You may be having a garage sale to get rid of all the junk in your loft or basement, but after you've been through and emptied out the space you are trying to clean, be sure to have a big scour through all your wardrobes.Clothes are one of the hottest selling items at garage sales. Everyone has them and everyone needs them. In particular, if you have kids, get them to try on all the clothes they have in their cupboards (or under their beds, or hanging off lampshades). You will be surprised how many of these clothes don't fit them anymore. Also, don't forget that pile of shoes out by the back door. I'm sure you'll find at least a few that your kids have outgrown, and for every kid that has grown that bit larger, there is a kid in the neighbourhood who is just the right size for these items now.
A good thing to do with clothes at garage sales is to label and sort them into different sizes. They don't necessarily need to be numbers, just "Extra Small", "Small", "Medium", "Large" and "Extra Large" will do. Put a sticker on each item, and group same sized items together, and you will be making it easier for potential buyers to find the particular clothes that they are after. You can even go a step further and group the clothes by season and size. Anything that makes your customers experience easier will bring up your sales. A messy, unorganised garage sale is likely to turn away potential buyers before they even have a chance to see what is on offer.
Another trick is to go down to your local clothes store and ask them if they have any spare coathangers. Nine times out of ten, they will be more than happy to give them to you, as they would normally be clogging up their garbage bins. This way, every time you sell a garment of clothing, you can tell the customer that the coat hanger comes free with it, making it an even more pleasent experience for them.
Finally, on the subject of clothes, if at all possible, try and give your customers a place to try on clothing. If you can give them a private place to change, make sure you have a sign somewhere pointing it out (the best thing to do is put a eye catching sign next to the area that the clothes are in, saying "If you would like to try anything on, ask Jane and she will direct you to the fitting room"). Some of your customers may be too embaressed to ask if they can try something on, but if they see this sign, they are more likely to approach you.
As far as garage sale pricing is concerned for clothing, you need to remember that if you don't sell these clothes, you'll probably be doing one of three things; donating them to charity, throwing them away, or putting them back in the wardrobe for the next year, until you have your next garage sale. With this in mind, keep your prices low. You may even want to offer "Buy Two, Get One Free", to sweeten the pot even further. These type of deals work great for the big department stores, so why not make the most of them for your garage sale too.
Stay tuned for more great garage sale tips.
