Garage Sale – Ideas and Guidance
Careful planning and scrutiny to detail is the way forward when planning any attic sale. Preparation the key to success: First off, are there a few of you wanting to sell items or is it just yourself? Set a date and time, first checking with your local government office or home-owner’s association to ask whether any restrictions apply, also your neighbour to see if they have any issues.
Clean any items that you want to sell and make sure there is no faults and the merchandise are in working order. Label items such as clothing with the size and box items such as books, with their titles on display. Merchandise that are sharp-edged such as knives need to be safely covered to avoid accidents. Clear pricing and incentive offers such as ‘buy one get one free’ all aid with sales. Chairs where buyers can sit down are a good idea, and you will also require tables to show your goods on. Merchandise such as clothes hangers to show clothing to its best advantage are a nice idea as well as packaging so you buyers can take the items home. Make sure you acquire lots of change in coins and notes. Ask the local charity shop to collect any left over items at the end of the day if you don’t intend to have another sale.
How are you going to promote your attic sale? Ask around or look at the Internet to see if any businesses offer free attic sale signs. By choosing these signs you can be confident that the signs will tick all the right boxes and produce the traffic you need, to make your sale a resounding success. Community bulletin boards such as in the church are a good place to broadcast, as is the local paper and Internet. Show as much information you can, ranging from the times and how to get there to a summary of items for sale.
Cleaning the area you are going to use creates a good impression to probable buyers, also remove any items that you don’t want sold accidentally. Rally around for volunteers to help and support you on the day of the attic sale. On the day of the sale if you haven’t put out your tables and chairs then this is the first thing you should do. Nominate a rest area where you will be providing drinks, an empty trash can nearby is also a good idea. Ask the children or a friend to set up the last direction signs showing a clear route to your house. Assign someone to deal with paying purchasers and packaging their items. Talk over with your helpers the amounts you are willing to bargain on each item so everyone is happy right from the start.
Make the area presentable, alluring and danger free. Set an area aside to test electrical merchandise to show they work, have spare batteries to hand as well. Display items in groups, such as clothing on one display unit and toys on another. People driving or walking by can be persuaded to stop by displaying your most attractive products nearer your property entrance. Try putting up a large sign that says ‘all sales are final’ to avoid someone trying to return an item a few days later.
Purchasers searching for an early bargain often try and turn up before the sale begins. Be polite, welcoming and engaging with all your customers and be prepared to negotiate on the prices. At the designated finishing time ask last minute stragglers to politely leave as you are clearing up and packing away any of those unsold products. You then need to clear up, this includes gathering up the signs that you put out first thing. It’s officially completed and now you can take a breather. Tally up your dollars while drinking that well earned coffee and think about what you are going to do with it.
Garage sale signs and a more comprehensive guide can be found at our main site.
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