How To Plan A Garage Sale For Moving

You know what can make your move even easier? Planning a garage sale! Starting sooner than later can help your move be more flexible while having more cash in your pockets & fewer boxes in the truckets!

Top Rated Moving Services can be the help to make your long distance move be a more enjoyable experience, so without further adieu we are now going to share with you how to plan a garage sale for moving or in general.

1. Planning ahead will ensure that you don’t forget the many details that go into a successful event. Typically, you should plan a garage sale a month in advance to help everything go smoothly on sale day.
2. Decide now where your sale will happen. Will it be a literal garage sale, held in the garage? If you have a lot to sell, you may want to spread out onto the patio or on the yard. A large, clean basement could protect your sale from a rain-out.
3. Consider collaborating with your neighbors. A central location or common area could be used, making for a higher profile event. More items for sale always translate into higher interest.
4. Check with local officials early on. Find out about permits, fees and collecting sales tax now. And check out the rules on signage. Regulations on advertising signs differ.Better safe than sorry.
5. On that note, please also check with your homeowner’s insurance company. Tell your agent what you are up to and make sure you’re covered for injuries and other potential liabilities.
6. Be sure that you start stock piling boxes and bags at this phase as well, to ensure your customers can bring their treasures home safely and easily.

If you are ever going to become nostalgic, now is one of those times. Long distance moving can be an emotional event. This is where tough decisions need to be made. Take pen and paper, call the family together and make a list of what goes on the truck and what gets sold. You’ll probably list a hundred or more items for sale and if it turns out to be less than that, all the more reason to contact a neighbor and make it a joint venture.

Now that you know what you’re selling, it’s time to get everything together in one location, close to the site. Inspect your wares and identify items that might need a little TLC. A touch of spray paint or a little wood glue can turn trash into a sale.

Certain items will naturally go together, like pots and pans or dish sets. These can be sold as a group. Create mystery boxes with items that you think would be complimentary. Just fill the box and mark your “buy-it-now” price right on the front. A couple of bargains inside could sell the whole container.

• Clothing and fabric of any kind require special attention. They should always be washed even if you think they are clean.
• Search the closets for unused hangers. Everything should be on a hanger or folded and stacked. And yes, break out the iron if need be. The more pristine your clothing and fabrics look, the more sales.
• Make clothing sizes visible and clear.
• Don’t put out old shoes in a box. Make sure that they are displayed in separate pairs and organized by clearly marked sizes.
• If you are in business with your neighbors, agree on a coding system that will allow sales to be logged for the correct seller. This helps avoid issues later.
• Price tags should be applied to everything that you are selling as soon as possible. But remember that adhesive price tags can sometimes damage surfaces. Be careful with placement.

Price It Right

Pricing your inventory can sometimes be difficult. Just remember that your customers have come in search of bargains and don’t have the emotional attachment to some items that you do. Price objectively at 20 to 30 percent of your original cost for things that still function well and look lightly used. Books, clothing and shoes will sell for less, just remember it’s one less thing to move.

On the other hand, don’t price too low. If you are bargaining with a customer, you can always lower a price. But you can never go higher than the sticker.

• Always keep money increments to dollars and quarters. This will keep transactions simple and reduce the need for change.
• Remember that everything you are selling is used and should be priced with that in mind. Think about what you would pay and try to come down in the middle, just make sure you save a little wiggle room for bargain shoppers.
• If something is antique, collectible or a specialty item, don’t sell yourself short. Do your research and get a fair price.
• If something doesn’t work or has some sort of cosmetic blemish, mark it “AS IS” to alert your customers and consider any defects in your pricing.
• Price tags are available at office-supply stores, but masking tape will do in a pinch. Get adhesive price tags so they don’t get lost and back up your prices in a logbook, item by item.

Spread The Word

In a Garage sale, all the retail rules apply. Grab attention with well-placed, creative signage. Come up with a humorous tagline and, if you’re a ham, dressing in a funny hat and waving to passers-by never hurt anybody.

Get the word out for your garage sale with these tips:

• Run an announcement in the local paper
• Put your announcements up around the block and go door to door to the neighbors you know
• Reach out to your church with a notice in their publication or on their site
• Distribute flyers on bulletin boards and store-front windows
• Locate community clubs and leave hand-outs for the members

Make sure that signs are consistent, and arrows are pointing to the right location, so people don’t pass you by.

You should have your signs up the day before your event.
At the site itself, make sure to have a big, clear, readable sign with a bold font. Use high contrast colors like black on white or yellow. Don’t forget the details like address, dates and times.

One caveat: people will come before you are ready. It could be an hour or so in advance or even the night before to have a look. It’s up to you if you want to start selling, but you should make a decision and be consistent.

Remember to retrieve all your advertising from the neighborhood when your garage sale is finished.

Now it’s time to get your retail space in order:

• First, clear the area. If you don’t want to sell it, it doesn’t belong there. If it’s too big to move, throw a tarp over it and put up a clear “NOT FOR SALE” sign.
• Start with clothing. You will need places to hang these articles, but they don’t need to be fancy. A clothesline or a suspended ladder on its side will do.
• Old patio tables, a workbench from the garage or plywood across two sawhorses will work, but make sure that you leave enough room for people to circulate around them.
• Group like articles with like. Think of how department stores are laid out with clothing, kitchen and tool sections separated. Smaller items, like books and CDs can be displayed in boxes with spines up for convenient browsing.
• A tape measure should be handy to help your customers decide if a larger piece of furniture or appliance will be a good fit.
• Remember also that people will want to make sure anything electrical works. Have an extension cord plugged in and ready for use.
• A staffed, make-shift dressing area will increase clothing sales and keep your merchandise safe from theft if you make up some cards with the number of articles taken in.
• Advertise your departments with signs like Kitchen, Electronics, Clothing and Shoes. Have a bargain area for your “mystery Boxes” and items that are all under a dollar.

Play It Safe

Shoplifting is an unfortunate reality. Here are some tips:

• Always keep at least two people in the sales area. Shoplifters usually work in twos.
• Keep money on you, not in a cash box.
• Do not allow back packs, bags or other containers to be carried in. Let customers know they must be left outside the area or offer to hold them.
• Watch people who seem to be watching you, especially if they are loitering.
• Small items should be displayed by the checkout.
• Keep your doors locked and keep your phone with you at all times.
• If someone looks suspicious, kindly go up to them & offer any assistance. They usually disappear soon after.

To make sure you are ready to start your garage sale, check off these tasks:

• Go to the bank and get plenty of ones and quarters. Mark down how much you have at opening.
• Have pen, paper and a small calculator nearby.
• Keep an inventory list with you and check off items as they are sold, noting any price changes.
• Have a trash container.
• Stock newspaper, boxes, bags, scissors, twine, stapler and a box cutter for wrapping purchases.
• Make a big sign that states “CASH ONLY” and stick by it.
• Ask for a deposit to hold an item and be clear about future pick-up.
• Keep your pets inside and away from the crowd.

Negotiating price at a garage sale is normal and expected. Coming down on a big-ticket item can often make the sale, so offer around ten percent off if you think that will move your merchandise.

Don’t haggle before lunch. If people want to bargain in the morning, tell them to come back in the afternoon when you start to discount items.

Depending on how the sale is going, drop pricing toward the end because money will always be easier to take with you than an extra box.

Now that your day is done, pack up & divide your earnings with your partners ( if you included any ). Just remember to deduct what you started out with and be sure to remove any signage in the neighborhood.

Instead of throwing away unsold items, consider donating them to a charity like Good Will, your church sales or schools. Any receipts you get will be deductible.

There you have it! That is how you transform a bulky move into cash and fun! Now you know how to plan a garage sale for moving, let Top Rated Moving Services take care of the rest!