How To Organize A Garage Sale Before Moving

If you’ve lived in your home for many years, the chances are you will have accumulated a whole lot of stuff along the way – and when the time comes to move house, the question of what to do with all of them will be a truly difficult one.

You may not want to part with many of your old items – even outdated or useless ones – for sentimental reasons. When you think about it though, you’ll realize that taking all your stuff to your new home will cost you a lot of time, effort, and money – and will add unnecessary clutter to your new life.

So, instead of just relocating all your earthly possessions, you need to assess the value of every individual item and decide if it is worth moving to your new place. Then, you need to decide what to do with the things you’re not taking along.

There are many ways to get rid of unwanted items when moving, but holding a garage sale is your most profitable option – it will not only make your relocation cheaper and easier, but will actually bring you some cash. A moving sale is probably the easiest and most efficient way to transform your unnecessary items into much-needed money.

To have a really profitable and problem-free sale, however, you’re going to need a smart plan. Read on to find out how to organize a successful garage sale and put some extra cash in your pocket before your big move.

Classify and Catalog

Your first task when planning a moving sale is to sort and organize the items you intend to sell.

Go through all the items hidden in your attic, basement, and garage, stored in boxes and closets, stacked away in dark corners and under furniture, etc. – assess the practical, financial, and sentimental value of every single object and set aside for sale any items that are still in good condition but aren’t worth moving to your new home:

• things you use only on rare occasions;
• duplicate items and extra items;
• gifts and souvenirs that have no particular monetary or sentimental value;
• decorations and art you don’t really like;
• knick-knacks that have no special meaning to you;
• clothes and shoes that don’t fit properly, aren’t suitable for the weather in your new area, or you haven’t worn in over a year (as well as children’s clothes and shoes that are out of size);

• old magazines, posters, CDs and DVDs you once enjoyed but no longer care about;
• books you don’t really love;
• children’s books, textbooks, comic books, etc. which all your family members have outgrown;
• toys and playthings not appropriate for your kids’ age;
• musical instruments, sports equipment, craft materials, and other hobby items and specialty equipment no one is interested in anymore;
• tools you will not need in your new home (for example, a lawn mower if you’re moving into an apartment);
• furniture, appliances, kitchenware, and anything else that won’t fit well in your new home and your new life.

See also: How to decide what to keep and what to throw away when moving

Once you’ve made your decision, make a detailed list of the items that are going for sale. Be sure to mark the corresponding price – and the minimum amount you’re willing to take for the item – as well (you can find detailed tips on how to price your things for maximum profit later in the text).

The improvised catalog will come really handy during the moving sale, when you will have to answer millions of questions and deal with countless discount requests (not to mention that price tags may just fall out and get mixed up). It will be easy to keep track of everything sold by simply crossing out the respective item. You can even compare the money you expected to gain and the actual profit you made after all discounts and special offers.

Organize Your Moving Sale

Now that you know what you want to sell before you move, it’s time to find out how to organize a moving sale:

1) Decide where to set up your sale

Are you going to have a garage sale or a yard sale? If the weather allows it and you have enough space, it would be better to set up your sale in your yard – the event will be more noticeable, it will be easier to display your items, and there will be ample room for people to walk around and look at your goods. Just make sure the grass has been recently cut and the area is safe (see below for details).

If you expect bad weather or don’t have appropriate yard space, you will need to host the moving sale inside your garage. It may be a good idea to display some larger items up and down the driveway to attract people to come in.

2) Decide when to hold your moving sale

When is the best time to hold a garage sale? It is best to set the date during the first weekend of a month, just after payday when people still have plenty of money to spend.

Even though Saturday is considered to be the best day for a successful garage sale, a week day may be the better choice if you intend to attract people who are randomly driving by your property (you will be able to benefit from the busy traffic) or if you’re selling mainly children’s stuff (it is statistically proven that stay-at-home mothers are not likely to spare time shopping during the weekend when their husbands are home).

There are no rules as to what time should a garage sale start but it is a good idea to start early in the morning (8 or 9 a.m.) so that you have the whole day for your sale and finish at about 5 p.m. so that you have enough time in the late afternoon to put everything back in order when the sale is over.  

3) Get a permit (if necessary)

Do you need a permit to hold a yard sale? It depends on the area where you live – you need to contact the local authorities regarding any regulations and restrictions related to holding a garage sale.

Also, if you will need to reserve some parking space for your visitors, arrange that in advance.

4) Prepare your items for sale

Dusty items and wrinkled clothes aren’t going to sell well – in order to gain maximum profit from your unneeded belongings, you need to make them shine. Clean thoroughly any electric devices and old kitchenware, wash and iron clothes, polish wooden surfaces, etc. – the better your items look, the more profitable your pre-move garage sale will be!

See also: Sell it or move it – what to sell before moving

5) Price your items wisely

When holding a moving sale, you want to make as much money out of you unneeded items as possible, of course, but your primary goal is to get rid of those items prior to your move – you need to price your things so they sell:

• Make a research on the market value of the items you’re going to sell – consider selling your old belongings at 25%-50% of the retail price (depending on the demand for the specific object and its current condition);

• Determine the lowest price you’re willing to see an item for and then add 10%-20% to have a buffer for bargaining;
• Be sure to provide some really good bargains in order to attract many visitors to your sale, but do not underprice well preserved and valuable pieces;
• Be careful not to underestimate the value of antiques or rare objects or vintage items or high-quality products.

Spread the Word Around

Regardless of how desirable or precious the items on your moving sale may be, you won’t make a profit unless plenty of people come to see them. So, be sure to plan a crafty advertising strategy, especially if you have a lot of stuff for sale.

But how to advertise a moving sale? You have several good options:

• Word of mouth – tell your friends, neighbors, and colleagues about the upcoming sales event (do not forget to mention a special bargain) and ask them to tell their acquaintances. The rumor will spread quickly and will bring you many visitors on the designated day;
• Internet – Share details about your garage sale on Facebook and Twitter, place a photo of a desirable item (with its low price attached) on Pinterest, use specialized websites like Craigslist, Garage Sales Tracker, and Yard Sales Search to advertise the event, etc.;
• Local newspapers – An advertisement in the local newspaper will traditionally yield good results as everyone from your city looking for such an opportunity will know the time and the place of your moving sale;
• Signs and posters – Creating a number of durable signs and/or posters is, of course, a must. Place them on strategic places in the neighborhood, as well as on busy roads nearby a few days before the sale. Use BIG BOLD LETTERS on a bright background to make your posters stand out and make the signs big enough to allow even drivers passing by at a high speed to catch the important information. Try to come up with interesting, creative designs that will attract attention, but be consistent – use the same color and the same handwriting and style of letters on all your signs and posters.

Whatever garage sale advertising method you choose, make sure you:

1. clearly designate the day, time and address of the sales event;
2. whet people’s appetite by including appealing pictures and/or listing highly desirable goods;
3. make the text witty to provoke talk and laughter – you’ll hit the bull’s eye!

Also, be sure to place arrowed signs on every corner in your neighborhood so that potential customers can easily follow the route from the main road to your driveway and your moving sale.

Hold a Profitable Garage Sale

When the moving sale day comes, you will need to do your best in order to achieve a safe and profitable event. Here are some efficient garage sale tips to help you out:

Display your items in a tidy and systematic manner

The easier it is for people to see your goods, the better they will sell:

• Group like items together – When goods are arranged by their type, it is easier for people to find exactly what they’re interested in and it is certain that they will not miss something in the large pile of miscellaneous items. When your potential customers get what they have been looking for, they will have the time to look at the other merchandise and be tempted to buy more;
• Lay smaller objects on tables or shelves so they are clearly seen and easily accessible. (If you don’t have enough tables in your home, you can borrow some from neighbors and friends.);
• Hang clothing items – Messy clothes in overflowing boxes will discourage people from even looking through your garments – be sure to put any clothes you have for sale on hangers so they look presentable and can be easily examined;
• Arrange books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs so the titles are visible;
• Price items individually – it will take time but it will make things easier (customers won’t need to ask the price – many people find that annoying – and you won’t need to answer the same question every two minutes). Put the price on top of an item (use masking tape or stickers) so it’s clearly visible – keep in mind that bigger items need bigger price tags. If you have a number of items that all cost the same price, consider putting them all in a box (or on a separate table) and put a sign “All items in this box/on this table – $1” rather than marking each item individually;
• Put away items that are not for sale – or at least, cover them and place large NOT FOR SALE signs.

Make the area attractive

The longer people stay at your garage sale, the more likely they are to buy something (and even if they don’t, having a crowd will attract more crowd). So, try to create a welcoming atmosphere that will make people relax and will prompt them to hang around for longer.

Lure passers-by to the moving sale by placing attractive items at the bottom of your driveway and near the yard entrance and add charm to the event – place pretty flowers here and there, tie up some colorful balloons, play relaxing background music, etc.

Ensure safety

A good garage sale is tidy, welcoming, and SAFE – make sure you take every possible precaution to avoid accidents and mishaps during your sales event:

• Remove all obstacles and potential dangers from your property on the day of the yard sale – you don’t want a visitor to trip and fall or to accidentally hurt themselves;
• Keep your pets away – they may get scared by so many unknown people coming and going from your property, may run away and get lost, may get hurt, or may even hurt someone. Besides, a large dog barking at the visitors may discourage them from coming in the yard – some people are afraid of dogs;
• Be careful to prevent your possessions from being scattered or damaged by customers;
• Keep valuable items within sight. Make sure you have at least two family members or close friends to help you oversee things – small items tend to mysteriously disappear during a yard sale;
• Protect your money – Use a fanny pack to keep the money (it will be more convenient than a cash box and easier to keep safe from thieves), be careful not to pull a big wad of bills out when making change, and take large amounts of cash inside the house;
• Prevent access to the house – lock the doors and do not let strangers inside the house.

Be a smart seller

To make the most out of your moving sale, you’re advised to:

• Be polite and friendly – welcome visitors, make them feel comfortable, keep the mood light, smile a lot, and don’t lose your temper when faced with irritating situations;
• Be proactive – greet visitors as they arrive at your yard sale so that they know who’s in charge, talk with people, point out the positive aspects of items, tell jokes and funny stories, spark curiosity – run the show in person!
• Be ready to bargain – negotiate, make discounts, and offer last-minute deals. You are under no obligation to bargain, but people will expect you to – and it is to your advantage to do so. You want to sell everything, not get your stuff back into your house at the end of the sale;
• Sell in bundles – this will help you get rid of several things at once and the buyers will feel satisfied that they managed to strike a bargain. Say, they have purchased all the four chairs for 200 dollars when each of them costs 60. Good for them, right? Good for you to get rid of the entire set, as well;
• Prepare plenty of change – start with at least $100 in coins and small bills;
• Take cash only – otherwise, you risk getting a bad check.

Related: How to cut moving costs and expenses

Bonus Moving Sale Tips

1. Keep your inventory list at hand and promptly cross out any sold item;
2. Have a trash can available to keep the area clean and presentable;
3. Prepare a long extension cord so that people can test out electrical items or power tools;
4. Have some batteries for testing small electronic devices, toys, etc.;
5. Prepare plastic bags, paper bags, and/or boxes of different sizes to give to the people who have purchased multiple items;
6. Prepare some old newspapers (or a few stacks of packing paper) to wrap any fragile items for your customers;
7. Have a calculator so that you can easily add up the total without any calculation errors.
8. Consider preparing a FREE box (fill it with things you really want to get rid of) to spike up the interest in your moving sale.

At the end of the day, lock any remaining items home (you can donate them to charity or give them away to friends) and take your family out for dinner!

Provided that you followed this comprehensive garage sale guide, you will feel exhausted but very, very satisfied with your well-organized and profitable selling experience. Not only will you have made some extra money, but you will have made your move simpler (there will be fewer items to pack, load, unload, and unpack) and cheaper (the fewer items you have for moving, the smaller the relocations costs will be). Have a successful sale and a successful move!