Hosting A Great Garage Sale

Garage sales are a great way to make a little spending money, and declutter your house at the same time! 
I love garage sale season!  When you decorate on pennies you rely on roadkill furniture, thrift shops, and garage sales. This year I decided to get in on the garage sale action and host one of my own! It is such a great solution for me. I have quite a bit of inherited furniture and household goods that don't match my taste or that I just don't use. So I hold a garage sale to trade away those unwanted pieces for something a little more to my liking that fit my lifestyle and needs. 

Making Garage Sales Fun (& Effective)
Garage/Yard sales are a lot of work for what feels like very little money. So to increase my chances at making a sale, and making the process a little more fun, my family and I decided to pimp our garage sale! *grin*  Day one was great! Day two, not so much...eh, garage sales are definitely a hit-and-miss, but it can never hurt to increase your odds! The most important thing you can do is advertise, but in addition here are a few easy tips to make your sale go that much better. 

Sale Signs
Signs are like commercials for your garage sale, they either have the power to pull people in, or they are just kind of there. I can't tell you the number of times I have made split second decisions to follow a garage sale sign because the sign made me think they had quality goods (and lots of them!). I find myself drawn to attractive signs, or key words such as "huge", or "moving" sale...it means it is probably worth my effort because there will be lots of good items to choose from. 
Make your signs neat, easy to read, clear, and as concise as possible. If your signs are large enough it can be helpful to add the dates and times of your sales, or if your home is hard to find instead choose to add the address.
I noticed that I am not the only one with yard sale fever, Tatertots & Jello has the sweetest yard sale sign printables available!

In addition to roadside signs, I thought it would also be helpful to add one more large sign right in front of our house... so there would be no speeding past. And of course, my girls would say balloons are a must! But you already knew that. ;)

Name Tags
I hate showing up at a busy garage sale and not being able to tell who is hosting it. Call me bashful, but my idea of a great time at a sale isn't walking from person to person asking "is this your garage sale"? 
For fun and function, the girls (who I put in charge of the sale) wore "Cashier" tags, and were sure to greet each potential customer with a cheerful "Welcome to our garage sale!". They also handled all the money (great practice!), and I was quite impressed at the skill of my little mathematicians. Of course, it didn't hurt that kids were doing the selling... *wink*

Offer Freebies
Create a "Freebie" box with a sign easily seen from the road. Advertise that you will have freebies (first come first serve). You can even advertise the good from your freebie box on freecycle.org following your local group rules. A little extra enticement can go a long way!

Update The Goods
I have a few pieces that are lovely, and if I had the space or use for them I would keep them. Of course, these pieces need a vision and that is not always something buyers will have. So I took 5 minutes and gave a few pieces some new life with a little spray paint! It allows me to offer it for a higher price, and send pretty pieces to good homes. 

Optimum Sale Arrangement
I know that this is a garage sale, but why not optimize? I figure my time is precious, and I want to get the biggest buck for my time, so why not use the tried and true business methods? Stores are smart in their arrangement, so why shouldn't I be? 
I tried to arrange my garage (well, yard...) sale much as you would see a furniture store arranged. Well, as much as possible anyway. This way every item is clearly visible and attractive to the potential buyer. If you have enough items to do so, why not set up items by room? It is also a good idea to put a few of your nicest pieces closer to the road for best visibility. 

Finally...
Have fun (inasmuch as possible), make lots of money, and remember that it is a good thing to streamline your home and declutter your life! So if you haven't used it in a year, please lose it! *grin*
Good luck!