Power Garage Sales
Smart Solutions : Episode SSL-814 -- More Projects »
Angie Zalewski, founder of the Frugal Family Network, shares some smart garage-sale marketing ideas.
- For a successful sale, you need to market it well, display merchandise well, and encourage browsing.
Signs are the best marketing tool. Think big. Use a large piece of cardboard and cover it with shelf paper, then write the word "Sale" and your address on it (figure A). No more info should be offered so the sign isn't cluttered. Use plain printing. Staple the sign to a couple of stakes and place it four corners from your house. Place the stakes in buckets of sand.Display is important--You don't want your items to look like junk. Hang up all the clothes, making sure they are clean and pressed. Display things creatively on your tables. Do not put things on the ground or in boxes.Pull people in with a box of free items near the curb. These items may have a tear or slight problem, but it will entice people to come look at the rest of your things.
To engage children, throw a blanket on the ground with a 25-cents sign, and throw a lot of little toys on it (figure B). Parents will be able to shop more easily if their children are happily occupied.Make sure every single item is priced, using 25-cent increments. Group like things together such as collectibles, figurines and perfume bottles.Clean things up a little bit before putting them on display.Tape a circular or newspaper ad with similar items underneath the sale item so that people can see the bargain they could be getting.Group like things together such as exercise equipment--jump rope, dumbbells, gloves, and tapes. You might get more than if sold separately.Be customer friendly. Use a money apron. Have an extension cord or batteries on hand for your customers to try out your toys and electronic selections. Plug in a radio for soft background music.Most customers will come and go by 10 a.m., so prepare to start very early.For dozens more ideas on garage sales, check out Yard Sale Basics.
Resources Cheap Talk with the Frugal Friends: Over 600 Tips, Tricks, and Creative Ideas for Saving Money
by Angie Zalewski, Deana Ricks
Starburst Publishers, 2001
Order this title from Amazon.com.
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