Give Your Unwanted Treasures a New Home

Give Your Unwanted Treasures a New Home

Wherever you look lately, there are bright, homemade signs pointing you to a front lawn or backyard full of potential treasures that you can take home for a small price. Some sales are better than others, but it's always an adventure to see what you can find. As the saying goes, one person's trash is another's treasure.

Garage sales are a great way to de-clutter your home and earn a little extra cash at the same time. Plus you get to enjoy the great outdoors while you meet the people in your neighbourhood.

In order to have a successful garage sale, it's important to know what you're getting into before starting your venture.

Planning

Will you be planning a garage sale for yourself or is there an opportunity to create a larger event with your neighbours? Having a bigger neighbourhood sale tends to bring in more people and you can pool your marketing resources into promoting the event. The bigger the sale though, the more planning there is. It's a good idea to check with your local municipality to see if you will require a permit for your sale.

Weather is a big factor in whether your garage sale garners the amount of customers that come by. Check the almanac or long range weather forecasts to see what days may be ideal. You may also want to avoid long weekends since people tend to leave town.

Promotion

The most common advertising is to put signs around your neighbourhood. Place several signs in clear, visible areas that would get a lot of traffic (either by foot of by car). This will help increase the exposure of your sale. Make sure you don't put signs where you're not allowed to. Check with your local government to see if there are any restrictions on where you can put signs.

Many people are looking for products online these days as well. Websites like Craigslist or Kijiji are a great place to advertise your garage sale.

Pricing

Be prepared to bargain with your customers. Bulk pricing is a good way to get rid of a number of things for a small discount. Remember the main reason for having a garage sale is to remove unwanted items so price to sell. If it's not for sale, make sure it's out of sight from buyers.

Merchandising

During the sale, you'll want to group similar items together display higher priced items so that it catches people's eye.

Also remember that legally, you are responsible for making sure that all the products you are selling are safe and meet current regulatory requirements. There are limitations to selling many baby products such as baby walkers and car seats. Check the Consumer Recall List, with the manufacturer or Health Canada to see if any items you are selling have been recalled.

Most importantly, have fun with it!