Want extra cash? Have a garage sale!

I love that so many awesome things happen in the spring, best of all garage sale season is getting underway! Garage sales are a great place to find deals, but it also can be a place for you to get rid of a few unwanted items and make some money on the side. Here are 10 tips when considering a garage sale:

1. Take stock. If you have a few big ticket items to sell, it’s worth your time. If you do a quick walk through the house, you can probably find additional items to add to the sale. With five big ticket items you can really draw shoppers to your sale.

2. Advertising Pays! I never thought that advertising was worth the time or money but it can really pay off. By showcasing the 4-5 key items/ in your ad, you can draw the right kind of crowd early. Most hard core garage salers will be there right when you open to snatch up the goods.

3. Key Items. Anything will sell in a garage sale, but it’s always a good idea to have a few key items that bring in the masses. Things like sporting goods, baby items and kitchen appliances always attract a crowd.

4. Invite Friends. If you are concerned about the amount of stuff you have, invite friends to bring their stuff over. In addition to making the sale bigger and better, you can create a schedule with shifts to share the workload.

5. Picking Times. Be sure to see when the popular time is posted in your paper for a sale. Some areas do a Friday and Saturday sale, while other areas may find Saturday and Sundays work best.

6. Planning Ahead. It pays to do a little planning. Some specific things you should have are: plastic bags, small change, dollar bills, tables, canopies (if rain is in your future) or tarps. Either way, do a little pre-planning and it will save you the stress on the day before or day of the sale?

7. Label, label, label. There is nothing worse than items that aren’t priced. Even if you position your sale as a “best offer sale,” people may or may not like to negotiate and pass up good saleable items. It’s important to price everything out clearly and evenly.

8. Create a plan. When putting your items out on the driveway, be sure to keep like with like. All the kitchen items together and so on, this will make it easier for all your shoppers to browse for what they need.

9. FREE box. FREE attracts shoppers. You can put some random things into the free box and add to it all day long if you need to. Be sure to put that box close to the front of the sale so your shoppers see it as they drive by!

10. The Leftovers. Be sure to have a plan for the leftovers. At the end of the day either arrange for a pick up or a drop off so that you don’t have to repack all the clutter.

With a little pre-planning and de-cluttering you might find that a garage sale can free up some space inside your home and put a little more money in your pocket. What’s not to love about that?