After finishing college, I moved back to my hometown and my mom and grandma asked me to be part of a garage sale. Since I had a bunch of stuff from college that I didn’t need anymore, I thought it was a good idea. It was a chance to clear out some clutter and make a little extra cash. Even though our first sale wasn’t a huge success, we decided to try again the following spring since I had even more things to get rid of.
Over the years, these garage sales became a yearly event. We moved the sale to my house, which brought in more people because it was closer to a busy intersection compared to my grandma’s place, which was at the end of a quiet street. Now, our garage sale includes items from my mom, grandma, and sometimes my cousin, making it a family event. And the best part? We usually make around $1,000 each year!
Here’s how we manage to pull off such successful garage sales and how you can too.
One thing I’ve learned is the importance of good advertising. At first, we only advertised in the local newspaper, but it didn’t bring in many customers. We then started using radio station announcements, online platforms like Craigslist and local Facebook Buy/Sell/Trade groups, which made a big difference. We also put up bright, noticeable signs at busy intersections to attract more people.
When setting up the garage sale, it’s important to clean up the items and display them neatly on tables or shelves. Even though we’re selling used things, we try to create a welcoming and organized setup. We place the more popular and pricey items near the curb to catch the attention of people driving by. Even though we usually have more small items than big ones, keeping everything well-organized has helped us consistently hit that $1,000 mark each year.
As for pricing, we try to find a good balance. We want the prices to be attractive to buyers without making it seem like the items are low-quality, but we also don’t want to price them so high that people are turned off. Any items that don’t sell are donated, so we don’t have to store them for the next sale.
In summary, these strategies have helped us consistently earn $1,000 at each annual garage sale. While it’s great to make some cash from things we don’t need anymore, my main goal is to buy more thoughtfully and reduce clutter, maybe even making these garage sales unnecessary in the future.
How have your garage sale experiences been? Have you ever hit the jackpot or do you usually struggle with turnout? We’d love to hear about your experiences and what you’ve learned!