A few things to keep in mind when you are making your garage sale signs:

• Bigger is Better
• Bright Colors are more noticeable
• Bold Black Lettering is easiest to read
• Big Arrows to point the way
• Adding Details like the distance, address, dates, headline or items always helps (if you have the room)
• Fabulously Fun & Flashy signs are irresistible

Here are a couple of great signs that I have seen on my garage sale-ing adventures:

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And the more advertising you do, the more customer you will have and the more money you will make! Here are a few ways you can advertise your garage or yard sale.

Word of mouth

Tell everyone, your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, church, daycare etc. about your sale.  And have them tell their friends!

Print

Post flyers around town (where allowed) at your local library, post office, bank, grocery store. Post them at work or at church. Put a creative attention grabbing ad in your local newspaper.

Online

Post your sale on internet sites like  www.craigslist.com, and don’t forget your favorite social networking sites like www.twitter.com, www.facebook.com or www.myspace.com.

There is another site Garage Sales Tracker, where you can post your sale or search for garage sales in your area. I like the fact that each garage sale listing has a map and driving directions right on the page.

Garage Sale Signs

If you point them in the right direction…they will come! Who can resist the bright neon pink with big and bold thick black letters “Huge 5 Family Garage Sale 1 Block this way” with big and firm (not deflated) neon green balloons?

Make sure your signs look the same, use the same colors and wording on each sign. Post your signs at all high traffic intersections surrounding your home, check with your city/town’s policies regarding signage.

Here are a few free printable templates for your to use to advertise your sale:

What are some other ways that you have advertised your garage sale? Please Share:)

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I truly believe that your newspaper ad is not the place to skimp! My last garage sale was a huge event, it was a group sale with 4 of us selling our treasures. Our ad cost $100, but it was definitely worth every penny! I even met a lady from a town 30 miles away at the local gas station before the sale, with my ad in her hand and a car full of friends! We sold about $4500 as a group and my hard earned profits totaled $1400.

Here are a few things to include in your Garage Sale Ad:

Download the Printable Garage Sale Ad Worksheet

Date and Times – state the day, date and hours of your sale; you may also set a rain date if you wish.

Your address – be sure to include your address, especially if you are in a rural area, this is very helpful to your future customers.
I know that sometimes I will look up an address online if I am not familiar with the area.

Clear Driving Directions – give clear driving directions and if you are in a rural area, you may want to include the distances too (south on Cty Rd G for 2 miles, west on 150th for 3 miles)

Landmarks Close to You – such as: 1 block north of Blockbuster or 1 mile south of Burger King

Name or Names – If you feel comfortable, you can add your last name. We have a sale every year and we have a faithful following of people who come every year, so they watch for it in the paper.

Cash Only – If you do not want to deal with checks, you can state Cash Only in your ad.

Be Descriptive – You want your shoppers to see your ad and come to your sale, so the more information they have, the better. Describe your sale as: Huge Annual Multi-Family Sale, Heated Shed Sale, Huge Moving Sale and so on.

Catchy Headline – Use this line to catch the reader’s attention. Some examples I have seen are: I Cleaned out my Daughter’s Bedrooms, Obsessive Shopper Sale, I Have too Much Stuff Sale, Downsizing for Retirement Sale.

List your Items – I love reading those lists in the ads and if they have boys clothing in size 4T…I am there for sure! If you are selling clothing, be sure to list the gender and sizes and even brand names. Be sure to list any furniture, appliances and large items, outdoor toys, swing sets, popular kid’s toys or collections and baby items like cribs, walkers, car seats and so on.

Add a Teaser – Give them another reason to come to your sale by stating a little perk, like “Free toys on Saturday” or “Clothing 1/2 price on Saturday” or “Everything 1/2 price after 12:00 on Saturday” because at this point, trust me, you just want it gone!

Don’t forget to check the deadline for you ad, you definitely don’t want to miss the cut-off date!

Good luck writing your Garage Sale Ad!

Please share some catchy headlines or attention grabbing ads that you have seen or used:)

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Here are a few garage sale pricing tips for pricing children’s clothing.

First of all, if you have kids, you know that not all clothing is created equal! You are not going to want to sell that cute dress from Wal-Mart for the same price as the gorgeous dress you bought from Gymboree last Easter. You have to take into consideration the brand, age and condition when you are pricing and in order to get a little return on your investments!

Consider the Brand

Popular selling brands are Gap, Gymboree, Limited Too, Children’s Place, Janie & Jack, Hanna Andersson and other Boutique brands. You can put a higher price tag on these brands, especially if they are in great condition! People are usually willing to pay a little extra for these items, because they know what they sell for retail.

Consider the Age

The age of the clothing is also a factor to consider. The majority of clothing from 10 years ago will be considered outdated and not in style, this will drop your price a little.
There are some exceptions to very popular name brands that are in excellent condition, like dresses, outfits or coats.

Consider the Condition

This is the most important consideration in pricing anything for a garage sale…the condition! So, even if you have a very popular last season, Gap outfit in a very popular girls size 6, if it has stains or tears, it is not going to be worth much. Again, your customers will be willing to spend a little extra on something that is in excellent condition because they know it will last. I believe it is worth that extra effort to keep your kid’s name brand clothing in great shape!

Price suggestions for children’s clothing

These are prices that I see at sales in my area and prices that I use myself.
These are guidelines; you may need to adjust them for your area. If you are uncertain about a price, just  use your best judgment and ask yourself “What would I pay for this?”

Below are 3 different prices, the first is a low price, then an average and finally a high price. A no-name brand in ok condition would be at the low end and a popular name brand in excellent condition would be at the high end. Falling into the average slot would be a decent name brand (Carter’s, Oshkosh) in good condition.

Dresses $1.00 $3.50 $6.00
T-Shirts $0.50 $1.00 $2.00
Dress Shirts $1.00 $2.50 $4.00
Sweaters $1.00 $2.50 $4.00
Jeans $1.00 $3.00 $5.00
Pants $0.50 $2.00 $3.00
Outfits $1.00 $4.50 $8.00
Pajamas $0.50 $2.00 $3.00
Swimsuits $0.50 $2.00 $4.00
Socks $0.10 $.25 $.50
Shoes $0.50 $2.50 $4.00
Boots $1.00 $4.50 $8.00
Light Jackets $1.00 $3.00 $5.00
Winter Coats $3.00 $9.00 $15.00
Snowsuits/Sets $5.00 $17.00 $30.00

Here are a few more ideas to use while preparing your children’s clothing for the garage or yard sale:

- Start early (begin pricing your items 3-4 weeks before the sale)
- Make sure clothing is laundered and clean
- Write the size on the price tag
- Hang up dresses, outfits and coats as you price them
- Make outfits rather than selling pieces separately
- Use safety pins to keep outfits, 2 piece swimsuits, or pajama sets together
- Use Ziploc bags for sets of socks, tights or hair accessories

Your customers will appreciate the effort you put into organizing and attractively presenting your items and providing them with a relaxed and positive shopping experience! They will, in return, want to shop a little longer and spend a little more!

If you need help with the actual prices to put on your other items, my Garage Sale Pricing Guide is available separately for $5.

Share your Garage Sale Pricing Strategies with us ~ leave a comment below!

Tashia Calhoun

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We have decided to have our sale on the weekend of  our town’s annual celebration days. So there will be lots of people around and we should make some decent money!

Today, let’s talk about preparing your garage sale items. Even if you have already had your sale, I’m sure you will find some valuable tips that you can use for next year.

Preparing Your Garage Sale Items

Work Area – If you can set aside an area where you can work on your items, it will be a huge help. I have a “garage sale corner” in my basement that is set aside for garage sale stuff only. I store all of the household items, destined for the garage sale, which I have collected throughout the year here. I have a table set up and all of my pricing supplies here also. If you have the room to do this, great. If not, don’t worry, you can set up shop at the kitchen table. You’ll just have to clean up after yourself:)

Tips for Clothing

• Make sure your clothing is clean:) You would think that would be a given, but I still see dirty clothing at sales, and not just stained, but actually dirty.
• If you have items that are badly stained, just toss them in the trash.
• Hang up dressy clothes, dresses, outfits, coats, snowsuits and costumes. It will save you a lot of time when you are setting up if you can hang them up in advance.
• Safety pins are fabulous for keeping 2/3 pc sets together, such as bikinis, pajamas and outfits. Ziploc bags work great for socks (in nice condition), tights or hair accessories.
• I have sold lots of clothing on eBay and I think… the more information you can provide, the better your items will sell! Even at the garage sale! If the item is new or was never worn, write that on the sticker.

Clean and Presentable

• You will have much more success in selling your items if they look nice and well taken care of.
• Make sure everything works and if there is something broken, state it clearly.
• Selling similar items in a bundle is very attractive ie. 3 cookie sheets, 5 kitchen utensils, dishes, books, hair stuff.
• When in doubt, just ask yourself “Would I buy this at a garage sale?”

Good luck preparing your garage sale items; it is a lot of work, but if you spend the time here, you will see higher profits!

Have a fabulous day!

What are some things that you do to prepare your garage sale items? Leave a comment below!

Tashia Calhoun

Author of Secrets of Successful Garage Sales & Planner

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