You’re only one of the many sales they will hit today. The good news is, they’re serious shoppers.
Offer refreshments
Offer chat and light refreshments, whether that’s coffee, water, lemonade, and even simple, store-bought cookies. Shoppers tend to spend more time if refreshed. It gives them a reason to linger and buy.
Help with heavy stuff
Don’t miss a big sale if one of your shoppers is intrigued by a piece of furniture but finds its weight daunting. Have a strong helper with you today to help with any heavy lifting. A little muscle could be the difference between someone buying that old sewing machine or walking away.
Accept alternate forms of payment
Have plenty of cash and change available to your customers – this includes bills and coins of all denominations. However, consider accepting payment through Paypal or Venmo. Alternate forms of payment mean more potential buyers, and may even (dare we say, will more than likely) increase your sales. Many of your customers choose these alternate forms of payment every day and feel more comfortable spending this way. This translates to more transactions, which means more earnings for you.
Provide bags
Give your shoppers the option of throwing their “finds” into grocery bags or boxes. Providing bags is not only excellent customer service, but it also allows the shopper to unload their arms and frees them up to continue searching for their “Garage Sale Gold,” whatever that may be.
6. What probably won’t sell
Practically anything is fair game to sell at a garage sale. Realtor.com‘s article Strange Things Found at Garage Sales tells the story one garage sale’s macabre offering of an urn full of someone’s ashes. Although that is a bit of a stretch, we offer tips on what to avoid from the shopper’s point of view in our recent article:
5 Things You Should Never Buy at a Garage Sale.
This article may help if you’re trying to decide whether or not you want to sell that half-used bottle of shampoo.
7. After your sale
Go online
If you find yourself stuck with a couple of items you considered a steal, there are still options available to you. Post your items on sites like Craigslist, eBay, local groups on Facebook, or neighborhood apps.
Donate!
Once you’ve exhausted these alternatives, pack them up and donate them to a worthy cause like a local shelter, Goodwill, or The Salvation Army.
So, you read 5 Ways to Up Your Garage Sale Game. Now, you’ve spent your precious weekend bartering with strangers in your driveway and maybe even made a new friend or two. The bottom line is, you should have a little more jingle in your pocket, and a little less junk in your house. Isn’t that what you were after in the first place? Pat yourself on the back for the keen businessperson you discovered yourself to be. August 8 is National Garage Sale Day. Now that you’ve rid your home of some of extraneous “stuff” and might be heading out to check out someone else’s garage sales don’t buy any beautiful urns without checking inside.