ORGANIZING SOLUTIONS: GARAGE SALES

Planning for a general cleaning but afraid to lose unused items for nothing? Perhaps you might be thinking of organizing garage sales where you can earn money from an apparently useless item.

Easier said than done; planning a garage sale requires your creative effort and your ability to carry out the arduous task of dealing with people swarming over your lawn and picking up things for something good to buy.

There are many things which one needs to consider in the management of a garage sale and relieving your self of home items that are way useless in your day-to-day living. Examples of perfect items to sell are personal articles such as old clothing, toys, pieces of furniture, appliances, books, carpentry tools and the like, and kitchen items and other slightly used personal articles.

While items for sale are most important in a yard sale, there are a couple of things one has to consider before one would embark on its actual operation and start shouting SALE in the middle of your lawn!

Physical Stamina

Most people have many items to sell but their tolerance to stress gets in the way to getting into the real action. Organizing a yard sale is not something that one should consider lightly.

This demands so much of your organizational and managerial skills, preparation, strict implementation of the sale rules while taking into consideration the interest of other people involved in the project.

Family Members

Listen to what the members of your family have to say about organizing a garage sale. Perhaps you may start asking questions as follows:

Are your family members (if applicable) willing to take part in the project and ready to give up their possessions?
Are they in favor of sacrificing their time in helping you manage the period during which the sale will be conducted?
Are they all okay with the items to be sold?
Does your entire family have what it takes to face the questioning crowd regarding the appropriateness of prices indicated on the merchandise for sale?

Emotional Stability

With all the physical preparation going on, you might have come to stop thinking about the effects the garage sale has on yourself and your family members.

Sale-goers may ask you questions about your family background, some may bluntly ask if someone in the family is or has been suffering from a serious disease (especially for buyers who opt to buy kitchen items) just to ensure that they are procuring safe and clean items.

Some may even comment on the absurdity of the prices. This may not be an issue with you but some of your family members may take that personally and may confront the busy shoppers.

Beware of the Law

Local laws govern flea market and yard sales so it is best to check with your local government and check out ordinances that have a direct implication on your intention to conduct a garage sale.

Some local governments allow people to hold a garage sale for specific hours of a day but limit your ability to hold such events once a year while some allow twice a year and others more than two!

Many communities prohibit the use of signage in promoting the event but current laws allow such advertisement across the web. Others require that you secure a legal permit that allows you to operate such events during a specific sale period.

Know Thy Neighbor

While you all have the power to conduct business according to your own willing, others might object to you conducting business operation inside your garage since, more often than not, sale events causes traffic problems and cars occupying parking lots intended for homeowners in your community.

The Right Place at the Right Time

Even if you have the best items for sale, this is not a guarantee of successful sale revenue in the offing. Knowing the best strategic location for conducting such an event is as important as the items you have in place.

Generally, the best time to operate a yard sale is on Fridays and Saturdays when people have the time to travel and do other things besides working.

For weather, spring to early fall is best when people are active and have less chances of staying indoors.