Yard Sale Permit information.

Introduction

Check these places for money-making items:

• Front yard. You might want to sell that birdbath, decorative fence, mailbox, even bricks and rocks.
• Closets. They are storehouses for coats, games, hats, umbrellas… you name it!
• Bookshelves. If your bookshelves are sagging, paperbacks, old textbooks or that 10-year-old best seller.
• Main Rooms. Appliances and furniture are great sellers.
• Kitchen drawers. Do you really need two potato mashers, three bottle openers, or that old set of silverware?
• Toy box. Chances are it's a hiding place for toys your kids have outgrown.
• Back yard. Sell that swingset, picnic table, birdfeeder, garden hose, fence or barbecue grill.
• Tool shed. That old lawnmower can be cleaned up and sold, and so can old tools you replaced with new ones.

Once you decide to have a garage sale, you have conquered the first step, and the most difficult one.

Next comes the question of where to hold your sale. The answer is anywhere, keeping in mind that you should have enough room to attractively display your merchandise and perhaps offer shelter in case of rain.

The third step: Would you rather go it alone or invite neighbors and friends to join you? Advantages of a neighborhood sale include:

• More items attract more buyers and offer greater profit potential.
• One neighbor may have a larger garage, basement or backyard, lending itself perfectly for the sale.
• The more help you have, the easier it is to conduct a sale. Jobs such as pricing and money-taking can be assigned to those most suited for and interested in a particular task.
• And it's more fun! Group sales are a social as well as economic venture, providing a more enjoyable and profitable sale experience.

• adult clothing
• air conditioners
• antiques
• bicycles, tricycles
• bookcases
• books
• camping equipment
• chests of drawers
• children's clothing
• cooking utensils
• curtains and draperies
• desks
• dishes
• electrical appliances
• file cabinets
• fishing tackle
• furniture
• garage doors
• glassware
• high chairs
• irons, mixers
• jewelry
• knick knacks
• lamps
• linens
• luggage
• musical instruments
• phonograph records
• photo equipment
• pictures
• portable radios
• purses
• refrigerators
• rugs and carpet
• screen- and storm-doors
• shelves
• sports equipment
• stoves
• strollers
• television sets
• tools
• toys, skates, sleds
• washers and dryers
• watches

If you are familiar with current antique prices and have treasures to sell, compare these items with similar ones in local antique shops or one of the many antique price guides available at most bookstores. Just keep in mind that garage sale shoppers are also bargain hunters.

Check the quality of your antiques with similar dealer offerings. Collectors will come to your sale, but will not pay inflated prices for chipped glass or repaired china. Point out these flaws and offer a fair price.

Note: Advertise very special antiques that must sell at full price in the antiques section of the local newspapers. Don't include them in your garage sale since prospective buyers for this type of merchandise shop the antiques classification regularly.

Keys to Success

Preparing and displaying items are two of the most important parts of a successful garage sale.

Clothing should be washed and ironed; other items cleaned and repaired. If cost and other considerations do not make cleaning and repair feasible, display items separately, and clearly mark that work is needed.

To display items, card tables and kitchen tables work well. If additional tables are needed, just lay plywood over sawhorses. Then cover them with shelf paper or table cloths to make them more attractive.

Display areas should be as clean as possible. Allow plenty of space between tables so that people can move easily.

Separate items by size, price or type. Display electrical appliances near an electric socket, if possible. Quality items should be displayed separately in an attractive setting. Use a mirror so that shoppers can see the backs of items without handling them. Good lighting is essential.

Keep larger items like washers, dryers and furniture together, and don't forget to list these popular items if you use a newspaper Classified Ad.

Small items and books are best displayed on shelves. On enterprising seller separated screws and bolts and displayed them on a shelf in clear baby-food jars.

Our best advise is to visit several garage sales before giving your own. Knowing what you will include in your sale, notice the price range other people ask for similar items. Pricing your items toward the lower end of the range will make them easier to sell.

Placing price tags on every item makes it easier for people to identify and purchase bargains, and helps the sale go smoothly. (Some newspapers offer a Garage Sale Kit containing a starter set of pricing stickers). For the rest, just cut pieces of masking tape, affix to items and mark the price.

During group or individual sales, you'll want to keep track of the valuable "big ticket" items. This handy inventory sheet lets you easily account for items like furniture, appliances or antiques so you'll receive full value.

Price the item and mark it with a tag, sticker or water base marker.

List items, owners, and prices on the inventory sheet.(Sample:)

Description:      Owner:      Sale Price :      Sold For:

Remember! People attend garage sales to find a bargain. So by refusing a reasonable dickering price, you may be passing up a great opportunity to sell.

Attracting Buyers

Garage Sale Hunters Shop the Newspaper Classifieds Advertisments

It doesn't pay not to advertise. Bargain hunters check Classifieds to learn about sales. Informative ads will attract widespread attention and bring the results you want. Use Classifieds to advertise before and during your sale. Advertising Wednesday through Saturday for a weekend sale provides great coverage(and lets you plan for the weather if necessary).

We suggest calling Classifieds at least one week in advance of your sale. Experience has shown that it's best to list major and special interest items in your ad first, then list the general categories of smaller items.

Courtesy, friendliness, fair dealing, willingness to help… all good rules of merchandising practice. Always make customers feel welcome. One advantage of a group sale is that it's much easier to keep smiling if someone can take over and give you a break. Times for selling duties can be assigned so that no one must work long hours at a stretch.

Sale items should be kept in order. A good job for children is to periodically go through the aisles of merchandise, folding, replacing and straightening. Your efforts will be rewarded with greater sales!

The most helpful aid to speedy money-taking is to have all prices and initials of sellers affixed to each item.

Mechanical aids include use of a muffin tin for coins. A small calculator will keep your additions accurate. Have plenty of change.

Most sellers prefer a check-out point, usually a small table located at a strategic spot where all visitors have to pass when they leave.

A cashier should be on duty at all times, and it's recommended that one person be solely responsible for handling money.

Sellers sometimes wear nail aprons or other sturdy slip-ons with large pockets in which money can be kept. They circulate among shoppers, making sales as they go. Larger sales often use two or three clerks.

It's a good idea to have "Pay Here" signs above the cashier, and having small, valuable items grouped close to the cashier is one way to reduce shoplifting. Attention should be paid to ensure that tags are not switched around from one item to the next.

Price tags aid in bookkeeping tremendously. If several persons are selling items, put their initials on the price tags.

When items are checked through the cashier, use the Inventory Sheet to list the item, seller and actual sale price. Take the time to fill out the information first, it may help make the checkout faster. This will help make the bookkeeping chore easy.

This information was provided by The Charlotte Observer.