Need some extra cash? Why not have a garage sale?

Having a garage sale is an excellent way to get rid of the extra items you’ve accumulated over the years. And, done right, you can make a lot of money!

Whether you wish to declutter your home or just have too much unwanted stuff, garage sales are the perfect solution to your problem. Think you need to have a ton of stuff to have a successful sale? WRONG.

The truth is that there are many items people love to buy at a yard or garage sale. You want to get rid of your stuff and make a quick buck off it, right?

We’ve talked about the best items to buy at garage sales to make a profit. But now we want to talk about how you can make the most money by selling the things that have been taking up too much space. So throw a sale and start stocking up on some extra cash!

…Continue reading for the 5 best tips and tricks to get the most out of your garage sale!

Clean Your Stuff

Our first and one of the best garage sale tips we can give you is you MUST ensure your items are clean. A bit of elbow grease can result in a much more significant profit. Things that are covered in dirt and dust won’t look as appealing.

If your items are dirty, you’ll simply confirm people’s preconceived notions that garage sales are full of junk. Not to mention, the experience of skimming through your items will be way less enjoyable for your customers.

So, if you take the time to clean everything well, you’ll be much more likely to make sales. Polish furniture, wash clothes, and clean any appliances you plan to sell. Also, clean up the area where you plan to have your sale.

For instance, sweep your driveway and remove any distracting clutter from your garage. This will help create a clean environment for your shoppers.

This will make them feel more comfortable making purchases from you. Simply put, if you want people to be interested in the things you’re selling, make your products shine!

Be Different

Garage sales are essentially the same. This is why finding a way to stand out, whether by price, theme, scale, or anything else, is a good idea. Here are some tips you should consider:

• Put a label on it: Do you have many board games, graphic novels, and computer equipment? Name it the “Geek Yard Sale!”
• Offer free delivery: If you have some large items for sale, differentiate yourself by offering to deliver items for free after the sale.
• Recruit your neighbors: Neighborhood yard sales lure many more buyers. So speak to your neighbors and arrange multiple yard sales. Find out what everyone’s selling and offer to refer your buyers to them.
• Offer free cookies, lemonade, or even ice water: Most garage sales are during the hot summer months. So a jug of lemonade or refreshing cold water is a nice gesture for your customers. And remember that visiting pets get thirsty too!

Always Have Change

Before your garage sale begins, be sure to stock up on dollar bills and rolls of quarters. Otherwise, you’re sure to lose out on some would-be sales. These days, many shoppers don’t keep too much cash on them.

While some people will have planned because they knew about the sale, others might just be driving through your neighborhood and spontaneously stop by to check it out. Those people are less likely to be prepared with small bills to spend.

Offering alternative payment methods would also be a good idea to increase your sales ability. And you don’t have to buy any fancy hardware to accept electronic payments. You only need an account with a peer-to-peer payment service like Venmo or Paypal.

Just don’t forget to stock up on change, even if you accept electronic payments. You’ll surely get at least a few shoppers who want to pay in cash!

…To help you stay organized, we highly recommend purchasing this locking cash box from Amazon. It has compartments for different coin amounts as well as cash trays to keep you from scrambling when giving out change.

Spread The Word

Another way to ensure success is by promoting your sale beforehand. If you don’t spread the word about your garage sale, your sales will be limited to people driving down your street during your sale hours. Also, don’t just put up a sign and hope people come.

Instead, do everything possible to get the word out about your sale. Throughout the week before your sale, put up signs around the neighborhood inviting people to come and check it out.

Use big, readable letters, and remember to list your address, the date, and the hours you’ll be there. Another way to spread the news is to post online using social media platforms like Facebook.

Or, get even more targeted by sharing the details of your sale on Craigslist and Nextdoor. The more chances you give people to learn about your garage sale, the more money you’ll make. Spark curiosity by posting about some big-ticket items you plan on selling.

That way, you’ll encourage more people to come and see what you offer. But whatever way you decide to promote it, don’t wait until the day of your garage sale to start!

Begin On Thursday Or Friday

Begin early on Thursday or Friday at around 6 or 7 am. Doing this will get you the driving-the-kids-to-school and going-to-work crowd. And depending on how you do, you always have the weekend for whatever items you have left.

The idea is that many people will come as early as possible to take advantage of the broadest selection. So make sure you set up early too. If you’re still setting when customers arrive, they won’t be able to see everything you offer.

Even worse, you won’t be able to concentrate on helping them because you’ll be too busy getting organized. Spare yourself a hectic frenzy by waking up well before your sale starts. Also, garage sale shoppers are notorious for waking up early to hit the sales.

By opening up your sale early, you’ll have more available hours for people to stop by before they go about their day.

The Bottom Line

By enforcing our garage sale tips and tricks, you’ll be well on your way to making some sales you won’t soon forget. We daresay you might even be the envy of your neighbors! Now, this goes without saying, but remember to be welcoming and friendly!

There’s nothing like a terrific attitude to make people want to stick around and spend their money on your old things. Who knows? You might even come away from your yard sale with some new friends in addition to all that extra cash!

Be sure to leave us a comment in the section below to let us know if you have any of your own garage sales hacks you’d like to share with our readers.

And in the meantime, we’ve got many more great tips up our sleeve. We highly recommend checking out the following: 7 Grocery Store Items You’ve Been Wasting Money On