So what was different this time? I thought I would take the time here to share what I have learned.
*Advertising has changed. No longer do many of us read all those black and white newspapers. Maybe it's a sad change, but true. I had some help advertising online for this sale. My associates knew which websites to use, and only had to sign up for them a day or two beforehand. They also took photos of some of the catchier items for sale to post with the information. We could have advertised for a week or two ahead, but the thought was that people would show up ahead of time, ring the doorbell, interrupting us while we were still bringing things out and pricing them. I don't think I'll name websites here, but do a little research online in your area to find the popular ones that promote garage sales.
*Marketing ideas: If you have a lot of items, consider calling it an estate sale instead of a yard or garage sale. That seems to draw bigger crowds. I was also surprised that strategically placing colorful, directional signs on streets leading into the neighborhood brought in a lot of impulse shoppers who might have been in the area for other reasons. We might have just gotten lucky, but it worked.
*Supplies: Have extra boxes and bags to send items home with folks. Plan ahead with a cash box or money zippered bag, and plenty of change. Lots of ones and a few fives will be important. You will need some coins also, or you'll waste a bunch of time searching for some when you could be selling. Tables or surfaces are also important. You can even make them with boards and saw horses. Borrow them from neighbors, churches and community organizations. Folding card tables, garage shelving, benches, picnic tables - whatever you can come up with will do.
*So that you don't have to sticker every item, create $1, $2, $3 etc. tables with signs. People also seem interested in gazing over these - something about it draws the eye. Also, I recommend on your last day, slash these prices on your signage to 1/2 price or less. Let people know who come on early days you will be reducing prices drastically the last few hours.
*I was surprised what happened to sell well. Garden supplies, yard chemicals, paint - stuff you can't put in the trash, but people actually want. Landscaping lights, hoses, and old toys went really well. Grandparents were buying things for visiting grandkids. Old stereo sets sold, but music itself did not sell well. Maybe on a different day, it would have. People bought books and record albums less to actually use, but more for decorating their AirBNB houses. People wanted very old greeting cards and costume jewelry we didn't have. Old clothes and purses didn't sell well, but women's shoes surprisingly did - especially if they were barely used.
*Old patio furniture sold - even stuff that had to be repaired. A couple of big, old, out-of-style chairs and bar stools sold well. We only had a couple of old stuffed chairs that didn't go. Old fishing supplies, candles, photography tripods and projector screens were popular with teachers. Old sleeping bags and camping items went - I was surprised about that.
*What didn't sell well: glassware. We had tons of nice vases and drinking glasses, but they barely moved. Cooking and kitchen ware didn't go very well either, except for large covered cake carriers and large Tupperware transporting stuff, which were quite popular. Christmas stuff didn't really move, except for rolls of wrapping paper. Maybe selling at a different time of year would help with that. Some Halloween and other decorations sold, but a lot of it got put on the donation trailer at the end. People didn't really seem to want nice coffee table books, but we decided to hang onto them for now. Some good items can be sold online later if a person has the time and inclination to do so. Our electronic organ from the 70's, a large, heavy item that got a lot of use years ago, brought no interested parties and was given away. We had several larger, older (but working) televisions, and nobody wanted them. I suspected they wouldn't.
When it was all said and done, we paid for some young, strong folks to bring a trailer and haul off all the leftovers to a charitable donation site. We made a few hundred dollars at the sale, and we can get a small tax write off for the stuff we had hauled away. I hope a few of the customers found a few treasures, and will enjoy them for now. I'm happy we bothered to do the sale, and it's a weight off one's mind to get clutter and extraneous junk out of the way. Besides, you'll find stuff that was hidden by all the other stuff! You find new treasures behind the old treasures. And you'll take a nostalgic trip down memory lane one more bittersweet time. Good luck to you on your next sale! You'll be surprised what people will want.
