But the question today is, "How do you run a successful garage sale?" I LOVE having garage sales just as much as I love going to them. We usually do one every 6 months so I've gotten to learn some tips and ways to have it be a hit over the past several years. Follow this list for success in your garage sale!

I'd love to hear from you as well so share your tips!

1. Find out about restrictions in your neighborhood/city. Alot of neighborhoods only allow garage sales on the given day that the association has for a community garage sale. Some other neighborhoods may not allow garage sales at all. I've also seen that some cities/towns you must have a permit before hosting a garage sale. So, be sure to check out the "rules" before planning. I dont want you to get a ticket for such a funny thing. ☺


2. It's all about advertising! Make sure to advertise! There are lots of places online you can advertise for free: Craigslist ,  JustGarageSales, GarageSaleTracker, YardSaleAd, as well as your local newspaper. If you aren't quite sure what to write, read some other ads and get ideas from them then fill in with your sale information. If you're having a sale the same day as your neighbors or during a community garage sale day, go in together on the cost of advertising with some of your neighbors. Also place ad's on bulletin boards at churches, YMCA, City Hall, etc.Don't forget your own personal signs. (we'll have more on signs later). There are lots of ways to advertise for cheap, if not, FREE!

3. Avoid having one of those "never ending yard sales". You know, those houses you drive by that have a yard sale going on EVERY weekend? Can't stand those! (1) It's tacky, (2) Your neighbors wont be big fans of yours :) (3) You wont make $$

4. Dont forget some baisc things: (1) Do you have suitable parking?  (2) Don't pick a holiday weekend. (3) Choose the first Friday or the third Friday of a month. That is when people get paid.

5. What to do about "early birds"? Some hate early birds, some love them. I personally dont mind. If they come while I am still dragging things out and getting things organized, thats totally fine. My thought is the more who look, the more who buy and the more that I get rid of!

6. Lets talk signs. (1) Make sure to check your town's codes for signs. Some only allow free standing signs. I know there are some towns that will take down your sign if its on a utility pole or business pole. So be aware of that. (2) Make sure your signs are visible! The more signs to your sale the better. Nothing worse for me than to follow a sign and then there aren't any others, I end up driving around, getting frustrated and going home. You dont want your customers to have the same experience. Our signs are on most street corners near our house and then once in the neighborhood, at every turn. We've gotten compliments b/c our sign-age was easy to follow! (3) Make your signs high, so the driver and passengers can see them. We attach balloons to our signs so they are easier to spot. (4). Put a helium balloon on your mailbox or somewhere in the front of your driveaway so your garage sale is easy to spot (5) Its great to have kids involved, but don't let them or anyone else with sketchy handwriting make the signs. Buy premade signs or have someone who has good handwriting to create them for you. (6) Do a "drive by". Seriously. When your signs are up, drive by them and make sure they are visible and easy to read/follow.

7. Organizing The Things You Want To Sell: When going through your "junk" (thats what I call it when I'm getting ready for a garage sale and want to get rid of it), organize it so you know what goes in the garage sale and what stays in the house. Easy to go through and price when the time comes.

8. Have "departments" within your garage sale. We have "departments" for our garage sale. One section of the garage/driveway/yard will have electronics, another will have baby items, another household, holiday, and so forth. Makes it easy for your shoppers and easier for you to know where it came from and how much.

9. Save time on pricing items and make signs with the prices of things. "Shorts, $0.50, $Pants, $1.00, etc" A good way to display the prices is to make the pricing list on poster board. But if you do price every item, make sure you put the price in the top corner of the item. That way people aren't overlooking the price that is on the bottom of the item and asking you 800 times how much that item is. Also, the bigger the item, the bigger the price-tag so its visible. Also, do a "fill a bag" pricing so the buyer can fill a bag of clothing for a set price. That always works out well.

10. Common Courtesy.  (1) Keep pets inside (2) Keep younger children inside so they dont get into things and you aren't having to watch them (3) Cut your grass and fill holes in the ground (4) Have a line where the customers cant go past so there isn't question about what is for sale and whats not.

11. A few nice "extra's": I love being the garage sale that people remember and want to come back to. So, here are a few tips to going the extra "mile" for them. (1) Provide bags for their items that they buy (plastic is good, save Walmart/Target/grocery bags). (2) Have lemonade/water prepared on hot days and coffee/tea/cider on cooler days. Charge $0.50 - $1.00 for each. (3) Have some background music on. It makes it more "relaxing". (4) Put all tools, lawn mowers, etc at the front of the garage sale (closest to the road). That helps the male who is with the female want to get out and take a look. (5) Keep your tables and display areas nice and neat. Fill in the holes when things are bought with other products youre trying to sell and keep the clothing youre selling nice and neatly hung or folded on a table. Don't put in a box. People wont go through them if they are all jumbled up and thrown into a Rubbermaid bin. (6) Involve your kids. Most people love to see elementary kids and preschoolers involved in the sale. Set up a table with their toys or let them have a table for the "snacks" or refreshments. Its a good opportunity and learning experience if you oversee them handling the transactions.

12. Last minute reminders: (1) Don't take checks (unless you know the person who is giving it to you and can hold them accountable). (2) Don't forget to take down your signs once your sale is over! Nothing more frustrating than to send someone on a hunt to your house for a garage sale that has been over for 2 weeks. (3) Have "peek" times for your sale. Dont extend it all day. The normal sale times are 7am-1pm or 8am-2pm. Somewhere in that time frame is great!

I hope this has helped you and given you tips for your next sale! Let me hear from you!