1. Prologue

Consider what you have for sale.

	Try selling about everything you don't want at a garage sale. You got nothing to loss. Remember 'one's trash is another's treasure'.
	nature of items - is it suitable for garage sales. Things to consider are its size, weight & price.
	the number of items you have for sale? ie do you have enough items to warrant a sale.
	Ask your neighbours or friends if they are interested in organising a combine sale. This can increase the quantity / variety of items, hence attracting more people to your sale. Another benefit is that your advertising cost and efforts will be shared with your partners.

How much time you need to gather all your un-wanted items?

2. Decision making time

Consider what is the best day to have your garage sale.

	Saturday or Sunday or both
	Public holiday & Long weekend? (think it through first!)
	day of significance (can have both positive or negative effect. ie how would an AFL final affect the number of people going to your sale?)
	Advertising should commence 1 week or preferably 2 weeks before the first day of the sale on www.EGarage.com.au and, if necessary, on other advertising channels (local community nespaper is a good option). Any advertising in advance of that may be a waste of money because people will simply forget about it. Once your garage sale is listed on EGarage.com.au, you can use our free 'email to friends' function to tell all your friends, relative and co-workers about your sale.

Once the date is set, the opening hours need to be determined.

	Generally the longer the opening hours, the more potential customers you will have. But this doesn't mean that you should open till midnight or other ridiculous hours. General business hours should act as a guide because that's what you and your potential customer are custom to.
	Consider other factors which may affect the number of customers. Example. church goers on Sunday morning will reduces the number of customers during such period.
	Remember: ' Customers are always right!' Try and accommodate the needs of your potential customers and not yours.

Early birds - make your stand early. Best to include this information in the advertisement to avoid any un-necessary confusion and inconvenience to all parties.

3. Crunch time!

A sale involves a lot of works. But there's light at the end of the tunnel. $$$

Coins, you need lots of them. Be prepare. Needless to say that all sales should be COD (cash on delivery). Any other method may be too risky.

Consider whether you need packing materials for any fragile items on sale. Old newspaper may prove their usefulness in this situation. Rubber bands? etc.

Plastic bags? Are you going to provide them?

Be sure to have power-point or batteries etc. To show that items are in working conditions.

Consider your pricing arrangement. Professional price tags? stickers? or a piece of recycle paper with a price written over it. Which method you use depends on the items you are selling. But remember, most people prefer to buy things with a price fixed to it. It also saves you the hassel of answering the same question again and again.
Tips: Keep in mind that bargain hunters will mostly negotiate the price, so set your prices accordingly. Colour code your price tag if it's a combine sale.

Round off your price. Keep it simple. $2.00 is better than $1.99 Things can get complicated when people buy more than one item.
For example: $1.99 + $1.45 + $4.99 = ???

Get a calculator. Those with BIG display and buttons are best. Do calculation in front of your customers even if you are very good at maths. This way, both you and your customers can see what is accounted for and the total amount.

Bundle small items if possible. eg 10 forks for $10. This way the buyer thinks he/she finds a bargain and you won't be left with a fork at the end of the sale.

Depending on the type of item, the RRP (recommended retail price) can be included to show how good your deal really is.

Make sure that your garage or garden or where ever you are having your sale is clean, tidy and safe. Nothing will turn people away from your sale more than your weeds and rubbishes. Also, your don't want to have a law suit against you for neglience at the end of the day.
Remember to keep your entry clear. Park your car outside and use it for advertising.

Make sure that items are clean and presentable.

4. Let the fun begin

Arrange items in a logical manner. ie. Group similar items together either on the ground, table, hangers or even hang on the tree. Be sure that there's enough room to view all items for sale. It doesn't matter where it is as long as potential customers can find them.

Put some of your best items near the entry, so it is visible from the street, to attract people into your sale and some at the very end. These acts as anchors luring your potential customers to see your entire collection instead of just a particular corner or table.

Signages must be LEGIABLE from a decent distance (this mean BIG). This is so that drivers will have enough time to see and read the signs as they drive pass. You don't want them driving pass your front yard or miss the turn. Click here for free effective signages. This is where a map reference or a little description in your advertisement can help.

Put up your signs early, 'ONLY' if you include the date and starting time on your signs. Otherwise, put up your signs when you are ready to do business. There's nothing worst than a potential customer knocking on your front door when you are not ready to do business with them.
Check with your local authority regarding signage regulations.

Remember to remove all signages at the end of the sale.

Different colours and balloons can draw attentions to your sale. Be creative, you know what to do.

Create a friendly and inviting atmosphere. Play some background music. If you have some CDs or cassettes for sale, play them throughout your sale. This acts as a form of promotion. Local radio station is equally good. But don't turn the volume too high as everyone's taste is different.

Security - Play it safe. Do what you think is necessary but don't over do it. eg. the presence of someone watching the sale may just be enough. Please don't have 10 people watching the sale while there's only 1 customer.

Don't hard sale. This will only scare them off.

Don't have pets with you during your sale.

5. Last but not least

Consider donating your unsold items to your local charities at the end of the sale. This is much better than throwing it away when someone can benefit from it.