Rummaging Sale Hosting Tips
Your garage sale inventory is living right under your nose. The first step is to find it. In the weeks before your sale, scour closets and cupboards, bookcases and basement for garage sale finds.
How to decide? Some home managers ask these questions: "Have I cooked with it, worn it, displayed it, used it or read it within the last year?" Others apply a percentage rule: a firm 10 to 20 percent of all books, videos, clothing, or bric-a-brac must go.
Consider finding a clutter buddy. When it comes to culling clutter, two heads are better than one--and a two-family garage sale will get twice the traffic. Back one another up, and dare to clear your clutter to the bone.
Once an item's marked for sale, be stern! Store your garage sale inventory in black plastic garbage bags or boxes with lids. No fair reading, looking or cooking; there is no appeal, no mercy and no second chance. Give that wedding-gift sandwich squasher an emotional divorce. It's no longer junk or stuff, it's inventory!
Garage sales have their own etiquette and economy. It's smart to bone up on both. Read the garage sale ads, and spend a morning or two visiting neighborhood sales. Note price ranges on clothing, kitchenware and books. There's no sense labeling two boxes of kitchen utensils at 50 cents if a quarter is the going rate.
Check with your municipality and homeowners' association. Some jurisdictions require a permit, or limit the number and timing of garage sales. Know the rules!
Choose your day, and plan a one-day sale, maximum. In garage sales, as in life, there is a point of diminishing returns. Sitting around at 4:00 p.m. watching the last few pieces of mismatched food storage containers stare down the '70's era macramé hanging isn't worth the last few pennies that may--or may not--come your way.
Have a strategy for sale's end. Many charities will pick up all unsold items. Call and schedule a 3 p.m. pickup for sale day, or be prepared to box the leftovers for delivery to a thrift store donation site. Whatever you do, don't let the survivors back in the house! If you can't sell this stuff at a garage sale, what do you want with it, anyway?
