With the impending move, I felt the urge to purge the clutter and unnecessary items that would inevitably weigh us down. I figured that doing a moving sale would be a win-win. Get a little extra cash in our pockets and have far less to pack up and move.
Full disclaimer: The idea of having a moving sale is so much easier than actually preparing and holding a movie sale. So for the past few weeks I’ve been collecting everything in the garage, cleaning and pricing. It appears as though the stuff in my garage has started co-mingling and having stuff-babies all over the place. It’s just ridiculous.
Then I forced my poor husband to plop down on the livingroom floor with me to color our bright, fluorescent orange poster signs with heavy black marker, boldly proclaiming “MOVING SALE THIS WAY” and arrows directed accordingly.
With only 1 week left until the big day, I posted my advertisements. Our local printed paper is a cheap way to get the word out (make sure you check submission deadlines). I also posted to several Facebook Rummage Sale Groups for my area. These have by-far drawn the most interest. Prepare to be overwhelmed with hundreds of questions, comments and messages. Lastly, you can’t forget about Craigslist. It’s a go-to rummage sale resource.
As a lover of baking and all species of baked goods, I’ll take any excuse to pull out my beloved, red Kitchenaide Mixer. So just for fun and because I’m a self-proclaimed chef, we’ll be selling a few delicious treats that are proven crowd pleasers. This also means that I get to design a cute baked goods sign (pictured). It’s only logical.
So if any of you out there are thinking of doing a little spring or summer cleaning, here are my tips for having a successful sale:
- Start organizing, cleaning and pricing your items a few weeks before the sale date. Designate a room in your house or place in the garage to start accumulating your stuff.
- Price things clearly and in plain sight. Often people might impulse buy something just because they can see “Oh, it’s only $2” – whereas, they may not have picked it up to see what it costs.
- Advertise your sale as much as possible. Printed ads, online ads, everywhere and anywhere that you know rummagers look for their targets. Include pictures of your star items (furniture, rare collectibles, interesting items, big ticket items).
- Beware of early birds. They are out there. And they are crazy. Post your sale start time an hour later than you actually want to start or include an early bird warning in your ads. “Early birds pay double” usually does the trick.
- When setting up your sale, make sure there is plenty of space between table and items. Everything should be clearly visible. A little staging never hurts either. Avoid the temptation of placing small items on large furniture you are selling. That can be a deterrent to some buyers.
- Place your big items out closer to the street. These are your “bait” items and will attract people to stop at your sale. Personally, if I pull up to a sale and only see a few small tables tucked into the garage, I’m driving on.
- Don’t forget about your shoppers’ experience. I hate walking up to an awkwardly quiet garage sale. Play some upbeat music to keep the mood up. Offer a sweet snack or cold beverage. It’s a nice bonus, plus it can help you earn a little extra cash.
Bieber Design 