How About A Garage Sale?

Summer’s coming, so consider holding a garage sale to get rid of all the stuff you’ve accumulated over the years. Whether you’re doing an annual Spring cleaning or actually preparing to move into a new home, the great thing about a garage sale is that you don’t throw out your precious belongings (which have been gathering dust, no doubt), but give them a chance for a new life in someone else’s home. And you can make a little money in the process.

Before you plan your garage sale, the first order of business is to actually rummage through all the stuff and find the items that you no longer want or need, but hope someone else can use. Even if you’re sorry to let go of these items, which may hold sentimental value, you’ll feel lighter and better when it comes time to pack up your belongings and move into your new home. Once you’ve completed sorting out what to keep and what to sell, then you’re ready to move on to the next phase, deciding when and how to hold your garage sale.

Now that you’ve readied all the stuff you’re going to sell in your garage sale, you have to pick the best day, usually a Sunday (check the weather forecast and hope for the best), and the times. Then you make a list of the best ways to get the word out about your garage sale in your community.

If you want people to come to your garage sale, you need to advertise. A few days before your garage sale, post signs everywhere people will be sure to see them. Take out ad space in the local newspaper as well as posting it on the different websites that are available in your community. If you have any antiques or big-ticket items, don’t be afraid to mention them in your ad: this can attract more customers to your garage sale.

Sell as much as you can! If in doubt, set it out! Anything that you remotely think you want to sell, go ahead and put it on display. Also remember that one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. So, even if you think no one could possibly want some of the items, try and sell them anyway and see what happens. You never know!

I once had a garage sale and put out a jar of rusty nails, only to have someone ask me if they could buy them. Go figure! Remember, even if no one buys some of your items, you can always toss them in the garbage. But isn’t it nicer to give them a second chance at life?

Set things up in a fashion that makes it easy to navigate the aisles that you form at the garage sale. Think about the stores you frequent. They are probably well-organized and shoppers have easy time navigating the aisles. In similar fashion, you want your garage sale to make shopping a breeze and create an atmosphere that will encourage shoppers to buy lots of your stuff. Clean and polish the items and organize the shelves to best display your wares: a spot for clothes, one for hardware or appliances, one for toys, etc. Take a tip from the grocery stores and place very low-ticket items that are easy to grab close to the check-out spot, to encourage impulse purchases while people are paying.

Remember: People come to garage sales looking for bargains. Keep your prices low and attractive. Don’t undervalue anything, but don’t go into overdrive and price an item too high because it has sentimental value or because you want to leave negotiating room. If it’s too high, you may have nothing to negotiate except where to put it in the trash when the sale ends and no one has bought it.

Don’t forget to prepare lots of change for cash purchases. Go to the bank and get plenty of coins and singles for making change. Ideally, the best way to hold the money is to have some kind of belted money bag that you always wear so you don’t have to worry about the money box disappearing while you’re busy with a customer.

Have a supply of bags and newspapers available to wrap delicate items, or bag multiple items that people purchase. Get the children involved: Make a drink table where they can sell lemonade or Snapple by the cup so they can feel a part of the action. Also, small bags of popcorn.

A garage sale does involve some hard work, but it can also be lots of fun and an activity you can do as a family and enjoy. And with luck and planning, you can even make a few dollars. n

Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a Licensed Real Estate Broker (Anessa V Cohen Realty) with over 20 years of experience offering full service residential and commercial real estate in the 5 Towns of Long Island as well as the tri-state area. She can be reached at 516-569-5007 or readers are encouraged to send any questions or scenarios by email to [email protected].