Managing a Garage Sale

There will be a point in time when most people will outgrow many of the items they own. Clothes will become too small or too big to fit or are out of fashion. Children grow up and abandon their old toys for the currently trendy ones. Kitchen appliances become worn out and new ones are brought. These are just a few reasons why the things we own accumulate in due time.

This is especially true once people settle in comfortable living places like a long term rental unit accommodation and most especially when one owns their own home. People have a tendency to Fill Out The Spaces of one’s home with decorations and other possessions once they had made their most important purchase which is their house.

Nowadays many sell their excess possessions online. The leftover excess possessions are usually hauled over to the local charity organisation or discarded in the garbage bins. Thanks to e-commerce sites however many have become aware that what they consider as garbage or a giveaway item usually still have monetary value no matter how small it is.

Many people now hoard their excess possessions instead of donating it or throwing it away with the intent to sell them. Selling online does take a fair bit of work and time. Each item is either sold per piece online or if this is too much work items are sold in groups instead. Then there is the task of having to monitor your sales and once sold to package it for delivery.

There is however the ever present danger of being scammed whether you are buying or selling an item online. There can be buyer payment problems when selling online. There is also the issue of packages not being delivered or getting delivered to the wrong address. Nothing still beats the convenience of a straightforward physical seller and buyer transaction.

This is the reason why physical selling still exists like garage sales. Individuals or families doing garage sales need only to place their items for sale on their garage and even on their driveways and wait for buyers to come in. Business transaction is as easy as the buyer picking an item to buy and then paying the owner on the spot. The item bought need not even be packaged.

Before conducting your garage sale you must first be aware of the laws in your area regarding it. Many places have loose or no restrictions regarding garage sales unless your garage sales becomes too frequent and are deemed “commercial” in nature already. This is a common sense issue as most people would know if they are selling their excess items only and not turning to commercial selling.

There are people who conduct garage sales weekly and even several days a week. There are even people with permanent for sale signs of the excess possessions but do not get bothered by the law because authorities can in common sense see that they are not being operated commercially.

To make your garage sales more attractive consider doing mass garage sales. Invite other people especially those living near you to also conduct their garage sales in your premises. Because there are more items on sale there is a tendency that it would attract more attention and hence potentially more sales. You could also pool your resources together in terms of advertising and conducting your garage sale.

Beware of Dodgy People

There are always dodgy people who will try to get your items for free by stealing them when you are unaware or busy doing other things. You can be receiving payment and wrapping a bought item or you can be assisting a buyer with an inquiry regarding one of the items for sale. This is why it is important to have extra hands assisting you in monitoring people.

These dodgy people usually prey on people conducting garage sales on their own and strike when there are a lot of potential buyers hovering around which can distract you. They usually steal items that can easily fit their pockets or their bags. One thing you can do is to bunch small items together and if possible put a plastic cover around them to prevent them from easily being stolen.

You can also tie your more expensive items in a fixed object like tables to prevent them from being stolen or from falling off tables for example if they are breakables or easily damaged. People rummaging around your garage sale can get careless and when they damage an item just walk off.

This is the reason why it is not advisable to be by yourself when doing a garage sale where you have a lot of items and occupy a large sales space. If a person suddenly walks away with one of your items without paying it is very hard to go after them when there is no one tending your other items in your garage sale.

I for example saw in real life a person stealing a small item from a charity shop in Australia in full public view. These thieves know that these items have little value and are even discards. The thief knew that the 2 women tending the shop will not risk a physical altercation over such an item. This is a reality in life and if this happens to an established shop it can happen to your garage sale.

Conclusion

Your garage sale should not be just a financial activity but also should be a social activity. Invite your family, friends, neighbours and others you know not just to assist you but maybe to just have long chit chats in your garage sale. With your increased numbers you will have a better chance of managing any unforeseen problems and threats.