Why Have a Garage Sale?  

There are many reasons for having a garage sale. Have a garage sale to reclaim your attic, cellar, and closets, which are likely, filled with things you don’t use, don’t need and don’t want! Have a garage sale to help save the world! If everyone recycled perfectly useable goods, there would be less waste of natural resources. Thinking "green" is also politically correct. 

What about fun? Garage sales are hard work but also fun. How else can you have a profitable social event in your own yard where you can meet neighbors, strangers and old friends? 

Have a garage sale for the profit! A garage sale host can make up to $1,000 on a single weekend! For many people, this is the best reason for having a sale. 

What To Sell and ... 

Where To Find It! 

It’s an old cliché, but it still says it all. Here it comes: One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. This old "chestnut" should be your guide to collecting items for your sale!  (Before you sell the farm, you may wish to learn a little more about how antiques and collectables.  This can result in making  landfall profits. What you think is trash may be real treasure! Some junk turns out to be antique gold.

Having a great variety of things will be your key to success! Variety means old things, new things, clothes, tools, sports equipment, china, kitchenware, furniture, etc. It’s just like the old saying "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." Maybe you shouldn’t sell something borrowed! Anything else is fair game. 

Your first job is to take a tour through the house with a clipboard. It’s time to start your list . . . 

(There is an assumption here and that is this:  You want a garage sale to empty your house of all the unwanted, unloved, and unneeded clutter!) 

Warning: It’s embarrassing when one of your friends stops by and sees one of their special gifts to you being sold! Oh, well. The only other option is to re-gift the item!  Maybe it's time to sell a few of your goodies on Ebay.  (Some people make fortunes on Ebay!)

Garage – First, let’s check out the garage. What has been gathering dust there for months or years? You may find duplicate tools, cans of paint, law chairs, a canoe, picture frames, and some wide oak boards. Great start! Now, move your sales items to a designated area for pricing, cleaning and storage. 

Kitchen – so many cutting boards and so little time! Here you may find small electric appliances, pots and pans, bowl sets, assorted glassware, wall decorations, and maybe a clock you wish to replace. Be sure you have the right place chosen for storage. This designated area is about to become packed with items, which will produce big profits.  

Living Room – Look around. Hmmm- do we have any furniture waiting for your red tag? How about lamps, sound system, framed pictures? Is it time to part with the couch or recliner? At one of my sales, my wife suggested that it was time for her lazy boy to part with his Lazy Boy! And I sold it! (It’s amazing what people will buy. My lazy boy was so ratty I was going to take it to the dump.  I placed it in my garage sale as a lark and it sold in minutes!  

Bedroom – What is taking up too much space? What is not really needed or used? Again, you may come up with some "big ticket" items like a dresser or mirror. Most of your profits will not come from "big ticket" items! It’s those $1.00 to $3.00 items that add up sale after sale. 

Bathroom – It’s time to scoop up all those unused body creams, lotions, powders, soaps, and make-up that have been taking over the place. Some of those many lovely gift sets are about to be "re-gifted" to your sales table.  (Why do we receive so many of these things anyway?)