How to Have a Great Garage Sale (Part 2)

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to Part 2 of my blog series on how to have a great garage sale. In Part 1, I discussed what to do before the sale. In this blog, I’ll give you some expert tips and advice on what to do on sale day.

Start with Signage: Put all your signs out as early as possible. (I enlist a helper to take care of the signs while I set up the merchandise.) If your sale starts at 8am, start putting up signs by 6:30 or 7am. If you want, you can attach balloons to your mailbox or to a tree to help shoppers find your house. Remember, you want to draw customers to your location. Which brings me to…

Early Birds: Early birds (or EBs) are people who show up hours before your sale starts. They think that by arriving super-early they can get the best deals, but they’re just an annoyance. I’ve been besieged by EBs parked outside my house two hours before my sale started. They weren’t happy when I wouldn’t let them dig through my unpacked boxes, and got huffy when I told them to come back later.

If you engage with EBs while you’re setting up, have a friend or a relative keep an eye on them, just in case they decide to help themselves to something while you’re busy. (Yes, shoplifting does happen at garage sales.) If you’re selling small, high priced items like watches or jewelry, it’s a good idea to have a helper stand guard over them during the sale.

Setting Up: I put large or higher-priced merchandise (bikes or furniture) at the end of the driveway, closer to the road. This will attract people who are passing by, and might entice them to stop. From there, I line both sides of my driveway with tables. This lets the shoppers see everything I have for sale, and they’re more likely to buy stuff if they can look at it or pick it up.

Group similar items together on one table. For example, make a table of kitchen-related items, such as dishes, mugs, sugar bowls, etc. When customers can see all of your themed merchandise in one place, they may linger and buy more. If you’re selling several small items (stuffed animals, paperback books, gift bags) put them in a box and label the box “$5 All”. It’s a fast way to make a sale and reduce inventory.

Be sure you have extra price stickers, pens, tape, newspapers (for wrapping breakables) and bags handy. Keep your change/cash box in a safe location and assign a helper to watch over it when you’re busy waiting on people or need a bathroom break.

While You’re Selling: Make your sale an inviting and engaging environment. Greet everyone with a simple “Good morning” or “Hello” and ask if they’re looking for something specific. If people feel comfortable, they’ll browse longer.

I’ve been to sales where the seller was yelling at their spouse, arguing with children, ignoring customers because they were talking on the phone (or texting or playing games) and doing all sorts of other rude behavior. Their actions/attitudes drove people away from the sale. Don’t let this be you.

As you sell down, rearrange the stuff you still have (and regroup it if needed) so it looks like you still have a lot of merchandise. This will keep shoppers interested.

Haggling: People have different opinions about haggling. Some people set higher prices knowing they’ll go down if someone asks for a deal, while others refuse to budge on the price. Haggling is up to you. My advice is to use your best judgement. If you’re selling a bookcase for $10 and someone offers you $2, you’re okay with refusing the offer. If someone offers you $1 less than the listed price on something you don’t really love and want to get rid of, take the money. After all, the goal here is to sell your stuff.

Winding Down: As the sale winds down, start lowering prices. I do this two hours before the sale ends. I also place stuff I know I don’t want in a box, label it “FREE” and put it at the curb. People will stop to check it out, and may do some shopping, too.

After the Sale: As soon as the sale is over, ask a helper to remove all the signs. Most towns don’t like them hanging around after a sale.

Then do a final sort of the unsold merchandise. Ask yourself if you really need or want each item, and if not, it goes into a donate box. Drop off all your donations or arrange for them to be picked up as soon as possible. I find it liberating to be rid of extra “stuff” and don’t even remember (or miss) what I’ve sold or donated.

If you have large items that didn’t sell, you can post an ad for them on Facebook, Craigslist, or other sites.

When everything has been packed up, sit back and count your money. Hopefully, you made a good profit. What do you do with the money? Anything you want. You’ve earned it! Why not save it for a vacation, go out to dinner, buy flowers for your garden, or donate a portion of it to a local animal shelter?

Having a great garage sale takes a bit of work, but in the end, it’s worth it. You’ve made some extra money, have less stuff, and helped lots of customers find “new” treasures.

Hope you have a great sale!

Until next time,

Kelli

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 24 romance novels, and 8 mystery/horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror and mystery stories.

She wrote More Than I Bargained For, a cozy mini-mystery set at an estate sale.

Her latest release, For Love’s Sake, an epic historical/fantasy romantic adventure, was published in January 2025.

In August 2024, she released Surreal Escapes, a collection of 7 speculative/spooky stories. Anything can—and does—happen in this anthology. 

Kelli also released her fourth gay romance, A Thousand Summer Secrets, in 2024. This tender contemporary romance takes place over a summer weekend, where two friends reconnect while seeking love and acceptance.

She published The Route 9 Killer, a mystery/thriller set in Central NJ, in 2023.

Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and social media links.