Garage Sale Goals: Promo, Pricing & Presentation

Well, the massive garage sale happened, and it turned out to be a smashing success. So here's a little more about the setup and deployment for an overwhelmingly great event.


Priceless Promo
There is strength in numbers, and we've learned having multiple households host sales definitely draws a crowd. We did have our three repurposed entry point signs and that team effort in promoting a few places online. And while one used an e-mail list to share with neighbors and another posted to some free garage sale sites for the general public, I tried the also free Facebook Marketplace route.

While community sale ads are regularly posted on FB, I learned you must mention something you are selling for the marketplace robot overlords to let you actually post. In other words, it can't just be a post about having a sale. So, once I added some generic options like clothing, household goods and decor items, we were online. And then, the questions began.

Are you selling cameras? Jewelry? Video games? Or, even, did I want to give the rest away to be taken at no cost to me?

Although it wasn't truly a personal ad, and I did not have those products or need post-sale assistance, it made sense to answer each one kindly with something like, "I am not, but some of our neighbors may have those items. Thanks for asking." One person wanted to know if anyone was opening earlier than the posted 8 a.m., and I told them I expected some in fact would. (So we did, and were immediately inundated with early birds.) All good PR for the entire neighborhood while not giving away a direct address to possible scammers.

I also noticed we had lots of views and even a few shares on that listing as the week wore on. I suspect this and the other online posts, coupled with fantastic weather and perhaps even a strange economy, were all part of a very unexpected turnout of eager shoppers that day.


Presentation Matters
I was able to take a day off to get things organized and presentable. It helps people to see items by category, and this time we grouped together toys, office items, books/movies, holiday trinkets, kitchen goods and so on. The categories can help people find what they want faster, and if someone asks for something specific, it helps you quickly know where things are.

We typically set up a couple tables in the center of our garage space with additional around the back and sides, creating a logical pathway for folks to browse through. Weather permitting, we also place some tables or benches in the driveway to get folks started and draw them in.

As items moved, I kept rearranging and putting things in more prominent spaces. Sure enough, many were then seen and sold, sometimes immediately. So keep an eye on how shoppers are moving through your space and processing your goods. Lots can get missed when the display is overwhelming.

Of course, personal presentation matters too. Give a warm greeting. Ask if they're looking for anything specific. Thank them for coming. Get to know the neighbors (our favorite part). It all adds up.


Pricing to Sell
We generally try to keep prices reasonable enough that we make something but offer a fair bargain. For the most part, the stuff we put out didn't cost us much to begin with. We either got a gift or a deal or our money's worth, so there wasn't much to lose, and we'd already checked pricing on certain items to see if any had greater value than we thought. I heard no complaints about pricing at all (more like disbelief at something so inexpensive in at least one case). If they were interested, they made an offer.


Healthy Haggling
While we priced things largely to move, some items of greater value were marked for potential haggling. Some wanted to barter, while others intentionally overpaid or quipped, "Keep the change," which made me think we essentially broke even in the end. For the most part, we accepted counter offers, or had some back and forth to find a healthy medium. I believe there was only one offer so low we said no, but we certainly had lots of happy customers and fantastic conversations throughout the day.


New Sale, New Crowd
I recall the last time we had a sales event, holiday items barely sold. This time they were quite popular. Other factors aside, different individuals seek different things, and what sells clearly all depends on who shows up. As a kid, my parents used to host sales on at least a couple days to max out that potential. So, if you have the bandwidth to do another day, go for it. You're likely to move more and make more too.


Free Things
We usually set out a free box at garage sales as well. I started this years ago after ending up with a bunch of extra Gospel of John booklets we gave away at a very different garage event, but we also offered various items like paper chess sets, extra garage sale signs, reusable bags and more. Those little offers can create a greater level of trust, and again leave people grateful and happy.


So, you got stuff to purge? Set up a table and sell it! And maybe incorporating some of the ideas above will help you up your garage sale game too.


Up Next: Garage Sale Goals: What to Do With What's Left


What are your best moves for garage sale or yard sale deployment? Let us know with a comment below.

TOTAL LIQUIDATION at Our Place: A Garage Sale Event

Where DOES it all come from?

 
Though we're just getting Frugowlity started here, part of the slow roll is due to a deep clearance event in progress right on our own premises. Beyond decluttering, we're practically minimalizing even our maximalist storage spaces with an "everything must go" attitude. No nonsense about whether the thing makes us happy or brings back memories or whatever. If it ain't getting used, if it's lacking real significance or value, if it's just taking up space, it's outta here.

Even as a 3-year-old, I recall always having to get my room totally organized before playing with my toys, which for some reason meant they could then be placed in a battlefield configuration for a fight. (Classically unorthodox, I s'pose.) Coincidentally, we appear to have reached the militant phase of clearing out useless stuff, but once each space is combed through a weight is definitely lifted, making even the storage spaces more usable and enjoyable.

So as we clear the space, and simultaneously our heads, here's a bit of how we're processing.

The Clearing
We've had lots of clearance events over the years, and our removal techniques keep getting refined. There's now very little concern about keeping it because someone gave it as a gift, and the idea that it "might be useful down the road" was largely obliterated long ago. If you've never used it, odds are you never will.

We've already moved a few items out, gifting some of it to others to enjoy. Anything borrowed is back to the original owners. Magazines are being read and recycled, and we've removed ourselves from some mailing lists so those no longer stack up. It's a clearance blowout.

The Gathering
To start with, we're gathering up all the less valuables for a serious garage sale. The gathering part looks like our basement exploded, but getting all this stuff out now will be a great help ahead of a major downstairs plumbing issue and subsequent remodel that needs to happen soon, giving us more space to move and store the keeper items when we're forced to clear the space, which has also been a great motivator for this round.


The Keeping
The great thing about clearing stuff out is rediscovering what you actually have. For instance, I was considering purchasing some basic kitchen towels when I realized we might already have some gifted ones at home. Sure enough, along with piles of brand new seasonal items was a pristine, generic set with tags still on. Why pay for it when you can shop your own home?

We're also verifying what items might have more value to be sold outright or online. Google Lens is often a great tool for finding the rough value of an item just by snapping a picture with your phone and seeing how others have things priced. Then you can consider whether you'd like to try selling local using sites like Facebook Marketplace, or perhaps go broader through something like ebay or Etsy. I'm also investigating a free, personal eCommerce site that might eliminate any third party site fees, so stay tuned as I see how that works.

On a different note, an emptied storage tub has now become a refuge for items we might give away as gifts. Remember those brand new, seasonal towels? In they go, along with all sorts of other acquisitions perfect for kids' birthdays, white elephants and just-thinking-of-yous.

Of course, significant objects stay, especially tied to things like school or relatives or life events, but we continue to work out better organization and storage. This will also include some beloved toys that might not even go until I do.

And there's always the cool keeper stuff for decor or what have you. Only now that the rest is cleared away, it can be better arranged or featured more prominently. BONUS: There's way less stuff to dust too.

The Pricing
This is always the weird part of a garage sale to me. You want to let it go, but you wanna make some dough. We try to price stuff to sell, but we try to be fair to ourselves too, especially on bigger ticket items like musical instruments that can fetch more. Quality, working order, original packaging or inserts, collectability and other factors all play a role in pricing.

I usually consult current charts about going yard sales rate, and given the inflation situation I notice things are running a little higher as well. Of course, it's all arbitrary, and buyers are certainly welcome to try haggling, but fairness and honesty are most key.

The Sale
Sale day is always early and busy, but it's my favorite day of all because you get to meet so many people, and buyers tend to walk away so happy clutching their special prizes. One thing I love about selling is how meaningful it can be to the purchaser, so there's even another benefit beyond clearance and commerce.

The Event
This year, I've also taken up the mantle of helping promote a neighborhood garage sale, formerly the task of local realtors who've since moved on. It helps that I'm on our trustee board, that the event was already popular, and that the former hosts provided some previously used signs to repurpose. But clearly it would only take a few interested neighbors, some volunteers to promote in a few spots online, and some entrance signage with the date and time placed out a few weeks ahead to make an event like this work wherever you live.


So that's where we stand for now. We'll see how it all goes and follow up with what happens after the big sale, but it's already a fantastic feeling to dramatically clear the space and clear the mind.


Up Next: Garage Sale Goals: Promo Pricing & Presentation


Got more tips on prepping for and hosting a garage sale or yard sale? Let us know with a comment below.

Welcome to Frugowlity!

Everybody needs a hobby, right? One of mine is finding a good deal, and truly it's more of a sport. Some have said barely a week goes by where they don't hear me mention some fun freebie or extravagant discount, or even a handy life hack.

Sometimes, I'll pick up some random tip through natural curiosity. Quite frequently, these things seem to find me. However it happens, it's often fun for me to learn and share with others who might also take advantage. Or, if it's a find born of frustration, I'd love to help you avoid unnecessary headaches as well.

I've thought for a long time about creating an online space to make it even easier to share this wealth of information, and I realized I already have a ton of content I could dump on you today. Since that might be too much, the present plan is to release an article or a few a week, dropping in special finds along the way.

Of course, you'll spot the latest posts on the main page, but I also plan to break down the wisdom by topics under Save Wise, Earn Wise, Give Wise, Live Wise, and a special collection called Health Wise. 

Full disclosure, the overall concept of Frugowlity is based in Christian values, with the idea to use the wisdom and resources God provides to help put us in better positions to be more generous and loving toward others. Pretty sure we could all use a lot more of that these days.

Clearly, we're just getting started here, but I'm told that's what you do in the blogosphere—just get it started! So I hope you'll join me as, Lord willing, the site develops and grows, and I hope Frugowlity perhaps helps you grow a little too.

Cheers!