Trash to treasure: Throw a garage sale with style

Organize the whole sale with help from your computer

By Natalie Bahadur

For many Canadians, springtime is synonymous with tidying up your household. And what better way to do this than by undertaking a massive spring cleaning?

A garage sale is an effective way to eliminate the excess in your home, and you don’t have to venture further than your driveway to do it.

“The biggest advantage of a garage sale is getting rid of all the clutter in your house,” says professional organizer Maxine Henry from Toronto. It’s a great family activity and an easy way to lighten up your living space.

Promote your sale with signs

Cathy Pedigo is the author of How to Have Big Money Garage Sales (Winning Edge, 2002), and with 20 years of organizing garage sales under her belt, she says the most important thing to consider when getting started is the promotion of your sale.

To maximize traffic, Pedigo suggests placing an ad in your local newspaper. “That’s where most people are going to look for garage sales,” she says. “You want to have an ad that’s at least five times as long as the others, because you want it to stand out,” she stresses. “Also, have directions to your sale, not just the address. You want to make it super easy for someone to find you.”

Your computer can be a valuable aid when organizing your sale. “With your computer you can make labels for different items and price tags,” says Henry. “You can make things big, bold and legible.”

“You want lots and lots of signs,” adds Pedigo. “And you want to lead [customers] from every direction — north, east, south and west.”

All signs should be clear, eye-catching and identical, advises Pedigo. Bright, fluorescent signs will attract attention, and potential customers should be able to follow your signs right up to your front door without getting lost.

Use bright coloured paper and a basic word-processing program to print out simple flyers for putting up around the neighbourhood. A mapping program such as Microsoft’s Streets & Trips can make easy-to-read maps with directions from major intersections to your home.

If you want to encourage more traffic, local grocery stores are another great venue for promoting your sale. For a personal touch, create separate invitations for friends, family and neighbours.

Decide what to keep and what to sell

Promotion may be the most important step, but it’s only half the work. Selecting what you want to sell is the next challenge. Ask your kids to scour their bedrooms for toys and books they no longer want and search through closets for clothes that no longer fit.

According to Pedigo, the presentation of what you’re selling is critical. You have to make your customers think the items are worth the cost, she says. “It’s about perceived value.”

Before selling anything, give it a thorough cleaning — especially clothing. Pedigo suggests tossing clothes into the dryer to remove wrinkles, then hanging them on hangers, organized by type and size. Be sure to separate the men’s clothes from the women’s and children’s with clearly marked signs.

Involve the whole family

In Pedigo’s years of organizing garage sales, she has always solicited the help of her children. The incentive? “Every single penny we made from our garage sales, we put aside for family vacations,” she says. “We’ve gone to some awesome places — Disney World, Cancun and the Caribbean.”

So get the kids involved and let them help with everything from cleaning out the garage prior to the sale and displaying your wares on tables to manning a lemonade stand for customers.

Price your wares

When it comes to pricing your goods, be sure to price competitively by checking out other garage sales or stores.

Jo-Anne Bond from Erin, Ont., is a big fan of garage sales and attends local sales every chance she gets. “Browse a few antique stores first,” she advises. “You know what you want to sell. If a cup and saucer goes for $15 in the store, sell it for five dollars.”

Print out a sheet of labels from your computer for each price point, and then place them on your merchandise. This will eliminate the slow process of writing on each item with a marker.

When selling small appliances, you’ll attract more interest if the appliance is sold in its original box and/or with its user manuals. Always have an extension cord on hand to demonstrate how well appliances and electronics work.

Make your garage sale a positive experience for yourself and your customers. If you tend to the details and create an enjoyable atmosphere, your sale is bound to be a success.