Bring On The Deals – Garage Sale Tips

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Ah, the smell of spring is in the air.  And with the warmer weather comes a surplus of people cleaning out all their old stuff, and putting it in a garage sale.  I’m a die hard garage saler, and have pretty much been my whole life.  My Mama carried me on her hip while hopping from garage sale to garage sale.  Now I don’t know if I’ve got the “Garage Sale Queen” beat, but I fair pretty well every year.

The great thing about garage sales is that you can score some things that you need for super cheap, and recycle at the same time!  You can even find things to resell online to make a profit.  There are lots of Stay-at-Home Moms out there that fair really well on Ebay, just by reselling some of the deals they find at garage sales.

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts of Garage Sale Etiquette based on the Pet Peeves that my friends shared with me.

For Shoppers

Please watch and supervise your children while shopping.

If your child or you break something, offer to pay for the item.

Park on the same side of the street as everyone else.  Cars being parked on both sides of the street bogs down traffic and is very dangerous.

Don’t show up before the advertised time of the yard sale begins.  Sellers hate it when you do this, so be kind and wait until the sale time starts.

Don’t steal!  That’s wrong to do, period!  And yes, this happens all the time.

Bring cash.  Don’t try paying with a check (this just annoys sellers), and don’t ask if you can come back with cash later.  Sellers don’t like holding items for people that haven’t paid.  It’s too much of a risk for no-shows, and sellers want to be able to sell their items.

Don’t make a mess of things.  If clothes are organized and folded neatly, don’t mess them all up by rummaging haphazardly.

Use your smarts and don’t try to buy things that are obviously not part of the sale.

Don’t bring your pets.  It’s very rude to bring your little dog along. Especially when they end up peeing on the seller’s lawn, or worse, something they are selling.  It’s also a liability to bring your animal.  Just be safe, and leave your pets at home.

Don’t be ridiculous when it comes to talking a seller down on price.  If something is .10 cents, don’t offer .05.  That’s just silly.  Do make offers, but be genuinely fair in your low-balling.

Don’t ask the seller if they can deliver something.  They aren’t running a business here, just a sale.  You buy, and you pick it up.

This goes with the previous one.  Don’t ask the seller if you can buy it and then pick it up in a couple days or so.  They are having the sale to clean out and declutter.  They don’t want to store something for you, so be prepared to pick up whatever you plan on getting.

Don’t smoke.  It’s rude and it affects other people’s health.

For Sellers

Take down your signs when the sale is over.  I hate driving all over following signs only to find that the sale is over.

Make sure your signs are legible.  Remember that people are driving in cars, going to be moving quickly and will be a short distance away from the signs.  Drives me crazy when the signs have the address in small letters that I can’t read, and there is no arrow.  Just the words “Yard Sale” or “Garage Sale”, plus an arrow and a clear date/time are what is necessary.

Put prices on items.  It makes for easier shopping and you will actually sell more this way.  Some people feel uncomfortable asking about prices over and over again.  They are more likely to make a decision on buying if they can see a price right away.

Don’t charge too much.  If people see that your prices are too high, then they will get back in their cars without buying anything.  I’ve done yard sales both ways.  When I’ve charged what I think the value of items are, I’ve sold less and made less money at my yard sales.  But when I have charged less, I have sold more items and in turn made more money as a whole on my yard sale.  People like to feel like they are getting a bargain when they go to yard sales.  Cater to this whim and your pockets will be filled by the end of the day!

Be organized! Please don’t just lay out a big pile of clothes for people to have to go through.  You will sell less, because most people don’t like to bend over rummaging through a big pile of clothes.

Clean your items.  This is especially true for clothes but is also true for all those dusty knick knacks.  Items are more appealing and will be more likely to sell if they look nice.

Don’t run a garage sale if you only have a small amount of items.  People get annoyed and sometimes won’t even stop if you only have a few things.  It wastes their time and gas.  If you still want to do a garage sale but only have a few items, then consider doing a neighborhood or multi-family sale.  If you can’t do this, then rent a table at your local flea market.

Be personable, but not too much.  People just want to look.  Be nice, but don’t try prying into what they are looking for ect… Sometimes it makes me feel uncomfortable when the seller asks me if I am looking for anything in particular.  Being chatty is something I love to do, but I also want the freedom to just browse.  Sometimes people are in a hurry too.  So unless you have a great conversation going with someone, don’t talk your buyers’ ears off.

Advertise!  Advertising will help bring in more customers, and as a result you will sell more items! Try your paper, and Craigslist (free)  is great as well.  Just beware that when you advertise, you will have those early birds that want to rummage before your sale even starts.  I usually wait to advertise until the morning of on Craigslist.  This way I still get a lot of people, but I don’t have to deal with rude early birds.  Also, be honest and clear in your advertisements.  Don’t say it’s a huge sale when it isn’t.  If you have baby and home decor items, put that in there. Sometimes you’ll attract more people when you have specifics.

Don’t smoke.  If I see someone smoking, I will turn right around and leave.  I will not subject my children or myself to it. I would also suggest putting up a sign that says No Smoking and No Dogs/Cats allowed.

Be Cautious!  There are people that will steal.  If you have a few high value items, guard those carefully.  I have found that there is sometimes a group of people that will come in with the tactic of one person distracting you while someone else steals your stuff or hides it in a pile of items they offer you very little for.  Also be sure to put your money in a safe place.  I always use a fanny pack whenever I do a sale.  It’s not stylish, but it works very well for guarding the money. I would also suggest that you keep your children away from the sale.  They can be a distraction, and it’s just not always safe to let anyone see your children. I don’t say this to scare you, just to caution you.

Special thanks to my Diaper Swappers Mamas,  San Diego Bargain Mama, Surviving The Stores and Beauty and Bedlam for sharing their pet peeves.

For you seasoned garage salers, is there something that didn’t make it on this list?  Share your pet peeves or crazy stories with us!