How to Decide When & Where to Hold a Garage Sale

updated Jun 5, 2019

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No doubt you were thoroughly persuaded in our last post that holding a garage sale —a successful, lucrative one — is well worth your time this summer. But before we get to the part where you start combing your home for what to sell, you ought to take some time this weekend to pinpoint the best time to hold it — and decide where you’ll be selling your items.

Before you learn to let go of last year’s fashions for a possible buck, and before you start setting prices and hanging signs, you need to decide on a few key things that could have a huge impact on the success of your garage sale. This week, take a moment to consider:

What day (or days) you’ll be holding it.

The summer’s a great time to hold a garage sale — folks have more time to peruse. Want to wait a little longer? Hold a garage sale at the end of summer or beginning of fall and you might see a little less competition from other sales. Saturdays and Sundays will always be traditional days to hold garage sales. Some folks only do Saturdays, some do both Saturday and Sunday, and some even decide to hold a sort of preview sale Friday night for those who like to see deals first.

Other factors to consider are big events that might be going on in your city in the summer; you may be able to avoid really big events that could put a dent into your crowds. You might consider planning a garage sale around the 1st or the 15th of the month, too — when most people get paid! Lastly, do a little research where you live — open up the paper and see when the garage sales are this weekend, ask some deal-seeking friends, or check Craigslist.

What time to hold it (and how long you’ll stay “open”)
Deal seekers will often gravitate to the earliest hours of the day. There’s no right or wrong answer, but the hours between 7am to 4pm will give you a nice amount of time to sell your stuff.

Where you’re gonna hold it This is perhaps the most important decision of all to make this week about your garage sale. Location plays a huge part in a garage sale’s success. The most important factors in a location are whether it’s easy to get to, and whether it’s on or near a busy street with lots of traffic.

Your home not fit any of that criteria? Then you need to make another location consideration. If you’re intent on doing it solo, ask a well-locationed neighbor if you can borrow their yard or garage, or consider seeing if you can set up shop at your child’s school, your local church, an organization’s parking lot or even your business (if you happen to own one). Don’t take this decision too lightly — this is about maximizing your potential for money-making!

Whether to hold it solo or with friends Stuff — a bigger variety and amount of it — is what tends to pull people in and increase your chance of sales. So it makes sense to combine your selling power with those of a friend, neighbor or family member. This week, consider collaborating with someone else on this garage sale (especially if they have a very easy-to-get-to home on a busy street!).

What have you found to be the best days of the week — and best times of the day — to hold a garage sale in your area? Do you have any experience throwing a garage sale with other people? Share your experiences in the comments below!

(Image credit: Janel Laban)

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