Many people hold garage sales as a way to empty their homes of unwanted items, but there's no reason you can't sell things more professionally through a garage sale. In fact, some people like to hold large, regularly scheduled sales that draw large crowds. It's easier to hold a single yard sale than to attempt multiple small sales to different people through Craigslist or eBay, and a garage sale gives you an opportunity to connect with your community and meet buyers who might be interested in your future wares.
Whether you're looking at a garage sale as a way to clear your home of unwanted items or as a platform for selling things you buy at auction, here are a few tips for a successful sale:
Advertise the sale well in advance. Put up an ad on Craigslist and the local paper, or find a yard sale listing website for your area. Early on the day of your sale, put up signs to alert people to the sale and direct them to your home. Be sure that you're not breaking any laws by placing the signs in undesignated areas, though, and remember to retrieve then when your sale has finished.
Make sure that your sales area is clean and professional-looking. Keep all large dogs and other pets out of the area, and make sure that there's ample parking in your area. If your own garage isn't a good choice for the sale, see if you can find another place to hold it.
Organize your sale space. Use tables to put things at different heights, and arrange your items in a way that will catch people's attention. Make sure everything you sell is clean and properly displayed. The more neatly you display things, the more valuable they'll appear to buyers.
Carefully consider your prices. You'll want to price things low enough that they'll attract buyer attention, but high enough to make room for haggling. You don't have to put an obvious price on every item you sell, but having prices visible helps attract and keep the attention of shoppers who might be too shy to ask about every item.
Consider combining your sale with another person or several people to have an even larger sale. This will attract more buyers and give you more staff to run the sale with. Just be sure to keep good records of sales so you can divide profits accordingly.
Bear in mind that people may not come to a garage sale with enough money to buy a big-ticket item, but they may still be interested. Take down the number of interested persons and follow up with them if the item still hasn't sold at the end of the day.
It's usually better to have a few large sales per year than multiple smaller ones.
Every garage sale will be different, and you won't always make great profits. Everything from the weather to the whims of your shoppers will affect the quality of your sales. Following these tips will help make your endeavors more successful.