Garage Sales

Customer Service asked:


 



Having a successful garage sale is an exciting experience and can net you additional monies for items you no longer want.  Hard work and a great deal of planning will give you the desired results.   Remember, your trash can be another persons’ treasure.

In the town where I live, a neighbor displays his unwanted items for sale a number of times a year.  I go out of my way to pass this house, hoping to see the “Yard Sale” sign by the road.  The people are accommodating and there is something for everyone.  Dishes and precious items are artfully displayed on tables and clearly marked with a price.  Toys are on the driveway so children can see them and old furniture, baskets and tools are strategically placed at the end of the driveway.  If something catches my eye, I stop to see what other items are available. 

Even though prices are clearly marked, I often negotiate a lower price.  I love yard sales and a bargain, so my suggestions are a guideline for a successful yard sale.

     1. Plan on the time of year you want to have your yard sale.  It is not a good idea to have a sale if the weather is too hot or cold or near the holidays and don’t forget a rain date.

     2. Look through your attic, basement, garage, back yard and shed or even in your home for the items you want to get sell.  Decide if you want to have a neighborhood sale or a combined sale with your friends or family.  Remember, the more of a selection of items, the better your yard sale will be.

     3. Advertise.  Advertise.  Advertise.  Go to http://www.urummage.com for an economical way to advertise your sale.  Remember, you can download signs, a checklist for your yard sale, as well as, get the maximum exposure in your area for a relatively low price.  The longer you advertise, prior to your sale, the more of a success you will have.  (Note:  Urummage.com does not guarantee a successful yard sale.  Success depends on you.)

     4. Now you can concentrate on marking your items with a price.  Try using tags or stickers on each item.  This way you can code the item with a letter and price.  If you have a multi-family yard sale, the letter can represent the last name of the owners’ item and the price of the item.  As you sell the items, collect the tags and at the end of the day, you will be able to calculate who gets the money.  You can also keep a notebook to jot down the code, price and brief description. 

     5.  Your customers will probably want to negotiate prices because everyone loves a bargain!  Be fair, you want folks to come back if you happen to have another sale.  

     6. If you have antiques for sale, a suggestion would be to have the item appraised.

     7. Finally, have enough cash on hand at the start of your sale to make change.

     8. Do yourself a favor, if you either have items left from your sale, save them for an upcoming yard sale or donate them to the needy.  The purpose of your sale is to get rid of your stuff!

     9. The Resources Section is a useful guide to help ease the pain of having a Successful Yard Sale.  You will find links to familiar sites on reference material, supplies and suggestions. 

The best sale is a planned sale.  You do not want to have to run around the day of the sale collecting your items.  Start at least two months before the sale and take inventory of the items you want to sell.  Maybe you have children’s items that you no longer need.  Group them together, take a picture of each group and list them on uRummage.com.   You will find when you are organized your sale can have a positive impact on viewers all over the country.

Now, get started and advertise on uRummage.com for exposure you will not get from advertising in your local paper.   Remember, uRummage.com will be the largest listing of rummage sales on the internet. uRummage



ALEXIS

Donna Rivera-Loudon asked:


One of the challenges for any group or organization is finding new ways to raise funds. It seems that everyone sells candy bars or puts on a car wash. Below are some fundraising ideas that might be a nice change and help your group raise funds using something unique that isn’t being done by every other group out there.

1. Silent Auction

Have various members of your group donate items and then hold a silent auction. It is easy to do this. Just set aside a table or shelf. Give each item a piece of paper that people can write their bids on. The highest bidder wins the auction.

2. Direct Sales Companies

Several of the direct sales and party plan companies also have fundraising programs. Some of these programs are quite good. What is nice about some of these plans is that your group does not have to buy any stock in advance. Everything is done using catalogs. People place their orders and the consultant orders all the items. The majority of the time the consultant will pack all the orders and separate them by seller. Usually the consultant will give some type of incentive for the highest seller to encourage more fundraiser sales. Examples of direct sales companies that have fundraiser programs are Tupperware and Avon. These companies have a good reputation and a well know brand name. This helps to encourage your sales. If you use a company that is not well know, your sales may not be as good.

3. Rummage Sale

Put on a rummage sale. Ask for donations from all groups members. Advertise your rummage sale in the yard sale section of your local newspaper. Have your group members help at the fundraiser. The easiest way to price everything is to have tables for each price group. Then make signs for each table. For example, everything on this table is $1. Making a sign for each table or even for a certain corner or box will help eliminate the extra work of pricing everything individually.

4. Host a vendor fair or farmer’s market or Trade show

This works well if you have a building or parking lot. Rent out booths. This can be as simple as each parking space is so much or so much per table. Those in direct sales are always looking for opportunities to set up displays so they are the first ones you should call. Contact law enforcement agencies and other informational type organizations who might be willing to set up a display. You can also rent spaces to group members who may want to sell some stuff lying around their house but don’t want to put on a yard sale of their own. However, keep in mind that you don’t want this to be a big rummage sale. It works best when the majority of your vendors are selling new items. If you set your rent low enough you can also request that a percentage of sales go to the group. For example, you can rent tables for $10 and then ask for 10 percent of their sales for your group.

One thing to keep in mind is that in order for people to rent a space or table they need to know that people will be attending this event. Hence, make sure all group members publicize it. Put fliers for the event everywhere you can and consider placing an ad in the newspaper. If your vendors find your event was successful for them, they will be calling you asking you to do it again. Hence, more funds for your organization.

5. A New Take on Car Washes

I mentioned car washes earlier. Several groups seem to do them. However, there is a different way to do car washes that can actually raise more money for your group. This is done by selling tickets to your car wash in advance. You will be surprised at how many people will buy a tickets. Some of them may not come to the car wash but will buy a ticket to help out your group. Some groups have actually doubled their fundraiser proceeds by selling these tickets in advance.

6. Host a luncheon or dinner

Hosting a luncheon or dinner is a nice way to raise funds. Of course, you have to host the dinner but this may not be as difficult as you might think. Many restaurants have specials rooms that they use to host conferences, etc. These rooms can be rented for a fundraiser dinner. Often, the restaurants will also provide the food. Hence, it is just a matter of determining the cost of the room and the meals and then adding so much per ticket. Sell the tickets in advance. Following are some ideas on luncheons and dinners.

a. Hold a Valentine’s dinner. Order a nice cake, have candy hearts on the tables, balloons, flowers, etc. One time I went to such an event with my church. Our pastor actually did a vow renewal service for all of us and the night was very special.

b. Christmas lunch or dinner. Decorate the room in a Christmas theme and have some gifts set aside. Play games for the gifts. Provide a small gift for everyone who buys a dinner ticket.

c. Any type of theme will work. Make it fun and interesting so people will want to purchase tickets to your event.

Fundraising can definitely be a challenge. However, there are plenty of options out there. I only listed a few of them above, but the opportunities out there for raising funds are endless



DOUGLAS