Moving Guide

    Garage Sale

We know it's a cliché "One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure".

Reorganizing your house? Moving? Whatever the reason may be a garage sale is a wonderful way to transfer the knickknacks into $cash$, and to save you the money of moving those unwanted items.

For your convenience, we wrote some tips to better assist you in conducting a successful garage sale.

Getting Started

• Start going through your attic, garage, basement and all places possible in your home to collect item that are no longer in use (a good rule to follow would be: if you haven't used the item for more than 3 years - sell it!).
• Check with your association/complex office or any other authority for restrictions regarding a yard sale/garage sale (keep in mind that some authorities have restrictions regarding placing signs as well).
• Advertise! Advertise! Advertise! This is one of the most important tips we can give you. You can advertise online, local news paper, bulletin boards, share it with everybody you can, etc.
• When picking a date for the garage sale to take place - keep in mind not to choose a holiday weekend. Most people travel at this time and you will have few visitors if any.
• Make sure you have enough parking spots available for the buyers. If you do not have; than try talking to your neighbors, they might be able to help you.
• Decide on a time frame ahead of time (i.e. 9 AM to 3 PM) (keep in mind to place those hours on your ads).

What To Sell

Here is a list of items that sell:

• Appliances (Large or Small
• Books
• Baby and child toys, furniture, clothes (make sure to confirm all items are in good and safe condition - if you have even the slightest worry that the items are not 100% safe - please discard. Better safe than sorry!).
• Cooking and all kitchen items.
• Jars and bottles
• CDs, DVDs, videos, etc.
• Clothes
• Music Instruments
• Furniture (i.e.: couches, tables, chairs, desks, cabinets, etc.)
• Exercise and sports equipment
• Gardening tools and patio furniture
• Mirrors and lamps
• Toys, games, bicycle, etc.
• Plants (most moving companies will not move live plants).

Set The Price

• Keep in mind that when you place a price on a certain item, the price should match its worth to the buyer and not to you, the seller. You can definitely ask a friend or a neighbor to assist you with setting up the prices.
• Place a price tag on each and every item. The bigger the item, the bigger the price tag should be.
• Items that are in a good, working condition can be priced at about 20%-25% from the original purchase price.
• Keep in mind that a book that was bought 10 years ago for the price of $80.00 will not be sold for $20.00. Try to be objective rather than subjective.
• Mark the price tag with "SOLD AS IS" on items that are not in a perfect working condition or have any defects on them.
• Leave some room for bargaining when you set the price.

Doing It Right

• Make sure that the clothes you want to sell are stain free and hang them neatly on a rack (set them up by sizes).
• Set up similar items on the same display table or shelf (dishes with dishes, books with books, etc).
• If possible, have an extension cord available to consumers who want to test the appliances or any other electronic items.
• Place all CDs, Books or DVDs in a box with the title facing up for easy looking.
• Even if your dog is very friendly, leave him indoors!
• Music will make your shoppers much more relaxed.
• If you are doing your sale on a hot day, consider having some cold beverages for the consumer to buy. You can offer your kids or the neighbor's kids to set up a lemonade stand (they might make few dollars out of it and it will definitely keep them occupied).
• Have a measuring tape near by in case a consumer would like to measure furniture.
• Make items look attractive to the consumers (dust them, iron them, do what needs to be done!).
• Make sure items that are not for sale are being placed in a safe place.
• If possible, have at least a person or two present with you on the sale day (to answer questions, keep thieves away, etc.)
• Keep the house doors closed while the sale is in process.
• Keep your cash on you at all times!!! Wear a Fanny belt for loose change and keep large bills in your pocket.
• Keep your display attractive; be sure to fill up the sold items empty spots.
• Have plastic bags available to the buyers.

You Did It!!!

Congratulations you have successfully completed your first garage sale!!
What ever is not sold at the garage sale consider donating to non-profit groups like the Salvation Army, Red Cross, Good Will etc. You can also try publishing your goods on Craig's List, My Space, EBay, Facebook, etc.