10 Tips for the Best Garage Sale EVER!

Garage sale season is upon us! If you’ve never ventured into the land of neon-colored circle stickers, you might unknowingly be sitting on a pile of cash. If you have bins overflowing with baby clothes, electronics collecting dust under the stairs or so many toys you could give “Toys R Us” a run for their money, a garage sale might be just what you need. However, garage sales can be a tricky art to master.

Here are 10 tips to help make your sale worth the effort:

• Timing is everything. Coordinate your sale with others in your neighborhood or find out when your home association has scheduled your neighborhood sale. This will bring more traffic with less work. If your neighborhood doesn't participate, try to schedule your sale around the middle of the month after rent and mortgages have been paid.
• See things clearly. On the day before your sale, make sure you have good signs prepared. A box on its side or a paper sack weighted down with rocks are two  good ideas. Use large, plain script in black marker rather than trying to get fancy with cute lettering. Take the time to drive by your own sign. If you can't read it, customers won't be able to either.
• Clean it up. Nothing says gross more than a layer of dirt and grime on items for sale. Dust your electronics off, clean and disinfect toys and wipe down any appliances. Clean up may take a few years off an item’s appearance, making it more attractive to shoppers. This also applies to the outside of your home. Mow the yard, remove the puppy land mines and straighten up your non-sale items in the garage.
• Prepare, prepare, prepare. Sort items in boxes by how much you want to sell them for: $.25, $1, $5, etc. When it is time to start marking, you are already one step ahead. Also, clean out ample space in your garage a couple of days before the sale and begin setting up your displays on tables. You will get early birds, so make sure everything is ready to go the night before.
• Price to sell. The rule of thumb for garage sales is to price things at 25 percent off the original price. You can always come down on price but you can’t go up. Keep in mind, people are there for bargains. If there are items you aren’t able to part with at a low price, consider taking them to a consignment store.
• Display. Mark each item individually and keep things that are similar in price together, which deters shoppers from swapping stickers. Mark larger items such as couches with larger signs; don’t make your shoppers play Where’s Waldo? with the price tag. Fill in gaps as items sell to keep things looking neat. Use a bookcase to display your books and CDs. Also, place your more attractive items at the end of the driveway to better lure shoppers.
• Soothe your shoppers. This may sound over the top, but have some soothing background music playing; your shoppers might want to hang around a little longer. Also, if it is a hot day, set out a pitcher with ice water or involve the kids by letting them run a lemonade stand.
• Wear it well. Keep your money in a fanny pack or a carpenter's apron that you wear at all times. Also, make sure you have enough change. A good rule of thumb is to have a roll of quarters, 25 $1 bills and a handful of $5 bills. If in doubt, remember that having too much change is better than not having enough.
• Take it for a test drive. Have batteries handy to let shoppers test out toys. Keep extension cords handy to show them that the television really does work. This extra step could take away that last inhibition between the shopper and your husband’s deer antler lamp.
• No pocket left behind. Even though you haven’t worn that jacket for five years, check the pockets anyway. You never know what might be hiding in the pockets. Same goes for books, furniture drawers and old purses/wallets.

Hallie Sawyer is a freelance writer in Overland Park. She may or may not have attempted to sell her husband’s Ducks Unlimited prints without his knowledge.