Brain Grease, PO Box 285, Salem, NY 12865

"Free Garage Sale Tipsfrom the Trenches!"

How To Handle Early Birds

at your garage sale

Early Birds – some people love ‘em while others hate ‘em. Plan on early birds showing up even if you advertise that they will be "tarred and feathered." Remember, you chase them away and chances are they won’t be back! 

For early birds I see two options: 

1. Tell them no and be firm.  

2. Let them buy early!  

Our opinion is: Plan on the early birds and be ready to open your sale one half hour before your advertised time. Hey, their money is good so why not accommodate them. However, don’t let them talk you down on price just so they can clean out your best items that would sell anyway when the sale officially opens! Why should they be rewarded with lower prices for breaking the rules? 

It’s All Over, Now What?

At the end of a successful sale you have the daunting task of putting everything away. If you enjoy the garage sale business, this means packing things up and taking them to your storage area for your next sale.  

If you simply want to get rid of all your leftovers, you have other options. You can make a tax-deductible donation to the Salvation Army or some church thrift store.

Another option is to take a trip to the recycling center. Ouch, this one hurts! This is not thinking green, and we know you can do better than that! 

Congratulations, you did it! You maximized your efforts and had the best garage sale you could possibly have. Your house is free of many items you didn’t need, and you made enough cash to fatten your vacation fund or bank account.