HOW TO… Organise a Garage Sale
Garage sales don’t need to take place only when you are moving or having your annual spring clean. Garage sales can be a great way to raise funds, tell your local community about your fundraising efforts and allow them to also get rid of their unwanted items. Where should I hold my garage sale? You would usually hold your garage sale out the front of your place or quite literally, from your garage. However if you live in a very quiet street or are unable to use the space out the front of your residence, then you may want to ask a friend or family member if you can have it out the front of their place instead. It’s most important that it is easy to find and that people passing by will notice it. When to hold it? Saturdays or Sundays are the ideal day for holding a garage sale. Try to avoid public holidays unless you live in a holiday destination, in which case public holidays are often very worthwhile. How do I obtain items for sale? You will find that people are often looking for ways to dispose of unwanted items that quite often they can’t bear to throw away. Consider distributing a flier around your local area asking people to donate items to the sale. It’s good if you can offer to collect items, particularly larger ones. Encourage your neighbours to come along on the day and to also tell their friends about it. Don’t forget to remind them that money raised will go towards the work of The Fred Hollows Foundation. To get some ideas about information to include on your flyer, have a look at our sample flyer at www.hollows.org/upload/14147.pdf How do I promote my garage sale? Apart from promoting your garage sale amongst neighbours, there are lots of other ways to tell people about your sale. The internet in particular offers a number of different websites where you can place listings, either for free or for a minimal price. These include: www.garagesales.com.au www.tradingpost.com.au http://cracker.com.au www.egaragesales.com.au Newspaper listings are a way of reaching those that are less technologically savvy, while posters up around the streets nearby will attract those that might not specifically be looking for a sale but who may like to stop by. The more signs you put up the better. Try and place them in the main streets in your area, in the side streets close by and also close to the house. You should, given Council permission, try and get them up for the week leading up to the sale. Remember to include the sale’s date, address, time and directions to your house – in big print!
What should I sell and how much should I charge? Try and get a wide range of items (eg furniture, household items, clothing, books, toys etc) to meet different needs as well as different tastes. It’s a good idea to put prices (and sizes if its clothing) on your items before the day of the sale. This prevents you from having to remember how much you had hoped to charge and also means that people won’t walk away if you can’t answer their price enquiry immediately. If you are selling new items, be sure to indicate that it is new on the price tag. When setting the price, try and think of what you would pay for the item and without making it too costly, try and leave a bit of room to negotiate if it comes to it. As a rule of thumb, when selling household goods and appliances that work well, you can charge about a quarter of their original price. They will sell particularly well if you still have hold of the instruction manual and the box they came in. On the day – Useful Tips 1. When holding a garage sale, keep in mind that you are effectively inviting strangers onto your property. Make sure you keep any garages, security doors or gates that lead into your house locked so that strangers cannot enter your house uninvited. Also be sure to keep your money in a tin, money belt or other secure location to avoid theft. Having two or more people working on the day also means you can keep a closer eye on things. 2. Keep an extension cord handy if you plan to sell electrical items and batteries handy, if you plan to sell items requiring batteries. This way you can show people that the items work and in this way ensure more sales. 3. Keep newspaper handy for wrapping fragile items and cardboard boxes and recycled plastic bags for buyers to take the items away. 4. Be sure to have about $100 worth of change (small notes and coins) available as well as a calculator to add up multiple purchases. 5. Consider baking some cakes or having a sausage sizzle on the day to try and raise more funds toward your Challenge target. Or, if you are already running a raffle, try and make tickets available at your garage sale.