Weekly Garage Sale Tip - November 24th, 2009
When hosting your Garage Sales, you aren’t going to be able to remove everything from your garage that you aren’t wanting to sell. Especially if you have a lot of things you don’t want to move or sell, be sure to cover them in some way. You’ll also want to secure the cover you decide to use. That way if customers are digging around while you aren’t looking, prying hands won’t get underneath to take items or try and purchase items you aren’t selling.
If you have any advice, would like to write a guest post, or have any questions you would like answered, feel free to email us at garagesalesguru@garagesales.com!
Weekly Garage Sale Tip - November 3rd, 2009
Have you ever had someone come up to you at one of your garage sales and tell you they want to buy something but they don’t have enough money to pay for it? If they ask you to hold an item for them, make sure they will return by taking some sort of a deposit. If they don’t have any cash, ask them to write out a check for half the price of the item the want to purchase and you can give the check back to them when they return. If they do have cash, request a cash deposit to hold the item. This will help to ensure you aren’t holding an item for someone who won’t return, and in turn you won’t lose out on any other potential customers who could have purchased the item.
If you have any advice, would like to write a guest post, or have any questions you would like answered, feel free to email us at garagesalesguru@garagesales.com!
Weekly Garage Sale Tip - October 27, 2009
When creating your garage sale environment, try and mimic what most retail stores do. This includes itemzing things together by “departments” and also by putting on soft rock music. It’s a lot easier to walk into a garage sale and talk about items with a friend when there is background noise and everyone can’t hear what you’re saying.
If you have any advice, would like to write a guest post, or have any questions you would like answered, feel free to email us at garagesalesguru@garagesales.com!
Flip or Flop - October 21st, 2009
I’ve been posting the items I purchased back in August on various sites such as eBay, Craiglist and Amazon.com. So far, no interest in any of the items I have posted. Finally I received an email from someone about this New Belgium Fat Tire sign. The guy I purchased this from was selling it for $15 and I offered him $10 which he accepted.
I only tried posting this on Craigslist, and listed it for $30. The buyer came back with $20 and I said I would accept $25. She came over to look at the sign last night and SOLD!
I only spent about $35 on the items back when I purchased them at the large neighborhood sale, and I’m still in the hole about $9.40. If I can sell at least one more item that should get me back into the green. These are the items I still have left, any suggestions on how to get rid of them with at least making my money back?
Items left to Sell
- Sealed Jackson 5 Greatest Hits LP (Like New Condition)
- The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult - Hardcover (Like New Condition)
- Honeymoon with my Borhter by Frank Wisner - Paperback (Like New Condition)
- Set of four Dr. Seuss books - The Foot Book, Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and There’s a Wocket in my Pocket (Condition varies on these books from Like New to Used with some writing inside the book)
Weekly Garage Sale Tip - October 13, 2009
When selling books at your garage sales, make sure the titles are visible to buyers rather than just piling the books in large boxes. If you are selling a bookshelf, leave a few out on this shelf. Don’t put too many books on the shelf in case you sell it so you won’t have to find a place for too many books. You can also lay the books out on a table or put them in a box with all of the spines showing in the same direction making them easy to read.
If you have any advice, would like to write a guest post, or have any questions you would like answered, feel free to email us at garagesalesguru@garagesales.com!
Weekly Garage Sale Tip - October 6, 2009
For most of you, the colder fall/winter months are approaching and your garage sale hosting and hunting may be slowing down until the spring. However, just because it’s getting colder, doesn’t mean you have to give up your selling. If you have access to a large space that you can still host sales in such as a heated garage or a school/city gymnasium for a large group sale you may be able to attract more buyers who are missing all the outdoor sales. Just make sure the environment is not too small or too cold, you’ll have to spend the entire day there so you’ll want to be comfortable along with your customers.
If you have any advice, would like to write a guest post, or have any questions you would like answered, feel free to email us at garagesalesguru@garagesales.com!
Even Celebrities have Garage Sales!
Check out this article from People.com.
Is Teri Hatcher’s junk another woman’s treasure?
On Saturday, the Desperate Housewives star hosted her first garage sale at her home in Studio City, raising some $20,000 for a selection of Los Angeles charities.
Invited guests paid $50 to enter and browse through items including Coach purses, Disney hotel packages and boots signed by her Housewives costar Eva Longoria Parker.
Okay, so it was a Hollywood garage sale.
“It has been a very successful, fun day,” Hatcher tells PEOPLE
On sale were never-worn clothes as well as toys and other items once belonging to her daughter Emerson, whom she credits with the idea to have a garage sale in the first place: About six months ago, Hatcher was cleaning out her closet when her daughter said, “Let’s have a garage sale!”
After figuring out how to make the event secure, Hatcher decided to give it a try. “I was up all night,” she says. “Once it was all set up I realized there were thousands of dollars worth of stuff out here and I couldn’t sleep. I’d come and patrol.”
The doors opened at 8 a.m. and despite the September heat, plenty of guests showed up, including Camryn Manheim and Glee’s Jane Lynch. Customers were treated to food and drinks from Buttercream Cupcakes & Coffee, flown in from Coral Gables, Fla.
Proceeds will go to Aviva Family and Children’s Services, Westside Food Bank and Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families.
“You get motivated by the giving,” says Hatcher. “I can’t wait for the next one!”
Desperate Housewives premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday on ABC.
Federal Guidelines Could Cost Garage Sales up to $15 Million!
Last August, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) was signed into law. This law is aimed towards retailers as well as casual sellers including garage sales and online auctions with sites such as eBay or Craigslist. You can view the full guidelines by reading the CPSC Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Resellers which was put out by the Consumer Pr0duct Safety Commission.
In the past, product liability for garage sales and private sales were not considered under criminal law. With the new law, the government will be monitoring these casual sales and violations could result in up to $15 million in fines. Below is the warning the government has issued to casual sellers.
Under the new law, it is now illegal to sell ANY recalled product (for adults as well as children). If you are in the business of reselling products, you are expected to know the laws, rules and regulations that apply to your business, including whether or not a product you are selling has been recalled for a safety issue. Before taking a product into inventory or selling it, check the CPSC Web site for dangerous recalled products, including cribs, play yards, strollers, high chairs, toys with magnets, toys that are choking hazards, and other products. You can search by product type, company name, product description, hazard, country of manufacture and by the month and year in which the recall took place. It is against the law to sell a recalled product; check the CPSC Web site or www.recalls.gov before selling.
According to the handbook, you are unable to sell the following items:
- Products that have been recalled by CPSC.
- Toys and other articles intended for use by children, and any furniture, with paint or other surface coatings containing lead over specified amounts.
- Products primarily intended for children age 12 or younger with lead content over a specific amount.
- Certain toys or child care articles that contain any one of six prohibited chemicals known as phthalates, which are primarily used as plasticizers.
- Other products that violate CPSC’s safety standards
By keeping yourself knowledgeable and your produts within the federal guidelines, you can do your best to avoid any of these costly penalties!
Weekly Garage Sale Tip - September 16th, 2009
Check out this video we found on YouTube. They have some great advice for making money without spending money!