5 Garage Sale Staging Secrets

Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

Unlock the power of garage sale staging to sell your stuff fast and make quick cash.

Learn proven tips and techniques for organizing and presenting your items.

Garage sale staging may not be a secret to seasoned sellers who have experience.

For the newbies, these tips will help you get rid of unwanted household weight fast.

Many garage sale success tips that you will find online will be explained to you.

• How to use garage sale signs
• Price garage sale items
• What you can and cannot sell

The one critical point missing is setting up the garage sale, so it’s an ideal selling ground.

Heck, I’ve covered just about every one of those topics over the years on the blog.

Purging Stuff From Your Home Is Only Part Of The Process

Some of the best garage sales find come from garage sales where the homeowner has taken the time to organize what they are selling using garage sale staging.

This might sound odd to you but think about this for a second when you sell your house or your car, you want to make sure it is in pristine condition and is ready to sell.

The same ideas can be applied to a garage sale.

The S-Factor for Garage Sale Staging

One of the most accessible parts of garage sale staging is keeping everything in order and in one place.

The Japanese got it right with their 5s methodology- Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. One important aspect of garage sale staging never to forget is Safety.

• Sort
• Set
• Standardize
• Sustain
• Safety

You have people coming on your property, and if someone were to get injured, you might have to contact your home insurance company to see how that will affect you as a seller.

It may or may not, but if you are concerned, ring them up and ask.

In the meantime, keep clutter off the ground, but any garden hoses, extension cords, and anything that may be a safety hazard out of the way.

Setting up a garage sale is similar to selling your house, so I want to talk to you about garage sale staging and why it’s so important to have a successful sale.

Unless you want to haul your stuff back in the house at the end of a garage sale, I’d suggest looking at these garage sale staging tips I’ve come up with since becoming fascinated with them over the years.

As I mentioned, some of my earlier garage sale posts have detailed critical aspects of the process, but I’ve never touched on garage sale staging.

• How to Price Garage Sale Items
• Watch what you sell at your next Garage Sale
• Garage Sale Buying and Selling Tips
• How to negotiate prices at a Garage Sale
• Garage Sailing without Money in your pocket

All About Garage Sale Staging

What is garage sale staging?

In a nutshell, garage sale staging is correctly placing and labeling the items you sell in an organized fashion so that potential buyers swoop in and hand you Cash.

The worst garage sales I’ve ever been to are those that have everything thrown on the ground, without prices, and dirty.

Unless you are willing to give an item a rock-bottom price, you should make every product presentable.

Remember that a garage sale is not about getting rich; it’s about getting rid of stuff.

How Does Garage Sale Staging Work?

Once you have all the items you want to sell from your house, your next task is price and presentation.

Don’t forget that you need a stand-out presentation to get people to also visit your garage sale.

Consider this comparable to leading the people to the end of the rainbow where the pot of gold is, but in this case, it’s your garage sale.

1. Source staging tables
2. Source a clothing rack
3. Source a Book Shelf
4. Create Vibrant Garage Sale Signs, Hang Balloons and be Attentive
5. Clean and Price Your Stuff

Garage Sale Staging Means Table Your Stuff

Before you even think about hosting a garage sale, see if you have friends who can lend you some tables to stage your items on.

The last thing you want to do is toss the items on the ground, forcing people to bend over or squat.

Consider that you may have people who visit your garage sale with health reasons that prevent them from getting down on the ground or bending over.

If you don’t have any tables, call your local church and ask if you could offer them some money to use their tables or rent them for cheap from a school or community hall.

If you can’t find any tables, at least be attentive to your customers, and if you see them looking at an item, chat them up to see if you can help them.

You may find they ask to see something closer or have questions.

You can also use cardboard boxes, water coolers, dressers, picnic tables, patio tables, kitchen tables, and card tables to stage your garage sale, but 8 ft. folding tables are King!

If you look organized, you’ll see more people stop by your garage sale rather than doing a drive-by and rushing off to the next garage sale.

No one wants to buy your junk if you don’t value it as such.

You may not need or use it any longer, but you know it’s worth something to someone, so treat it that way.

Clothing Racks

If you have clothes to sell, please do not put them in a massive pile on a table or garbage bags.

Even worse, don’t spread them all over the ground. You will end up donating most of it.

You want to separate outfits and try to keep them together if you have any.

The best way to showcase clothing is on a clothing rack, especially teen or adult clothing.

Baby clothes should be separated by age, gender, and season and sold by the lot for a reasonable price.

Negotiate if you have to get rid of the clothing.

You’ll never make your money back on it, so don’t get all hung up on how much you paid for clothing and how little your child used it.

Make sure everything is folded nicely so that if a buyer wants to look, they can see what they are buying.

You could even write on boxes all the info of what is in the box to move things along faster.

Keep all the name-brand clothing at the top for quicker viewing.

If you try to sell baby clothing piece by piece, I will stick to higher-end clothing or new items with tags.

If you have any shoes to display, keep them together nicely on a shoe rack or a tabletop.

Have a chair available just in case someone wants to try them on before they buy them.

Bookshelf

Imagine going into the library and finding all the books scattered on the floor or jammed in inboxes.

You’d probably want to tear your hair out.

Don’t let this happen to your customers when you host a garage sale.

Everyone has a bookshelf, or you probably have a friend who does.

If you don’t have a bookshelf, I’ve seen people use metal shelving or even stackable milk crates to showcase books they have for sale.

A savvy garage sale homeowner will organize the books by category and keep the series together.

If you want them gone, go the extra mile to eliminate them.

Garage Sale Party

You want people to see you are a welcoming homeowner who wants to sell their stuff.

Most people will shy away from talking to you if you’re not approachable, which means potential missed opportunities to negotiate.

Make sure you have garage sale signs around your property to direct people to your garage sale.

Keep them fun but don’t make them too busy you want to get them to your house, not show them how well you can color.

To drive people who tend to go by to your sale, but all the hot items closer to the road so they can see them.

Household furniture, home decor, gardening items and tools, appliances, and kids’ stuff are hot!

Keep any valuables, such as items worth money or jewellery, displayed before you.

Don’t Waste Time

If you want to sell your stuff, don’t showcase it as if it was outside all winter or dragged through the mud.

I know not everything will be in mint condition, but it’s worth it if you can get more money simply by dusting or a quick cleaning.

Another huge garage sale staging mistake is not pricing items that force people to talk to you.

Not everyone wants to talk to the homeowner who is selling.

They want to read the price, hand the money over, and leave.

You can find garage sale pricing stickers at the dollar store or use masking tape and a marker.

Ithe seller wears something that shows you are the garage sale owner, so buyers aren’t put off trying to figure out who to pay.

Sometimes, having a little table set up with a money box is better for customers because they know where to go or stand until someone comes to the table.

Consider it similar to checking out at the cash register. Get in and get out. Don’t let buyers try to figure out who you are.

When you are selling items that may be antique, do a bit of homework before you sell any items.

Not only will you find out what the item is worth to price it accurately, but you can also explain it to curious buyers.

The more you know about what you are selling, the better it is for your wallet.

Advertising A Garage Sale

It’s 2016, and newspapers are slowly fading away where most homeowners would post a listing for a garage sale.

If your community no longer has a newspaper, check if a monthly newsletter or weekly paper gets sent out to homeowners.

These are small print papers to let people know what is happening in the community without significant publication and huge expenses.

Most of these newspapers will have a garage sale section where you can advertise your sale.

Another option is listing your garage sale on Kijiji, where we find most of our garage sale postings when preparing our garage sale list for the weekend.

Most garage sales happen on Saturdays, but some run all week or even on Sundays.

Other Places To Advertise A Garage Sale

Gone are the days when you drive around the city aimlessly, asking yourself if any garage sale signs will be near me.

Although garage sale signs are imperative as part of the staging process, other options exist for getting the word out there.

There is a garage sale website in Canada called “Canadian Garage Sales,” where garage sales are listed as free, so you know where all the local garage sales are.

Many garage sale site-type Facebook groups are also popping up that offer users of the page the to post their garage sale.

If you belong to a church or organization that draws in masses of people, find out if there is a community bulletin board where you can advertise your garage sale.

This is all part of the garage sale staging process.

Once all the puzzle pieces fall into place, watch the money fall back into your bank account rather than the second-hand shops that make money from your stuff for free.

Finally…

Don’t get caught without change to give your customers.

Go to the bank the day before and load up on small bills and coins.

Discussion: How do you stage your garage sale?
Please leave your comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Mr. CBB

Popular Garage Sale Posts On CBB

Below, I’ve listed garage sale blog posts I encourage you to read to earn money.

• How To Host A Successful Virtual Garage Sale
• 10 Garage Sale Food And Drink Ideas
• Do You Have A Garage Sale Permit?
• How To Sell Used Clothes At A Garage Sale
• The Ultimate Guide To Prevent Garage Sale Theft
• Should There Be A Garage Sale Return Policy?
• 20 Garage Sale Tools You’ll Need To Attract Buyers
• How To Host A Community Garage Sale This Summer
• Garage Sale Staging Secrets Exposed
• How To Price Garage Sale Items To Earn The Most Money Back
• Watch What You Sell At Your Next Garage Sale (Health Canada)
• Garage Sale Buying And Selling Tips For Beginners
• How To Waste Valuable Time At Garage Sales
• Should You Negotiate Prices At A Garage Sale?
• How To Host A Successful Estate Sale
• 15 Popular Items To Watch For At A Yard Sale

My Week At A Glance

This week starts another busy five weeks as I’m working seven days a week again.

The good news is that Spring is finally here, and it’s starting to warm up outside.

We also did the nosey neighbour walk as we toured around the streets to bash and slay houses or give them a thumbs up, only to come home and do the same to our house. Everyone does it when they go out for walks, admit it.

I think it’s a good thing, though, because it keeps us mindful of our responsibilities as homeowners when we see what others are doing or aren’t doing.

My wife is considering holding a garage sale in May, so she’s been purging items around the house that she wants to sell or give away for free.

We also talked about putting in a sandbox for our son this summer.

The problem is finding the time to do anything, but I should be down to fewer hours at the one job.

We need to get our fence done this summer, too, but I’m afraid I may be footing the bill for the entire project, although I will still approach the neighbours.

One side is leaning over because it wasn’t maintained on their side.

The other sides are on their last legs but still standing, although we might as well replace it all and be done with it.

Awesome posts I published this week

New: If your story submission gets chosen and published, you will be entered into a yearly draw for a $25 Gift Card or $25 CDN via PayPal if you are from the USA.

Right now, CBB is posting on Tuesday (Grocery Game Challenge), Thursday (Personal Finance Post), Saturday (Personal Finance and Weekly Wrap-Up and a Frugal Recipe on Sunday!

Top-performing CBB Post this week: How Much Should My Grocery Budget Be?

• What should your retirement savings plan look like?
• How Customer Feedback will make you Richer
• Italian Red Roasted Pepper, Ham and Brie Sandwich

Budget Brags

You got WHAT for HOW Much?

Submit your Deal or Brag:

Saving money while grocery shopping is essential in the CBB family, and that’s why we share our grocery shops every week in The Grocery Game Challenge.

Join the Budget Brag Challenge 2016 and WIN!!!

I love the most when my fans share their amazing shops with me, whether groceries or other deals they find at a garage sale, online or freebies! 

In 2016, if you send me your Budget Brag, you will automatically be entered into a yearly draw for a surprise gift card.

If your Budget Brag gets chosen, you get an extra ballot! So start sending in your brags with a photo and tell me about your deals.

If you are from the USA and win, I will PayPal you the money in CDN dollars. Open to Canada and the USA only.

Would you please email me at canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo? (ca) < remove brackets) or fill out my contact form by Friday each week to have your brag considered for the Saturday post.

This week Colleen is back with more awesome grocery shopping deals that she found. They call her the Queen Deal Sniffer…

Hi Mr.CBB and Fans,

I have a Steal of a deal for all of you this week. 

Imperial margarine 3lb box is a regular price of $7.49 ea BUT bought 3 boxes for $1.99 each. Kraft 450 gr blocks of cheese are regular $10.49 each, BUT I bought 5 for $3.99 each.

The total reg price for all is $80.92; I paid $25.91 for a total saving of $55.01. Not too shabby at all.

Frugal Recipe

Food and grocery shopping are relevant to us because food is a large part of people’s budgets.

We all have to eat to survive, but just because we have a budget doesn’t mean we can’t eat delicious home-cooked meals that are drool-worthy.

If you would rather buy convenience foods, consider cooking homemade meals or baking from scratch.

Not only will you save money, but you will be proud of what you’ve accomplished, and you’ll see that from the smiles on those you feed.

For the past 2 years, I’ve had a second Facebook page called The Free Recipe Depot, where I exclusively share recipes from Food Bloggers worldwide.

I also share recipes on the blog on Sunday, either made by the home cook and mom, Nicola Don, or myself.

This week, our Top Recipe Pick goes to Katerina over at Diet Hood for these amazing-looking Spinach and Garlic Potato Patties.

I found this recipe posted by a fan on my Facebook page and was drawn to it as it’s a recipe I know I would enjoy. I can’t wait to try this one.

Top DIY project

I’m a massive fan of pallet planters or any planter made from leftover materials after building our deck.

I found this awesome website called DIY Ready, where they share 12 Creative DIY Pallet Planter Ideas for Spring, which I think you will love.

You don’t have to spend a fortune buying pre-made wood planters when you can make them at home practically free.

Google Search Giggles

Every week, I get thousands of people to visit Canadian Budget Binder because they searched online and found my blog.

The spelling errors below are because I shared how they typed their search engine query to land on my blog.

Some of them are serious, and others are meant to laugh.

• Dollarama Hacks– Really? lol
• How to make $140 Canadian Quick– I nearly spit my tea out. It sounds like someone needs Cash fast and a specific amount. Too bad it didn’t say $140.50; that would have made the Hall of CBB Fame.
• Using Stag Party to hide money from the government– Got me on this one.
• Best way to sell books at a garage sale– Cheap! Just get rid of them.
• I am $10,000, have drinking and smoking issues, and lost my girlfriend. What should I do?- You should start budgeting, quit spending money you don’t have, work on reducing or quitting drinking, smoking and worry about yourself first before love.

That’s all the fun for this week. Thanks for dropping by.

-Mr.CBB

• The Saturday Weekend Review #164: Money Is A Resource Not To Be Confused With A Power tool
• The Saturday Weekend Review #165: Frugal Easter Traditions We’ve Started As A Family
• The Saturday Weekend Review #166: The Dollar Store Should Be Called The Dollars Store
• The Saturday Weekend Review #167: Spring Cleaning Parents Team Up Early To Save on Home Repairs