Just because you’re throwing a garage sale to get rid of your junk, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make your junk look as attractive as possible.  Here are a few tips on how to best display your garage sale merchandise.

 

  • Cleanliness is next to “buy-me-ness”. You wouldn’t sell your car without giving it a quick wash job.  You wouldn’t sell your house without running a vacuum.  Likewise, you shouldn’t put your garage sale items out if they’re dirty.  Give your merchandise a quick scrub job and make them presentable.  You’ll be surprised how much faster they sell.
  • Get on up! No shopper wants to be on their knees, rooting through boxes full of disorganized clutter looking for treasures.  So get your merchandise up off the ground and display it on tables.  Hang up articles of clothing.  If you don’t have enough tables, use two sawhorses and a slab of plywood.  Use a tarp to display items on your lawn.
  • Kick things off with a bang! Got some awesome furniture or a nicely decked-out bike you’re trying to sell?  Put it out front!  Always make sure you put your most exciting items out closest to the street.  People will keep rolling by if they see tables full of clothes or magazines, but if they see some spectacular they’ll slam on the brakes.
  • Organization is good thing. Put similar items together: kitchenware with kitchenware, electronics with electronic, etc.  Make sure you set up electronics so customers will see that they work.  Radios should be playing, TVs should be on, and computers should be running.  Make sure you have nice aisles, with plenty of room for shoppers to maneuver in.
  • Take that and that, but don’t take that! Keep anything you don’t want to sell far away from your sale area.  If that’s not possible, rope it off or cover it with a tarp.  Mark your tables and chairs with signs that clearly say “Not for sale”.  You don’t want to go mow your lawn only to find someone bought your mower.

 

Remember the phrase “buy-me-ness” when setting up your display tables.  Make it easy for strangers to find the items that you want to sell.  Happy shoppers buy stuff.  Happy shoppers that buy stuff make for very happy sellers!

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