Garage Sale Season: 10 tips to get the most out of your garage sale.

This weekend I participated in yet another garage sale and realized that I kinda like it.  Since getting focused about getting out of debt, my wife, Jessica, and I have now held several garage sales and shopped quite a few more.  Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your garage sale this summer.

1. Pick the right day of the week and weekend.  Saturday is the day for a garage sale so don't get too creative and do a Friday or Sunday sale. Watch out for the weather and big event weekends or holiday weekends.  Be sure to pick a weekend with good weather and know your community's events.  Is it the town parade that day? You might want to try a different weekend.  
2. Plan to prepare.  Give yourself ample time to get your stuff together the week of.  You will need time to figure out pricing, placing, and posting. (more on those later).
3. Price everything ahead of time. Figure out how much you want for every item before you open that garage.  If it's a bigger ticket item, know how much it is worth and what others are willing to pay for it.  If it is a desirable item, you can stick to your price and put it on Craig's list or ebay.  Is it just stuff you want to get rid of?  Plan on practically giving it away because you probably will when your stuck with it at the end of the day.
4. Post it on Craig's list.  Put your garage sale up on the site with details of the items you are selling.  Include pictures and prices so that people looking for certain items or just garage sales can find yours.  Don't forget to put the date, time, and location of the sale.  Craig's list shows the most recent posts on top, so wait until Friday to post your sale.
5. Mark every item with a price.  Get some pricing stickers and let people know how much you want for that Special Edition Thigh Master.  Your sale looks more inviting and you don't have to remember how much every item is.
6. Make sure the price is right.  Remember, it's not how much you paid for it, it's how much it's worth to the customer.  If it's used clothing or paperback novels, keep them under $1.  If you have another way to sell an item, you can stick to your guns on the price.  Just don't get stuck with your junk at the end of the day because you wouldn't budge on that gravy boat.
7. Place your items strategically.  The goal is to get your customer out of the car.  Spread your stuff out.  Spreading items out will make it look like you have a whole lot to look at.  Place your big ticket items up front because people will see that there is much more than junk at the sale.  Get everything out of the garage (space permitting) where it can be easily seen. Think about how it looks from the street first and foremost.  Would you stop at your garage sale? Place like items together and isles to walk in to make it a more pleasant shopping experience.
8. Signs, Signs, Everywhere the Signs.  Place large descriptive signs at every major cross street along with signs directing people to your sale.  You almost can't go overboard with this. Plan on 10 to 15 signs depending on how off the beaten path you are.  Remember to get high traffic intersections and re-assure them they are on the right path if they have a long way to go. Also, you can put them up Friday with the address, day, and time listed and catch the Friday evening commuters on their way home.  Just don't forget to take down all those signs at the end of your sale.
9. Talk to your customers.  Yes, they are customers and you should make them feel welcome.  A simple "Good morning", or "Are you looking for anything specific?" will let them know that you acknowledge their presence and make an opening to start a conversation or negotiation.  If people are checking out an item and you will go lower, it's okay to say "Make me an offer." If they are on the fence, this one phrase will put them in the drivers seat and may help get you the sale.
10. Combine your sales with friends or neighbors.  Take all these steps and blow it up with a block sale or just beef it up with some friends stuff.  If you are inviting friends to contribute, ask them not to bring their garbage.

If you use these steps, you will have to do more prep work, but you won't be scratching your head wondering why you didn't sell anything at the end of the day.  You are also likely to make a lot more than you expected.  Once you have cleaned up and counted your money, remember to sell off whatever you can on Craig's list or E-bay and add to that total.

Did I miss anything?  If you have a great tip, let me know in the comments section.

Make it a great garage sale!

Updated - 6/23/2014