Garage Sale Planning Guide and Checklist

Garage Sale Planning Guide And Checklist Late summer and early fall is a great time to have a garage or yard sale. The weather is still nice and people love getting out on the weekends looking for bargains. For some people, it’s a weekly hobby. So, why not clean out your clutter, and make some extra money from it. The following is a checklist for an easy, simple garage sale that will help you trade your excess “stuff” for  a nice handful of cash.

 ONE MONTH BEFORE

  • Clean out clutter in all areas of your house, especially garages, attics, basements. Also, clean out your kids outgrown clothes.
  • Put all garage sale items in a designated location and try to keep “like” items together.
  • If having a multi-family or community sale, have a get-together to discuss all the details, including the dates, times, location, division of expenses, and who will be doing which tasks.
  • Make contingency plans for rain, especially if having the sale in a yard.
  • Find out if you need a permit to have a garage or yard sale in your town.
  • Start collecting and saving plastic bags, boxes, and newspapers for wrapping breakables.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE

  • Do some research on current garage sale prices, and consider going to a few other garage sales, to get ideas on prices.
  • Start getting supplies ready: labels, permanent markers, signs, notebook for recording sales, a  money box with a lock, calculator, packing paper, and plastic bags.
  • Put an ad in newspaper or community paper with dates, times, and address.

ONE WEEK BEFORE

  • Put labels on everything and put prices on them.
  • Clean out the garage and sweep floor.
  • Get tables ready. Borrow or rent folding tables, if necessary. Consider borrowing a garment hanging rack.

ONE DAY BEFORE

  • Put signs up on street corner or entrance of neighborhood and in front of house.
  • Set up tables.
  • Put out items neatly, with “like” items together.
  • Go to bank and get bills and coins to have available for giving change back.

DAY OF SALE

  • Be ready to start garage sale, according to time stated in the ad.
  • Have some drinks and snacks for workers at the garage sale, so you won’t have to leave money and merchandise unattended.
  • Make sure everything is neatly put out with prices on everything.
  • Have money box (preferably a box that can be locked) ready with some bills and change.
  • Have other supplies ready: notebook, calculator, pens, markers, plastic bags, boxes.
  • 2 hours before end of sale, consider dropping prices.

AFTER SALE

  • Take down signs.
  • Divide up the money, if having the sale with other people. Also, remember to divide the expenses.
  • Put unsold items in a designated section and plan when to take to a donation drop-off location. Don’t procrastinate on this!
  • Clean up tables and return, if borrowed.
  • Deposit money in the bank.

     That’s it! You did it! Congratulate yourself on a successful sale. Cha-Ching!

 

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