|
Boost Your Savings Account with These Garage
Sale Tips
Are you drowning in clutter? Or perhaps drowning in credit card
debt? Whatever the case may be, a good old-fashioned garage
sale can be a great way to get rid of the things you never use
anymore, and you can boost your savings account in the process.
Here are some garage sale tips for boosting your savings
account by putting together a successful garage sale.
Get together with neighbors for a group sale
There is no doubt about it: you are more likely to enjoy a
successful garage sale by getting together with neighbors and
making yours the king of all yard sales. People are much more
drawn to group sales because the opportunity to find a treasure
seems greater, and there is less pressure to buy and more
latitude to explore when there are other potential buyers
milling around. Creating a friendly, active and even festive
atmosphere is the key to getting people to stop. You are much
less likely to host a successful yard sale if you have a
smaller sale on a quiet street. People will likely not feel
like stopping if all they see is a few items strewn across the
sidewalk and no other people around.
Advertising is key to a good turn-out
If you live on a busy street corner, perhaps advertising does
not seem very important. But even if you are on a visible lot,
you are much more likely to host a successful garage sale if
you advertise ahead of time. There are some people who are yard
sale addicts and scour the local ads for the weekend round of
sales. You can advertise for free online and your local
neighborhood paper can also be a great place to place an ad.
Make sure to put your address and a brief description of what
kinds of things you will be selling.
Put up large and legible signs
The true success of your garage sale will depend on whether you
can get passerbys to stop and take a look at your used wares. A
good yard sign will be large and clearly legible even from a
passing distance. Go for a simple design of black letters
(“Huge Sale”) on white poster board, with a big arrow pointing
into your street. Make sure to take down your signs right after
the sale has ended.
Do you want to make money, or get rid of junk? Or
both?
These are important questions to ask of yourself before your
garage sale even begins to take shape. In order to price your
items accurately, you have to decide what your ultimate
objective is. Are you more interested in padding your savings
account, or getting rid of your clutter? Although it is fair to
want both, you must make a decision about how flexible you are
going to be during the sale when it comes to pricing items. If
you price items low, there is a much better chances that your
junk will fly off the shelves to become someone else’s
treasure. But if you are rigid about your pricing, you may be
better off selling your items on eBay or your local pawn
shop.
Give your customers a little background music
Remember that atmosphere is the key to making your garage sale
a brilliant success. To this end, play a little background
music. It is a great way to attract customers and to give a
friendly atmosphere, even if you have a dearth of customers. It
can be intimidating for customers to approve a near-silent
sidewalk. Make sure that you play music that will not offend
anybody and that you keep it low enough so that it will not
disturb the neighbors. Oldies, country music and classic rock
are nearly always a safe choice.
|