Preparing for a Moving Sale

Over your life living in your home, chances are you accumulated a lot of items. When it comes time to move to a new home, you may be struggling to determine what to do with all your items. While you may not want to part with old or outdated items for sentimental reasons, it’s important to realize how much time, effort, and money it can cost to take all your items to your home. It can also add to the clutter in your new home.

Rather than relocating every single one of your possessions, it is important to evaluate your items to determine their value and whether they have a place in your new home. Once you’ve done this, you will then need to begin organizing your items for a moving sale.

This is one of the most profitable ways to get rid of unwanted items and can help make your move cheaper and easier. The key to a great moving sale is to have a plan. At Gardner Moving, we’ve put together some tips on how to have a successful moving sale.

How to Sort and Organize Your Items for Sale

Before you can begin selling, you will need to go through your items, classifying and cataloging them. Be sure to go through all the items in your basement, attic, closets, garage, etc. Assess these items based on their practical, financial, and sentimental value, setting aside items for sale that are still in good condition but are not needed at your new home.

Consider selling items that are:

Only used on rare occasions.
Extra or duplicate items
Art or décor you don’t really use/like
Souvenirs or gifts that do not have monetary or sentimental value
Shoes and clothing that don’t fit properly haven’t been worn in over a year or won’t be suitable for the weather in your new location.
Toys that your children have outgrown.
Books that your family members have outgrown/no longer use.
Sports equipment, musical instruments, craft, or hobby items that family members no longer use.
Furniture that won’t fit in with your new home
Kitchenware or tools that you won’t need in your new home

After going through all your items and choosing what you can sell, you will need to make a detailed list of items for sale. Mark the list with the price for each item and the lowest price you are willing to take. Be sure to tag each item with the corresponding price.

This catalog will help you keep track of everything you’ve sold and compare what you expected to make with your actual profit.

How to Organize Your Moving Sale and Generate Interest

Once you’ve determined what you are going to sell, it’s time to begin organizing your sale:

Garage Sale or Yard Sale?

You will need to determine whether you want to set up your sale in the garage or in the yard. If the weather is nice and you have enough room in your yard, then that will be a great setting for your sale. Your yard is more visible than your garage, making it more likely to attract passersby.

It will also give you more room to display your items, and it will give people enough room to browse your sale comfortably. You will want to make sure you have mowed the lawn and that the yard is safe for people to walk around on. If the weather is going to be bad or you don’t have enough space in your yard, consider moving the sale to your garage. Utilize your driveway to display larger items and catch people’s eyes.

Pick a Date and Time for Your Moving Sale

You may be wondering when to hold your moving sale. At Gardner Moving, we recommend that you pick a date during the first weekend of the month. This is just after payday for many people, giving them plenty of money left to spend at a moving sale.

Saturday is a great day for a moving sale since many people are off work. However, you can also have success on a weekday if your intention is to attract random passersby and take advantage of heavy weekday traffic. A weekday can also be great if you are selling mainly children’s items since statistics show that stay-at-home mothers typically spend time shopping during the week rather than the weekend.

There is no specific time you need to start your sale, but it is recommended that you get started early, around 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. This will give you the whole day to sell your items, and you can end the sale around 5 p.m. to give yourself enough time to pack up.

Obtain a Permit

Depending on the area you live in, you may need to get a permit to hold a garage sale. Contact your local authorities about the regulation and restrictions related to holding a yard or garage sale in your area. Be sure to reserve parking for your visitors in advance, if needed.

Clean up Your Items for Sale

If you have any dusty items or wrinkled clothing, it is important to clean, iron, and prepare items to give the best impression and gain the maximum profit. Thoroughly clean up your kitchenware and electronic devices. Be sure to wash and iron your clothing, polish furniture, dust off surfaces, etc. Making your items shine will make them look more presentable and will help entice buyers.

Be Reasonable with Pricing

During your moving sale, you want to make as much money out of your items as you can, but you want to keep in mind that the main goal is to get rid of the items before you move. This means that you need to price your items reasonably so they are more likely to sell. To get the best pricing for your items, we recommend:

Take the time to research the market value of your items. You will want to consider selling your items at 25%-50% of the retail price. You also need to consider the demand for the specific object and the condition that it is in as well.
Provide great bargains to attract customers, but don’t undervalue your well-preserved and valuable items.
Decide on the lowest price that you are willing to sell an item for. You will want to be sure to add 10%-20% to that price to provide you with a buffer if someone wants to try and bargain.
Be careful when pricing antique, vintage, high-quality, or rare items. You want to avoid pricing them too low.

Follow these tips to help you get the most money out of your items.

How do I Spread the Word About My Sale?

Now that you’ve organized and priced your items and determined where to hold your moving sale, it’s time to spread the word! To help you spread the word for your next sale, consider these options:

Use social media- Use platforms such as Facebook or Twitter to share details about your sale. You can also use sites such as Craigslist or Pinterest to display items for sale and share event details.
Word of mouth- Tell your friends, neighbors, and coworkers about the moving sale, the great prices, and ask them to pass the word along to their family and friends. This will help word spread quickly in the community.
Use the local newspaper- Consider placing an ad in your local newspaper. This will help attract people in your area looking for a sale like yours.
Make signs and posters- Using durable materials, create multiple signs. Place these signs around your neighborhood on busy roads a few days prior to our sale. You want to make sure that you use large, bold letters that are big enough for drivers to see as they pass by. You may also want to include arrows on your signs to help people follow the route to the sale more easily.

When creating your moving sale advertisement, be sure to include:

A clear date, time, and address for your sale.
Pictures or listings of desirable goods for sale.
Use witty or catchy text to get people interested.

How Can I Make My Garage Sale Profitable?

Now that you’ve put in all the work to prepare for the event, it is time to make the event the best it can be! Follow these tips for an efficient and profitable garage sale:

Set up an organized and systematic display

You want people browsing to easily be able to see what you have to offer. This will give you a better chance of selling your items. When setting up your items, consider the following:

Place smaller objects on tables or shelves so that they can be seen clearly and are easy to access.
Display like items together. When you arrange items by type, people can more easily find what they are interested in, and they can be certain that they are not missing something like they would when digging through a large pile of random items. When they can easily find what they are looking for, they will have more time to browse and are more likely to buy more.
Be sure to arrange books, magazines, DVDs, and CDs, so the titles are easy to see.
Hang up clothing items so they appear more organized rather than having people sort through a disorganized box of clothing.
Price each item to make things easier for you and for your potential customers.
Cover or put away items that are not for sale to avoid any confusion.

Create a Welcoming Atmosphere

Creative and attractive, clean, and welcoming area for a garage sale. The longer people browse your sale, the more likely they are to buy more items. Even if people don’t buy a lot, having a crowd can help attract more of a crowd to your sale. With a welcoming atmosphere, people are more likely to browse and hang around the sale longer.

You can put your most attractive items near the entrance of your yard or the bottom of your driveway to entice passersby. You may also consider placing balloons or flowers out or even playing relaxing music.

Keep Things Safe

The best garage sales are organized, welcoming, and safe. You will want to take steps to help avoid accidents at your event. To help keep your event safe, consider doing the following:

Keep pets inside. Your pets may get scared by the crowd, run, and get lost, get hurt, or could hurt someone. Larger dogs barking at visitors could deter them from stopping by.
Remove obstacles/dangers. Look at your yard and clean up any obstacles that guests could cause guests to get hurt or trip and fall.
Keep an eye on valuables. You want to display your valuables in a way that you can keep them in sight throughout the sale to keep them safe.
Keep the money on your person. Rather than using a cash box, consider using a fanny pack and keeping large amounts of cash inside to protect it from theft.
Keep your home locked up. To prevent strangers from walking in, keep the doors locked and do not let anyone you don’t know inside.

Be a Pro Seller

To make the most out of your moving sale experience, you will want to be a polite and proactive seller, greeting guests as they arrive and pointing out the features of your items. It is also important to be prepared to bargain with customers. Don’t be afraid to give discounts, negotiate pricing, and even offer last-minute deals.

You may also consider selling items in bundles to help you get rid of several items at once. You will also want to make sure you have change handy, starting with at least $100 in coins and small bills. Be sure to take cash only during your sale to prevent getting a bad check.

Additional Moving Sale Tips to Generate Success

We recommend that you keep an inventory list handy so you can cross off items that you have sold. You should also consider:

Keeping a trash can available to keep your yard or garage clean and presentable to guests.
Keep batteries handy to test small electronics, toys, etc.
Have newspaper available to wrap fragile items.
Make up a free box of items you want to rid of.
Keep a calculator handy to add up totals with no errors.
Have bags and boxes available for people who purchase multiple items.
Have an extension cord prepared so people can test power tools and other electrical items.

For help with your next move, trust the experts at Gardner Moving! Contact us today to learn how we can make your move a breeze!