Having Your Own Sale Part 1: Introduction

After having my own sale on the 28th, I decided to start a “Having Your Own Sale” series. It’s a little outside the scope of this blog – despite its title – but I am sick of going to terrible sales every weekend. My goal is to improve the overall quality of garage sales, at least a little bit. 

I currently intend for this series to last three weeks. It may take longer if I think of more things to discuss, but it should be done just in time for prime garage saling season for those of you in worse parts of the country (garage saling season has already started for those of us in Southern California). I will be discussing preparation, advertising, and hosting the actual sale. Today I will be discussing preparation anywhere from months to one week before the sale. 

Garage sales don’t need to be stressful. The key to a successful garage sale is to plan ahead. 

I usually start planning for sales two to three months in advance. At this point, I just start getting items ready. I keep two lists: the Goodwill list and the Craigslist list. The Goodwill list consists of everything I am getting rid of regardless if it sells or not. If I still have it by the end of the sale it’s going directly to Goodwill; if someone offers me next to nothing for it I’ll take it. 

The Craigslist list consists of more valuable items I don’t intend to just give away. If someone makes me a good offer, I will accept it. If the item doesn’t sell I will keep it for myself or to sell on Craigslist. When I’m in the planning stage, my Goodwill list is a physical pile of items in the garage. My Craigslist list is an actual list on my computer that consists of my current Craigslist items and personal items I wouldn’t mind parting with for the right price. 

One of the keys to garage sale success that many people miss is quantity. Buyers can only buy things if they get out of their cars and many buyers do drive bys if sales look inadequate. How do you get more people out of their cars? Have more stuff. Obviously, there’s a limit to the amount of your own stuff you can sell, so get your neighbors and friends involved as well. The more stuff you have packed on your driveway the better. One large sale is better than two small sales; have your neighbors sell stuff at your house or vice-versa. It may be irritating to move your stuff to someone else's house but it’s worth it. 

Coordinate with your neighbors/friends ahead of time to choose a date good for all of you. Avoid any weekends with holidays or any major local events that may cause fewer buyers to come by. 

The weekend before the sale is the time for more serious preparations to begin. Double-check with your fellow sellers that the date still works. Start getting the items from your lists together and make sure any electronics are still working. 

Finally, this is the time to do any last-minute research regarding items and their values. If you are unsure what something is, look it up because it’s always good to appear knowledgeable. Make sure the item isn’t something of unexpected value and get an idea regarding how much you intend to ask for each item.