After finishing college, I returned to my hometown and was invited by my mother and grandmother to partake in a garage sale. Since I had a decent amount of relics from my college life that I didn’t plan to carry forward to my new house, I willingly agreed to participate. This not only gave me a chance to discard unnecessary items but also to earn some cash. Despite not having an exceptional turnout at our first garage sale, we decided to hold a similar event in the spring of the following year, as I had gathered more items to dispose of.
Over the years, these garage sales turned into annual events. My house replaced my grandma’s as the venue, which led to an improved turnout, likely owing to its proximity to a busy intersection versus grandma’s house tucked away at a blind-end. Along with mine, the garage sale now also features items from my mom’s, grandma’s, and sometimes my cousin’s collections, rendering it a family affair. And the cherry on top? Each year these sales fetch around $1,000!
Let me walk you through how we host successful garage sales that yield this handsome return, opening paths for you to do the same.
Over time, I’ve gained valuable insights regarding advertising. Initially, we were only advertising the garage sale in the local newspaper, which didn’t lend to a high turnout. In subsequent years, we refined our approach by incorporating advertising via radio station announcements, online platforms like Craigslist and local Facebook Buy/Sell/Trade groups, with considerable success. We also put up eye-catching signs at traffic-dense intersections to ensure a wider reach.
Now, with regards to setting up the garage sale, it’s crucial to spend time tidying up the products and arranging them on display tables or shelves. The idea is to create a welcoming and organized environment, even if we’re dealing with used items. Big-ticket and popular items are displayed near the curb to attract passing traffic. While we do usually have more small knick-knacks than large items, an organized presentation of similar items grouped together has helped us maintain the $1,000 mark every year.
On to pricing – we strive for a balanced approach. Our goal is to make the items attractive for buyers without implying any quality issues due to low pricing, while not pricing it so high that would deter potential buyers. Also, unsold items are donated, reducing the hassle of storing them for the next sale.
To summarize, the combination of these strategies has consistently helped us earn a total sum of $1,000 at each annual garage sale. Although it’s rewarding to recover some cash from items no longer needed, my ultimate goal is to make thoughtful purchases and reduce clutter, potentially making the garage sale an unnecessary yearly event.
So how about your garage sale experiences? Have you managed to score big? Or do you struggle with low turnout? We’d love to hear your experiences and lessons learned!
