How to Set Up a Successful Summer Garage Sale
The garage sale is a staple method for clearing out a lot of space really quickly. If you’re hoping to make the most of this summer and find a new home for some of your old belongings, this guide will help set you up for success and ensure your customers leave satisfied. Go Store It Self Storage has put together a garage sale primer, made with you in mind. Check out our garage sale organization tips so you know how to have a successful yard sale without the stress and frustration of figuring it out on your own.
Yard Sale Tips
#1: Clean Up Your Items
A fundamental rule about selling any product is that it must look appealing. If outdoor equipment is covered in grime, books are caked in dust, or silverware isn’t polished, prospective buyers are going to be turned away. It’s not too much of a reach for people to assume that if someone doesn’t care enough to take care of their belongings, then those belongings aren’t good or worth having.
So, take some time during your preparations to make things presentable. You probably aren’t selling new items—so they don’t need to look freshly made—but they should have basic care and attention given to them.
#2: Group Similar Items Together
This is a matter of having a clear layout to your garage sale. A chaotic hodgepodge of trinkets and old novelties thrown into a bin with no apparent rationale isn’t interesting to look through; it’s work. Your job is to make your setup as intuitive as possible so that people enjoy searching through your belongings. It should feel easy and logical, which is why grouping similar items together is a necessity for a successful yard sale.
There’s no one right way to organize your items or to have a successful garage sale, but a good rule of thumb is to treat it like a common retail store: jewelry in one basket, clothes hung from racks or folded in sets, children’s toys on a certain table, books in a few boxes (divided by genre or medium, if possible), etc. This alone will create a flow that encourages exploration and, hopefully, sales!
#3: Color-Code Each Group
This might seem simple, but people are attracted to colors. This garage sale organization tip works best when used alongside the previous suggestion. Whether it’s stringing up different colors of lights, labeling with different colors of tape, or something else, by distinguishing one type of item from another, you not only make it easier for buyers to recognize what area they’re in but also bestow an aesthetic flare over each area for a little extra charm and memorability.
#4: Promote, Promote, Promote!
Your garage sale isn’t going to get very many customers if no one knows it exists. You don’t need to do any grand marketing campaign, but a couple of signs on nearby street corners, an ad in the local paper, or a post to social media can go a long way toward drawing eyes to your sale.
If You Need a Little More Storage Space
No matter if you are selling items to prepare for a big move or merely to make more room in a home that feels a little cramped, chances are you’ll find some benefit in a quality self storage unit. Perhaps you don’t need to sell your seasonal equipment but rather just a place to keep it until winter rolls around.
At Go Store It, our facilities offer both climate-controlled and garage-style storage units in more than 10 different states. Find a location near you to find the space works best for your needs, then rent a unit online today from the comfort of home.