USAMom2Mom.Com |
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| MOM2MOM SALES Mom2Mom Sales are just like a garage sale or yard sale only with KIDS ONLY items for sale Moms selling to Moms their children's gently used items Baby Clothing, Kid's Clothing, Shoes, Toys, Books, Strollers, Play Pens, Sports Equipment |
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Helpful Hints for Sellers |
Do you own a re-sale store? Do you own one of the stores above? Would you like to add your store and information above for free ? Would you like to add your hours of operation, description of your business, or web-site for free? Would like to buy an ad on this page for a reasonable monthly cost ? Just e-mail us at: USAMom2Mom@TimeOutMom.Com |
BEFORE THE SALE
Join or Create a Group Sale
A street Sale, A Block Sale, A church Sale, a Mom2Mom Sale. The more the merrier !
Talk to your neighbors and see if they want to do a sale on the same weekend and pool
your resources for sign making and for buying ads in the local paper. A block sale or
multi-family sale attracts more shoppers than a single house sale.
Garage Sale - Preparing the Garage for the Sale
If possible, keep your cars out of the garage for the whole week. Clean out the garage and
move everything that you don't plan on selling to one section of the garage that you can
cover with white sheets. If buyers see anything in sight, they will ask if it's for sale. You think
this may not be a big deal, but you will be totally annoyed by noon when the 50th person has
asked you if your daughter's bike is for sale. Sweep out the garage, hose out the garage
with water and soap if necessary. Set up tables early and start placing your items in related
sections in your garage throughout the week. Set up a table with household items,
children's clothing, kid's toys, put books in books with spines/titles facing out, put videos on
a table above the books. Borrow as many tables as you can from neighbors, family, and
friends. Items sell better on tables. Price every item !
Garage Sale or Yard Sale - Preparing your Yard for the Sale
Even if you are having a Garage Sale; Clean up your Yard. You want to make a good
impression to your customers. Make sure the grass has been recently cut and the weeds
pulled. Pick up kids toys and bikes from the lawn and put away in the garage under the
sheet so they don't get sold. Recruit your whole family to help with the clean up process.
Use Racks
People love clothes on a rack. They sell quicker on a rack. However, don't pack the rack so
tight that they buyers cannot easily move the clothes around. When some space clears out
on the rack, take clothing folded on your tables and add them to the rack. Keep re-filling the
rack. You can also put a sign at the end of the rack telling people what is on the rack such
as: Kids Clothes Sizes 5-8, Women's Clothes Sizes 10-14. My mom uses 3 ladders to
hang clothes - two ladders on the ends and one ladder across the top on which she hangs
the clothes for sale.
Table Set-Ups & Table Signs
If you have a table with kid's clothes. Organize them by type and size. So, I put all the little
boy shorts in one pile, all the little boy pants in another pile. Then I tape a sign to the edge
of the table that says "BOYS Bottoms Size 2T-6T". Then I do another row with short sleeve
tops in one pile and long sleeve tops in another pile and tape a sign at the end of the row at
the edge of the table that says "BOYS Tops Size 2T-6T". This is a huge help because
everyone is looking for a particular size and it is helpful to separate out boys and girls
items. At Mom2Mom sales where there are dozens of tables, moms looking for clothes
really appreciate signs with the sex and sizes.
Signs
Some people buy neon posterboard in one color to make their signs stand out and then
customers can follow the pink neon signs all the way to your house. It is best to use the
same neon color. Then you can use a black permanent marker or black poster paint and
the neon background takes care of the brightness for you.
If possible put your signs up on the Monday before your sale so that all of the commuters
can see your signs coming and going from work. Also, the day of the sale you could add a
balloon or two to each sign to attract attention on the day of your sale.
Make sure your signs are two-sided so they can be seen from either direction. Arrows on
the signs are very popular to point customers in the right direction. You can also attach
party streamers that will blow in the wind to make movement to attract attention.
Definitely have a big sign at your house "SALE HERE" and if you are going to invest in any
balloons at all, get some for your house. You can put a big sign on a ladder at the end of
your driveway to block drivers from parking in your driveway and so you can display the
sign and the balloons.
Flyers
Make a one page or 1/2 page flyers all about your sale with details and the items you will
have. 48 hours before your sale, flyer the surrounding 10-15 blocks of your neighborhood.
This is a great task for your kids to do. Tell them it will bring more people to the sale and
will make them more money at their lemonade & goodie station. Also, drop off flyers at
your local church, school, local moms groups, and coffee houses.
E-Mail
E-mail all your family and friends that your are having a sale and give them the details of the
sale and what kind of items you will specifically have. Ask them to please forward the
e-mail to their family and friends that may find your items of interest.
Supplies
Pens, Paper, Price Stickers, 3x5 white index cards, Change, Nice Big Calculators from the
Dollar Store, Tape, Scissors, Tape Measure (for will this fit in my house?) All those
Recycled Store Bags (if you don't have enough, I am sure your neighbors would be happy
to part with some of theirs), Old Newspapers to wrap breakable items. Have some SOLD
signs made up and be sure to write the buyer's name and phone number on the back of the
sign that you will tape to the pre-paid sold item.
Change for the Sale
Unfortunately, over 50% of buyers come to a sale with 20 dollar bills. Be sure to have
$10s, $5s, $1s, and quarters. I would skip any smaller change - don't sell anything for less
than a quarter. I recommend $200 in change - $70 in 10s, $50 in 5s, $50 in singles, $30 in
quarters. Keep change on your body in a fashionable fanny pack. I keep a special
envelope for any big bills and keep the money in denomination order - ones in front, fives
next, then tens, twenties in the very back in an envelope. If there is time, I also make money
drops in the house (away from any doors) when I get a big wad of 20s. I have also used a
sturdy plastic coupon type holder with divider pockets and put ones in the first pocket, fives
in the second pocket, etc.
Clean, Neat, Gently Used
Please only sell clean, neat, stain-free, and gently used clothing. Don't sell anything broken
or chipped. It is not worth it. If you can't bear to throw broken or stained items away, donate
to the salvation army and they will throw it away for you. Any dirty, dusty, or stained items
pull down your whole sale and makes even your good stuff look bad. Take a little cleaner
and some paper towel and spruce up your items - it will be worth the effort. I keep the
cleaner and paper towel on hand the day of the sale in case I missed something - which I
always do !
Cleaning Plastic Toys
Home-made plastic cleaner = 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of water. Rub it on,
rinse it off, and grime is gone. Works for even big plastic toys like sandboxes, baby pools,
slides, etc.
Check those Pockets !
Check all the pockets of everything you are selling. You don't want to sell a pair of jeans for
$2 or a coat for $5 and have a $20 bill in the pocket ! In fact, I was selling some totebags
this past weekend and was going to donate a few bags that didn't sale and something
caught my eye in the bag. I had some change, an emergency $5 bill, a bra extender ($10
value), and some cool pens.
PRICE EVERYTHING !
Bottom line, it is hands down the best thing to price everything. When polling regular
garage sale goers, 100% of them said that they like it best when every single items is
priced. I use big 2" inch round bright neon orange stickers that I can write amount and
information like the size. Shoppers hate to ask for prices. Bigger items like a couch should
be priced with a bigger sign like a 3x5 card that has some details on it like: "Couch $150,
Bought in 2005, Decorative Pillows Included." Color Coded charts are hard to decipher for
everyone but the seller. Your sale is not to cater to you the seller, it is to cater to the buyers.
They easier it is for the buyer, the more you will sell and that is THE point of your garage
sale.
High Priced Items
If you are selling something high priced. Try to find that item in a local sales paper and cut it
out and tape it to the item. An example would be the super deluxe baby exersaucer that
cost $89 dollars and your baby used it for 6 months and it is in good shape. If you are
going to try and get 25% of the retail value for it at around $20-$25 your odds will greatly
increase if you include an ad showing that they are sold for $89 on sale at Toys'Rus.
Small Items
Put earrings or jewelry in small snack size sandwich bags with a ziploc and a price on the
front. Put a grouping of small kids toys like matchbox cars in a plastic bag and sell them
5 for a $1.00 - move those items out of there! Put a grouping of small McDonald Land type
toys in a bag like 4 or 5 little figurines together and sell those for $1.00.
Expensive Items
Sorry to say that there are shady characters everywhere. If there is something of value that
you would be upset if it "walked away" from the sale, then keep it close to where you or
someone else will be.
Multi-Piece Clothing Items
If you have two-pc or three-pc outfits, it is well worth it to spend the time to safety pin these
items together. Be sure to mark your price sticker with "2pc set $4" or add another sticker
that says "2pc Set" or "3pc Set".
Filler Items
Sometimes you may not have enough items for a really good full garage sale. Some
people go to a local Salvation Army or Value Villages or other garage sales to bulk up.
One person I know that has a yearly garage sale, actually goes to other garage sales late in
the day and makes offers like $10 for everything on that table to infill their yearly garage
sale. I guess I would only consider doing this if I was infilling with quality items that I was not
going to lose any money.
Hand-made Items
If you are crafty and have crafty items to sell.... by all means set up a separate table with a
nice table by your CashWrap station to sell your hand-made craft items. If you have a home
business like MaryKay or Tupperware, put out a table of your ready to sell items and some
books and of course your business cards. Capitalize on that traffic.
Plants
I have been told that plants in paper cups or simple cheap terracotta small flower pots are
good sellers. This would be a great project for the kids to take on.
CashWrap Station.
It is really helpful to have a cashwrap area/table where you can collect money and put the
purchases in a bag. My mom and her neighbor do a garage sale together and put their
patio table with umbrella in the driveway and that is their cashwrap station for the day. It
also is nice for them to take a quick break out of the sun and grab a quick drink or snack.
Sell Lemonade - Baked Goods - Candy Kabobs - Fruit Kabobs
Put your kids in charge of this project all week long. Save your old milk jugs and wash and
rinse them out thoroughly. Make lemonade in advance and store in your back up fridge or
freezer. Make baked goodies all week and package in the inexpensive fold over plastic
bags and then store in a tupperware with a lid.
Candy Kabobs are on a wood skewer you would use on your grill - put on gummy worms,
sour gummies, marshmallows, orange gummy slices, etc. Wrap and twist tie in cellophane
bags you can get at Michael's or JoAnn's craft stores, Use some inexpensive curling
ribbon if you want to spice it up a bit. You can get a big roll at a party store or dollar store
for $1-$2.
Fruit Kabobs need to be made the day of if you are so ambitious. They are on the same
wood skewers you would use on your grill. Great fruits for the Fruit Kabobs are honeydew,
cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, and pineapple. They look nice when all the chunks
are about the same size. Wrap and twist tie these in cellophane bags that you can buy at
Michael's or JoAnn's craft stores. Get a big bucket with ice and sell these ice cold on a hot
sunny day.
Arrange the Candy Kabobs in a basket with a price sticker on each package. Arrange
baked goods in basket with price sticker on each package. Put stainless steel bowl or big
plastic bowl with ice and Fruit Kabobs next to other goodies.
Have cups, napkins, and plenty of ice ready for your goodie station. Give the kids a few
hygiene lessons before you get started such as do not stir the lemonade with body parts
like fingers, hands, or arms. Provide them with a nice big long plastic spoon and give them
a clean spot like a tupperware bowl to store the spoon when not in use. Do not grab ice
with your hands, use tongs.
Have your kids make nice, beautiful, and colorful signs on white posterboard to put
advertise all the items and prices of what they are selling.
Putting the kids in charge of this project will teach them a lot about selling, marketing,
merchandising, and business. I would split the money 1/3 for food and drink costs back to
the house, 1/3 to pay the kids for their time and labor and to keep them motivated, 1/3 to
donate to a charity of their choice. If you are donating 1/3 (or any amount) of the proceeds
to charity, make sure the kids make a separate sign to advertise this fact. People really
appreciate that knowing that money will be going to charity.
GOING THROUGH YOUR CLOTHES
It's a great way to clean out your closets each season. When I clean out our closets I make
5 piles of clothing:
1) Clothes that should fit the next season and I put in labelled boxes or rubbermaids that I
will pull out next Spring or Fall.
2) Clothes that they have grown out of that are in perfect condition and worth keeping for
future children and I put in labelled rubbermaids in our basement.
3) Clothes that you do not fit in and cannot part with and will not be out of style in a year, put
in a labelled rubbermaid in your basement.
4) Clothes that they have grown out of that are in good condition and in good repair with no
stains, rips, or tears that I will price and put in rubbermaid bins to sell at a Mom2Mom or
Garage Sale. I now price these items as I put them away in the rubbermaids. Then when I
sign up for a sale everything is already priced and ready to go in bins.
5) Clothes that they have grown out of that are not in the super best condition that I will
donate to a local charity like the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
GOING THROUGH YOUR KID'S TOYS
I go through my kids toys and games with them at least twice a year. I have them help me
with this process. First, we watch the DVD from Samaritan's Purse that we got for free
from www.samaritian.org. Every Christmas, we fill 2 shoeboxes with new toys and
goodies and mail them into the Samaritian's Purse Operation Christmas Child Program.
The DVD shows these poor children, often in barefeet, from all over the world opening up
these shoeboxes filled with toys and goodies that they have never seen. We are brought to
tears every single time. This is our jumping point to go through their toys.
This is how we sort their toys and games. We get out 5 boxes or rubbermaids and label
them garbage, donate, sell, maybe, and keep.
1) If it is broken, throw it out
2) If they cannot tell you the name of the toy or what it is and have not emotional attachment
to the item, we put it in either the donate or sell box. This is a great place for all of those
crazy little McDonald's toys. We make a box at our Mom2Mom table for just these items
and sell them for 25 cents.
3) Toys that they have not played with in the past 6 months, if they don't want to part with it
put it in a special box that they can re-visit in another couple of weeks to see if they have
had a chance to re-acquaint themselves with those toys and actually play with them.
4) If they love something and get upset about selling it or giving it away, put it in the keep
box. It is fun to bring out that box once a week and have them play with those long lost toys
from the basement they forgot about.
Please be patient and gentle with these little ones and their attachments to objects. This
should not result in tears and tantrums. This should be a learning lesson on how to de-clutter
your life and your stuff. Kids get so many things these days from the grandparents, the
aunts, those big birthday parties they have. They cannot possibly play with all the toys they
have.
I also have my 5 year old and my 8 year old help out at the Mom2Mom Sales when I am
selling toys. They sell their toys together and then split the total proceeds between the both
of them. Then with their money they get to spend 40%, put 50% in savings, and give 10%
to charity. The charity money usually goes right to buying toys and goodies for the
Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes we do.
DAY OF THE SALE
Dress Comfortably
Dress in comfortable clothes and comfortable jogging shoes. Also, have a hat and
sunscreen on hand for those hot and sunny days.
Food and Beverages for You
Have Drinks and Snacks in a Cooler for yourself. You may not be able to run in for food if
you are really busy.
Set up extra lawn chairs for Customers
Put some extra lawn chairs in the shade and invite non-shopping spouses or hot tired kids
to sit in the shade and cool off. You could even add a baby pool with water that they could
soak their feet in if you wanted to really treat them well. Of course, I would set up this whole
relaxation station right next to your Lemonade & Goodie Station !
Boredom Busters
There may be some slow times during your sale. First, straighten up the area and
re-merchandise items to fill up holes on tables. Keep like items together. Have a chair and
a stash of magazines to read during the slow times. Be sure to keep hydrated, grab some
food, and get someone to cover for you for bathroom breaks.
Adding up the Total Amount Due
You should do this. Don't have the customer do this. I hate to say it, but you can't trust
everyone to be honest. Tell the person thanks, but you need to do it to keep track of what is
yours and what is your sister's or some excuse like that.
Making Change for Customers
Keep their bill on the table until you have given them change and transaction is completed
pause before putting $10s or $20s in your fanny pack to avoid scammers that give you a
$10 and say they gave you a $20 - especially when you are busy.
Money Drops
When you have a big wad of 20s, its a good idea to make a money drop in your house.
One person I know puts the extra money in a tupperware in the fridge during the sale in
case someone sneaks in her house.
Be Friendly
Say Hello to everyone that stops by your sale or table
Say "Thanks for Stopping By" to everyone as they leave
Be Positive
If you have something positive to say about an item, please do.
Such as: "my son mack loved that red tricycle"
Don't say any negatives such as: "that book was awful, i hated that movie, etc"
Music
It has been proven in the retail world that when you play music, people buy more. However,
it must me age neutral music. Don't play any extreme genres such as AC/DC that may turn
off an older customer, likewise you don't have to play elevator music. I would stick to a Top
40 type of station or even one that is a bit milder. Music relaxes everyone and adds a nice
mood instead of silence and just generally makes it more fun.
Holding Items for a Customer
Only hold items for a customer if they pre-pay for the item and also give you their name and
phone number. Be sure to give the customer a deadline of when they need to pick up the
item. Then promptly mark that item as sold - Those pre-made SOLD signs will come in
handy for this. Write their name and phone number on the back of the sign and tape to the
item that is sold.
Letting Customers Inside Your House
DON'T DO IT ! Post a sign on each door with the words "OFF LIMITS - STAY OUT". You
do not know these people that drive up to your house from who knows where. It is not safe
to allow strangers in your house. They are not any less of a stranger because they seem
nice and are at your garage sale. Make up an excuse like the only bathroom that works is
upstairs in your bedroom, You have a very anxious and jumpy dog in the house that
sometimes bites. Make up whatever excuse you want - don't get guilted into allowing
someone in your house. I hate to say it, even if their kid has to pee - this is a known ploy
that the police can tell you about.
Pets in the House
Keep the pets in the house. A Garage Sale is a lot of activity and commotion for your pets.
Don't stress them out or subject them to people that they don't know wanting to touch them
or toddlers pulling their tail.
AFTER THE SALE
TAKE YOUR SIGNS DOWN
I know your tired and exhausted after your sale. Please take down your signs after the sale. This
might be a good job for your husband to do or if you have a teenager.
Join or Create a Group Sale
A street Sale, A Block Sale, A church Sale, a Mom2Mom Sale. The more the merrier !
Talk to your neighbors and see if they want to do a sale on the same weekend and pool
your resources for sign making and for buying ads in the local paper. A block sale or
multi-family sale attracts more shoppers than a single house sale.
Garage Sale - Preparing the Garage for the Sale
If possible, keep your cars out of the garage for the whole week. Clean out the garage and
move everything that you don't plan on selling to one section of the garage that you can
cover with white sheets. If buyers see anything in sight, they will ask if it's for sale. You think
this may not be a big deal, but you will be totally annoyed by noon when the 50th person has
asked you if your daughter's bike is for sale. Sweep out the garage, hose out the garage
with water and soap if necessary. Set up tables early and start placing your items in related
sections in your garage throughout the week. Set up a table with household items,
children's clothing, kid's toys, put books in books with spines/titles facing out, put videos on
a table above the books. Borrow as many tables as you can from neighbors, family, and
friends. Items sell better on tables. Price every item !
Garage Sale or Yard Sale - Preparing your Yard for the Sale
Even if you are having a Garage Sale; Clean up your Yard. You want to make a good
impression to your customers. Make sure the grass has been recently cut and the weeds
pulled. Pick up kids toys and bikes from the lawn and put away in the garage under the
sheet so they don't get sold. Recruit your whole family to help with the clean up process.
Use Racks
People love clothes on a rack. They sell quicker on a rack. However, don't pack the rack so
tight that they buyers cannot easily move the clothes around. When some space clears out
on the rack, take clothing folded on your tables and add them to the rack. Keep re-filling the
rack. You can also put a sign at the end of the rack telling people what is on the rack such
as: Kids Clothes Sizes 5-8, Women's Clothes Sizes 10-14. My mom uses 3 ladders to
hang clothes - two ladders on the ends and one ladder across the top on which she hangs
the clothes for sale.
Table Set-Ups & Table Signs
If you have a table with kid's clothes. Organize them by type and size. So, I put all the little
boy shorts in one pile, all the little boy pants in another pile. Then I tape a sign to the edge
of the table that says "BOYS Bottoms Size 2T-6T". Then I do another row with short sleeve
tops in one pile and long sleeve tops in another pile and tape a sign at the end of the row at
the edge of the table that says "BOYS Tops Size 2T-6T". This is a huge help because
everyone is looking for a particular size and it is helpful to separate out boys and girls
items. At Mom2Mom sales where there are dozens of tables, moms looking for clothes
really appreciate signs with the sex and sizes.
Signs
Some people buy neon posterboard in one color to make their signs stand out and then
customers can follow the pink neon signs all the way to your house. It is best to use the
same neon color. Then you can use a black permanent marker or black poster paint and
the neon background takes care of the brightness for you.
If possible put your signs up on the Monday before your sale so that all of the commuters
can see your signs coming and going from work. Also, the day of the sale you could add a
balloon or two to each sign to attract attention on the day of your sale.
Make sure your signs are two-sided so they can be seen from either direction. Arrows on
the signs are very popular to point customers in the right direction. You can also attach
party streamers that will blow in the wind to make movement to attract attention.
Definitely have a big sign at your house "SALE HERE" and if you are going to invest in any
balloons at all, get some for your house. You can put a big sign on a ladder at the end of
your driveway to block drivers from parking in your driveway and so you can display the
sign and the balloons.
Flyers
Make a one page or 1/2 page flyers all about your sale with details and the items you will
have. 48 hours before your sale, flyer the surrounding 10-15 blocks of your neighborhood.
This is a great task for your kids to do. Tell them it will bring more people to the sale and
will make them more money at their lemonade & goodie station. Also, drop off flyers at
your local church, school, local moms groups, and coffee houses.
E-mail all your family and friends that your are having a sale and give them the details of the
sale and what kind of items you will specifically have. Ask them to please forward the
e-mail to their family and friends that may find your items of interest.
Supplies
Pens, Paper, Price Stickers, 3x5 white index cards, Change, Nice Big Calculators from the
Dollar Store, Tape, Scissors, Tape Measure (for will this fit in my house?) All those
Recycled Store Bags (if you don't have enough, I am sure your neighbors would be happy
to part with some of theirs), Old Newspapers to wrap breakable items. Have some SOLD
signs made up and be sure to write the buyer's name and phone number on the back of the
sign that you will tape to the pre-paid sold item.
Change for the Sale
Unfortunately, over 50% of buyers come to a sale with 20 dollar bills. Be sure to have
$10s, $5s, $1s, and quarters. I would skip any smaller change - don't sell anything for less
than a quarter. I recommend $200 in change - $70 in 10s, $50 in 5s, $50 in singles, $30 in
quarters. Keep change on your body in a fashionable fanny pack. I keep a special
envelope for any big bills and keep the money in denomination order - ones in front, fives
next, then tens, twenties in the very back in an envelope. If there is time, I also make money
drops in the house (away from any doors) when I get a big wad of 20s. I have also used a
sturdy plastic coupon type holder with divider pockets and put ones in the first pocket, fives
in the second pocket, etc.
Clean, Neat, Gently Used
Please only sell clean, neat, stain-free, and gently used clothing. Don't sell anything broken
or chipped. It is not worth it. If you can't bear to throw broken or stained items away, donate
to the salvation army and they will throw it away for you. Any dirty, dusty, or stained items
pull down your whole sale and makes even your good stuff look bad. Take a little cleaner
and some paper towel and spruce up your items - it will be worth the effort. I keep the
cleaner and paper towel on hand the day of the sale in case I missed something - which I
always do !
Cleaning Plastic Toys
Home-made plastic cleaner = 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of water. Rub it on,
rinse it off, and grime is gone. Works for even big plastic toys like sandboxes, baby pools,
slides, etc.
Check those Pockets !
Check all the pockets of everything you are selling. You don't want to sell a pair of jeans for
$2 or a coat for $5 and have a $20 bill in the pocket ! In fact, I was selling some totebags
this past weekend and was going to donate a few bags that didn't sale and something
caught my eye in the bag. I had some change, an emergency $5 bill, a bra extender ($10
value), and some cool pens.
PRICE EVERYTHING !
Bottom line, it is hands down the best thing to price everything. When polling regular
garage sale goers, 100% of them said that they like it best when every single items is
priced. I use big 2" inch round bright neon orange stickers that I can write amount and
information like the size. Shoppers hate to ask for prices. Bigger items like a couch should
be priced with a bigger sign like a 3x5 card that has some details on it like: "Couch $150,
Bought in 2005, Decorative Pillows Included." Color Coded charts are hard to decipher for
everyone but the seller. Your sale is not to cater to you the seller, it is to cater to the buyers.
They easier it is for the buyer, the more you will sell and that is THE point of your garage
sale.
High Priced Items
If you are selling something high priced. Try to find that item in a local sales paper and cut it
out and tape it to the item. An example would be the super deluxe baby exersaucer that
cost $89 dollars and your baby used it for 6 months and it is in good shape. If you are
going to try and get 25% of the retail value for it at around $20-$25 your odds will greatly
increase if you include an ad showing that they are sold for $89 on sale at Toys'Rus.
Small Items
Put earrings or jewelry in small snack size sandwich bags with a ziploc and a price on the
front. Put a grouping of small kids toys like matchbox cars in a plastic bag and sell them
5 for a $1.00 - move those items out of there! Put a grouping of small McDonald Land type
toys in a bag like 4 or 5 little figurines together and sell those for $1.00.
Expensive Items
Sorry to say that there are shady characters everywhere. If there is something of value that
you would be upset if it "walked away" from the sale, then keep it close to where you or
someone else will be.
Multi-Piece Clothing Items
If you have two-pc or three-pc outfits, it is well worth it to spend the time to safety pin these
items together. Be sure to mark your price sticker with "2pc set $4" or add another sticker
that says "2pc Set" or "3pc Set".
Filler Items
Sometimes you may not have enough items for a really good full garage sale. Some
people go to a local Salvation Army or Value Villages or other garage sales to bulk up.
One person I know that has a yearly garage sale, actually goes to other garage sales late in
the day and makes offers like $10 for everything on that table to infill their yearly garage
sale. I guess I would only consider doing this if I was infilling with quality items that I was not
going to lose any money.
Hand-made Items
If you are crafty and have crafty items to sell.... by all means set up a separate table with a
nice table by your CashWrap station to sell your hand-made craft items. If you have a home
business like MaryKay or Tupperware, put out a table of your ready to sell items and some
books and of course your business cards. Capitalize on that traffic.
Plants
I have been told that plants in paper cups or simple cheap terracotta small flower pots are
good sellers. This would be a great project for the kids to take on.
CashWrap Station.
It is really helpful to have a cashwrap area/table where you can collect money and put the
purchases in a bag. My mom and her neighbor do a garage sale together and put their
patio table with umbrella in the driveway and that is their cashwrap station for the day. It
also is nice for them to take a quick break out of the sun and grab a quick drink or snack.
Sell Lemonade - Baked Goods - Candy Kabobs - Fruit Kabobs
Put your kids in charge of this project all week long. Save your old milk jugs and wash and
rinse them out thoroughly. Make lemonade in advance and store in your back up fridge or
freezer. Make baked goodies all week and package in the inexpensive fold over plastic
bags and then store in a tupperware with a lid.
Candy Kabobs are on a wood skewer you would use on your grill - put on gummy worms,
sour gummies, marshmallows, orange gummy slices, etc. Wrap and twist tie in cellophane
bags you can get at Michael's or JoAnn's craft stores, Use some inexpensive curling
ribbon if you want to spice it up a bit. You can get a big roll at a party store or dollar store
for $1-$2.
Fruit Kabobs need to be made the day of if you are so ambitious. They are on the same
wood skewers you would use on your grill. Great fruits for the Fruit Kabobs are honeydew,
cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, and pineapple. They look nice when all the chunks
are about the same size. Wrap and twist tie these in cellophane bags that you can buy at
Michael's or JoAnn's craft stores. Get a big bucket with ice and sell these ice cold on a hot
sunny day.
Arrange the Candy Kabobs in a basket with a price sticker on each package. Arrange
baked goods in basket with price sticker on each package. Put stainless steel bowl or big
plastic bowl with ice and Fruit Kabobs next to other goodies.
Have cups, napkins, and plenty of ice ready for your goodie station. Give the kids a few
hygiene lessons before you get started such as do not stir the lemonade with body parts
like fingers, hands, or arms. Provide them with a nice big long plastic spoon and give them
a clean spot like a tupperware bowl to store the spoon when not in use. Do not grab ice
with your hands, use tongs.
Have your kids make nice, beautiful, and colorful signs on white posterboard to put
advertise all the items and prices of what they are selling.
Putting the kids in charge of this project will teach them a lot about selling, marketing,
merchandising, and business. I would split the money 1/3 for food and drink costs back to
the house, 1/3 to pay the kids for their time and labor and to keep them motivated, 1/3 to
donate to a charity of their choice. If you are donating 1/3 (or any amount) of the proceeds
to charity, make sure the kids make a separate sign to advertise this fact. People really
appreciate that knowing that money will be going to charity.
GOING THROUGH YOUR CLOTHES
It's a great way to clean out your closets each season. When I clean out our closets I make
5 piles of clothing:
1) Clothes that should fit the next season and I put in labelled boxes or rubbermaids that I
will pull out next Spring or Fall.
2) Clothes that they have grown out of that are in perfect condition and worth keeping for
future children and I put in labelled rubbermaids in our basement.
3) Clothes that you do not fit in and cannot part with and will not be out of style in a year, put
in a labelled rubbermaid in your basement.
4) Clothes that they have grown out of that are in good condition and in good repair with no
stains, rips, or tears that I will price and put in rubbermaid bins to sell at a Mom2Mom or
Garage Sale. I now price these items as I put them away in the rubbermaids. Then when I
sign up for a sale everything is already priced and ready to go in bins.
5) Clothes that they have grown out of that are not in the super best condition that I will
donate to a local charity like the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
GOING THROUGH YOUR KID'S TOYS
I go through my kids toys and games with them at least twice a year. I have them help me
with this process. First, we watch the DVD from Samaritan's Purse that we got for free
from www.samaritian.org. Every Christmas, we fill 2 shoeboxes with new toys and
goodies and mail them into the Samaritian's Purse Operation Christmas Child Program.
The DVD shows these poor children, often in barefeet, from all over the world opening up
these shoeboxes filled with toys and goodies that they have never seen. We are brought to
tears every single time. This is our jumping point to go through their toys.
This is how we sort their toys and games. We get out 5 boxes or rubbermaids and label
them garbage, donate, sell, maybe, and keep.
1) If it is broken, throw it out
2) If they cannot tell you the name of the toy or what it is and have not emotional attachment
to the item, we put it in either the donate or sell box. This is a great place for all of those
crazy little McDonald's toys. We make a box at our Mom2Mom table for just these items
and sell them for 25 cents.
3) Toys that they have not played with in the past 6 months, if they don't want to part with it
put it in a special box that they can re-visit in another couple of weeks to see if they have
had a chance to re-acquaint themselves with those toys and actually play with them.
4) If they love something and get upset about selling it or giving it away, put it in the keep
box. It is fun to bring out that box once a week and have them play with those long lost toys
from the basement they forgot about.
Please be patient and gentle with these little ones and their attachments to objects. This
should not result in tears and tantrums. This should be a learning lesson on how to de-clutter
your life and your stuff. Kids get so many things these days from the grandparents, the
aunts, those big birthday parties they have. They cannot possibly play with all the toys they
have.
I also have my 5 year old and my 8 year old help out at the Mom2Mom Sales when I am
selling toys. They sell their toys together and then split the total proceeds between the both
of them. Then with their money they get to spend 40%, put 50% in savings, and give 10%
to charity. The charity money usually goes right to buying toys and goodies for the
Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes we do.
DAY OF THE SALE
Dress Comfortably
Dress in comfortable clothes and comfortable jogging shoes. Also, have a hat and
sunscreen on hand for those hot and sunny days.
Food and Beverages for You
Have Drinks and Snacks in a Cooler for yourself. You may not be able to run in for food if
you are really busy.
Set up extra lawn chairs for Customers
Put some extra lawn chairs in the shade and invite non-shopping spouses or hot tired kids
to sit in the shade and cool off. You could even add a baby pool with water that they could
soak their feet in if you wanted to really treat them well. Of course, I would set up this whole
relaxation station right next to your Lemonade & Goodie Station !
Boredom Busters
There may be some slow times during your sale. First, straighten up the area and
re-merchandise items to fill up holes on tables. Keep like items together. Have a chair and
a stash of magazines to read during the slow times. Be sure to keep hydrated, grab some
food, and get someone to cover for you for bathroom breaks.
Adding up the Total Amount Due
You should do this. Don't have the customer do this. I hate to say it, but you can't trust
everyone to be honest. Tell the person thanks, but you need to do it to keep track of what is
yours and what is your sister's or some excuse like that.
Making Change for Customers
Keep their bill on the table until you have given them change and transaction is completed
pause before putting $10s or $20s in your fanny pack to avoid scammers that give you a
$10 and say they gave you a $20 - especially when you are busy.
Money Drops
When you have a big wad of 20s, its a good idea to make a money drop in your house.
One person I know puts the extra money in a tupperware in the fridge during the sale in
case someone sneaks in her house.
Be Friendly
Say Hello to everyone that stops by your sale or table
Say "Thanks for Stopping By" to everyone as they leave
Be Positive
If you have something positive to say about an item, please do.
Such as: "my son mack loved that red tricycle"
Don't say any negatives such as: "that book was awful, i hated that movie, etc"
Music
It has been proven in the retail world that when you play music, people buy more. However,
it must me age neutral music. Don't play any extreme genres such as AC/DC that may turn
off an older customer, likewise you don't have to play elevator music. I would stick to a Top
40 type of station or even one that is a bit milder. Music relaxes everyone and adds a nice
mood instead of silence and just generally makes it more fun.
Holding Items for a Customer
Only hold items for a customer if they pre-pay for the item and also give you their name and
phone number. Be sure to give the customer a deadline of when they need to pick up the
item. Then promptly mark that item as sold - Those pre-made SOLD signs will come in
handy for this. Write their name and phone number on the back of the sign and tape to the
item that is sold.
Letting Customers Inside Your House
DON'T DO IT ! Post a sign on each door with the words "OFF LIMITS - STAY OUT". You
do not know these people that drive up to your house from who knows where. It is not safe
to allow strangers in your house. They are not any less of a stranger because they seem
nice and are at your garage sale. Make up an excuse like the only bathroom that works is
upstairs in your bedroom, You have a very anxious and jumpy dog in the house that
sometimes bites. Make up whatever excuse you want - don't get guilted into allowing
someone in your house. I hate to say it, even if their kid has to pee - this is a known ploy
that the police can tell you about.
Pets in the House
Keep the pets in the house. A Garage Sale is a lot of activity and commotion for your pets.
Don't stress them out or subject them to people that they don't know wanting to touch them
or toddlers pulling their tail.
AFTER THE SALE
TAKE YOUR SIGNS DOWN
I know your tired and exhausted after your sale. Please take down your signs after the sale. This
might be a good job for your husband to do or if you have a teenager.
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