Garage Sale Pricing Tips
So you’ve decided to dispense with the online auction sites and Internet for-sale user groups, and go for getting rid of all your no-longer-wanted or needed items in one fell swoop – or at least over the course of a weekend. The problem is that you have no idea whatsoever of what price to put on your trash or treasures (depending on one’s view, of course). Here are a few garage sale pricing tips that might help you at least get a feel of how to price your items so that you not only get the most cash possible, but also don’t find yourself at the end of the sale stuck with a pile of garage-sale leftovers.
Garage Sales = Bargains
To get this garage-sale thing off on the right foot, garage sale pricing tips must include keeping in mind that people going to these types of events are in the market for a b-a-r-g-a-i-n. A garage sale is not the place to sell your De Kooning painting or your Louis IV bombe chest. You may sweeten the pot with a piece of clothing from Anne Klein or a used Dooney & Bourke handbag, but for heaven’s sake, don’t put things you know to be worth a small fortune in a garage sale and expect to get what they’re worth!
Garage sale pricing tips should also include letting your customers know it’s okay to bargain and haggle. In fact, smart garage salers even put up signs to that effect. Cute poster-board signs in big, bold letters proclaiming “Make Me An Offer!†and written in thick, one-inch red or black marker can’t be missed, especially if you put up several. Then be prepared to do just that: If you’ve marked something at $5, be ready to answer with $3.50 when a customer offers $2.50. If they counter with $3, say, “Sold!†and call it day – at least until the next customer walks up.
Have Some Freebie Fun
Having fun should be one of the crucial garage sale pricing tips everyone should follow. If it’s the last day, and you’ve still got some items that don’t seem to appear to many people, offer those on a “Pick One Item for Free With Purchase†table. This almost guarantees you to get rid of the three matching iced-tea glasses, the one pillowcase, or the lone coffee mug nobody wants to actually spend hard-earned money for. It also breaks the ice to point out the offer to newcomers walking up and is sure to get smiles from everyone. Almost no one turns down a freebie!
Make Prices Easy to See
Of course, good garage sale pricing tips dictate pricing everything clearly so that people don’t have to wonder what something costs. You can do this by buying individual stickers at an office supply store and marking each one by hand and/or placing things together that are all priced the same. For instance, have a card table with a “$5†sign, one with a “$1†sign, and so on. The simpler you can get, the better.
With these garage sale pricing tips in mind, you’re sure to have an enjoyable and profitable day – and you just might make more than you expected in the cash department, too! So get out there and make that sale a success!
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