A garage sale biz can be profitable!
Organizing a Garage Sale
Need extra money? Especially during this recession, organizing garage sales at your home can be a profitable, low budget, low cost, low risk way to get quick cash. I know some people who have even used this type of sale to start a small, part time home based business selling crafts, plants, or you name it, and unwanted items that they own. Many wholesale companies cater, in part, to these entrepreneurs. If done right, they can add several thousand dollars to your yearly income.
The great American garage sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, moving sale, estate sale, or block sale, is an informal event, usually at a house or houses in a residential neighborhood, in which the items being sold are arranged on tables or on the ground, in the front yard or in the garage. On occasion, especially during an "estate sale," the sale will spread into the house, and all items inside and outside the house are sold, attracting large numbers of eager shoppers. Besides selling your unwanted items (but that’s a good place to start), you can buy wholesale merchandise from wholesale companies that cater in part to people selling at garage sales, from other sales, eBay wholesale merchandise, and public storage companies(that sometimes sell at auction whole rooms full of abandoned stuff, at very small final bids compared to the real value of the possessions.)
Garage Sale Tips
Setting Up the Sale
Use the driveway as the main selling area, then the front porch, lawn, or other parts of the front yard as needed. Use tables as much as possible to display your items. Keep different types of merchandise clean and separate from each other. For example, keep clothing like shirts, jackets together, and clothing should be on cloths hangers and racks. Glasswear, pottery, etc. should all be together, and so on. Maintain clear traffic isles. The better your sale looks and the more you have out, the more people will stop to see what you have!
To carry change and profits, don't use a cashbox, use your pockets, because you never know when a thief will come along. You can also use something like a utility belt or fanny pack to carry money, but your pockets are best.
Garage Sale Pricing
Most people come to this type of sale in search of bargains. So give them bargains! At the time you obtain your merchandise, whether stuff from inside your house, from a wholesale company, eBay, or where ever, keep that in mind. The best thing to do is to go to several other sales in your area and see what's there and their pricing.
Pricing on used items from inside the house you don't want any more is easy: most used shirts sell for $1; same with old pants (except jeans, sell for more depending on its condition); glasswear 25¢ or 50¢; if in doubt, any small articles, 25¢ to $1. It depends on what you are selling, butfor larger articles, for example: a three-man dome tent, good condition, try selling for 1/4 the original value. Be careful! Don't sell something, then later regret selling it.Sell only merchandise you won't mind selling, stuff that you just want to move out.
If you try purchasing from wholesale companies with the intention of reselling it at your sale, fine. But make sure you can sell it at a price that will give you a profit. It takes some experience. Small flags for example, American flags, Mexican flags, other flags too, sell pretty well during certain times of the year or on holidays. Just make sure there is a good market for your purchases and buy only from a genuine wholesale supplier (see my page Wholesale Companies, for suggestions on some good wholesale distributors).
Put Out Lots of Signs
Place informative signs at strategic locations and intersections to direct people to your sale. A small, saw horse type sign, which you can easily make yourself, stands nicely and you can fold it up to be used another day. Or you can use signs with wooden rods to push or pound into the dirt or lawn. The more difficult it is to find your home, the more signs you will need to put out. Make them bold and colorful to attract more attention.
Advertise
You can place free Internet classified advertising listings on craigslist.com and many local news publications allow free classified ads as well. Of course, the more signs, ads, fliers you put out there, the more traffic you will draw and the more $$ of profits you will make! So, as in any small business enterprise, promote!, promote!
Organizing a Garage Sale
Need extra money? Especially during this recession, organizing garage sales at your home can be a profitable, low budget, low cost, low risk way to get quick cash. I know some people who have even used this type of sale to start a small, part time home based business selling crafts, plants, or you name it, and unwanted items that they own. Many wholesale companies cater, in part, to these entrepreneurs. If done right, they can add several thousand dollars to your yearly income.
The great American garage sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, moving sale, estate sale, or block sale, is an informal event, usually at a house or houses in a residential neighborhood, in which the items being sold are arranged on tables or on the ground, in the front yard or in the garage. On occasion, especially during an "estate sale," the sale will spread into the house, and all items inside and outside the house are sold, attracting large numbers of eager shoppers. Besides selling your unwanted items (but that’s a good place to start), you can buy wholesale merchandise from wholesale companies that cater in part to people selling at garage sales, from other sales, eBay wholesale merchandise, and public storage companies(that sometimes sell at auction whole rooms full of abandoned stuff, at very small final bids compared to the real value of the possessions.)
Garage Sale Tips
Setting Up the Sale
Use the driveway as the main selling area, then the front porch, lawn, or other parts of the front yard as needed. Use tables as much as possible to display your items. Keep different types of merchandise clean and separate from each other. For example, keep clothing like shirts, jackets together, and clothing should be on cloths hangers and racks. Glasswear, pottery, etc. should all be together, and so on. Maintain clear traffic isles. The better your sale looks and the more you have out, the more people will stop to see what you have!
To carry change and profits, don't use a cashbox, use your pockets, because you never know when a thief will come along. You can also use something like a utility belt or fanny pack to carry money, but your pockets are best.
Garage Sale Pricing
Most people come to this type of sale in search of bargains. So give them bargains! At the time you obtain your merchandise, whether stuff from inside your house, from a wholesale company, eBay, or where ever, keep that in mind. The best thing to do is to go to several other sales in your area and see what's there and their pricing.
Pricing on used items from inside the house you don't want any more is easy: most used shirts sell for $1; same with old pants (except jeans, sell for more depending on its condition); glasswear 25¢ or 50¢; if in doubt, any small articles, 25¢ to $1. It depends on what you are selling, butfor larger articles, for example: a three-man dome tent, good condition, try selling for 1/4 the original value. Be careful! Don't sell something, then later regret selling it.Sell only merchandise you won't mind selling, stuff that you just want to move out.
If you try purchasing from wholesale companies with the intention of reselling it at your sale, fine. But make sure you can sell it at a price that will give you a profit. It takes some experience. Small flags for example, American flags, Mexican flags, other flags too, sell pretty well during certain times of the year or on holidays. Just make sure there is a good market for your purchases and buy only from a genuine wholesale supplier (see my page Wholesale Companies, for suggestions on some good wholesale distributors).
Put Out Lots of Signs
Place informative signs at strategic locations and intersections to direct people to your sale. A small, saw horse type sign, which you can easily make yourself, stands nicely and you can fold it up to be used another day. Or you can use signs with wooden rods to push or pound into the dirt or lawn. The more difficult it is to find your home, the more signs you will need to put out. Make them bold and colorful to attract more attention.
Advertise
You can place free Internet classified advertising listings on craigslist.com and many local news publications allow free classified ads as well. Of course, the more signs, ads, fliers you put out there, the more traffic you will draw and the more $$ of profits you will make! So, as in any small business enterprise, promote!, promote!
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