This Way to The Garage Sale - Part 5

(This is part five of Don's series on how to hold a successful garage sale.)

10. Combining Forces

One of the best ways to maximize your efforts is combining your garage sale with other families or neighbors. Not only will you have more merchandise to draw customers, you'll have others to share in the work.

Make sure you have a system worked out to identify "whose stuff is whose." Whenever we have a multiple-family sale, we use colored stickers to identify what merchandise belongs to which family. One person acts as the cashier and keeps a running total for each family.

I have found that our family usually makes more money in a multiple-family sale garage sale, and we have more fun doing it. The down side, if there is one, is that it takes quite a bit more organization ahead of time. And if all the merchandise is not marked properly, misunderstandings can occur.

Another aspect of combined sales is that many times you become your own customers. I remember buying a couple of golf clubs from one of the other families in our sale. It all goes back to that old saying: "one man's junk, is another man's treasure."

11. So What Are You Waiting For?

The hardest part about doing anything is sometimes just getting started. When initially faced with climbing into my attic, searching my closets, and moving that large box in the garage (it had been sitting there two years). . .well, I was not particularly excited. But once I moved into action, things became easier as I went along. And as I stated earlier, the ultimate financial gain was well worth it.

Because I am not particularly known for my organizational skills, I find it helpful to have as many organizing tools as possible. The most important tool for me is my check list. This list has proved invaluable to me when preparing for a garage sale. Here is an example of my check list:

1. Garage Sale Signs (2-4)
2. Permanent Black Marker
3. Money Box
4. Plenty Of Change ($5 in coin / 20 $1 bills)
5. Three Tables (card table size)
6. Clothes Rack
7. Small Colored Stickers
8. Hangers For Clothes
9. 6-10 Empty Boxes (medium size)
10. Paper Bags (grocery store type)
11. Poster Board (for posting prices if you wish)
12. Chair Or Stool
13. Water Cooler/Cups

Well, there you are. Are you ready to have someone pay you to take the things you no longer want off your hands? The best part about the whole thing is you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So the next time your spouse, friend, or even that little voice inside your head says, "Let's have a garage sale . . . DO IT! Just think, within the next couple of days you could be hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars richer. Good luck with you endeavors and make some money!

"This Way To The Garage Sale" / Copyright 1995, DK Publishing, All Rights Reserved

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