The Minnesota Garage Sale Directory

Saler Jim asked me: How do people come up with all the tables needed for a sale? I usually have a sale with a couple of people and require them to bring all the card tables they can find. We have also set up old doors or wood on sawhorses to make tables.

The expensive option is to go to Reddy Rents or somewhere similar and rent a few large tables. If you think you can make enough money to cover the cost of the tables, I'd say go for that option. Thanks for the great question Saler Jim!

Choose a good week/weekend - avoid holiday weekends (i.e. Memorial Day weekend, July 4th, etc.) when people are generally out of town.

Price your items to sell!

Price items with PriceMiner™

If you don't want those old things back in your house, be prepared to bargain. Make your prices reasonable. This is a GARAGE SALE...it's meant to be cheap. You can pad the prices a little for haggling (why not?) but let me tell you about a recent experience I had at a sale: My niece (she is 12 years old) found a white blouse at a sale that she was interested in...I thought it looked a little small but asked her how much it cost. There was a price of $4.00 on a child's used white blouse! When I asked if they would consider going down in price I was told that they had dry cleaned it for the sale and "after all, it's from <insert expensive store here>"! All I'm saying here is be reasonable and try to stay in the spirit of the garage sale. <smile>

Some general guidelines are:

- Books - softcover: 25 to 50 cents; hardcover: 75 cents to $1

- Kids clothes (in good condition, without stains or needing repair): Try to stay under $2.00 for each used item.

- Adult clothes (in good condition, without stains or needing repair): This really depends on how up-to-date the item is - the ripped sweatswirt from 1984 that looked so cool with your leg warmers? Um, no. But the Liz Claiborne sweater from last year that you don't like anymore? Could be a quick $5! But try to stay under $5 or so for most clothes. If it's worth way more than that, try your local consignment store!

- Household items: This really depends upon the item. Is it a collectible or expensive item, like a Baccarat vase? Well then you should be consider selling it on Ebay or some other venue! If it is a vase that you got with that bouquet from Target...well a buck should be about right.

- Fast Food toys - try to keep these at a 25 cents or less. Unless they aren't opened yet. You can safely ask 50 cents for unopened toys. Fast food toys, especially McDonald's, are still collectible but the market has waned a bit. To really help your customers, spread the toys over a few boxes so there aren't too many layers to go through. Then they can quickly find just the ones they need to complete their collection and you get a few quarters!

Have your money/cash register ready to go the night before your sale opens. I recommend approximately $100 in various bills and change (For example: 2-$10, 4-$5, 40-$1, roll of quarters, dimes and nickels). Remember that early morning salers will be starting with the bigger bills so be ready for them!

Consider selling pop and water or coffee. If you wake up and it's a HOT day, have someone make a run for a few cases of pop (diet and regular, please) and bottled water. Price it at 50 cents each and you'll make a bundle! Plus your hot and tired shoppers will really appreciate a cool drink. Same for coffee and a cold, rainy day - help your customers get off to a warm and cozy start.

Sale Signs - This is a very important part of your planning. Big signs, bright white or fluorescent colors with big letters and arrows pointing the way. It's more important to have arrows leading the way than to have the address on the sign. People can't always catch an address but those big arrows will get them there!

If you need help pricing items or finding out whether that special item would bring more money if sold elsewhere, contact an Ebay Trading Assistant! You can contact a Minnesota trading assistant, Susan Kallsen, at skallsen@hotmail.com or find out more at this web site: http://pages.ebay.com/tahub/index.html.

Advertise your sale! Get the word out in a few places and make sure to have your sale advertised the day before the sale and on the sale days. Don't forget to list your sale with us! Check out these great resources/links for advertising:

Let's talk about garage sale etiquette!

Having a sale?

-- Make sure all your items are priced or if you must use color coded signs and dots...make sure that the color keys are easy for your customers to find. Don't make 'em search to buy your stuff!

-- Greet your customers with a friendly hello! Make them feel good about stopping and shopping. After all, they are invited guests.

-- First rule of haggling - be pleasant and don't be afraid to say no thanks.

Going to a sale?

-- Greet the seller(s) with a smile and friendly hello. They have probably been up all night sticking prices to things and trying to get stickers out of their hair, off the cat, etc. They need to see a friendly face! Remember, you are a guest at their home.

-- Remember, if a sale starts at 9:00am and you show up at 7:00am, don't be surprised they aren't ready for you. Just go somewhere, have a nice breakfast and show up at 9:00am. When people say "no early birds" in their ad, they really do mean it!

-- First rule of haggling - be pleasant and don't be afraid to say no thanks.

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