HOW TO OPERATE A SUCCESSFUL GARAGE SALE

HOW TO OPERATE A SUCCESSFUL GARAGE SALE

First, set a date and time when you can devote your full time to

this sale, for gathering up various articles as well as being

able to attend the sale full time.

Second, plan just what you're going to put in this sale, if you

are going to have the sale alone, or with two to five more

families.

Third, have plenty of change on hand - both silver and paper

money.

Now, get down to business. A sale is work - a lot of hard work,

but the returns more than justify the effort. Whether it's

advertised as Patio, Carport, Yard, Porch, or Garage-a-Rama,

people will come and buy. Clean out your closets and ANYTHING

that is useless to you or you don't want - put it in the sale.

Don't throw anything away. People will buy just about anything.

You'd be surprised. What is one person's trash is another's

GOLDMINE!

Of course you need to advertise. Be specific, concise and

honest. State place, date, hours. If you have large amount of

clothing, specify some of the sizes, particularly if you have

quite a few in a few sizes. Antiques. They go over big

regardless of state of repair or condition. Give good

descriptive details to save disappointments.

Capitalize on the season. Feature luggage at going-away to

school or vacation time. Toys near Christmas. Include fads.

Today, bottles of all kinds are in demand. Big bottles, little

bottles, Jim Beam, Avon, Kara Brooks, Wheaton/Nuline, old

medicine, Mrs. Butterworth, miniature - all kinds, old fruit

jars, and insulators.

Here are some additional items that we find to be in big demand:

baseball cards, lawnmowers, camping articles, guns, tools,

coins, old books. Children like comic books, old and new. Women

like aprons, old-fashioned bonnets, clothing for themselves as

well as their children, salt and pepper shakers, needlework,

jewelry and dishes.

Doll clothing and accessories are always in demand and

especially for Barbie and Ken or teen dolls. Toys go over big at

any time. Dolls and stuffed toys. Make a hit with the kiddies

and they, in turn, will finally persuade their mothers to buy

something. Children are very persuasive!

Have a large quantity of items to sell, a big variety. And don't

be afraid to drag out those outgrown items, old dishes,

two-of-a-kind items you don't really need and generally "clean

house". You'll find the money in your pocket is better than all

the clutter in the house.

Homemade items are very popular. If someone in your household

sews, then sew up aprons, doll clothes, dolls, stuffed toys from

scraps of material lying around. You'll make use of those scraps

taking up space and make money too! Fresh produce such as

tomatoes, green beans, corn, fruits, etc. will also sell, if you

should have a garden overflowing.

String up a clothesline to display any clothing you may have.

Remember, clothing for all ages, men or women, is always in

great demand. Children's clothing goes over best and especially

about the time for school to start in the fall.

Set up card tables or ping-pong tables to display small

merchandise. Place tables in a manner that will leave room for

shoppers to browse without feeling crowded. Display your wares

attractively. Be sure they are clean, usable, and priced

temptingly.

People are looking for bargains. Don't disappoint them. Remember

that what you sell is something you don't want anyway, so

whatever you get is gravy.

Take advantage of the space under the tables, if you need more

display room. You will be amazed how buyers spot the smallest

item under the table. Colorful table covers draw a lot of

attention to your items.

You will save yourself a lot of time answering questions if you

show a price on all merchandise. Use a heavy black felt marking

pen for lettering. If more families go in with you, identify

your price tags with a code such as G 75 cents or M 25 cents.

The letters designate, perhaps, the first letter of the last

name of the family who contributed items to sell. Keep all the

tags and at the end of the sale, divide the tags according to

code and total the sales. You may not come out right to the

penny on sales and change you had on hand as anyone can make

errors in making change for a customer.

Be sure you have electrical outlets nearby to plug in toasters,

blenders, electric skillets, irons, hair dryers, electric

razors, etc., to show people that your articles do work. If you

have to use an extension cord, make sure it is in excellent

condition and preferably a heavy duty one.

If you have any fragile, rare or expensive items such as

crystal, cut glass or jewelry, be sure it is displayed on a

sturdy table and up high out of reach of kiddies. They are

curious and you might be too busy to watch them.

Drinking glasses, dishes, cups will sell faster if you price

them in sets of 6 for $1.00 instead of 15 cents each. Paperback

books, magazines, records and items that have titles will sell

more readily if they are marked separately. If they want them

collectively, they'll ask you. Then bundle them all up and sell

them. Sell everything!

Advertising. Run an ad in your daily newspaper. If you run your

ad one day only, have it in the Thursday paper. You might like to

run the ad two days to appear in both the Thursday and Friday

editions. If your sale runs through Saturday, your sale is about

over before the paper hits the street on Saturday. Therefore,

2-day advertising is usually adequate unless your sale is

continued late Saturday night and through Sunday.

However, whatever you decide to advertise - BE READY! Be ready

to meet any customer as soon as the paper hits the street,

because some will come before the sale and before you even get

ready to start the next day! In addition to placing an ad in the

paper, place signs at points where people will see them. Some

Laundromats have bulletin boards on which you can place notices.

Advertise all you can. Work word-of-mouth all you can. If

employed, place signs on your company's bulletin boards.

Best days for your Garage Sale are Thursday, Friday, and

Saturday. Sundays are usually a waste of time unless you're

staying at home all day doing nothing anyway.

At the end of your sale you will have met a lot of nice,

friendly people. If you want to continue your selling of any

items you might have made, you can let people know then and have

future sales all lined up. A circular made up and passed out to

each customer would help to obtain any future sales also. You

will profit both from the present sale and any future sales

also. In short, you should have received much money, future

profits, some new acquaintances and a weary but happy body!

HAPPY SELLING AND GOOD LUCK!