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Your Guide to Effective Garage Sales
Pick almost any city or town in the country, drive through any middle class neighbourhood or residential area on the weekend, and you're sure to spot at least half dozen garage sales.
What's being sold at these garage sales? The accumulated "junk" peoples no longer use or want taking up space in or around their homes. Are they making any money with these garage sales? You'd better believe they're making money! It's not at all uncommon to make $600 with a weekend garage sale. Is it hard to put on a profitable garage sale? Well, yes and no. It really does take some of your time, and also requires an awareness of a few merchandising tactics. But the problems in running a successful garage sale are small in comparison to the profits.
Who are the buyers, and how do you get them to come to your garage sale? Your customers are going to be everybody and you get them over to your garage sale with a little bit of advertising and promotion.
Let's look at the background: Everybody accumulates the kind of garage sale items that other people are searching for, and are willing to buy. These items range from no longer wanted or outgrown items of clothing, to furniture, tools, knick-knacks, books, pictures and toys. Many garage sale items are objects of merchandise purchased on impulse, and later found to be not what the buyer wanted. He discovered too late that he really didn't have a use for it, or he no longer has a need for it. Many items found at garage sales are gifts that have been given to the seller, but are the wrong size or incorrect choice for the recipient.
The problem with most people is that they haven't the time to gather up all the items "just taking up space" in and around their homes and staging a garage sale to get rid of them. Many people don't know how to stage a garage sale, and many other people feel that putting on a garage sale is just too much bother and work.
This is where you enter the picture. Your enterprise will be an ongoing garage sale of items donated and collected from these people who lack the inclination to put on garage sales of their own.
Step one is education: Spend a few weeks visiting all the garage sales, swap meets and flea markets in your area. Find out what's being offered for sale, what people are buying, and how the merchandise is being sold. Generally an item is tagged with a price, but the seller is open to almost any reasonable offer from the customer. Another thing you want to make mental note of is the way the merchandise is displayed, and how the customers are allowed to browse.
You start your own garage sale by cleaning out your own basement, attic, closets and garage. Talk to your relatives and friends; tell them what you're going to do and ask them for donations of no-longer used or unwanted items. It's here that you'll get your first experience in negotiating, and finally, an agreement for you to display and sell other people's merchandise for a percentage of the sales price. You'll find people explaining that they really don't have a use for a specific item or they really don't want to keep storing it, but because of sentimental reasons, "just hate to give it away."
Once you've had a little experience with this type of seller, you will be able to advertise in the newspaper that you buy garage sale items, or take them on consignment for a percentage of the final sales price.
Article Source: www.ArticlesBase.com
what to do with all that money
Things to do after your Garage Sale
After all has been done and sold, you can now sit back, relax and count the fruits of your hard-earned garage sale labor -- or not.
After finally getting rid of all that clutter, at the same time earning a bit of cash on the side, don't think that this is the perfect time to throw your weight around.
There are many things to do right after a garage sale. The following are the to-do lists you should fulfill right after a successful garage sale.
Clean it up!
Of course, it is a dirty job but someone has to do it, eventually. Delaying clean up further could result in problems and further procrastination, adding more unnecessary clutter to your space.
The best thing to do in order to go through a clean up is by taking stock of everything that happened in the sale, over a cup of coffee perhaps. Take this opportunity to also relax. It was a hectic and busy day after all, though it was very productive.
Make sure to also keep those proceeds in a place that is safe. This allows you to proceed through clean up with no distractions and stay focused. Doing so could also help you comply with regulations that require garage sale owners to immediately take down signs after finishing a sale.
Now you are free!
After a garage sale, nothing beats the feeling of a house that is more spacious and free from unnecessary clutter. The money earned is really a bonus. Enjoy it, or better yet, keep it.
Keep promises and commitments!
A post-garage sale is no excuse to forget earlier commitments and promises. As much as possible, try to return any ladders borrowed or items used. This is also the time to claim back the space used in the garage sale or any pile of stuff that used to occupy a whole room or a closet. Reclaim back this space, it is yours to conquer in the first place.
It is never too early to think of your next garage sale!
After a garage sale, it is always best to think of the things done right and things done wrong. These details are a great way to make the next garage sale a perfect one.
All in all, a garage sale is an opportunity to make your trash other people’s treasures. Make it work for you!
Article Source: www.ArticlesBase.com
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