How To Hold a Garage Sale Before You Move

Moving is an exciting and stressful time. You have to decide what to take, what to leave behind for the garbage man, and what you can try to make some money on - to make up or at least pay down the cost of the move. So, once you have your "sell" pile all ready (you may want to arrange things by category, i.e., books and CDs, men's, women's, kids' clothing and shoes, trinkets and collectibles, etc.), and you decided it's worth the trouble, here are some useful tips on how to get the best out of your garage sale.

Before you decide on a date for your move, you should consider some things, like checking prices online for the items you want to sell, asking friends and family that may be interested in buying something, and finding out whether your neighborhood association (if you have one) allows garage sales. Also, you might want to participate in a local "rummage" sale at a school or a church nearby - those are usually very affordable and draw a big crowd. You should allow yourself ample time for research - three to four weeks should be enough. You want to give yourself plenty of time to research prices for all your goods and how you are going to advertise your sale to attract all the people you can. You also might want to check with your neighbors to see if you can coordinate a joint sale - people will be more likely to check it out if they know there's more than one house that's having a garage sale in the same block.

Next, you need to decide on prices and advertisement. Research prices for your goods or similar ones using popular Websites, like eBay and Craigslist; price your items to be competitive, but still to be able to make a profit. Also, some of your items may be considered rarity or collectible and worth more than you know! Be sure to check the prices especially on the ones you suspect might bring more money. Decide on lowest prices you will be willing to accept on a given item (it is a good idea to list everything on some sort of a chart with high-low pricing, so you or another family member helping you doesn't end up selling something too cheap).

There are so many places to advertise your sale. Craigslist and Facebook are the first ones that instantly pop in mind. Did you know that there are Facebook groups by location where you can advertise your garage sale? Some local and community newspapers offer free and low-cost ads for garage sales. Also, tell your friends, family, neighbors, your grocer, and mailman - everyone you know in your daily life - about your sale, and ask them to spread the word. You may even offer "a finder's gift" for friends or family members that bring/refer you a paying customer; it can be a small gift card to a local coffee house or another place.

Posters to hang throughout your community announcing the sale. Make sure to clearly mark your address and place posters prominently, where they will get a lot of passers-by.

Stickers to mark prices on your goods. They can be just bright-colored "dot" or star-shaped (or any shape you like) stickers with handwritten prices on them. Mark every item. That way, if you are busy with a customer, another person won't have to wait for you to tell them the price.

If you have clothes for sale, it's a good idea to have them on racks. Same goes for shoes - have them neatly displayed on tables or just down on the ground, not in a pile.

You might want to consider offering refreshments, if you live in a hot climate - that will attract some folks who may not have been thinking of buying anything.

Tables for books, CDs, trinkets, collectibles, and memorabilia. Everything has to be clearly displayed.

Now, grab your comfy patio chair and a cheery attitude, and sell away! What are you going to do with all that cash?!