Saling Away

Garage sale season is well underway. Whether you’re a seller or a buyer, there seem to be more this year than ever – possibly because we also either have more stuff than ever, or crave stuff more than ever.

Some municipalities organize specific garage sale weekends, with permits distributed at a less expensive amount than other weekends, often with a charity, club or organization benefitting from funds raised, as was the case in Richmond last weekend.

For buyers this concept is fun, allowing for a budget, a blitz and a little more sense that perhaps some good stuff will be ready for buying.

For sellers the concept is good too, knowing those buyers are making plans to make the rounds, giving you a little more return on investment of time and energy.

For sellers, here are a few tips and tricks (partly adapted from www.moneycrashers.com):

1)Verify municipal by-laws and permits. These can vary from municipality to municipality. Well worth doing your homework first before you get all caught up in planning.

2)Once you have an idea about rates and rules, and sort your permit, you can always check out what events are taking place in the area, upping your chances of traffic. Contact friends to see if they’d like to participate (sometimes others being involved means you have other friends and family of theirs who stop by to have a look).

3)Before you get started, determine what you will do with anything that is not sold – ask around regarding folks who collect and sell either second-hand. Whatever route is chosen - be responsible for what happens to what doesn’t sell – avoid bringing it back inside. Some places accept donations, but be careful about the timing and the nature of donations. Be sure what happens with garage sale remnants.

4)With your newfound knowledge of permits and local events, pick a date. Saturday and Sunday tend to be the main days of the week. Long weekends offer another option for garage saling, and some folks opt for Fridays, although the Townships seems to be a much more Saturday-sunday thing, other than occasional church rummage sales. Give yourself a few weeks to prepare.

5)With a few weeks to sort and plan, determining what will go can broaden in terms of choices of items for sale. Setting out a box in each room, or at least prowling each room with a box every day allows for some reflection and usually a few more items added to the box – attempt to keep them there too – no matter the urge to pull something out and put it back in circulation in the house.

6)Don’t doubt the usefulness of things either – a few things that are often popular sellers are phone charger cords or power cords of any kind. Throw them all in a small box for folks to look through, wind the cords up and fasten them with twist ties, or divide them into small clear plastic bags if you have the time.

7)Price things. Dollar stores sell packages of pre-identified price stickers that include blank ones. Instead of spending your time in negotiations, throw a sticker on, and let people know things are negotiable if you start to feel like you just want things to go. Green painter’s tape or masking tape and a sharpie work well too!

8)Advertise – newspaper ads are worth your while as garage salers often peruse the listings, also social media groups and sales websites. If your sale is on the weekend, make sure the ad goes in Wednesday and-or Thursday of that week. A few garage sale signs tacked up with the date on the Thursday or Friday prior to the sale indicating the days, times and address so passersby will take note. If you create a social media photo album of items to be sold, you may sell a few items prior to sale day. Set the pick-up time the start-time of your garage sale and no later, so that if buyers do not come to pick up items you have a chance to sell them the day of the sale.

9)Arrange a float – fives, twonies, loonies and quarters are a must-have. Throw in a few tens if you must, but bear in mind that folks often take twenty-dollar bills out of the instabank, although BMO now allows one to withdraw fives as well. Depending on the amount of loot you have, anywhere from $100 - $200 as a float is ideal, and while you’re at it, make sure you have a few aprons or fanny packs to keep that on your person. If there is a cash box, ensure that someone is seated with it to make change – do not leave it unattended, as unfortunately there are still skilled, light-fingered unsavouries that make the rounds. Should you have a great haul and sell for a fair amount, make occasional trips indoors to put some of the money away.

10)The night before, make sure all items are sorted. Clothing that is hung up sells better, so if you’re able, get them up on hangers ahead of time. Don’t leave this until the morning of. Sort unbreakables on tables where they are the most sheltered from tumbling off.

11)People are going to haggle, pick things up, contemplate, put back, and ask questions. Be prepared to work the crowd without being pushy. Don’t negotiate first, and best sellers go in the morning, so before you sell out and take a lower price than planned, hold out briefly. If by the afternoon or the afternoon of the last day of the sale the item hasn’t sold, then begin cutting prices down, in order to move out as many items as possible.

12)Prepare your own refreshments, lunch and snacks the night before, and make sure you’ve got back-up for bathroom breaks. Make sure you have shade and sunscreen, and plenty of water.

13) The day of – you will have early birds – make sure you’re ready at least a half-hour earlier than the sale is listed at.

14)As you go, decide how badly you want whatever you may receive as payment, and how much you want to get rid of each item – so if someone shows interest and it may go, contemplate that balance. Just remember not to let things go too easily on the first morning, unless you just really can’t stand to look at it any more and want it out of your site.

If you’re a buyer, make sure you’re ready to negotiate, and even contemplate how you will go about haggling.

A few good tips are:

1)Don’t express interest that is over-thetop – some sellers will use that as a sticking point, and you will potentially pay more than they would have taken had you not started excitedly dancing on the spot.

2)Make sure you’ve got all sorts of change – the bigger the bills you carry, the more challenging the negotiation, and the easier it is for sellers to say that they can’t make change…

3)Avoid making the first offer – instead inquire about how much they’re asking, and keep your poker face. Contemplate putting the item down if you think no one will take it, or if you’re sure no one else will pick it up.

4)Group items you’re planning on purchasing together – there is power in bundling your buys! Ask if they would accept (insert reasonable amount for grouped items here) rather than the total of the individual pieces. Carry a calculator (most cell phones have them integrated as well) if you’re particularly ambitious.

5)Keep the mood light, be prepared to stay somewhat silent as well, and be prepared to walk away if you know you’re being sold something for more than you know or feel it is worth.

All in all, keep up the good work of buying used items, taking the time to set up a sale, and good luck to all buying and selling. Have fun! Let us know if you have any good tips that weren’t outlined here.