When I was 7 years old, I persuaded my mom to help me hold my first-ever garage sale. Since that day many years ago, I’ve put on more than 50 garage sales. Every time I hold a sale, I still get a rush of excitement. Why? Because I know that after the sale I’ll have more room in my garage to park my car and much more money in my pocket.
People always tell me holding a garage sale will take too much time and effort to justify the rewards. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here’s my fail-safe plan to help you make money and use only one day of your weekend.
Prepare for the sale: First, search every room of your house. Leave no basement, attic or drawer unturned.
My rule is if you haven’t used an item in a year, it’s time to sell it. Every year you put off selling something, the less you’ll get for it. Case in point: Last year my mom gave me a typewriter to sell. I put it in my sale and had to explain what it was to everyone under the age of 35. After I was unable to sell it, I tried to donate it to a thrift store, but they got angry at me for trying to give it to them.
What to charge: When pricing items — especially expensive items — I recommend asking about half of what you originally paid. You can always negotiate to make the sale.
For antiques or collectibles, consider selling on eBay for bigger profits. On smaller items like books, CDs and toys, let the customer make you an offer. You may even get a little more for these items than you originally hoped.
Timing is everything: The best day for a garage sale is Saturday. Your sale should start at 8 a.m. and end between 3 and 4 p.m. After 4 p.m. you’ll have little to no traffic. Friday is a good “secondary” day to hold your sale. Don’t waste your time having it on Sunday as you’ll get very little traffic, and everyone will offer you little to nothing for your items.
Get the word out: Use every avenue that’s available to you to announce your sale. Use free resources like Facebook, Twitter and Craigslist to advertise your sale. Taking out an ad in the garage sale section of The Denver Post is another great way to get the word out.
On the day before your sale, put out 20 handmade signs in and around your neighborhood. These signs need to be big and bright. Place signs at busy intersections, as well as next to the exits of local grocery stores, libraries and rec centers.
Set up: On the day of your sale, have a power cord available if you are selling anything electrical (so you can show customers the item actually works). Display items nicely on tables.
Get help: Ask friends, relatives and neighbors to help you at your sale (and tell them to bring things to sell as well.).
Warning: Never let strangers into your home. People may want to enter to “case” it or steal something.
Making change: Wear a fanny pack, and have a lot of change. Be prepared, as people will offer $10 and $20 dollar bills for your items. Also have a lot of quarters, dimes and nickels (just in case).
Sell it all: In the last hour of your sale, get a few cardboard boxes and fill them with the remaining smaller items like clothes, books and toys. Place a low price on the outside of the box for all the contents. This will create excitement and help move the rest of your stuff. All the leftovers at the end of the sale should go to local charities. You can also write the donation off of your taxes, so get a receipt.
Finally, remember that the goal is to sell, sell, sell. You may have to let some items go cheaper than expected but cash in the hand is better than junk in the garage.
Aaron LaPedis is an experienced collector and author of “The Garage Sale Millionaire.” Information at . Do you have a question about buying and selling antiques and collectibles? E-mail it to living@denverpost.com.
