Garage Sale Tips

It is estimated that over 60 Million people go to garage sales each year. That's just great, but how do you get them to come to YOUR sale? Advertising garage sales is a challenging task, so we have created this list of helpful garage sale tips. With these tips, and a little luck, your garage sale is sure to be a success!

1. Timing and placement of your ads are critical. Begin advertising early; we recommend at least one to two weeks before the first day of the sale.
   
   
2. Use all forms of available venues to notify people of your sale. Such venues include: newspapers, Internet sites, flyers, signs, and word-of-mouth.
   
   
   • Newspapers - When using newspaper ads be sure to use both county- and city-wide newspapers. Sometimes you can get better results by advertising your garage sale in a smaller, less expensive local newspaper.
     
     
   • Internet - As for the Internet sites, do your homework. There are a number of web sites that you can use to advertise garage sales, however beware of those that charge you money to post your sale. There are web sites out there that will post your garage sale for free, so don't waste your money on those that charge you for the same service.
     
     
   • Flyers - Using your home computer, you can print out very descriptive flyers that can provide people with all the information that they need about your garage sale. Better yet, these flyers can be made at a very reasonable price. You can then pass out the flyers to friends and family so that they can help you distribute them.
     
     
   • Signs - When making signs, keep the following in mind: BIG, BIG, BIG! Make sure your signs are large enough so that drivers will have enough time to see and read the signs as they go by. Also, make sure that you post the signs on every high traffic corner within a two-mile radius of your sale. This will attract significant amounts of garage sale hunters. Be sure to include all pertinent information about the sale including: Address, Dates, Times, Items Sold, and Directions.
     
     
   • Word-of-Mouth - Tell your friends, family, and co-workers about your sale. This is an effective advertising method that just happens to be free!
     
     
3. Whenever possible, try to consolidate garage sales throughout your neighborhood. Try to organize a street wide garage sale if possible. This way, your advertising costs and efforts will be minimized.
   
   
4. Organization is very important to a garage sale hunter. Nothing will turn people away from your sale more than an unorganized event. Try and keep the area clean. Also, consider the way people will be walking through the area. Be sure to leave them enough room to view all the items for sale. This will increase item exposure, which in turn will generate more cash for you.
   
   
5. Make sure that all of your items are labeled with the appropriate sale price. Also, since garage sale hunters are notorious bargain hunters, always keep the price of the item marked a little higher than the price you are looking for. This gives you the ability to negotiate with people, while still getting the profits you are looking for.
   
   

Good Luck with Your Sale!!!

David Terrano writes for GarageSaleHunter.com. You can advertise and find garage sales for free at www.GarageSaleHunter.com You can also join a free mail list and print flyers to advertise your sale.

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"The Dollar Stretcher, Inc." does not assume responsibility for advice given. All advice should be weighed against your own abilities and circumstances and applied accordingly. It is up to the reader to determine if advice is safe and suitable for their own situation.

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