Putting on a Better Garage Sale

Garage sales are proliferating all over North America and in the past few years have become a popular method to dispose of no-longer wanted household items. Nowadays, people are finding that it makes good money sense to sell these items rather than throw or give them away. It makes good sense to have a garage sale if you're preparing to move and don't want to take all of your possessions with you to your next home. 

If you're planning to move, don't wait until your home sells to plan a garage. Use a garage sale to the benefit of marketing your home. Use this opportunity to thin out closets and storage areas and reduce unwanted items that maybe cluttering up your home. Less clutter in your home while you're trying to sell it will give your home  a more roomy appearance to prospective buyers.

Organizing your sale

• Decide where you'll hold it. There should be actual barriers between sale and non-sale areas or you may find yourself being asked the price of your favourite chair. The garage, basement, patio, and the back yard are your best choices.
• Consider the day or days you'll hold the sale. Sale days on or near the weekend are best.
• If at all possible, avoid holding your sale at times of the year when the possibility of snow, ice and heavy rain is greatest.
• Worthy of mention: the longer your sale lasts, the less you'll probably sell on each sale day.
  Customers who regularly patronize garage sales know the best stuff goes first, and you can depend on the fact that the first few hours will be the busiest!

What to sell
It's important to remember that the type and variety of merchandise you have to sell will be a big factor in determining whether your sale will be a success. 3 basic principles worth noting are:

1. The more things you offer for sale, the more you are likely to sell.
2. No matter how useless an item may seem to you, someone may want it.
3. Have a variety of low priced merchandise for sale in addition to your more expensive wares.

A large display of merchandise at a variety of prices induces customers to stick around longer, and the longer they linger, the more likely they'll find something to buy.

Pricing
One of your most important preparations will be to put price tags on everything you hope to sell. The reasons for pricing everything are:

1. To make it easier for people to buy.
2. To identify bargains.
3. To encourage buyers (most people dislike haggling).
4. To protect yourself.

The most common mistake made by inexperienced sellers is to set prices too high. Remember that you can't ask store prices in a garage. However, it's best to keep an open mind about the whole business of pricing. The prices on your tags should not be totally inflexible especially as you get near the end of the sale and you figure that selling an item at a lower price would be better than not getting rid of it at all.

Promotion
Signs attract buyers to your sale. Many stores and other business places have bulletin boards on which you can post free advance notice of your sale. The most effective free advertising is word-of-mouth spread by people you know. But most of your customers will read about your sale in the newspaper. That's where your hard-core garage sale buffs learn about sales. If you are advertising in a daily paper, an ad placed 1 or 2 days before the event is best. Check local publications in advance to see where the majority of garage sales are advertised. Post your garage sale ad, free in the Free Classifieds section of Steven Porter's website. Go to www.homesresource.com. Write up your ad with major sale items described. Give directions if needed, specify time and date.  Of course, on the day of your sale, you should have a big sign in front of your property where it can be seen easily by passing motorists. You should also place signs announcing your address on one or more busy arterial streets near the site to direct people to your sale. If you're located in Steven Porter's marketing area, he would be happy to loan you attention-grabbing garage sale signs for your sale. Just call in advance to book them. Question your neighbours and friends. They might want to join in the sale and bring ion items to increase the "bargains" to be found.

Final checklist

• Be ready to make change.
• Have bags and newspapers available to wrap items.
• Clean up your merchandise before selling.
• Check that there is enough room down "aisles for people to walk without knocking anything over.

Remember to give your local Salvation Army or Amity location a call before you throw away any unwanted, unsold items.

Courtesy of:
Steven Porter
Sales Representative
RE/MAX Aboutowne Realty Corp., Realtor
Serving: Oakville, Milton (Campbellville), Burlington and Georgetown
905-875-2582, Office/Pager: 905-338-9000
eMail: steven@stevenporter.ca
Website: www.homesresource.com