Make the Most of Your Garage Sale

With the right approach, having a garage sale can be a refreshing experience as well as a smart financial move. But many of us aren't quite sure how to tackle the project or do it in a way that's both efficient and effective. Here are some tips from an expert to help you make the most of the experience.

Give yourself time

Give yourself plenty of lead time to gather merchandise for your garage sale. Start weeks, even months, beforehand and sort through all your closets, drawers and boxes. Do you really need every utensil in your kitchen or all the Christmas decorations in your attic? Include your basement, attic and garage in the search and have as complete a sale as you can. Offering both volume and variety of merchandise will attract shoppers as well as bring in the most income.

Sell large-ticket items through alternative means

Get the most for your large-ticket items by not selling them at your garage sale, where shoppers expect to pay rock-bottom prices. Instead, before your sale, advertise items worth $20 or more through other free or low-cost outlets, such as neighborhood newspapers, employee newsletters, student publications or church bulletin boards. Take your better clothing to a consignment shop, and explore options available through re-sale stores for books, appliances, sporting goods or baby items.

Take a retailer's approach to pricing and display

Price your merchandise so that customers will feel like they're getting a bargain ­ 10 to 20 percent of retail value, more for items that are like-new. Visit other people's sales to get ideas for yours, and have a mirror available if you plan to sell clothing. Overall, be sure to mark prices clearly, display merchandise between knee level and eye level, and rearrange your display as items are sold ­ just as retailers do.

You'll find these and dozens more valuable ideas in the booklet "50 Ways to Make the Most Money Having a Garage Sale." To obtain a copy, send $5.00 to:
CMS Publishing
5757 Logan Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55419

Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips @stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!

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