10 Garage Sale Tips: How to Host a Successful Garage Sale
You know that very first warm, sunny day of spring that gives you the fuzzy wuzzies all over because it’s that very first sign that we can finally bust out the swimsuits and sunblock soon?
I mean… I get the fuzzy wuzzies about it too, but maybe for a different reason. Because it means it’s GARAGE SALE SEASON! Eeeeek! (If you’re freaking out about it too, this is why we’re friends.)
Every couple of years, we purge a ton of clutter we’ve collected, and it’s become the best way to make a little money back for our next room makeovers and home improvement projects. We have made over $1,000 at our garage sales before, which we often use to fund our next home makeover phase.
There are a few little tricks we use to make it extra successful though. So I thought it would help to share my top 10 tips to host a successful garage sale, if you plan to have one too.
But first, here are some decluttering tips to get you started so that you have plenty of items to sell.
Declutter ruthlessly
Here are some tips to show you how to declutter your home quickly with these organizer secrets.
And here is a Free Ultimate Home Printable Declutter Checklist to guide and motivate you.
1. Pick the best date and time to have a garage sale
Keep an eye on the weather forecast for a good day to hold the sale, and plan to start early in the day, especially in the summer to beat the heat. Check to see if there are any local community sales you could join to get more customer traffic.
Typically, Saturday from 8am to noon is considered garage sale prime time, so plan for that as you set your date and time.
If you want to sell even more, consider continuing the sale for a second day on Sunday to get more shoppers. Or host it again the following Sunday. It’s already set up so you might as well keep it going, right?
2. Advertise it
Create an ad on Craigslist and in your local buy/sell/trade Facebook groups and include well-lit photos of the items! Share it on your personal Facebook profile or Instagram feed.
Provide a long list of items you will be selling to create interest. Post about it on Garage Sale Hunter and Yard Sale Search too. You may not want to post your exact street address for security reasons, but mention your neighborhood instead to give people direction.
Make signs to put by intersections near your house. Be sure signs are big, bright, and easy to read from the road and include exact dates and times. If you just write “Saturday”, people may not know if the sign is old or new.
3. Gather up supplies well ahead of time
Set aside a couple of chairs for you to sit on and a couple of tables for displaying items (ask around for friends who would be willing to lend them out).
Start saving grocery bags a few weeks ahead of time so customers can hold more items to buy.
Set aside a calculator, an apron or zip-up pouch for holding money, hangers, extra shopping bags for “check out”, extension cords and batteries so people can test electronics, and price tags and pens.
When gathering items to sell, sell as much as possible! The more merchandise you have, the better. If people drive by and see a half empty garage, they’ll be less likely to stop in and browse.
Take time to clean up items, if needed, too.
3. Get plenty of change from the bank
5 $10 bills, 10 $5 bills, 50 $1 bills, and two rolls of quarters should do it.
4. Decide your purpose for the sale before you start pricing
Are you hosting the sale to get rid of a lot of clutter?
Or are you hosting the sale because you need to make some money?
If you mainly want to get rid of stuff, price a little on the lower side. If you want to make money, price items high enough so that customers can haggle. (Not so high that you scare them off though.)
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Check out Craigslist and eBay to gauge what you should be charging. Just be sure you DO price everything. If people have to ask, they might just decide it’s not worth the effort.
Make sure to write prices neatly and large enough so they’re easy to read.
5. Sort like-items into sections
Have a clothing section, home decor section, furniture section, hardware section, toys section, kitchen housewares section, etc. Think of your garage like a store and arrange it in departments so customers can find what they want more easily.
Spread out your items on tables or blankets so they’re easy to see and not piled on top of each other. Hang clothes on hangers and hang them from your garage door track if you don’t have a clothing rack.
6. Have a free box
For little knick-knacks and cheap toys, mark them for free. They’re great for keeping little kids entertained while parents shop, and you’ll get rid of them quickly.
7. Give yourself at least 30 minutes before the start of the sale to prep
Put a sale sign in your yard and spread items out into your driveway if you need to so people have enough space to walk around easily. Create a few displays and put highly desirable items at the front.
Be willing to tell early birds that you’re not starting just yet so that you’re not frantically trying to get ready and fumbling for money.
(I made that mistake in our first garage sale because I didn’t want to be a “meanie”, so I let early birds go ahead and shop before we were ready. I ended up scrambling and stressing out.)
8. Be welcoming
Greet people as they arrive but also give them space to browse. Have music playing and set up a pitcher of lemonade, or if you have kids, let them run a lemonade stand.
9. Prepare for bargaining (at the right time)
At the beginning of the sale, don’t haggle too much.
Plan to keep your prices fairly firm the first couple of hours. But be more flexible to haggle towards the end or even mark down items to 50% off the last hour.
At the end of the sale, you can even make a free-for-all pile so that people can just take items and you’re not stuck with a bunch of leftovers.
10. Donate leftovers or list them online
For items that you think might be worth the effort to make a little extra money, sell them on Facebook Marketplace or set up an account on Poshmark.
For the rest, don’t even take the last items after the sale back into your house. Schedule a donation pickup. Or just load it all up to haul away to a nearby donation center. After you donate, be sure to get a receipt for a tax write-off. Even donations will pay you back later.
Have you already started some massive purging as the mood strikes? (Here are some tips to help you declutter and a whole home decluttering checklist you can use.)
Do you have any garage / yard sale tips of your own? Are you keeping an eye out for certain items lately? Some great furniture pieces to makeover are always on my lookout list.
More Thrifty Home Tips
30 Best Home Decor Items to Buy at Thrift Stores
How to Find the Best Deals on Facebook Marketplace
