Do you have so much clutter around your house and you have no idea really how to get rid of it?  Sure, you can post on ebay, but we all know good and well that most things will sell better at a garage sale.  So, has it ever crossed your mind?  Have you ever thought where to start?  Well, here I will give you tons of tips and helpful ideas that you may use at your next garage sale!  Enjoy!

Cashier:  I believe this works when you have a limited entry/exit area.  (say a fenced in area, with only a gate to walk through) Set up a table, and designate someone to be the cashier.  As the people are leaving, they will pay for their items and leave.  This is also a good way to keep an eye on who comes in and who leaves.

Change:  Keep tons of singles and change. You don't want to have to give an item for a lot less then you wanted because you don't have change. I like to keep my change in a metal cash box with the bills and coins divided seperately.  $50 in petty cash should do the trick, with plenty of singles and quarters!

Early Birds:  Ay, I remember I was setting up one time, and the items were still in the box, and this lady came and started shuffling through the items even though I wasn't "open" for another 30 minutes. But, she did buy a ton of items, so it really didn't bother me. But if they bother you, simply post on the signs or ad "No early birds"  Or be goofy about it, and post up signs that remind the early birds to play nicely while you are still setting up.

 Electronic Goodies:  If you have any electronic items that may need to be plugged in or are battery operated, please make sure that you have these in hand so your buyer can test that hair dryer or toddler toy before buying it.

Freebie Box:  There may be some items that you have running around that may not even be worth to try to sell, so here is where the Freebie box comes in handie.  It's a box where you place all these unwanted items in, and make "FREE" on the box.  It draws everybody in!  Place one right at the entrance and another box at the cashier place.

Grocery Bags & Newspaper:  You may want to keep these in handy just in case a person buys a lot of items, or the items are breakables. 

Haggling:  I love to haggle, but I know when it is really unneccessary to do it. Like trying to get a shirt priced 50 cents to a quarter is just ridiculous. But if you have to haggle, no more then $2.00 less then original price. This is usually my rule. It may also vary depending on the buyer, ect.

Help:  Try to have at least 2 or 3 other people help you out if your garage sale is going to be big. They can talk to the buyers, work on conversation, encourage them to buy and keep an eye on them.

Hot day:  On a hot day, have your kids run a lemonade stand and goodie stand. I know when a little 6 year old comes up to me at a garage sale asking if I want to buy lemonade, you just can't say no! lol.

Items:  Be sure all your items are clean.  Dishes are clean, clothes are washed, everything spic and span. Mow the lawn a couple of days before your big day!  You want everything looking as neat as possible!

Kids:  If they are old enough to handle money, you can have them run the lemonade stand, or they can bring out their toys and stuff they don't want, and hold their own mini garage sale within yours.  Let them set up a table, give them some pre made price tags and let them mark their own items. 

Master price list:  I always have a list with all the items and the price, just in case someone switched the prices. I usually have a description of the item and price.

Men:  Give them some goodies to look at while their wives/girlfriends are out looking for their goodies. If you have a bunch of tools, lawnmower, any type of guy item, place as far up of the garage sale as possible. They will then want to stop if they see something they might be interested in, since there is hardly no trying to convince us women to stop! lol. We always do.

Placement:  Try to have as many tables as possible. I hate having to look for items on the floor. If it's toys, simply place in a box, and encourage the kids to look through them, as if they were looking for treasure. Also, if the toys are like this, their stickers will probably fall off, so with a marker, place the price on the box. For smaller toys, put them in ziplock baggies and sell for 50 cents. Try to hang up the clothes, at least the nicer ones. Take the time to hang up some clothing line and bring out some hangers. Try to wash them before the sale. For other items, place them on a table next to the line. Maybe put together a makeshift dressing room with a blanket and a mirror? Try to put all "like" items on the same table (kitchenware, home decor, ect)

Pricing:  STICKERS! Lots of them. I hate going to a garage sale and nothing has a frigging tag on it. I feel like the seller will just give you a price depending on how you dress/what you drive, ect. When marking less the dollar items, stay with 25cents increments (25, 50, 75, ect). This will be less hassle for you when it comes to giving change as well. If it's something like clothing (where the stickers will fall off) make signs and post them everywhere with the prices of the items and try to keep the "like" items together.  I suggest between 25 cents to $1.00 for a piece of clothes. 

Signs:  Make sure they ALL look the same, have arrows and the date. When in Orlando (where I go at least a few times a year to visit my boyfriend) I almost always go Saturdays garage saling, and find it much easier to chase them if all of the signs are the same, and have arrows and the date. I would suggest not to buy the store signs (since there are usually 2 or 3 already posted, and it is really confusing trying to follow the right one). Buy some cardboard and make your own. It's also really fun.  Please remember to take down the signs as soon as possible so that next weekend there isn't someone chasing a garage sale that was last weekend (It's happened to me before! lol)

Timing:  When to have a garage sale.  The obvious answer would be a Saturday.  I have done garage sales on Saturdays and Sundays, and I have always found my good day to be Saturday.  Usually most garage sales run until early in the afternoon (2 pm or so).  I love this being the "end" time.  And the perfect "beginning" time should be at least 7-8 in the morning.  Especially when you know that there are going to be other garage sales in the neighborhood.  It gives the poeple plenty of time to go through everything, and continue on their garage sale day.

Please don't hold a garage sale on the weekend of a major holiday.  You won't be able to compete with the stores that everybody are rushing off to (these holidays being: Mother's Day, Father's Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas or before a major hurricane)

Well, that is all for now.  Will edit if I come up with any other ideas.  If you found this guide helpful, well you know what to do then!  You have all been a great audience!  Now, go on, run along!  Make garage sale magic! 

Nancy