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5 Tips to Have a Successful Garage Sale

Having a successful garage sale is incredibly easy, if you know your ultimate purpose for doing so. If you’re having a garage sale because you need to earn a set amount of money, negotiating with your customers to keep the price up is a bit tricky. On the other hand, if you’re just selling your “extra stuff” lying all over the house, it’s easier for you to let go.

5 Tips to Have a Successful Garage Sale
Yeah, I should have used a larger sign!

Before we proceed to the actual garage sale, let’s determine which items you should be including here.
  • If you haven’t used it;
  • If you haven’t worn it;
  • And if you haven’t even thought about it in the last six months, you’re really better off selling it.

Those pants that never fit you anymore, that book that never really entertained you and that dress that’s already way above your knee sell them already!


A successful garage sale is all about the items, the pricing of these items and the placing of these items. Once you’ve got these covered, you’re good to go!

5 Tips to Have a Successful Garage Sale
These are my clothes together with my baby brother’s.

Here are 5 Tips for a Successful Garage Sale:


1. Play background music while your prospects are looking around.

It’s incredibly boring for you and for your customers if there’s a garage sale and there’s just awkward silence all over the place. This won’t make them go in the mood to buy. (Have you ever noticed why malls, restaurants and boutiques always have music? Yes.)

Play an instrumental and upbeat tune to raise your customers’ spirits and your ending profit at the same time.

2. Always carry your cash and your change with you.


This one is already common sense: your garage sale is not exempted from thieves! It’s better to be safe and protect yourself first.

You can’t have a successful garage sale with stolen cash, can you?

3. Clearly mark your prices.

Most of the time, customers are either too shy or too impatient to approach you just to ask for the price of a specific item. So, it’s really better for you to mark them appropriately.

If you just want to earn extra cash (and you’re not really particular about the prices), you can just include a bargain price like “P99 ALL ITEMS!”

5 Tips to Have a Successful Garage Sale
“P99 all items?!” My neighbor was amused.

4. Think like your customer.

Is your price too expensive? Lower it. Is it easy to move around the area? Adjust your spaces. Is your background music distracting? Change it.

Analyze like a consumer to have a successful garage sale under your belt.

5. Be open to negotiation.

This is a garage sale – it’s not a high-end boutique so get off your ultra mighty high horse and be subject to negotiation. Smile and befriend the customer. Be accommodating. Be you (but with a larger smile and a more positive attitude.) 🙂

Have you had a successful garage sale before?

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Live wisely,


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