Garage Sale 101

The results from the Fourth Brown Family Garage Sale is...(drum roll please)...$350+/- some change.

We held two garage sales in New York and, now, two here in North Carolina.  Each time we seem to make just a little more than last time.  It's a little work up front put totally fun on the day-of.

Thanks to Lisa who helped hang signs and engage customers and to Bobby who helped clean and get everything ready for the day of the sale.

Here are the Top Ten Tips (with generous thanks to Glenn Reisweber; US Army, Retired) for a good garage sale:

1.  Advertise!  Craigslist is your friend.  Put an ad with pictures and a map on the website as early as Monday before the Saturday of the event.  No kidding - people contacted us and bought items on Tuesday!  Be prepared for people to try to get to the front of the line by contacting you early.  They get to pay "full" price.
2. Re-post again on Friday night with more pictures.  Be prepared to have your dinner interrupted by "early birds" unless you specifically tell people only to come on the day of your garage sale.
3. Start at 7am but be a good spouse and work together to wrangle children, coffee, and do final set up.  This means being up at 5:30...okay, 5:45.
4. The only thing you are attached to is your spouse and children.  Everything else is negotiable.  You're selling your stuff, right?  Someone wants to buy it, right?  Okay - somewhere between the $10 you want and the $5 they want to give you is a dollar amount you can accept in order to get the stuff out of your house.  Right?!
5. Free coffee - advertised.  Dunkin Donuts.  Box O' Joe (just one).  Creamers.  Sweeteners.  Make sure you offer a cup to everyone.  Enough said.
6. Free parking - advertised.  It's whimsical but people remember it when they are making the rounds.  You didn't think you were the only garage sale that day did you?
7. Have singles on hand like you were going to the strip club (not that I know about that - I overheard it somewhere).  Be able to make coin change for the people who want to buy six 10 cent books.  Really.  People will hand you a ragged, rolled up dollar bill like it was the last one they have to buy just six books for a dime and want change back.  I don't know what they do with the .40 cents but I hope it doesn't break the bank.
8. Anything left over needs to go to the church - toys. clothes, small electronics - the church will put all of it to good use.
9. List any big items (like the 6'x3.5" mirror we were trying to sell) for FREE on Craigslist an hour after the garage sale.  Leave your address and that the items are at the end of the driveway.  Go to lunch.  When you return the items will be gone. Poof!
10. Have FUN!  Garage sales are great time to meet people - even briefly - and share some memories of good toys long past their age-range/usefulness in your home to a new life to be enjoyed somewhere else.  I learned that from Toy Story 3.  
11. (At garage sales there is always a bonus) And one final tip - have an idea what you want to do with your profits - it makes parting with old toys, household items, clothes, etc. much easier when you know there is a purpose beyond just clearing out the garage/basement/attic.

On Saturday, August 31, 2013 we made about half of one airfare to Hawaii.   Woo-hoo!