In Canada, we love to shop online. In 2022, over 27 million of us shopped online! But what many of us don’t realize is our shopping habits may be creating clutter in our homes. Clutter can easily creep into our homes. With this said, when clutter builds up, we are left with only a few options: find more home storage solutions, and we’d be happy to help you with that, or purge unwanted items on Marketplace, Craigslist or Kijijii. But for some of us, we will turn to the classic garage or yard sale to declutter, organize and refresh our home. A garage or yard sale is ideal if you have a lot of stuff you want to purge from your home quickly or in one day such as: household items, clothing, bikes, skates, small furniture etc. But before you put up the Garage Sale Sign, let’s get you ready for a blockbuster sale with our guide and tips for a super successful sale!
Declutter your home room by room: Identify unnecessary items
The first step is to identify “clutter” in your home and/or items you no longer need or want. Go through your personal belongings and decide what you want to keep and what you want to sell. You may also be the recipient of furniture or unwanted items such as Mom’s antique dresser or Grandma’s vintage dining room set when your parents or grandparents moved or downsized. Although it may pull at your heart strings, now might be a good time to sell the items. What might no longer be useful for you, may be useful for someone else. As you go through the process of identifying unwanted items, find a convenient area, room or place in your home to temporarily store the items you want to sell. We suggest you don’t move sizable items until the night before your yard sale or better yet, leave them where they are with the understanding people will have to come into your home to look at them. Make sure they are safe, clean and something people will actually want to buy.
Boost your sales: effective strategies for promoting your products
People love to haggle or negotiate at yard or garage sales. They are looking for bargains so you need to be ready for this. With this said, you will want to set your price for any item with this in mind, and price it higher so there is room for negotiation. The better the deal, the faster your item will sell. Set your price and put a sticky note on the item. Make sure you select a spot that’s visible and one that will ensure the price tag does not fall off.
On the day of sale, it’s essential you merchandise your items by putting related items together. You may need a few spare tables to showcase your items.
Hint: You will need to make sure there is enough room for buyers to walk up and down your sidewalk, driveway, or front lawn. Leave the bulky or heavy items in your home and have people come in one by one to view your larger items. Put away any personal items, close doors to other rooms and make sure you stay with your shoppers as they may have questions.
Choose a day and time, rain, or shine
Spring and fall are ideal times of the year for a garage or yard sale. In spring, we like to declutter our home and refresh our space. Getting rid of unwanted items is top of mind. Most garage sales are held on a Saturday and run for approximately three to four hours or from 9:00 am – 1:00pm. But don’t be surprised if someone shows up at your home at 8:00am or even the night before. These are serious shoppers who are looking for the best selection. Politely tell them the hours of the garage sale or start your sale early!
Promotion and advertising are essential
You will need to advertise your yard sale online on any social media channel you use. A big and bold post on your social media feed will do just fine. You will also need a big and bold sign in your neighbourhood to draw in local traffic. You can purchase A Garage Sale sign at your local Hardware or Home Improvement store. We suggest you buy at least five signs and post them on streets leading to your home, and at major intersections. Try to get your signs up at least several days before your Garage Sale. Write your address, day, and time in a marker (waterproof) and post signs around your neighborhood. Hint: when you advertise on Facebook be mindful there are a lot of groups that offer items for free!
Get ready the day before
You are going to need help the day before and the day of your yard sale. Make sure you recruit your team in advance. Assign tasks such as: banker, merchandiser, etc. Create a checklist of activities you need to make sure get done. Hint: cash and carry is the optimal approach meaning when a purchase is made, the customer takes the item immediately. Cash remains king at yard sales. Make sure you have small change. As sales increase, empty the proceeds into another jar/basket in the house, out of sight and reach.
The day of your yard or garage sale will be busy. Get up bright and early to put the finishing touches on your sale. Four hours will go by really fast. Remember you goal is to sell everything so the more you can engage your shoppers, the better. And don’t forget to let shopper’s know that “everything must go.” This will create a sense of urgency and hopefully generate sales. Hint: As you get to the end of your yard sale, encourage customers to give you their “best offer” because the more that gets sold, the less work you will have to clean up.
Repurpose, recycle, or donate unwanted items
If you find yourself left with items that did not sell, you will need a plan. The last thing you will want to do is to haul unsold items back into your home. Load up your car/minivan or truck and head over to your local Goodwill store and drop off gently used items. A tax receipt may be available for valuables with a $50 reasonable value. Find a donation center near you. Go online to Diabetes Foundation or Declutter Diabetes and schedule a pick up of your unwanted items. All you need to do is to enter your address and they will walk you through the process. It’s a wonderful way to pay it forward.
You can expect to earn between $100-$700 at your yard sale. Celebrate your success and do something special with the proceeds! With some planning and preparation, you can have a successful sale and refresh your home.
