Garage Sale Tips

Flute Estate Sales

Let as many people know about your sale as your can thought social media, flyers, newspaper advertising, signs, websites, bulletin boards and word of mouth. Be very specific (date, hours, place) and be concise. If you have a lot of a particular category of item (e.g. toys), mention it in your advertising. The information should be readable in a glance - for signs, use dark, bold print and easy to read arrows. Some good sign making ideas at yardsalequeen.com. Be aware that most communities have laws or home owner association rules about placing signs. Enforcement may vary, but finding out beforehand may keep you from having your signs taken down just when you need them. Don't forget to take your signs down after the sale is over.
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Marked items clearly with the price - you will save a lot of time answering questions if every item is marked. Garage sale shoppers like bargains and almost always try to negotiate, so choose a price that's a little higher than what your are willing to sell for. But don't be afraid to give them a bargain; that's what they came for, and it's money in your pocket and less clutter in your home. A good place to start is 1/3 to 1/4 of it would sell for new. If you have joined with other families in putting on your garage sale, use different colored tags, or use special marking, so you can easily divide up the profits. Be sure to have enough change on hand, both coins and paper, to make checkout process go smoothly.

Guard your money. It's easy for a cash box to walk off unnoticed if you are not vigilant. Best to carry money with you in a fanny pack or an apron pocket. Have money for making change accessible, but stow the big wad of bills away somewhere safe. When making change keep the bill that was given to you visible until you have handed them the change, so there is no question that it was $10 and not $20. Don't accept checks unless you know the person giving it to you, or are willing to run the risk of it bouncing. Keep a cell phone handy. Don't let customers into your house to try on clothes or use the bathroom. Direct them to the nearest public establishment with a restroom.

Have a large number of grocery bags on hand for buyers to carry away their treasures. For clothing, use cheap wire hangers and let them be included in the sale if the buyer wants to take it. On a hot day, have your child (or a older kid from the neighborhood) set up a lemonade stand. Play unobtrusive music. The more pleasant it i to be there, the longer people will stay and more they will buy.
Last tip: enjoy your garage sale! And don't forget to contact us it you want expert help with estate sales or a consultation and table rentals for your garage sale.

Garage sale tips

A garage sale can be a lot of fun. It can also be a lot of work. Take advantage of our years of experience in estate sales in the garage sale tips that follow. Here are a few garage sale tips to make your event successful.

A garage sale can be a lot of fun. It is important to determine at the outset whether you want to do this work yourself. It may also be the wrong way to sell your treasures if you have things of value. Or you may have a lot of stuff to clear out and very little time or energy to devote to the project. Flute Estate Sales can help you evaluate the best method for clearing out unwanted things and getting the most out of the process. Contact us for a free consultation.

Best days for a garage sale are Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sundays may be less successful. You can not control the weather, but a nice day will bring in more people so keep that in mind as you pick a day. Avoid holiday weekends or special community event days. You can save advertising and increase the traffic by combining with others in your neighborhood, so consider coordinating your timing with neighbors. Check on local and home owner association rules. Some cities require a permit or have a limit on the number of yard sale you can have in one year.

A garage sale is an opportunity to clear out clutter, so don't hold back. The more the better. Start collecting things for sale for the month or so prior. Anything that you are not using or don't want, put out for sale. You will be surprised at what some people will pay money for. Think about what may sell best for the season (i.e. water toys in the summer, coast and skies in the winter). Items that often do well are dolls and accessories, comic books, old books, coins, kitchen items, home décor, tools, toys.

Keep the sale area clean. Think about the flow of foot traffic through your yard. Make it easy to get around and see all the items. The more they see, the more you are likely to sell. Put clothing up on a rack or clothesline. Set up tables to display small items and put them in easy reach of buyers (and out of the reach of small children, especially for breakables). You can use space under tables for additional room. For electrical items, it helps to have power source available for buyers to test them out. A long extension cord make it easy to bring power to the item.