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After rent, groceries, gasoline, and a quick trip to the movies, you discover that you have little more than nothing in your bank account. You need a little extra cash, but you have a lot of extra stuff, so the solution’s simple. You need to hold a garage sale.
Holding a garage sale involves more than just throwing all of your junk onto your driveway. It requires some preparation and creativity, because you’ll need to convince nearby drivers that your stuff is worth stopping for.
Your 10-Step Checklist
1. Choose your items
Go through your attic, your basement, and your storage. What do you have that you no longer need? You should only sell items that you have no sentimental attachment to.
2. Inventory your items
Write down a list of all the items you want to sell. This will help you to sell only the items you intend to. This also prevents people from trying to buy items that you don’t want to sell.
3. Put prices on your items
Once you’ve made your inventory, decide how much you want everything to cost. The prices should be around a third of what you paid when you bought them new. If you want to sell clothes, you should make them extremely cheap. T-shirts shouldn’t cost more than a dollar. After you decide on prices, you should put price tags on your items.
4. Get a sales permit
Many cities require you to have a sales permit before you can hold a garage sale. You could face charges or fines if you don’t get one, so make sure to check into your city’s requirements.
5. Advertise
You should send out advertisements in several mediums. Use social media, newspapers, radio stations, and other media to tell people about your garage sale.
6. Make signs
You need to tell shoppers where to find you. Make two signs. One should go in your front yard, while the other should go at the end of your street. Don’t try to cram too much information onto them, either. They should simply say “Garage Sale” and have an arrow pointing in the direction of your house.
7. Take out change
Many people prefer to pay in cash at garage sales. Make the process easier for everyone by having change ready. Use coins and several sizes of bills. Don’t forget to guard your money during the sale!
8. Make your yard attractive
Mow your lawn, weed your flowerbeds, fill in holes, and sweep your porch, because an attractive yard looks more trustworthy to potential customers.
9. Make your merchandise attractive
Pretend that you run a legitimate store for a moment. If you want people to respect you, you need to hang your clothes neatly on racks and stack CDs and books with the name or label facing out. You’ll look more trustworthy and professional if you have everything arranged neatly. You should also put the most interesting items in the front of your yard to attract more customers.
10. Create an atmosphere
Play music, offer drinks, and greet all of your customers. You’ll make more sales if people can see that you’re friendly.
Need More Money Making Tips?
If you need a little more financial help, the experts at Harris & Partners, Inc. have your best interests at heart. We’ll help you review your budget and see if a consumer proposal or a bankruptcy will help get you back on your feet again. For more information, call us at 1-800-268-8093 today!
