Your ultimate yard sale planning checklist

Making a garage sale checklist

While you might be used to listing items for sale on an online marketplace, if you have a large number of things to sell at once, the best move is an old school one: a garage sale. Whether you grew up calling it a yard sale, a tag sale, or anything else, it’s an event held on your property where you sell things to those in your community that you no longer need.

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However, it’s not as simple as placing things on your driveway and hoping for the best. There’s a fair amount of planning that goes into a successful yard sale. Making a to-do list is an excellent idea to keep yourself on track, and a tool like Microsoft To Do can help. Here’s how to plan a garage sale to make sure you’re making the most money and experiencing the least amount of stress.

Step 1: Plan your yard sale

Before you choose a date to hold your garage sale, you may need to check the local laws. Some cities and towns require you to acquire a permit to have a yard sale, while others may limit the number of things you can sell or even treat your event like a small business and attempt to collect taxes on what you’ve sold. Make sure you know the laws where you live so you’re not blindsided by someone trying to enforce a regulation.

Once you’ve confirmed that having such a sale is acceptable, it’s time to pick a date. Some areas have large neighborhood-wide garage sales where multiple households hold sales simultaneously. This can draw a larger crowd of potential buyers and everyone involved stands to make more money. If your area does this, it would be a great idea to participate!

Generally, yard sales tends to happen on weekends, in the warmer months. Not only does this allow for more potential buyers to stop by, but it can also help you showcase your merchandise by displaying it outside. Of course, the weather will play a role in whether your sale takes place indoors or out, but you should be prepared for either scenario.

Step 2: Price your items

Garage sales are popular events because buyers know they can find useful items at very reasonable prices. This is an important fact to keep in mind when you’re pricing items to sell. It can be easy to look at a barely used item like a slow cooker and think that it’s worth as much as you originally purchased it for. However, if your goal is to sell unused items, a good rule is to ask for about 10% of the original retail price. There’s obviously some wiggle room if the item is relatively new, but remember that you’re trying to get rid of clutter, not get back exactly what you paid in a store.

Customers at garage sales will regularly attempt to negotiate down the price of an item. Don’t discourage this but instead, stick to your guns if you feel like they’re really trying to undercut the price.

Additionally, make sure that all items for sale are clean, clearly priced, and attractively displayed. If you’re selling old sports gear that belonged to your kids, make sure the dirt has been cleaned off and it looks like something that someone would want to spend their money on.

Creating a digital inventory of what you’re selling might be a useful step, especially if you’re trying to keep track of sales and what’s left unsold at the end of the day.

Step 3: Advertise

Make sure you’re getting the word out about your garage sale well ahead of time. A good rule of thumb is to advertise at least a week out or longer if you’re participating in a larger neighborhood event. Here are some ways that you can get the word out:

• Newspaper classified ads
• Online ads that specialize in local sales
• Handmade signs
• Community message boards

Step 4: Sell, sell, sell

The more work you put into your garage sale, the more likely it will be that your event is both a success and goes on without any major issues. If you’ve made contingency plans, cleaned and priced your goods, and advertised appropriately, you should be good to go! You may need to visit your bank to get cash for making change, and setting up online or credit card payments is always a good idea. Be prepared to negotiate over the price and make a point to greet everyone who visits your yard sale.

When your yard sale is over, you will likely have a few things left over. If you feel that some of the items are relatively valuable, you might want to try selling them online. Other things like clothes, kitchenware, and furniture can be donated to a nonprofit or thrift store. Most not-for-profit stores will allow you to claim these donations on your taxes.

Hosting a yard sale can be incredibly rewarding. Not only do you get to declutter your house and get rid of unused items, but you get to make a few bucks in the process. However, it’s important to go into a yard sale with a plan and the expectation that it will be a lot of work. Setting your expectations ahead of time will allow you to plan your garage sale and ensure that it goes smoothly.