Garage Sale Tips for Sellers

Planning Your Garage Sale

Of course you should always post your Garage Sale Ad on Yard Sale Canada for maximum exposure.

Tell your friends, family, and co-workers about your sale. This is an effective advertising method that just happens to be free...And you may even sell a bunch of junk before you even have the sale.

Whenever possible, try to consolidate Garage Sales throughout your neighborhood. Organize a street wide Garage Sale if possible. This way, your advertising costs and efforts will be minimized.

Always check to see if there are any restrictions or By-Laws in your community regarding Garage Sales. Many cities in Canada have a limit on the number of sales you can have each year. As well, there may be some restrictions on Garage Sale signs (where they can be located, how long they can stay up, etc.). You can begin by looking under the By-Laws section of our links page.

Double check the Health Canada Garage Sale Advisory Web Site to make sure there are no problems with any of the items you are selling.

If you live in a small community, you will know who the main companies are and when they pay their employees. Try to throw your Garage Sale directly after payday!

Make sure that your items are protected in case it decides to rain. You can double check your weather right here at Yard Sale Canada...Click here for Canadian Weather Conditions

Pricing Your Items

Earlybirds - Gotta love'em, but usually we hate'em. Charge them double if you are still setting up.

It is best to price your items the day before the Garage Sale takes place. It may take longer than you expect to set up the Garage Sale on the big morning.

Make sure all of your items are priced prior to the Garage Sale starting; nothing irritates a buyer more than going to a Garage Sale with nothing priced. Many will just walk away before they ask you what the price is.

If you don't have time to price all your items, you may want to consider having a $0.50 table, a $0.25 box etc…This way you won't have to put an individual price on each and every little knick-knack.

If there is more than one person selling items at a Garage Sale, mark the items with different coloured labels or put the seller's initials beside the price. This will make it easier at the end of the day when dividing the profit.

If there is a particular item you are not sure you want to sell, price it high. It will soften the blow if someone buys it!

If you are selling an item that is expensive and practically brand new - and you actually want to make some money on it, a good idea would be to indicate what the actual price of the item was when you bought it. For instance, 'Cost $500 two months ago - asking $250.' Another idea is to see if the item is listed in a catalogue or on an internet site, then either rip it out of the catalogue or print it off from your computer and tape it to the item along with your asking price.

It is always good to have a box or section labeled 'Free Stuff'. These are all the things you know you should pay someone to take away. During the Garage Sale, it might be a good idea to transfer some of the stuff you don't think will sell into this box!

Garage Sale Signs

Make sure that your community doesn't have restrictions on Garage Sale Sign placement. You may not be allowed to place a sign on a utility pole.

Make sure your Garage Sale Sign is legible. Make the writing neat and large enough for someone to read it at a distance.

When making a Garage Sale Sign, it is a good idea to put the following details on it:

• Address
• Dates
• Times

Thick paper or cardboard is best to use for signs.

It is helpful to place Garage Sale Signs up high with arrows pointing in the direction of your Garage Sale.

It's a good idea to not put too many details onto your Garage Sale Sign. It's not easy for people in a vehicle to read detailed signs unless they are at a complete standstill...and that's highly unlikely at most sign locations.

It's always a good idea to post your Garage Sale Signs the night before. Chances are you won't have time to put up the signs right before your sale in the morning.

Signs should not be posted more than a few days in advance.

Make sure that you put a lot of signs at busy intersections.

After the Garage Sale ends, make sure that you take your signs down.

Display Considerations

Make sure that any clothing you are selling has been properly cleaned and either folded or hung up. Make sure you go through all the pockets - you never know what you might find.

Make sure that any items you sell are clean. Very few people are interested in purchasing items that are dirty. Besides, you will always get more money if it is clean, so it's worth the extra effort.

Make sure your items are properly displayed. It is best to use tables, shelving, large empty boxes, saw horses, whatever...anything that elevates the items. Put a sign on these items to indicate that they are not for sale. If you must put your items on the ground, use a drop cloth or sheet on the ground.

If you are selling a tent...set it up. If you are selling shelves...set them up. Most people won't purchase an item that hasn't been put together.

If you are having your Garage Sale on your lawn, make sure there are no unwelcome doggie droppings in the grass where you know people will be stepping.

Make sure media items such as DVDs, VHS tapes, CD's - or even books are properly arranged so that the titles are easily read.

If you are selling electronic items, please ensure they function properly. If the items do not work, then throw them in the free box.

Make sure you have access to electricity if you are selling electrical items. People will always want to try out the item before they purchase it. Run a nice long outdoor extension cord so that the items can be easily demonstrated.

It is always a good idea to move things around on your display as items begin to sell to fill in the blank spots. Make sure that your items are not cluttered.

To prevent the would-be buyers from doing the drive-by without stopping, make sure you place some of your more interesting pieces near the road.

What on earth to do with all those leftover sale items? We at Yard Sale Canada would like to ask you to consider donating your leftover items to a charity of your choice. Some suggestions we have are:

• Salvation Army
• Goodwill
• Elizabeth Fry Society
• Value Village
• 1-800-GOT-JUNK

Another idea for getting rid of items is to post them as free and leave them at the end of your driveway. Check back a few hours later and see if anything is left over!

Money Handling

Make sure you have a lot of 'Start-Up' money on you. It is called a 'Float'. Many people will come to your Garage Sale with a twenty dollar bill and will expect you to have change for it when buying a two dollar item. Make sure you have plenty of coins and bills available so you won't lose any customers.

Make sure you know how much money is in your 'Float' so you can figure out how much money you made at your Garage Sale.

Do not leave your money unattended. If you are the only one tending the Garage Sale, then wear a fanny pack to carry your money around. But please, when you go out in public later on, leave the fanny pack behind. That little tid bit of style should stay back in the eighties!

Unless you know the person, never accept a cheque. If the customer really wants it, ask them for a deposit to hold the item while they run to their bank or interac machine to get the remainder of the money.

If you have to make change for someone and they give you a larger bill (i.e. $20 or $50), give them their change first before adding their bill to your money. Someone may try to rip you off - or forget what they actually gave you. Better to be safe than sorry.

Garage Sale Etiquette

In some situations it may be best that you notify neighbours in advance that you will be having a Garage Sale. Some of them may also want to throw a Garage Sale, at which point you can work together to advertise the joint sale.

Be friendly and professional. You would think this doesn't have to be said, but sadly it actually does!

Always say hello to prospective buyers

If you have concerns about discourteous buyers tramping across your yard, you can put up a coloured ribbon around the perimeter with a sign asking people to stay off the grass.

Be considerate about the music you are playing in the background. There is a good chance your neighbours will not appreciate the noise pollution.

If you are needing to smoke, it would be kind to the customers if you did it away from where the Garage Sale is being held.

Keep your pets away from the Garage Sale. Many visitors will find your animal threatening or intimidating.

After the sale is over:

• Ensure that any mess made by your customers is cleaned up
• Take down all your Garage Sale Signs
• Remove all remaining sale items and display props from the yard.

We hope this advice was useful...Have a Great Sale!