Garage Sales

Pete Flack asked:


The key to success in your garage, tag, yard or rummage sale is sales you get this by having as many potential customers as possible, this article I will tell you how.

First thing too do is pick a date the best date are Saturday and Sunday. The most critical thing is the weather if you can have it indoors that is a plus. Try to pick on none rain day even if you having an indoor sale. Because if the weather is nasty, I don’t know about you but? I do not like to go outside and spend money on rainy days. If you live in an area where the weather is unpredictable you might consider a rain date. Also pick the time of year when other people are running sales. Competition is a good thing more buyers mean more sales

The best way too advertises is with your newspaper choosing the newspaper with the most circulation in your area make you ad come out the day before you have a sale. Do not cut corners here. Little papers such as penny savers do not get read as much. If you have a next door neighbor yard or rummage invite them too partner with you. They can split the cost of the ad with you, besides multi family sales draw more potential customers. When you write your newspaper ad be sure and be accurate with your description and include your phone number so people can call for directions or questions about what you have.

Next thing to do is tell everybody you know you are having the sale tell them to come by and say hello and to tell people they know about it.

In this modern age you can use the internet to advertise your sale email everybody in you address book about it. If you have a personal website or blog, be sure and post your sale. The best place I have found on the internet to post sale ads for free is craigslist. Or if you live on Long Island New York or NYC you can post it on longislangaragetagsale.com. Check too see, if there are website’s in your area where you can post free classified ads.

Local super markets, Laundromats or any where there is bulletin board post your ad

Finally one of the most important is to post direction signs in your neighborhood leading from all main roads to your sale. Make sure the signs are big bright and easy to read from a moving vehicle. These signs are very important because allot of people do not read newspaper or go to the internet; this is a great way to pull in impulse buyers. Large florescent of yellow or orange background are best. Put as many signs out as possible. Finally after your sale is over be sure and take down bulletin board ads and specially your road signs. You can get road sign templates from longislangaragetagsale.com for free.



WILLIS

Kathy Steinemann asked:


New books - especially hardcover editions - are expensive. However, there are ways to locate both paperback and hardcover copies of books at a reasonable price.

Remember the great Pearl S. Buck novel that you read in high school? Now, years later, you want to find a copy so that you can read the story again. But you don’t want to pay full price.

What do you do?

You have decided to start collecting out-of-print book editions as a hobby.

Where do you start?

You are a student with a limited budget searching for used textbooks.

Where do you begin?

You are a passionate Anne Rice booklover. Her latest release has been out for a couple of months, and you want to find a used copy.

How?

If your needs are specific, you can start at an online site like AbeBooks.com. This website is terrific because it offers both used and new books from sellers all over the world. Each book’s condition is fully described. Shop around, and be sure to check shipping rates before you order. A $1 book may be more expensive through one seller than a $2 book through a competitor because of high handling costs.

A couple of other online stores specializing in rare and out-of-print books are BookFinder.com and Alibris.com. And Used.Addall.com has a service that will hunt through several sites at the same time.

Did you know that Amazon offers used books?

And of course, there is ebay. If you are careful to read descriptions meticulously - and only deal with vendors who have a high positive feedback rating - you can often find exactly what you need.

A would-be collector can visit garage and rummage sales, estate auctions, flea markets, second hand stores, and thrift marts.

Many libraries clear out paperbacks on a regular basis. Your library may also offer a book-exchange program. A quick phone call to the librarian can provide you with more information.

You may also find treasures at used bookstores, plentiful in larger cities. However, a savvy bookstore owner will be on the lookout for valuable editions. Expect to pay collector prices for rare publications.

Local educational institutions may cull old textbooks that are no longer required in the current curriculum. They are usually well worn and marked with underlining and highlights. However, there are good finds to be had.

Your local or online yellow pages can provide information on local resources. If you live in a small community and are planning a trip into a nearby city, find the yellow pages first and make some pre-travel phone calls. Advance preparation can save you a lot of gas, time, and frustration.

Remember - you don’t need to be a bookworm to enjoy a good book!



A home without books is a body without soul.

- (Marcus Tullius Cicero)

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.

- (Henry Ward Beecher)

Books give not wisdom where none was before, but where some is, there reading makes it more.

- (Sir John Harington)



©Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author’s note below (with active links) are included.



EUGENE

Victor Tunggal Irawan asked:


While it’s okay to feel giddy, anxious or excited about the opening day of your garage sale, you must still make an effort to remain calm and focused at all times. Many things can go wrong on the first day of the sale. The few hours before the opening time of your sale can be used wisely by taking note of the following tips:

Check the Checklist

If you have a checklist already prepared, it’s no waste of time to use it once more and double and triple check if everything is in order. Review your checklist and see if you missed anything. Spend a few minutes thinking of other things you can possibly add to your checklist.

Count the Money

Your cash registry must have available change ready. Take note of the amount of money to make tallying of purchases easier later on.

Display Your License to Sell

Garage sales are required to obtain permits before they can operate. Make sure that you have your permit tacked in a highly visible area so that people will know your garage sale is an entirely legitimate enterprise.

Go Around the Store

Walk back and forth and around your store and try to visualize the direction of your buyers. If you imagine there’s one particular area that could be too crowded later on, make the proper adjustments to ensure that buyers will be able to shop in comfort.

Arrange the Products

Product arrangement is very critical to the success of your garage sale. Label items properly and hang signs on top of each area to indicate the product category. Make sure that there are physical borders to separate products of different categories.

Create and Post Reminders

Post important reminders around the store to minimize buyer hassles. There must be a poster containing price listings on each wall. Post another notice that will remind buyers to return products to their original place.

Prepare Refreshments

If you’re planning to serve or sell refreshments during operating hours, these are best prepared right before the garage sale’s opening hours to ensure its freshness. Make sure that you have cleaning tools nearby because refreshment stalls must be kept clean always.

Don’t Open in Advance

If you advertised that you’d open at nine in the morning, don’t open one minute in advance because that will be quite unfair to your other customers.

And last but not the least, check your checklist again. You can never be too thin, too rich or too sure!



MARION

Robert asked:


If you’re already a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers, you may like them even more knowing that all of the proceeds from Brewers on Deck this year are going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin and Brewers Charities. In addition to these charitable acts, the event will receive non-perishable food items from fans to benefit the Hunger Task Force.

The lineup of players, coaches and club members that will be on hand include: Ryan Braun, Trevor Hoffman, Corey Hart, Tony Gwynn, J.J. Hardy, Yovani Gallardo, Todd Coffey, Manny Parra, Dave bush, Jeff Suppan, Carlos Villanueva, Rickie Weeks, Mike Cameron, Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, Taylor Green, Casey McGehee, Mark DiFelice, Brad Nelson, Ken Macha, Vinny Rottino, R.J. Swindle, Bob Uecker, Tim Dillard, Mitch Setter, Mike Rivera and Eduardo Morlan.

Players won’t be swinging any bats during autograph signings but some may prefer the bat once day since each player can sign up to 250 autographs. Brewers on Deck promises to be a wealth of activities to give fans a chance to take pictures, get autographs, attend question and answer forums, an anthem challenge, vendor booths, a FS Wisconsin Sports Desk where fans can test their broadcasting skills, the Brewers Charities Rummage Sale and many other events.

As you may already know, Trevor Hoffman will be introduced to Milwaukee in a press conference during the Brewers on Deck, which will be held at the WTMJ Stage at the Midwest Airlines Center. Hoffman recently signed a one-year contract with the Brewers to come on board as their closer. Hoffman, who is 41, is MLB’s all-time leader with 554 saves. Hoffman departs the Padres, who have wished him well with the Brewers.

Hoffman’s career began back in the summer of 1990 with Jim Lett and so the deal to join the Brewers will represent something of a reunion for Hoffman and Lett. “He’s going to be an incredible influence on our younger pitchers in Milwaukee,” Lett said. “That’s the kind of guy he is. No one works harder than him.”

Brewers on Deck is the last major event the Milwaukee Brewers will host before beginning Spring Training next month. Maryvale Baseball Park will host the Brewers in Phoenix Arizona, offering 7,000 seats along with an outfield berm.

On a fortunate arbitration avoidance note, pitcher Dave Bush signed a $4 million, one-year contract with the Brewers recently. Bush, whose contract reflected an increase from the $2.55 million he made last season, was the second player to sign recently. J.J. Hardy, who is a shortstop for the Brewers, also signed to the tune of $4.65 million for one year. Only four more players are eligible for arbitration and they are Seth McClung, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart and Rickie Weeks. With Spring Training right around the corner, one can hope that the four additional players will also avoid arbitration, get the contract business out of the way and head down to Maryvale Baseball Park to get started on the training.



JACK

Victor Tunggal Irawan asked:


Chaos is a word frequently associated with garage sales. It’s very rare for a customer to find a garage sale efficiently organized. It’s also because of this very atmosphere that sellers end up losing money rather than keeping it.

Prevention is Still the Best Cure

When you’re multi-tasking and feeling like a time bomb about to explode, it’s hard for you to consciously remember at all times to keep your money safe. And though there are many tips to help you keep your money safe 24/7, why not devise a way to prevent the need to do so in the first place?

Organization is and will always be the answer. Ask as many friends as you can to help you out with your garage sale. Make sure that each person has one specific task to focus on so that you’ll be free to guard the cashbox vigilantly.

Learn How to Say “No, Thanks”

There are good buyers and there are bad buyers. The bad buyers, however, disguise themselves as the good guys. They nicely offer to help you out when there are so many purchases to count. Although the offer may be sincere, it’s best not to trust anyone in such circumstances.

Be on Your Guard against Demanding Customers

Sometimes, bad buyers go to the offensive right away. They noisily insist that they counted the money before handing it to you and insist that it’s your fault for losing a bill or two. Don’t let this happen! Always ask your customers to count the bills slowly and by placing one bill at a time on the counter. Make sure that there’s a customer or non-biased witness who’ll be able to see the entire procedure.

Closer is Safer

Keep your money in a belt bag or any other bag that you could easily reach and can be kept on your body at all times. Unless you’re particularly dense, there’s no way for any person to manage stealing your money from you.

Merchandise is Still Money

You may not lose the cash you’re holding but you could still end up suffering financial loss when you realize that customers were able to snatch items from your sale. To minimize the chances of that happening, have a baggage counter established in front of your store. Ask your customers politely to hand over any closed bag they’re holding for temporary safekeeping.

Beyond these tips, the best advice we can give you is a reminder to be alert at all times. Don’t let the chaos get to you at all costs. Stay focused and the money will stay with you all the time.



RICKEY

Victor Tunggal Irawan asked:


There are many ways on how you can profit from your garage sale. You can use creative invitations to inform and invite targeted customers to your garage sales. These creative invitations can set the tone and determine the success of your garage sale. Here are some ways on how to create and write your garage sale invitation.

1. Decide on what theme you would like to use for your garage sale. You may have the option of handwriting the invitations if you intend to save money. You may also create printed invitations that you can post in any commercial establishment in your community.

2. Make the theme of the invitations more convincing and attracting to your customers. You may choose to include a preview of the items that you will sell. In this way, customers will have an idea on what to buy when they visit your garage sale.

3. You should decide on what type of paper or card you will order for your invitations. Buy supplies a little more than what you have estimated. There could be guests that you didn’t expect to drop by.

4. Make sure that the content of your invitation is a little business related since you are selling your personal items. You may include the prices of the items and the place where you have bought the products.

5. To add more appeal on your invitations, you may also include on your invitation that there are free tokens given if they buy items at your garage sale. You may also provide discounts for the customers who have purchased two or more items.

6. You can mail the invitations to special friends who are interested in buying your things. Make sure that you indicate the date the garage sale will be held. It is recommended that you schedule it on a weekend when more people have the time to drop by.

7. Distribute your invitations 3 weeks before the event. In this way, you can have enough time to prepare and set up your garage sale.

Don’t forget to include your name and the address of your house. Invitations should be the key factors for the success of your garage sale. Since it isn’t a formal event, you can also improvise on the invitations you make. Find some old papers on your drawer and design on your own.



COLIN