Collector Care's 7 Tip Checklist For Planning A Garage Sale

Hello Collectors! Usually I bring you 4.5 tips, but a garage sale has a lot of planning involved. Below are 7 collaborative tips from Collector Care and other organizing experts to help your garage sale run smoothly.  

1. Heads up. A few weeks before the sale, give everyone in your family a box to fill with items they no longer want or use. If you're not sure of what to toss, Barry Izsak offers three ways to decide: "If you don't love it; it's not useful; and you haven't used it in several years, turn it into cash, " this well-known garage organizing expert says. 
2. Plan. Schedule your sale on a Saturday near the first or 15th of the month, when most people get paid. Hoarder's expert Geralin Thomas says "The best months for sales are April, May, June and September" on her blog.
3. Present. Dust, wash or clean your stuff. Make sure toys or electronics have all the pieces attached. Hang clothes on a rack, if you have one. Use plastic ziploc bags to group children's Lego's, cosmetics, hardware, and other small items. 
4. Comfort. Display your wares on tables. Don't make people bend down to look at your stuff. 
5. Electronics? Have an extension cord handy to show that appliances and electrical gadgets work. 
6. Negotiate. Be flexible when it comes to price. "If someone picks up something you're selling, be willing to deal with them right then and drop your price," says Izsak. "They might be the only person all day who wants that item." 
7. Get rid of what's left. It's already out of the house, so keep it that way. Put unsold stuff by the curb, or cart it off for donation as soon as your sale is over.

We hope your garage sale is a success!Thank you for stopping by!

Did you know we help prepare for garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, and foreclosures? Make your next event even more profitable by hiring a Collector Care Professional Organizer!
Licensed. Bonded. Insured.


Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer (and blogger) For Collector Care

Collector Care specializes in hoarding disorder, chronic disorganization and professional organizing. We  love what we do, and  provide realistic expectations and timelines. Please visit our website at

www.collectorcare.com  or call 925-548-7750

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How To Organize A Succesful Garage Sale

HAVING A GARAGE SALE SOON?

Prepare your yard as if it were Halloween night. Remove anything that can be tripped over, including the dog, who should live elsewhere for the duration of the sale. Check the garage floor and driveway for slippery spots or hidden hazards. Tape down extension cords or cables.
Are you ready to make change? A muffin tin makes a good change holder. Be prepared with at least $20 in small bills and change. Or wear a fanny pack with at least two compartments; store bills in one, change in the other to process transactions quickly.

Ready, Set, Sell!

It's sale day. You've posted your signs at the crack of dawn and your wares lie waiting. Now's the time to play salesman.
To run a lively sale, don't sit there like a lump in a lawn chair! Get up and talk to people. Be excited and enthusiastic. Comment on cute children, bumper stickers and T-shirt slogans. Be bubbly and vivacious and share lots of information about that wonderful set of bed linens that you love and adore but no longer match your color scheme. Not only will you create enthusiasm and make sales, you'll meet neighbors you never knew you had, so it's smart to put your best foot forward.
Plan for at least two staffers for every yard sale, and more is better. One person acts as "background", shuffling cash, bringing coffee, keeping an active eye on everything. A cashier sits at the front with muffin tin or cash box. Leave the selling to the most enthusiastic salesperson.
Offer free coffee, and give your children a taste of private enterprise, entrusting them with a donut concession. If people are eating, they're staying--and if they're staying, they're buying. That's the point!

When The Sale Is Over

Wrap up your sale when you said you would. A yard sale is a lot of work, and you're still not finished. Dispose of the leftovers, either to the charity pick-up or by boxing and delivering the items yourself.
Be considerate of your neighbors and next week's yard sale enthusiasts. Remove all signs, and return your sale site to normal.
Then go count your proceeds--and take the family out to dinner. You've earned it!

(ORGANIZEDHOME.COM)

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer
I am located in Pleasanton Ca, and serve the San Francisco Bay Area.
I specialize in Hoarding Disorder, Chronic Disorganization and helping the overwhelmed with clutter. I love what I do, and I provide realistic expectations and timelines. Don't suffer in chaos any  more. Every breath is a new beginning! Please visit my site at www.collectorcare.com
Tweet me on Twitter : Like my Facebook page : Find me on Pinterest