Tips to Improve Sales
- Greet people who come to your garage sale and engage them in conversation.
- Encourage shoppers to return during a two day sale. Post signs to say that new items will be added daily or that prices will be reduced on the second day.
- Have a silent auction on expensive items. Ask customers to submit bids along with their name and phone numbers. Put in a reserve bid, if you wish.
- Be organized with your sale items! If everything is jumbled together, many people won't bother to look for bargains. Tables can be made from sawhorses and lumber. A few hooks and some string will let you hang clothing and looks much nicer.
- Put some of the larger items out near the street, to catch the eyes of those who are driving by. You will be surprised at how many people will stop to look, even though they are not interested in the dining room furniture.
- Have a garden? Consider selling flowers and produce from your garden...you'd be suprise on how well these items sell!
These are great tips! I have a few to add to the list: *Clean up items to be sold--even if it means just dusting something or even washing it first. (My mom was adamant about this, and she was so very right!) *On a sign that is readily seen to passers-by, in large, dark letters put what your sale mainly has. Children's clothes? Furniture? Household? Books? This makes it easier for people to decide if they want to stop or not. *Be sure that your signs are in LARGE, BOLD, DARK letters so your address can be easily seen from 1/2 block away. Also, be sure that your sign cannot "flop" together or bend over. I have avoided many rummage sales because of bad signage, not because I wanted to but because I couldn't see where the sale was. *Be willing to "dicker" prices. The whole idea behind a rummage sale is TO GET RID OF STUFF, not to make a million dollars (although that would be nice). *Offer full lots of items, such as "Entire book collection for $___!!" (Also sell individually, if necessary.) *Offer for sale coffee, pop, water, and snacks. Many people have been rummaging for quite a while, and a break is nice to have. I also have offered a free roll and a cup of coffee with a minimum purchase of $___.
ReplyDeleteI have hosted many rummage sales, and these have proven to be very successful.