Brent Moeshlin
Contrary to what intuition might otherwise suggest, busy people can hold garage sales. There are several easy ways to have a yard sale in a limited amount of time. This minimizes effort, can help you make a profit, and clears out the clutter that’s taking up space in your life, home, and mind.
Clutter can wreak havoc on your mental health, home safety, and even physical well-being. Collecting is healthy as long as you are keeping on top of your inventory and spending habits. It’s a wise idea to regularly purge unwanted or excess items, as well. This is where garage sales can come in handy.
1. Consider an Online Garage Sale
Almost everything offline also has a place online, and garage sales are no exception. There are multiple ways to do this, including:
- Selling on garage-sale websites and apps;
- Advertising on social media;
- Posting on sites with classified sections;
- Listing items on reseller platforms;
- Setting up online auctions;
- Selling directly to distributors.
From a simple social media post to an organized bidding war, you can virtually take every aspect of a garage sale online. This not only saves time, but also helps diversify your efforts to find the best offer. Rather than selling those vintage comics for pennies on the dollar in your driveway, reach out to reputable companies that buy comic books.
Usually, online retailers will buy your items, taking care of the hard work for you. This relieves the pressure of haggling with customers or paying listing fees. You could even do a combination of in-person and online sales. It’s all about prioritizing your time to make the most money possible.
2. Schedule Accordingly
Many people are busy during the weekdays, so the weekend garage-sale trend is an intuitive choice. Saturday is the most popular garage-sale day, followed by Fridays, and then Sundays secure the third spot. Scheduling your garage sale for the weekend ensures that most people will be available to peruse your selection.
However, there are other things to take into account that may supersede the typical weekend blocks. Consider:
- Common paydays;
- Holidays;
- Events in the area;
- Inclement weather;
- Early and late shoppers;
- Your priorities.
Work around your schedule: if you happen to have a few days off in the middle of the week, that could outweigh the positives of catering to the weekend. You may even have less competition during weekdays.
3. Consider Community Sales
Sometimes, communities or neighborhoods put on collective yard sales. These events are normally pre-planned with the date falling on a weekend. If you are available, this can be a fabulous opportunity to reap the benefits of a larger sale. Some perks of community garage sales include:
- Free advertising;
- Easy setup;
- More foot traffic;
- Neighborly support.
4. Determine Pricing Ahead of Time
To avoid scrambling to put price stickers on everything — or simply leaving it up for discussion — it’s best to price ahead. Collectors’ items like art pieces, handmade furniture, rare books, or even baseball cards can be worth a pretty penny. Do a quick internet search for each item you plan on selling to determine the value.
Look for Collectors’ Items
It would be a shame to sell a comic for a dollar when it was a Marvel comic worth $200,000. This is just one of many reasons why you should research prices ahead of time. Check out professional price guides for comic books, and look at recent sale prices of similar items. Current listing prices on seller platforms may be exorbitant, but the sold items will give insight into what people are willing to pay. If you do your pricing preemptively, you won’t be getting swindled on the big day.
Figure Out Forms of Payment
Make sure to accept multiple forms of payment, including obtaining a card reader and spare change for cash payments. Accepting only cash means you could be missing out on sales.
Most people will bring cash, but someone that stops by on a whim may not. You’ve done the research to know how to get the most money out of those comic books. Don’t settle for less money in the interest of time.
5. Sell Entire Collections or Bulk Bins
If you’re still concerned that the time spent putting on this garage sale won’t be worth it, consider selling in bulk. This way, you won’t have to price every item. If a whole collection sells, it will be out of your hair. No stragglers are left over to put right back into storage.
When it comes to comic books, you could group your collections by the publisher, such as Timely, or genre, e.g. crime-related comics. This is a time-saver for you, as well as for the buyers searching through for their favorite themes to collect.
Get creative with niche interests, such as comics that feature “good girl art.” Buyers may even be willing to pay up for the whole collection.
6. Make Mystery Boxes
Mystery boxes have seen a surge in popularity on sites like eBay. Garage sales can cash in on this. The mystery-box marketing tactic taps into the behavioral psychology of consumers. If people lack information on something of interest, they are more willing to put in the effort to close that knowledge gap.
Diehard collectors of all kinds are known to shell out the extra dough for the chance of striking gold. Curiosity is good news for sellers short on time. If you don’t feel like researching the prices of each comic book, you can group them into bundles, much like the suggestion above. The difference here is the added mystique.
The novelty of the mystery drives buyers to check out your unique selection and take a chance on items that they may have otherwise passed up.
7. Intentionally Save Items To Sell
If you leave all of the grabbing and sorting until the night before the sale, you’ll likely feel overwhelmed. If you’re taking the time out of your packed schedule to have this yard sale, you don’t want to overlook items you want to sell.
As you go about your daily routine — even if it’s a rushed one — set aside items that you could live without. If you have a hankering to go through old photo albums one day, go ahead and dive into those storage boxes. Sort old toys, games, books, cards, and heirlooms while they’re out in the open. Otherwise, it will be too tempting to leave them in storage with the cobwebs.
Speaking of storage spaces, keep a special spot for these items for future sale. Even if you miss a few the first time around, you can rest easy knowing they have a designated spot in your home. This will make any future yard sale attempts much easier and stress-free.
8. Ask for Help
Garage sales can benefit from a sense of community. While busy go-getters aren’t typically the type to ask for help, it could be worth it in this case. Consider enlisting family and friends to:
- Help set up;
- Share online listings on social platforms;
- Spread the word;
- Provide food and drinks to sell;
- Lend any tables, tents, or supplies;
- Tap in if you need a break;
- Help clean up.
There is no shame in asking for assistance. It may end up being a fun time to hang out with people you haven’t seen in a while.
Above All, Don’t Stress
While busy folks are masters of productivity, there are some glaring negative impacts of always being on-the-go. If a garage sale is adding too much stress, postpone it until your plate is a little less full. You can also:
- Say “no” to other obligations;
- Allow yourself to have an imperfect yard sale;
- Sell online in your spare time;
- Lean on those who are there to help.
Ultimately, garage sales are supposed to lighten your load. This applies to the excess stuff getting in your way, as well as the mental toll clutter can take on you.
Busy people know that profitability comes with patience, so take your time selling those excess items. Make adjustments to decrease stress wherever possible, and watch your garage sale — online or offline — go off without a hitch.
