Being Thrifty

Tip #4: Organize your sale

Once you’ve decided on the items that will be in your sale, you need to get them ready to sell.

Set up tables or shelves to display items. Use card tables or other folding tables. If you don’t have tables, place a piece of plywood across sawhorses. It makes it much easier for shoppers when items are neatly displayed.

If you have clothes, hang them on a portable clothes rack, or stretch a rope along a wall and hang clothes from this. Baby and children’s clothes can be folded and stacked on tables. Keep in mind that adult clothes are generally not a big seller. People are reluctant to spend a lot of money on clothes they can’t try on, so don’t expect to get big money for your clothes. Baby and children’s clothes usually sell well however.

Place like items together. If you have a lot of glassware, group it in one location instead of scattering it throughout the sale. Group clothing and shoes together. However, don’t display items as a set unless you plan to sell them as a set. Recently, my sister-in-law had a garage sale where she had a really cute outfit that my niece had outgrown. It was a little black velvet skirt, a pink top, and a matching purse. She had all three items hanging on one hangar, making it look like it was a set. However, she wanted to sell each item individually. Every time a buyer showed interest in the set, and she told them each item was separate, the buyer quickly lost interest. She never sold the outfit.

Make sure items are presentable. If that widget that’s been in your closet for years is covered with dust, at least wipe it off.

While it can be a pain, price each item individually unless you plan to sell all similar items for the same price. For example, if you have boxes of paperback books and you plan to sell each book for 25 cents, you can just make a sign that says “paperback books, 25 cents” rather than price each book individually. If several families are participating in one sale, or if you are having helpers at your sale, it’s best to price each item individually.

Again, at my sister-in-law’s sale, she had a lot of children’s clothing. She didn’t mark any of her items. She wanted to sell some clothing for 50 cents a piece, other items for $1, and still other items at different prices. For those of us helping her, it was hard to tell buyers how much the items were when she wasn’t around. Then she got upset when items were sold for a different price than what she wanted.

Keep small items such as jewelry near the cashier. While most garage sale goers are honest people, there are those few out there who have sticky fingers. Small items are easy to slip into a purse or a pocket, so keep them in plain view of those working the sale.

If you are selling electronics, have an outlet available so the buyer can try it out before buying.

The larger your item, the larger (in size) your price tag should be. Someone who’s interested in the sofa shouldn’t have to look all over for the price tag.

Be honest. Don’t label an item as “nearly new” or “gently used” when it obviously isn’t. Mark an item cheap and point out its flaws and it will probably sell. Claim that the chipped and faded glasses are ‘antiques’ and put an unreasonable price on them, and you’ll probably still own them at the end of the sale.

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