How-To Guide: Host A Successful Garage Sale

Last Saturday, more than 15 Newark households took part in the ninth annual citywide garage sale. It turned out to be a sunny, successful day for everyone involved.

Patch was on hand to find out from sellers and buyers alike the key to creating an eye-catching and profitable garage sale. Here are six simple tips to help you have a pleasant and profitable garage sale this summer.

1. Decide on a date

• “Every year, I know Newark's citywide yard sale happens about the same time each year and I always look forward to it. There always seems to be great weather,” said Fremont resident Nancy Wong. 

Check weather reports and make sure it is not a holiday weekend. There is nothing worse than planning a yard sale only to discover you chose a rainy Saturday that also falls on National Get Out of Town Day.

2. Price to sell and spruce up your items

• “We purchased a used pricing gun online and went about pricing every last item (from office chairs to collectible thimbles) clearly and reasonably. We also took a minute to dust off or Windex our stuff. Our sale went smoothly because the price tags cut down on questions and we offered attractive bargains,” said June 18 citywide garage sale participant named Hector. 

 According to Tri-Cities Waste Management, a sponsor for Newark's June 18 citywide garage event, in order to get top get top dollar for your things thoroughly clean sale items and press clothing; create displays that are neat and attractive; and accurately label merchandise (excellent condition, new, working, needs repair etc.). 

3. Draw up a plan of how you will display your things

• “This sale caught my eye because everything is so nicely arranged. I’m on the lookout for vintage vases and when I saw the table marked “Collectibles”, I made a beeline for it,” said Renee Pepper of Newark.

No need to get fancy. Simply sketch the area where you will have your sale (driveway, front lawn, etc.) and label where you would like to place things. This way, on the morning of your sale, instead of randomly placing items on tables as you pull them from boxes, they will conveniently be grouped together,  making it easier for buyers to find what they are looking for. Situate furniture, interesting items or big ticket items near the front of your space. If you are selling children’s toys, make sure they are placed away from foot traffic. 

4. Place a large or unusual item in a prominent spot in your yard or near the sidewalk

• “How could you miss them? The Stars and Stripes guided me to this yard sale,” said Newark resident George Joachim in regard to the row of American flags calling attention  to the successful June 18 fundraising sale hosted by one of Newark’s Relay for Life teams, Kruzin' for a Cure. 

Remember that 4-foot-tall stuffed SpongeBob SquarePants that you won at Great America 15 years ago? Sit it in a chair near the sidewalk and he will act as giant, yellow “Stop, the sale is here!” sign.

5. Some important supplies you will need

• “Always have a lot of change before the start of your sale - fives, ones, and quarters are essential. There is nothing worse than having seeing a sale walk away because you can’t break a $10,” noted Hector. 

Among the supplies you should have on hand the night before your sale are a calculator; change (both paper and coin); an extension cord so shoppers can test electrical items before purchasing; masking tape; paper/plastic shopping bags (perfect time to clean out the cache of grocery bags beneath your sink); bags and newspaper paper to wrap fragile items; and a tape measure for shoppers to measure potential purchases. [Some of these suggestions were provided by Waste Management’s “Tips for Success” brochure given to the annual citywide sale’s participants.

6. Let EVERYTHING Go

• “During the last hour and a half or so of our sale, we will start to go half off stuff or buy one get one (free) on, say, clothing. The point of a garage sale is to get rid of your junk, not to hang on to it. Everything left over will be taken to a thrift store, either Thrift Town or The Discovery Shop [both are in Fremont],” said citywide sale seller Mary. 

Although it may be hard to part with the things of your past for pennies on the dollar, you must remember you are making room for a fresh (and probably better fitting) start. As the saying goes, a dollar in the hand is worth two left lingering on the foldout table in your driveway. When all is sold and gone, whatever is left over can easily be given to any one of the many of thrift stores in the area. There was a reason you were willing to part with your stuff in a garage sale; avoid letting any of your sale day junk creep back in to your now useable garage. You can actually park your car in it now!