• It takes time to work out prices and place price tags on all your goods – so start early!
• Get an idea of pricing from attending other garage sales and also consider what you’d be prepared to pay for the item.
• Put a sticker or piece of masking tape on each item and write the price on it. Keep in mind that most people are looking for bargains at garage sales so don’t expect too much.
• Mark items with a slightly higher price. You can always negotiate or lower your prices on the day.
• You can also group similar priced items on a table or in a box, so you just know that any item from a particular box is a set price. You could also use a coloured sticker system – for example, anything with a red sticker is $2, blue stickered items are $5, and so on.
• Also try selling smaller items in ‘lots’. You could try selling a bag of toys for $5, rather than selling the individual toys for $0.50 each.
• Also note on the price tag/ sticker whether the item is defective in anyway or near new.
• If you have some more valuable items you want to sell and you’re not sure what they’re worth, get a second hand dealer to estimate their value so you can set a starting price.
• Clothing typically doesn’t sell for very much unless it is designer label or well tailored. Make sure the size of any clothing is clearly marked.
• Household goods and appliances that are in good, working condition and decent shape will fetch one-quarter to one-third of their original price. You'll have better luck getting top dollar if you've kept the original packaging and instruction manual.

• Go to the bank and get a $50 float in small notes and change. Have a calculator handy if you aren’t good at doing maths in your head!
• Put out your pre-made signs on high-traffic intersections within a 2 km radius of your sale. Make sure you remember where you put them all so you can retrieve them after the sale. Hang balloons or streamers on your front fence.
• Remember it takes time to put out all the items – do as much as you can the day before (and earlier if you can), remembering though you need to be able to keep them secure until the sale. Laying items out in the garage is the best way because you can shut the door.
• Focus on presentation – group items logically, and keep the area clean. Allow enough room for people to view your goods properly.
• Get a good nights sleep and think about how you’re going to take care of your needs on the day. Prepare a ‘picnic’ lunch for yourself and your assistants and have a supply of drinks on stand-by too.
• Make sure your assistants for the day are organised.

• Stick to your start time! Many second hand dealers will try to get in early – and before your advertised starting time – to get the best items.
• Know your price but be prepared to haggle to sell an item, but don’t give in to pushy cheapskates or second hand dealers! Don’t reduce your prices too early.
• On valuable items, stand your ground with value. Remember that you don’t have to sell these items at your garage sale – you can always sell them through auction, advertising or a second-hand dealer if you can’t get the right price at your garage sale.
• Have newspaper and plastic bags handy for wrapping and packaging purchased items.
• Have batteries and an electrical cord and power point handy if you are selling electrical items, so they can be tested.
• Keep security of your home in mind. Ensure that your house is locked at all times and keep your money in a waist pouch, not in a money box that people can pinch!
• Always have more than one person working the garage sale. This helps you keep an eye on things and helps out with serving the customers and make it easier to handle any rushes and helps turn off would-be thieves.
• Thank people for coming – even if they don’t buy – and just be pleasant! No-one likes pushy sales pitches or feel pressure to buy.

• Remove all the signage you put out.
• Tally your earnings and put this money in the bank!
• With the items you don’t sell, work out what you’re going to do next. Items of little value could just be donated to the local charity, but with the more valuable items, consider some of the other methods of selling – eBay, advertising or taking them to the local second hand dealer.

Garage Sale Tips for Buyers

• Carefully read the garage sale ads in the newspaper and circle the ones that sound like they have goods that you will want. Mark the locations of the sales on a street map and plot a route!
• Start early, and start with the most promising sounding sales first to get the best items – but you may not get bargains first up, as many sellers will delay reducing their prices or bargaining until later in the sale.
• So…don’t worry about arriving towards the end of a garage sale as you can pick up some fantastic bargains!
• Set yourself a budget and stick to it. And know what type of item you’re looking for – are you looking for furniture, clothes or just something special to brighten up your home.
• Know your prices – not all things on sale will be at bargain prices. If you’re not sure, take your mobile phone with you and do some over-the-phone investigations to get an indication of the right price for a particular item.
• Always try out an item before you buy it – you won’t be able to get a refund if you find out the item doesn’t work once you get it home. Ask to plug in electrical items for testing and start motors on lawn mowers, etc.
• Inspect items for breaks, signs of repair and other damage before buying. And SMELL items with soft surfaces (ie upholstered furniture, clothing, etc) as some smells –particularly cigarette smoke – can linger for a long time!
• Take lots of cash including small change so you aren’t refused a purchase. Sellers usually won’t take cheques, definitely won’t accept Visa and may not be able to change large notes.
• Haggle, bargain and negotiate a price!
• If there is something in particular you’re looking for – just ask! The seller may have something you’re looking for that they didn’t get a chance to put out on display.
• Look after your purchase – be prepared to take home your purchases without causing damage. Take a trailer if you’re hoping to pick up some furniture or other large items, and don’t forget blankets, boxes and wrappings to protect your purchases from damage.
• When you get the item home, give it a good clean and take off any stickers – they’ll be harder to get off later, if you leave them on too long.

• Selling on the Internet
• Setting prices for garage sale
• Selling craft
• Other Personal Assets