When you are moving, you may consider having a garage sale to rid yourself of things you no longer use. After all, why spend time and resources packing things that you don’t even need? Having a pre-move garage sale isn’t as easy as you would think. However, with the right planning, preparation, and advertising, you can successfully rid yourself of old items and have some extra cash on hand for your move!
1. Check HOA or Neighborhood Rules and Regulations
Sometimes garage sales are banned from certain neighborhoods. Check your home’s HOA regulations or local codes to ensure you are within compliance. Nothing is worse than doing all the work for a garage sale without the ability to see it through.
2. Stained or Broken? Toss It!
No one wants to buy something that is stained or not working. Before you placed your older items for sale, take some time to assess if they are working and give them a good wipe down. If they are stained and broken, you will want to recycle or trash them.
3. Keep It Organized
While garage sales are often a mish-mosh of different items, try to organize like-items together. Create a place where people can easily see smaller items. If garage sale goers have to rummage through boxes, you are sure to sell a lot less.
4. Consider Group Garage Sales
Many cities hold giant group garage sales in which you can sign up for a stall and get many more customers than you ever would traditionally. Do a quick search for any large-scale garage sales in your area.
5. Create Price Tags
While bargaining can occur during a garage sale, it helps to put a price tag on all your items so you have a starting place. It helps legitimize your garage sale, minimizes questions about prices, and can help you organize according to value of items.
6. Advertise Properly
While the traditional signs placed in the neighborhood work well for local passersby, you will want to also advertise online as well. Create a post on local message boards and forums. Clearly state the location of the garage sale, hours that it will be occurring, and a brief summary of what you will be selling.
7. Keep Track of Inventory & Sales
While a garage sale is informal, it can be helpful to track your inventory, what you sell, and how much money you have made. At the end of your garage sale, you will know exactly how much you earned and what you have left. It can also help you determine value for any items you end up donating. You can use that value to help you calculate tax deductions at the end of the year.
8. Stuff Left Over?
Did you end the day with still some items that you couldn’t sell? If you still have a bit of time before your move, post the items online. Try EBay, Craigslist, or posting the items in a neighborhood group on social media. If you still can’t sell it, consider donating it to someone in need.
9. Clean Up Afterwards
After your garage sale, make sure to collect any signs that you put up in the neighborhood. Delete any ads that you placed online. This will ensure you don’t get any confused or lost visitors searching for a garage sale.
10. Rinse and Repeat
If you didn’t have as good of a turnout as you would like at your garage sale, there is nothing stopping you from trying again the next week. Use what you learned from your first garage sale attempt and apply it to the next one!
If you are moving and would like help in making it the easy and stress-free, contact the experts at myBekins. Call [phone] today for your free moving quote.
