Garage Sells Are Fun

Purpose: Families need to do things together. Justhate to give it away. Once you've had a little
visiting garage sales can be fun for the family, andexperience with this type of seller, you will be able
having your own garage sale can bring in someto advertise in the newspaper that you
needed cash. In this lesson, we will show you howbuy garage sale items, or take them on
to have a garage sale and even how to put youconsignment for a percentage of the final sales
in the business. You can use the money for yourprice.The advertising angle is really quite simple.
needs, such as an education fund, or you canDoes your local radio station take calls for yard
donate it to charity.Following is a little poem Isales or for items for sale? Call them. You should
wrote years back:Saturday MorningThe garagerun an ad in your area shopper newspaper for
sales open at seven,about three days in advance of, and up through
So we get up at six.the day of your sale. But in getting started, go
We eat a hearty breakfast,with small classified ads simply announcing your
Then jump into the truck lickity split.Withgarage sale, emphasizing major items with cost
newspaper in hand,and major categories.To get ideas on how to
And watching for garage sale signs,write your ad, check your news paper and cut
We zip around our little townout all the garage sale ads you can find and tape
Looking for that gold mine.Perhaps we'll find athem on a piece of paper. Then, with a bit of
new gold watchcritical analysis, you'll be able to determine how to
That only cost a buck.write a good ad of your own by determining the
We might find a first edition of the Biblegood and the bad in the ads you've
If we have a little luck.We always fill the truck tocollected.Something to remember: The bigger and
the top.better your sale, the bigger and better your
From seven 'til noon, we never stop."getting started" ads should be. And the secret to
Then we sort our treasures in our yard.obtaining outstanding garage sale profits is in
Now, that wasn't all that hard.But what can wehaving the widest or largest selection of
do with all this junk?merchandise.You should have made an
Why did we buy that Chinese bunk?old-fashioned sandwich board sign to display in
Well, no problems come our way.front of your house when your garage sale is
We'll sell it ourselves next Saturday.Theopen for business. This will pull in your neighbors, if
Lesson:The Garage Sale is a social institution. Theyou haven't already informed them, and attract
garage sale is the big thing in our small town.the people driving by.Sandwich boards are
What else is there to do on a Saturday morning?sometimes set out at key traffic intersections
Most of the garage sales are simply a one timenot far from the site of the garage sale, to
thing, but some of them are actually smallattract attention and point the way. (Check local
businesses and the owners keep them maintainedordinances to see if this is permitted in your area.)
in a permanent location such as their basement,Be sure to check your local ordinances before
barn, or garage. It's an important source ofyou start nailing signs to power poles.
income to them. Families often join together forSearch out and use all the free bulletin boards in
yard sales.I have edited and reproduced an articleyour area.It's better, and usually much more
here to help you have a more successful yardprofitable, to take the time to make up an
sale. (I have the rights to this article.)GARAGEattention grabbing circular you can post on these
SALE PROMOTING FOR QUICK EASY MONEYPickbulletin boards. An 8.5" x 11" poster made on your
almost any city or town in the country, drivecomputer should suffice. Always answer the
through any middle class neighborhood orquestions where? what? when?Inside secrets for
residential area on the weekend, and you're suremaximum profits.First, call attention to your sale.
to spot at least a half dozen garage sales.What'sDon't be shy, bashful or self-conscious about
being sold at these garage sales? It is theletting everybody for miles about
accumulated junks that people no longer use orknow that you're having a garage sale.Some
want taking up space.Are they making anysharp operators do the next best thing to having
money with these garage sales? It's not at allthe Goodyear blimp overhead: They rent
uncommon to make $600 with a weekendminiature blimps, send them up above the
garage sale.Is it hard to put on a profitable garagehousetops, and tether them there on their sale
sale? Well, yes and no. It takes some of yourdays.Of course this giant balloon or miniature blimp
time, and it also requires an awareness of a fewhas some sort of sign on the side of it, inviting
merchandising tactics. But the problems in runningpeople to your garage sale! This is one of the
a successful garage sale are small in comparisonstrongest available advertising ideas for pulling
to the profits.Who are the buyers, and how do"traffic" to a sale of any kind. For more details,
you get them to come to your garage sale? Yourwrite to Pie-In-The-Sky Company, PO Box 5267,
customers are going to be everybody, and youSan Mateo, CA 94402.Second, you have to give
get them over to your garage sale withyour sale some flair. Put some posts up across
advertising and promotion.Let's look at thethe front of your property and run some twisted
background: Everybody accumulates the kind ofcrepe paper between them. Even better than
garage sale item that other people are searchingcrepe paper, run brightly colored ribbons. Invest in
for and are willing to buy. These items rangesome colorful pennants and fly them from
from no longer wanted or outgrown items oftemporary flagpoles. And don't forget the
clothing to furniture, tools, knickknacks, books,balloons!Make your garage sale a fun kind of
pictures and toys. Many garage sale items areevent with clusters of balloons anchored to your
objects of merchandise purchased on impulse, anddisplay tables and racks. Be sure to "float" them
later found to be not what the buyer wanted. Itwell above the heads of your customers as
was discovered that he or she really didn't have athey are browsing through your merchandise
use for it, or no longer had a need for it.Manydisplays.Cover your display tables with colorful
items found at garage sales are gifts that havecloths. Don't hesitate to use bright colors with
been given to the seller, but are the wrong sizebusy patterns. Regardless of what you sell,
or incorrect choice for the recipient.You caneffective display is still predominantly
generate an enterprise of an ongoing garage sale.essential!Take time to organize your displays. You
You might sell some items donated and collectedcan't "dump" items haphazardly on a table, sit
from people who lack the inclination to put ondown, and expect to realize great profits. The
garage sales of their own. You take a percentagepeople doing the most business and making the
of their sales. Some of these items may bemost sales are the ones with interesting displays,
those you purchased at other garage sales oraction and color. Try to have as wide a selection
that you dug out of grandmothers barn.Step oneof colors as possible in your clothing racks, and
is education: Visit the garage sales, swap meetsmix them for a rainbow effect.Make sure that
and flea markets in your area. Find out what'syour jewelry items shine and sparkle. Arrange
being offered for sale, what people are buying,them in and with jewelry boxes, jewelry ladders
and how the merchandise is being sold.Generallyand other items sold for the purpose of showing
an item is tagged with a price, but the seller isoff jewelry while keeping it neatly organized. (And
open to almost any reasonable offer from thekeep your eye on it. There are thieves at every
customer. Another thing you want to makegarage sell.)We know one lady that regularly
mental note of is the way the merchandise isarranges jewelry items in a battery operated lazy
displayed, and how the customers are allowed tosusan. Seeing this jewelry slowly turning on the
browse.You start your own garage sale bylazy susan never fails to draw attention. Think
cleaning out your own basement, attic, closetsabout it, and then study the methods of display
and garage. Talk to your relatives and friends; tellused by "rack jobbers" in the stores in your area.
them what you're going to do and ask them forThese are the wire racks that usually hold
donations of no longer used or unwanted items.card-packaged items. This kind of display rack
It's here that you'll get your first experience inwould lend itself beautifully for anchoring a cluster
negotiating and finally, an agreement for you toof balloons. Keep these things in mind, and build
display and sell other people's merchandise for ayour individual displays as part of the whole; make
percentage of the sales price.You'll find peopleit pleasing to the eye as well as convenient for
explaining that they really don't have a use for ayour customers to browse through and select the
specific item or they really don't want to keepitems that appeal to them.Get an eye grabber.
storing it, but because of sentimental reasons just