| There is an art to holding a successful garage sale | | | | shorts together etc.) |
| and making LOTS of money. Any money you spend, | | | | Books – You want to get boxes and put all the |
| you always reimburse yourself first out of the sale | | | | books in boxes so the book spines are facing upward |
| proceeds!!!! | | | | so you can read the titles. This will make it easy for |
| Four weeks before your sale, email all of your | | | | people to see what the book is and it makes it easy |
| friends, co-workers, and family members. Tell them | | | | to transport the books. |
| you are having a garage sale where 100% of the | | | | Misc Merchandise – You want to go through all of |
| proceeds will be donated to breast cancer. Also, ask | | | | the boxes you receive and group like items together. |
| if anyone would like to volunteer their time to help | | | | This makes a peasant shopping experience because |
| you to call you. In your email give suggestions on | | | | if people are looking for specific stuff they can easily |
| items: | | | | find it. |
| - Furniture (Let them know if they have furniture to | | | | Put all breakables together |
| call you. You can rent a U-Haul truck for $30. If | | | | Put all the kitchen stuff together |
| anyone calls, you can then schedule to pick up | | | | Put all the kids stuff together |
| everyone’s furniture on the same day.) | | | | All sporting good stuff together. |
| - Clothes (men, women, children) – ASK for | | | | If you don’t have tables you can: |
| hangers | | | | - spread a sheet out on the ground and put items on |
| - Purses, briefcases, luggage | | | | sheets |
| - Old CDs, cameras, electronics, computer equipment, | | | | - turn over boxes and they become make shift |
| lamps | | | | tables |
| - Kitchen stuff, small appliances, mugs, glasses, plates, | | | | - if you do have a table be sure to utilize not only |
| bakeware | | | | the top but also underneath it. You can make a |
| - Jewelry | | | | tiered system where you have the table top, then |
| - Christmas stuff | | | | boxes turned over under the table and then |
| - Toys, sporting goods (golf, baseball, soccer, ski | | | | merchandise layed in front of the boxes. You just |
| stuff, etc.) | | | | created a 3 tier display. |
| - Pictures, picture frames | | | | - Baked Goods – ALWAYS have baked goods on |
| - Books, magazines | | | | hand. If you are not a baker than buy some fresh |
| - Pillows, curtains, bedding, shower curtains, towels, | | | | baked cookies/brownies/cakes at Sam’s Club or |
| placemats, napkins | | | | the supermarket. Put them into zip lock bags and sell |
| - Cosmetics (people love to buy those miniature | | | | them. What I found is if people don’t find |
| samples you get as free gifts at the cosmetic | | | | anything at the sale to buy they will buy a baked |
| counters), hair dryers, hot rollers | | | | item from you. |
| - Baked Goods – If they don’t have any | | | | - Drinks – Also sell drinks. Coffee (for the am), |
| items suggest they make a batch of cookies or | | | | bottled water, soda. |
| brownies. You can sell them for $1 each. | | | | - Donation Jar - Make a sign saying donations. |
| - Make a flyer for all of your neighbors telling them | | | | - Merchandise - Get some other breast cancer |
| about the sale and to contact you if they have | | | | merchandise to sell. Get some silicone bracelets or |
| anything to donate. If you have time, deliver the | | | | other items. |
| fliers several blocks around your house. | | | | - Banner – Get a banner or other signs to put up |
| - If you get so much merchandise that you | | | | around your yard. |
| don’t think you can hold it at your house look at | | | | - Breast Cancer Shirt – Make sure everyone who |
| renting a hall or other facility to hold the sale at. | | | | is working the sale is wearing a pink shirt. This makes |
| - Place ads in your local paper 1 week before the | | | | it easy for the people attending your sale to find the |
| sale. You also want to get some signs. You can buy | | | | actual people working it. If they don’t have a |
| blank signs at the Home Depot or Lowes. Get pink | | | | pink shirt, buy some pink baseball hats for them to |
| paint and paint pink ribbons with the words: All | | | | wear. |
| proceeds donated to Breast Cancer Awareness along | | | | - Money – Make sure you have enough 1’s, |
| with YOUR ADDRESS with the date of the garage | | | | 5’s, 10’s and quarters. I do not get anything |
| sale. | | | | smaller than a quarter. I recommend at least $100. Do |
| Don't have any merchandise to sale? Click here and | | | | not take checks unless you know the person. We |
| we can help you! | | | | learned the hard way when we sold 2 beautiful wing |
| If you have a dollar store in your area, you can go in | | | | back chairs for $100 to this woman and the check |
| and get helium filled pink balloons to tie to the signs. | | | | bounced!!! If someone asks tell them where the |
| You could also ask a store to donate the balloons for | | | | closest ATM is for them to get money. |
| you. | | | | - Pricing Items – We do not recommend pricing |
| Also, be sure to list your sale on Craigslist. It is free | | | | any items. What we do is say all proceeds are being |
| and more and more people are using it. | | | | donated to breast cancer we are asking for a |
| The weekend or day before your sale, you will sort | | | | donation. If we don’t think it is a large enough |
| through all of the merchandise that was donated. | | | | donation we will let you know. We do this because |
| You want to rebox the merchandise and then put it | | | | we found that since people knew it was going to |
| back in the garage so the day of the sale you pull | | | | breast cancer they would give us more money. I |
| things out and they are sorted and ready to go. | | | | would in my mind come up with a dollar figure that I |
| Clothes – Sort men’s from women’s | | | | thought was good for the item. If the people |
| from children. The art to moving clothing is to have it | | | | don’t seem to know how much to suggest than |
| sorted and well displayed. If possible you want to | | | | you suggest a price. |
| hang as many clothes on hangers as possible. Nobody | | | | - If people don’t offer enough money – You |
| likes going through piles of messy clothes. If you | | | | say: I am sorry but people donated this merchandise |
| have a fence or 2 trees you want to get a | | | | knowing the proceeds were going to breast cancer. |
| clothesline and tie the clothesline to your fence or | | | | We don’t want to give their stuff away. How |
| trees. You will hang all the clothes up. You will hang all | | | | about X – then you tell them a dollar amount. |
| the men’s stuff together, then women’s, | | | | - If it is a larger piece item you can always say we |
| then children’s. Any items that can’t be hung | | | | know we can get X for it on Ebay so we will just |
| should be neatly folded and displayed. | | | | wait and post it on there. We really don’t want |
| For displaying you can put a sheet on the ground and | | | | to give it away. |
| group the clothes in piles. (all t-shirts together, all | | | | |