When you walk into a garage/yard/tag sale you want to easily peruse the items for sale. The seller should have them displayed in ways that allow for quick and easy "grab buys." Clothes should be folded nicely by gender and size, if possible, at least by type......shirts, pants, shorts, etc. Clothes that need to be on hangers should be on hangers. Sellers, figure out a way to hang those clothes! The last thing that a buyer wants to do is get on the ground and go through piles of clothing, especially heavy clothing like jackets and sweaters. Clothing that is in boxes is even worse--if the buyer cannot see it, they will not buy it. Clothing laid out on big sheets is not preferable either--this is a serious LAST RESORT OPTION. Don't do it the night before or else the clothes will get wet with morning dew and that is really an icky experience. At the very least, hang up the dresses, skirts, jackets, sweaters, and suits. Be creative, use whatever you have in the house or strap up a clothesline --these are often very effective in hanging up large amounts of clothing with the proper support. Clothesline are easy to look through and provide the buyer with an efficient way to find what they are looking for. Rosie W. warns,“Be careful that your hanging or standing racks are well secured especially if there is wind. I have seen more than one rack topple with heavy clothing, and once got badly whacked in the neck by one at a church sale. This could be a liability.” Try and place all items at least waist high. Yes, this means that you should beg and borrow as many tables as you can. Card tables work great, but I have also seen people use large pieces of plywood sitting on sawhorses, picnic tables, benches, anything and everything to keep the stuff off the ground. Mark your tables as NOT FOR SALE-- garage salers will try and buy everything inside the assumed boundaries of your sale. Complete a thorough sweep of Not for Sale things that are in the vicinity--this will save you some unneeded questions and hassle. Organize things by category, shoes together, toys together, housewares, linens, etc. Some folks recreate living areas with their garage sale goodies in order to promote them, such as place settings are set out in front of the box of dishes. Books are stacked with book ends. Kitchen appliances should be displayed near electrical outlets to allow a possible customer to plug it in and see if it works. They should ALL work folks, don’t sell broken appliances at your garage sale—that is BAD JUJU .There are exceptions to every rule and some objects on the ground are fine and expected at times--just keep them out of the path of expected traffic. Vacuum cleaners, large children's toys, furniture, golf clubs and other self standing, large objects can be exhibited in a variety of ways on the ground. Remember to try and make a navigable path through your garage sale stuff. You don't want anyone to trip. Rosie W. notes , "Also, strange but true. Warning, watch how you display any mirrors,especially those makeup mirrors. Last year witnessed the following at a blacktop parking lot sale: Clothing piled on the ground on dark tarp along with makeup mirror. Suddenly someone yells "FIRE"! The pile of clothing had ignited." Who would have thought?! Keep in mind that the seller sits at the entrance to the garage sale, therefore, blocking any attempts at individuals not paying for their items. (SAD BUT TRUE) The check out space should be easily identifiable. It can be confusing when the person hosting the garage sale is walking around in the crowd of shoppers. Then you don't know who to ask about prices or where to check out when you are ready. The person calling the bargaining shots should be seated at the check out and be prepared for "negotiations". These are just some thoughts about presentation of your items. The Rosies would love to hear how you have creatively displayed your garage sale merchandise to promote quick sales. Feel free to comment on the blog or our facebook page.
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