Should You Hold A Garage Sale To Get Rid Of Your Stuff?
Many of us are decluttering and minimizing these days. So what do we do with all that stuff? Should we hold a garage sale?
It is estimated Americans hold between 6.5 and 9 million garage sales every year. We decided to hold a garage sale for the first time recently.
Here are ten things we learned from our experience:
1. It is more work than you think!
“How hard can it be?” you ask. Well, probably harder than you expect. Between clearing out and gathering up your items, pricing them, figuring out how to display them, advertising, hauling out, hauling in… It took a lot of time and effort–much more than we thought.
2. You need to consider the time of year.
We live in Florida and we don’t have weather (i.e.: snow and cold) to worry about like up north. What we failed to take into consideration is the summer heat. Bad enough that we were sweating to death ourselves, but we found out too late that no one goes to garage sales in Florida in the summer. Do some research and find out the best time of year to hold one in your area. In addition, winter clothes and Christmas items generally don’t sell well in July. And people aren’t buying sandals in October. Think those things through.
3. You need to consider the area you live in.
We moved to a small town north of the Orlando area a couple years ago, and we’ve discovered the demographics are a little different here. Things that might have sold better in our urban former neighborhood didn’t do well here. Think about who you’re most likely going to be selling to and whether your items will appeal to them.
4. Clothes do sell!
I was surprised by this, because I didn’t think they would. But we probably sold more pieces of clothing than anything. Make sure they are clean and in good condition. It is also helpful to display them on hanging racks where it’s easy for buyers to look through them. Other most popular items were tools, sporting goods (like fishing and golf equipment), jewelery, and books. We were asked if we had any puzzles several times. Here is a list of other items that typically sell well.
5. Display your items clearly and keep them organized.
You will sell more if your items are clearly visible. We put out a few baskets and boxes of mixed items, but very few people would take the time to go through them. Spread things out on tables or shelves where they can be seen easily. (We made display space by laying boards over coolers or storage bins – you can get creative!)
6. Place price stickers on everything.
People generally won’t ask if they don’t see a price (unless it’s something they really want). You should label even your lowest priced items. The one exception to this is if you have a group of items that are all one price. For example, we sold all of our short-sleeved shirts for $2.00, so we made a large sign to display that price above the clothes rack. Quick side note: Try not to use stickers that won’t come off or will damage the item!
7. Post furniture or other big-ticket items on a site like Facebook Marketplace while you’re holding your sale.
We thought the dining set and bedroom set we were selling would go quickly, but didn’t have any bites. So on the last day, we posted those items on Facebook Marketplace and Next Door. A few of the sales we made came from those posts. It was convenient to have the buyers come and pick up the items during the sale.
8. Advertise, advertise, advertise!
Holding a successful garage sale is all about getting a lot of traffic. Try to find a number of different ways to advertise your sale. We posted listings on Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor. Friends recommended we also post on the Yard Sale Treasure Map and YardSales.com apps. We learned it is best to include pictures, if possible, and post close to the actual start time of the sale. In addition, we placed large “Garage Sale” signs at the major intersections near us, along with a few more directional signs.
9. Be ready to take different forms of payment.
Print out your QR codes for Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, etc. to make it easy for buyers to pay that way. And have lots of change–especially one and five dollar bills. We started with fifty ones and nearly ran out by the end. Don’t forget coins. (Yes, people will try to bargain down from $1!)
10. Make sure you’re prepared for everything.
- Keep a few bags and boxes on hand for people who purchase several items.
- Schedule plenty of helpers. There were four of us working our sale and at times we were all busy.
- Stock up on quick snacks and hydrating drinks for you and your workers. We went through a lot of Gatorade!
So after all that, was it worth it to hold a garage sale?
For us, the resounding answer was NO! The reason we decided to hold a sale to begin with was to try to sell some items we felt had value. Almost none of those sold. We got rid of some of our stuff, but overall we were disappointed with the results. We felt the total amount of money we made was not worth all the time and work we put into holding the sale.
Weigh the cost carefully before you decide to hold a garage sale!
There were several times while we were preparing for the sale when we thought, “Do we really want to do this?” We debated whether to go through with it or just call a charitable organization to come and pick it all up. In the end, we had a local thrift store come and get everything we didn’t sell anyway. We’re kind of wishing we had just done that in the first place.
We’re trying to stay focused on the good results:
- We had the experience of holding a garage sale, and learned some interesting things by doing it.
- We sold our son’s outboard boat motor (It’s been taking up space in our garage since he left it with us when he moved several months ago). Yay!
- I’ve mentioned our intentions to declutter recently. The biggest benefit from this experience is that we got rid of all the stuff we cleaned out. And it feels wonderful to have it all gone!
What about you? Have you had different results from holding a garage sale? Or do you agree with us that it might not be worth the effort? Tell us about it in the comments!