Advice for a Successful Tag Sale

• The Association will be advertising in the Journal News and on Craigslist, but you can advertise your own table for free on Craigslist as well.  You can post pictures of key items that you think will attract more business to your table.  See http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/gms for examples.  To post, go to Post to Classifieds on Craigslist and choose the menu option For Sale by Owner and then Garage and Moving sales on the next page.  Continue following the instructions.

• Be set up and ready at 10 am. The really serious buyers will be there on time. There is typically a rush at 10, and if you’re not setup and ready to go, you may miss some sales.

• Have a plan if the weather isn’t ideal – either too hot, rainy, or whatever. Buyers may not come out in downpours, but if it’s intermittent drizzle or showers, they will still come, even if not in as plentiful supply as on a sunny day. Be prepared to setup on your porch, in your garage, or even in the front room of your house. If the latter, make sure you block off entrance points to other areas of your house and remove small items that you do not want to sell. Also, it’s always better to have a friend or spouse with you staffing your sale.

• Make sure a car driving by can see that you are open for business. Put up a sign or balloons or something street side that will signal to people that you are open and selling. This is particularly important if the weather isn’t the greatest. If the buyers can’t see your table from the car, they may assume you decided not to set up and move on.

• Have plastic or paper bags for people to put their purchases in. If you’re selling breakable items, have some newspaper available to wrap them in.

• Have a supply of change. Keep your money on you, not in a cash box. When making change, keep the bill the customer gave you in full view. Don’t put it away until you give them their change. This prevents disputes about whether it was a $10 or a $20 that they gave you.

Here are some other sources with tips for having a successful tag sale.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/06/12/a-yard-sale-checklist-ten-tips-for-garage-sale-prep/

http://www.yardsalequeen.com/yardsale.htm

http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/04/having-a-successful-garage-sale.html