The decluttering trend is more popular than ever, and this is not only because of the rise of minimalism. A lot of people have learned that it is simply a fantastic way to organize their life and at the same time earn extra money.
And speaking of decluttering to earn money, homeowners usually choose garage sales as the perfect activity for this. However, if you do not plan your own garage sale thoroughly, it’s not going to be as profitable as you want it to be.
To help you have a successful garage sale, provided below is a fool-proof way to prepare for one.
1. Choose a “good” day
The weekend before a holiday (such as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day) is always a good time for a garage sale. Likewise with the weekend after payday.
2. Promote the garage sale everywhere
Put up signs in your neighbourhood – targeting intersections. Take advantage of the bulletin boards of places of worship and public establishments. Also, place announcements on social media, and ask family and friends to share.
There is power in volume. So, when you are marketing your event, do so in a big way and spend a bit more on printing leaflets and brochures, and make your signs pop. This will attract more people to the garage sale and ensure a bigger day’s take.
3. Rent a storage unit
It’s quite likely that you will not sell all of the wares from your garage sale so it’s nice to have a safe place to store them in. Garage sale veterans say a cost effective storage unit is a much better alternative to putting things back into your garage. This is because it will be easy for the items you want to dispose of to make their way back into your home.
Another advantage to having a storage unit when you’re planning a garage sale, is it would be easier to make an inventory of the leftover items and decide how to sell them one by one or auction everything off.
It’s worth noting, too, that if you will be putting a lot of things in a storage facility, it is a great idea to hire removalists. They will make the transport of your items to the facility so much easier and more efficient.
4. Research online to determine the value of your items
Informed pricing is crucial because garage sale buyers always expect a bargain, and you also want to profit from selling your things.
The key here is to price the valuable wares about 30 percent higher than what you would settle for. You can ensure a good profit from this strategy and, at the same time, you get to provide the buyers the satisfaction of haggling successfully.
5. Try simultaneous selling
Put up all the valuable items on sale online while you are also having your garage sale. If you have a lot of hands helping you, this should be easy to do. You can double your sales by doing this and even sell more items at better prices.
6. Increase sales with the strategic placement of items
Placement tricks can effectively lure crowds.
For example, placing eye-catching items on the kerb can create quick sales. Putting all same-priced items in a box will encourage all the people who are only looking to spend that specific amount to the same section of your garage sale. This will create less traffic for those who are scanning the area first because they do not have anything specific in mind.
7. Set up security
It’s a breeze for some items to just walk off when the sale gets really busy. Sign up a few helpers who can assist shoppers and keep an eye on the merchandise.
8. Have extension power outlets ready
It’s important to have an extension cord handy if you are also selling electric-powered items. Buyers will always want to test to see if something is working properly, and you never want to bring people into your home just for this purpose.
Plus, if you will be setting up super early, which is a huge advantage in gathering seasoned garage sale buyers, the extension power outlets will allow you to make use of lighting to draw attention to your event. And, you may also want to make the event more festive by using LED strip lights or neon flex lights, so those power extensions will definitely be useful.
It may seem like a lot of work initially, but you can be sure that all the efforts you put into preparing properly for a garage sale will always pay off.
AUTHOR BIO
Kim Hill works on Marketing at Adams & Rofe Removals and Storage and has been a dynamic figure in the removal industry for over 30 years. For relocating families, individuals or offices around Sydney or all over Australia, Kim will develop the perfect removal plan to take the stress out of your next move.
