Ah, the humble garage sale. It’s a staple of Saturday afternoons, particularly when you’re on the hunt for an affordable and dining table to match your millenial aesthetic. The worst part of a garage sale is when no-one shows up. Luckily we’ve got a foolproof marketing plan for your garage sale to ensure success.
- Make sure you’ve advertised properly: These days the old sign on the side of the road isn’t enough. You need to set your date a minimum of two weeks in advance, put your sign up (trendy, hipster areas are a goldmine), and then get digital. Post about your garage sale on buy, swap, and sell pages, and across private rent pages on Facebook. Take well-lit photos of some of the best items you’re selling too.
- Check the weather: Nothing puts a faster stop to a garage sale than an impromptu hurricane, or even a mild drizzle. Spring and summer are the best months for garage sales.
- Make sure you’ve picked up some petty cash, and don’t say no to taking paypal payments! Paypal payments can be sent directly to your phone if some cashless jogger running past notices your mums chic vintage lamp from the 70’s that you’re um, totally not throwing out. Prepare to accept those online payments!
- Price low, sell out – A garage sale isn’t like luxury marketing. The idea is to make a small profit off things one might find in a thrift store, or to pass on things that no longer suit your style. Set realistic prices and be open to bargaining with prospective buyers.As a rule of thumb, used books should be no more than $1-$2 each, clothing under $5, and toys, games and other bric-a-brac around this same price. Remember, people are here to buy things with pocket change.
- Make sure everything is clean and well-presented: Lint roll clothing, dust and wipe down furniture and toys, and wash out crockery. Set out a couple of tables – fold out camping tables or desks are fine – and lay a clean tablecloth, sheet, or curtain over them. You can arrange your items on shelves, clothes racks, or in plastic tubs and clearly label the cost by pinning a sticker to the table next to them.
- Bundle items – don’t be afraid to play auctioneer and bundle a few items together, especially as the day winds down. Someone looking at one book for $1 might happily take an offer of three books for $2.
- Head to depop – Once the day is over, if you have items remaining that can still be sold, head to online marketplaces like depop, etsy, eBay and marketplaces to see if there are any online takers.
Garage sales are a great way to earn back a little bit of cash for your old purchases, and they do especially well in trendy suburbs! If you’re not in a more hipster area, make sure you advertise your garage sale in the more hip areas of your city or town to bring in prospective vintage hunters.