If you’re considering a garage sale after recently decluttering your garage or home, then keep reading.
Not only does a garage sale help you get rid of those items that are still in perfect condition but no longer serve you, but it also helps you clear up garage floor space and more room in your home. It also does not hurt that a well-executed garage sale can bring in some extra money!
We have all the sale tips for a successful garage sale you need to ensure you’re set up and reaping the rewards.
Garage Sale Tips Australia: Tips for a Good Garage Sale
Tip 1: Declutter and Clean Your Garage and Items
If you haven’t already decluttered your garage, now is the time to start. It’s important that the space you will be using for the yard sale is clean and looks good. The same goes for the items to sell. Wash all the clothing and wipe down all objects so that they will look brand new for their new owners.
Tip 2: Sort Your Sections: Group Similar Items
You want your garage sale guests to be able to locate what they need easily. Group your items to sell in categories and subcategories. For example, you can have a clothing and accessories section and then a subcategory for baby clothes. Your categories should make sense to your visitors and be easy to navigate.
Tip 3: Garage Sale Pricing: Price Things Right
Prepare for Hagglers
Given the nature of a garage sale, you can expect to do some haggling. No price is set in stone when it comes to selling at a garage sale. Ensure that you include some wiggle room in the price for when this does happen.
Set Emotions Aside
When pricing your items, try not to take the sentimental value into account. That teacup might have a beautiful story of how it came into your possession, but that is worthless to the person buying it — they just see a teacup, so price it as a teacup.
Price Everything
Ensure that all garage sale items have price tags. It’s important to clearly mark the prices on all the items to make your job easier on the day and to avoid those who will take chances with bargaining.
To make things easier, you can even group similar items under one price. For example, if you have a bunch of scarves, you can make them all the same price.
You can use pricing stickers, a fine point marker or masking tape. Just ensure that you are not causing damage to the item.
Tip 4: Ensure You Have Enough Change
It’s important to have enough cash on hand to give your customers change. You don’t want someone to walk away from a sale simply because they could not break a note! It’s also a good idea to write down the exact amount of cash you use so that you can subtract it from the total at the end of the day to see how much money you made from the garage sale.
Tip 5: Set Up Your Garage Like a Store
You want your customers to enjoy browsing through your items. The longer they linger, the more likely they are to purchase something! Set up areas with mirrors where they might want to try on a hat, for example. Or add a couple of chairs in the area where you are selling shoes. Try to think of your space from the customers’ point of view and then set it up accordingly.
Tip 6: Choose the Best Time
Now that you’ve got your garage sale items and space all set up, it’s time to decide when you will be hosting your garage sale. It should come as no surprise that Saturdays are very popular for garage sales.
Especially mornings as this is generally when people head out for the day. You might also want to check the weather, as you will have significantly fewer people out and about on a rainy day.
Our top tip? Extend your garage sale to run over two weekends. Some people might want to sleep on it before buying a bigger item such as furniture, so if you give them a second chance, you might just make a little bit of extra cash!
Tip 7: Advertise Your Garage Sale
Okay, so now you have your items and space ready, and your date has been set. But how do you advertise your garage sale to ensure people show up?
First, take photos of your different categories and items so that people can get a good idea of what you have on offer. They might just spot something they really want immediately!
When it comes to channels, your best bet is to try a couple of advertising methods. Putting a social media ad, for example, on Facebook is always a good idea. You can target your neighbourhood specifically, which makes it highly effective but just ensure that you give it enough time to run before the date of the sale.
It is also a great idea to print flyers and put them up around the neighbourhood, perhaps even pop a few in some mailboxes. You should also consider placing an ad in your local paper to reach more people.
Don’t forget to put up prominent garage sale signs on the day!
Tip 8: Make it Fun
Don’t make your customers meander around in silence! Make the day fun for everyone by playing some music and perhaps even selling lemonade or snacks for the shoppers.
Common Garage Sale Problems and How to Avoid Them
Bad Pricing System
One of the most common mistakes people make at garage sales is having a bad pricing system. This causes confusion and wastes your and your customers’ time.
Not Standing Your Ground
Haggling is fine, but don’t let it go too far. Don’t allow for disappointment by giving in and settling for a much lower price than you were hoping for. People will try to take advantage of the situation, and you will have to stand your ground.
Unrealistic Expectations
Don’t expect that you’ll make a boatload of money. All of your items are unlikely to sell and remember that you are selling second-hand items, and they should therefore be priced as such!
Your garage isn’t maintained
If your garage isn’t maintained, and your roller or sectional garage door is beaten, bruised, and hasn’t been serviced, it can deter potential buyers from your garage sale. Make sure you keep get your garage door serviced about once a year from a professional.
Get The Best Garage on the Block
Gryphon Garage Doors is one of the best garage door repair, garage door service, and garage door installation companies for sectional and roller door repair in Perth, and have been helping Australians protect their homes and commercial spaces in stylish ways for over 25 years. Why is this important? Well it means we’ve come across countless different jobs, and have had to overcome each one. So no matter your situation, you gotta get a Gryphon. We have:
- Finger proof safety
- Quietest motors on the market
- Trained professionals
- Customised products
- Warranty up to 7 years!
- After sales service
Your garage broke down and you need it to open ASAP? Not a problem, give us a call and we will try our best to get to you today and open your space. We look forward to hearing from you.
