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Planning a garage sale in a week or so as the divestment of stuff continues. Who has had one and any tips / pitfalls???

I've had people tell me don't put an ad in the local paper, unless you want people knocking on the door from 5.30am (which I don't).
We live in a full suburban area so is it enough to just have 6-7 signs on nearby corner street poles etc from early that morning?
Do many people go to these things, since I've never been to one in my life, but I'm also assured there are professionals out there trawling every weekend?
Not looking for massive cash, but some return would be good on a few things, lest it's all off either to the Salvos or the dump

How about putting up the signs at about 8.30.

always put a price on the item that's HIGHER than you want for it.. that way when they haggle you to a lower price, they think they're getting a bargain, and you get the price you want!

Keep an eye on EVERYTHING, you'll be surprised how many people try and shoplift from Garage sales!

Put an ad in the paper, but dont put your house number - just street name.
Still put signs out, but dont put them out until you are ready to let people in .
We had one about 6 months ago. You get the 'professional' buyers early, very early !!!

Felch wrote:Put an ad in the paper, but dont put your house number - just street name.

Some one in our street did that, and because we were doing reno's at the time had a couple of skips, plus
general building waste etc etc in the front yard. Some MORON rang the doorbell at 0600 asking how much the
windows were. In my sleepy daze I said what windows etc, they said the ones on the front lawn. They were the
old busted up ones we took out so I just let them take 'em (should said $50 )...

Had people stopping all day at my joint...

SJABC wrote:

Felch wrote:Put an ad in the paper, but dont put your house number - just street name.

Some one in our street did that, and because we were doing reno's at the time had a couple of skips, plus
general building waste etc etc in the front yard. Some MORON rang the doorbell at 0600 asking how much the
windows were. In my sleepy daze I said what windows etc, they said the ones on the front lawn. They were the
old busted up ones we took out so I just let them take 'em (should said $50 )...

Had people stopping all day at my joint...

Well, at least it stopped the morons from going to the ACTUAL peoples house early.

Roger asked for tips for people having garage sales, not their neighbours

I didnt say the idea was fool proof

Nothing is foolproof - it appears the fools just become more foolish to get past plans designed to beat them!

Felch wrote:Roger asked for tips for people having garage sales, not their neighbours

I didnt say the idea was fool proof

LOL, very true..shoulda just my 5hit together and made some money..Asbestos anyone

rogernumber10 wrote:Planning a garage sale in a week or so as the divestment of stuff continues. Who has had one and any tips / pitfalls???

I've had people tell me don't put an ad in the local paper, unless you want people knocking on the door from 5.30am (which I don't).
We live in a full suburban area so is it enough to just have 6-7 signs on nearby corner street poles etc from early that morning?
Do many people go to these things, since I've never been to one in my life, but I'm also assured there are professionals out there trawling every weekend?
Not looking for massive cash, but some return would be good on a few things, lest it's all off either to the Salvos or the dump

There are professionals, I know a deputy principal of a primary school who goes out to garage sales every weekend looking for cheap books of a good quality and appropriate content to place in his school's library...

Pag wrote:

rogernumber10 wrote:Planning a garage sale in a week or so as the divestment of stuff continues. Who has had one and any tips / pitfalls???

I've had people tell me don't put an ad in the local paper, unless you want people knocking on the door from 5.30am (which I don't).
We live in a full suburban area so is it enough to just have 6-7 signs on nearby corner street poles etc from early that morning?
Do many people go to these things, since I've never been to one in my life, but I'm also assured there are professionals out there trawling every weekend?
Not looking for massive cash, but some return would be good on a few things, lest it's all off either to the Salvos or the dump

There are professionals, I know a deputy principal of a primary school who goes out to garage sales every weekend looking for cheap books of a good quality and appropriate content to place in his school's library...

he can come to my house, I have hundreds of books that I need to get rid of
just waiting for a neighbor to have a garage sale then I will put a table in their driveway and get rid of them
some may not be suitable content for a primary school library though

*make sure you have plenty of change for the morons who come with a $100 note to buy something for $5 knowing you might say just take it.
*keep your doors locked as if they know everyone's outside they may try and distract you will someone's grabbing your good dinner set, vcr etc.
*have a power point available so electrical goods can be tested.- if selling say a stereo or tv have it on.
*keep good item easly viewed from road as some people (like me)only look at garage sales when can see big stuff. Can't stand when its just clothing, cultlery and various bric-a-brac. I remember when we had one years ago I had a old light fitting 1m from bin to throw away and someone offered $10 for it, sold the heap of junk to him!!!he should of asked what I wanted for it and I would have givin it away to him!!

Pag wrote:

rogernumber10 wrote:Planning a garage sale in a week or so as the divestment of stuff continues. Who has had one and any tips / pitfalls???

I've had people tell me don't put an ad in the local paper, unless you want people knocking on the door from 5.30am (which I don't).
We live in a full suburban area so is it enough to just have 6-7 signs on nearby corner street poles etc from early that morning?
Do many people go to these things, since I've never been to one in my life, but I'm also assured there are professionals out there trawling every weekend?
Not looking for massive cash, but some return would be good on a few things, lest it's all off either to the Salvos or the dump

There are professionals, I know a deputy principal of a primary school who goes out to garage sales every weekend looking for cheap books of a good quality and appropriate content to place in his school's library...

Sturt Peter?

thanks for the various thoughts people. I'm now starting to think the types who may come down my street will be a mix of visgoths, rampaging Vikings and a few of the lost mongols from Attila the Hun's hordes.

5aa have a show on sat morning and sun morning from 5am-6am where people ring up selling various things and advertise for garage sales......

Don't have one!!!

If you're selling records, books or cds have them in a place where the 'nerds' who like them can actually sort through them but not hold up your other customers. It takes time to find that perfect Black Sabbath 45 or that rare biography Brightly Fades The Don and nothing will stop the 'nerds' from searching right through your collection.

I know, for I am Nerd.

Be prepared to Barter and make sure your up before the crack of dawn !!!

Dogwatcher wrote:If you're selling records, books or cds have them in a place where the 'nerds' who like them can actually sort through them but not hold up your other customers. It takes time to find that perfect Black Sabbath 45 or that rare biography Brightly Fades The Don and nothing will stop the 'nerds' from searching right through your collection.

I know, for I am Nerd.

Thanks, there will be a fair few in the way of books and tapes and cds, so they shall now earn their own area.

Does anyone still buy original release tapes (I have about 150 of them), or is that just pointless to put them out and it's all CD's or maybe old vinyl that is of any interest.

This could take more planning than the last holiday

I've been to a few garage sales scrounging for vinyl mostly and that's where most of the interest lies.

CDs don't seem to attract as much interest. You can go down to JBs (for example) and buy most of the CDs that would be on offer for a similar price to what's being offered at a Garry Sale.

However, vinyl collectors are quick to jump on anything they can at a garage sale as the format is still treasured and there are generally no re-releases (on CD, let alone vinyl).

I've never met a cassette collector....

Roger...had a quick look for suggestions for you and came across this site that you might find useful...it's Aussie too

http://www.egarage.com.au/index.php

Regards
JAS