A garage sale is a great way to share your treasures with others. You benefit by decluttering your home, and earning a few dollars. Each year the second Saturday in August is designated as National Garage Sale Day. If that weekend doesn’t work for you, find another day or participate in a community garage or yard sale, where someone else does a lot of the work.

Below are five tips for a successful garage sale.

  1. Be knowledgeable. Conduct research to learn the best time to have a garage sale in your community and how to advertise.
  2. Be wise. Make your treasures look more valuable by cleaning them. The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) provides helpful cleaning tips for a variety of different items, from acrylic knick-knacks to mirrors to leather.
  3. Be organized. Price items in advance and group like items together. When pricing things, generally unused items can be priced at 50% of retail, slightly used at 30% and well-used at 10%. This is just a guide. If you have owned the item for 20+ years and it isn’t a collectible, then you should adjust the price accordingly. Clothing tends to sell better when displayed on hangers.
  4. Be truthful. If it doesn’t work or is broken, let shoppers know. Provide an outlet so electronic products can be tested.
  5. Be generous. Offer specials like a BOGO or have a “free items box.” That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t drive a hard bargain. Everything is negotiable.

Donate the leftovers to a local organization. That way you are not bringing things back into your home. One way to maintain control over the stuff in your home, is to put in place the “one in, one out” rule. This means that for every item you bring into your home, you need to remove a similar item.

There are many online resources for information on garage sales. Below are a few helpful sources.

HGTV

houzz

DIY Network

Have fun!

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