Garage Sale Tips

garage sale signs -

There is a new grass roots movement taking off across the country, to raise funds for charity. It is called Garage Sales for Charity.org. A very simple effortless way for millions of individuals who have a garage sale to raise funds for their favorite charity. If you plan on having a garage sale you dont need to do anything special or different, all you need to do is commit to donating a minimum of $50 or 10% or your sales to your favorite charity. Any charity–your local food shelf, church program, local shelter, national charity, where ever you feel it will do the most good. Garage Sales for Charity does not handle any of the funds donated. They simply act as a central resource for ideas and promotion. The simplicity of this plan is what makes it so appealing. Effortless fund raising for charities during the slow summer months when donations are down. There are no ulterior motives or agendas to promote. There are no million dollar budgets behind this, no expensive tv commercials, no celebrity endorsements. They are not affiliated with any organization, charity or political group. One person, one garage sale can make a difference. This is grass roots at its best. Garage Sales for Charity would like to keep track of donations and charities so they can post it on their website. They plan on keeping a running total of funds donated. The potential is huge! It only takes 100 people participating every week in every state would raise $1,000,000 a month for charities across the country. This is money they would have otherwise never seen, during the months they may need it the most. Charities can hop on board by including garagesalesforcharity.org web address in all their fund raising materials, giving the people who they count on the most, one more way to raise funds. Right now they really need everyones help to get the word out about this program. Check out their website for full information. Sell, donate, feel good! http://www.garagesalesforcharity.org

garage sale tips -
How To Make Money With Garage Sales

 by: Marilyn Pokorney

Drive through almost any neighborhood in any city or town on a weekend, and you’re sure to see garage sales scattered throughout.

These homeowners are spending their weekend time off making money. The average profit is $600 for a one-weekend garage sale.

It’s time to get your share of the pie. Organization is the key.

Step one: Check with the local officials to see what the local laws and regulations are on operating garage sales in your area.

Step two: Spend a few weekends going to garage sales in your area. See what is selling, what people are buying, how the items are priced, how the sellers advertise. Observe how the sellers display their items. Take notes.

Step three: Clean house and take stock of what you have and what it’s time to get rid of. Be sure to pick out at least one interesting and unusual item to call attention to your sale; some large ticket item you can set up in front of your home during your sale.

If you find older items such as dishes, a painting, an old flower urn etc. that you feel it’s time to dispose of have it appraised. You don’t want to sell something for 50 cents only to find out later it was an antique valued at $500.00. You can be sure there are garage sale shoppers who are on the lookout for just this kind of treasure.

Step four: Pick a date for your sale. The best time to have a garage sale is twice a year in May or September. People will be out shopping for summer items in May and winter items in September.

Never pick a holiday weekend such as Mother’s Day or Labor Day. Holiday festivities will get the attention of most people.

The best days for your garage sale are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Step five: Advertise, advertise and advertise some more. Place ads in the local newspaper, shopper guides, on bulletin boards and even online. Place signs all over the neighborhood with brightly colored letters, attached balloons, etc.

Step six: Organize your sale. Put price stickers on your items. Have a wide variety of clothing and jewelry and arrange them in a rainbow of colors. Make sure jewelry and appliances sparkle! Hang clothing on racks arranged in sizes. Imagine that you are opening a retail store and copy what the stores do.

If you have items that are hard to price and you think they will not sell, put them in a penny box. And be sure to mark the box “Penny Box” or “All items just 1 cent each”.

Step seven: Timing. Consider starting at 7:00 a.m. instead of 8:00 or 9:00. And close no later than 6:00 p.m. And positively NEVER shut down for the noon hour! There are people who work on weekends and will stop on their way to or from work and shop during their lunch breaks.

As most customers will have come and gone by 1:00, noon hour being the most active, you can start lowering prices after 1:00 p.m. On items you think will not sell at all, put them in a box marked “Free”.

And lastly, what doesn’t sell take to the local Good Will or other organization of your choice.

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About The Author Marilyn Pokorney Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment. Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading. Website: http://www.apluswriting.net marilynp@nctc.net