The Garage Sale

How to Condense your Move and Make Some Cake on the Side

Having a garage sale prior to your  house move or apartment move can help in many ways:

Some additional tips:

• Hold your sale on the weekend and when the weather is mild.
  If you have the time, make it a two-day extravaganza and make sure to have a friend or family member on hand with you.
• Remember The Golden Rule of garage sales: “Anything goes.” If you have doubts about the value of one of your items, put it out anyway. You never know when a complete stranger may want to buy your used flip-flops.
• Think about where you’re moving your stuff and what items might be obsolete there. A snow-blower in Miami? And don’t forget that some items might cost more to move than to replace–firewood, for example.
• Price items realistically. Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes: How much would you be willing to pay for a used baseball pat or a hockey stick?
• Chuck your ego at the door. There’s a good chance that some of your most treasured items will be purchased for a costume or Halloween party.
• Keep the set up simple and organized. Arrange your wares so that browsers have room to comfortably walk around. If possible, make an electrical outlet available to test appliances.
• Secure all cash that you receive in a safe place. Keep out only enough money to make change and put the rest in the house. Don’t accept checks unless you’re well acquainted with the buyer.
• Place a classified ad in local papers or Craigslist, featuring your best or most unusual items. It’s also good to take advantage of any free advertising in your community i.e. supermarket bulletin boards, church, school or local Internet community. Put up your signs a day or two before your sale. You can also have your sale announced for free by a local radio station that hosts a swap-and-shop program.

Post-sale leftovers? Show some kindness and donate them to charitable organizations. Some will send a truck to your home to pick up the goods (be sure to get a receipt, as your donation may be tax-deductible). If you’re turned down, simplify things by throwing out the item(s) in question