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Garage sale guide

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Garage Sale Tips for Sellers

1. Plan. During the year, create a place for items you think you might want to sell. Don't be picky: Sometimes the strangest things - crocheted toilet-paper cover? - are the first to go.
2. Be prepared. Have plastic bags ready for buyers; have enough change on hand. Usually $80-$100 is a good starting amount: Two $10 bills; four $5, 25 $1, a role of quarters and $5 in nickels and dimes.
3. Be neat. The best garage sales are like the best retail stores, clean and neat, with happy help. Clean up what you can, run clothes through the washing machine and fold them neatly (they won't stay that way, but you can try). Display clothes in themes - pants with pants, shirts with shirts, etc. If you have hanging items, use cheap wire hangers so you won't be out much if the buyer takes it all.
4. Open on time and stick to your posted hours. If the ad says "No Early Birds," don't start selling at 7 a.m. when your sign says 9 a.m. The polite people who waited will be frustrated and rightfully indignant at what seems like punishment for abiding by the rules.
5. Secure your money. The best way is to keep the cash on your person at all times, using something like a carpenter's apron. More than one garage-seller has been ripped off by roving con artists who work in pairs - one creates a diversion ("How much? ... What is this?) while the other absconds with the box of money. There are also tales of shoplifters who'd rather steal a dime paperback than pay for it, so keep an eye out and consider your course of action, should you catch a thief.
6. Get help. Enlist a friend, neighbor and/or a child older than 9 to work the sale with you. When it's busy, it can get confusing and congested with just one person in charge, and garage-sale shoppers like to spend their time looking, not waiting to pay. Plus, it can get lonely out there.
7. Keep it neat. During down times, stroll around your sale and straighten up the tables, filling in gaps so that tables don't look picked-over.
8. Post an 'All Sales Final' sign. Believe it or not, there have been stories of people returning the day after a sale, seeking a refund.
9. If it's hot, consider selling lemonade or bottled water. One seller made $25 on a $5 investment.
10. When the sale is over, take down your signs.

Garage Sale Tips for Shoppers

1. Check the classifieds and map a route. You'll save time by beginning with a plan, though the wise shopper always leaves room for unscheduled stops - not all garage-sale holders advertise, hoping to piggy-back on the good business sense of their neighbor, who did. Check grocery-store bulletin boards and church fliers, too.
2. Arrive on time - NOT early. Garage-sale veterans dread the "early birders," who insist on browsing during set-up, or who go so far as to knock on doors and windows hours before the scheduled time. Another tactic is to go late - you may miss some great stuff, but sellers may be more willing to make deals.
3. Come prepared, with a list of certain items you're seeking (it's easy to get distracted) and with small bills and change. It's easier to make a deal if you have the exact amount ready to go. Bring your own bags if you think you may end up with lots of little stuff. Bring measurements and a tape measure if you're looking for something for a specific purpose, such as curtains. Some shoppers bring batteries to check battery-operated electronics; the truly prepared bring some sort of all-purpose tool (such as a Swiss Army knife) for various and sundry purposes - the tiny screwdriver comes in handy when trying to open battery compartments.
4. Use common sense: Retirement communities aren't going to have a lot of baby clothes, and if swing-sets permeate the neighborhood, don't be looking for deals on antiques.
5. Beware baby items - know your "recall" list. Car seats, cribs and playpens might be good deals, but they might be unsafe, too. Beware also of items such as bike helmets, which could harbor unseen cracks. In some cases, and always when safety's involved, it's best to buy retail. When in doubt, check with the Consumer Product Safety Commission at (800) 638-6772.
6. Don't trust boxes: It's not that uncommon for people to upgrade equipment (cameras, scanners, printers) and use the new box for the old item. Look inside the box, take the item out and give it a good going-over. If you decide not to buy, put it back the way you found it.
7. If you think you want it, hang onto it while shopping: Garage-sale custom is to want something more if it's been claimed by another. Set that old radio down for a minute, and it may be gone before you turn around. If you decide you don't want it, replace it neatly where you found it.
8. On unmarked items, or items having lost their tag, force the seller to name the price - you never know. They may be asking $1 for something you thought was worth $2.
9. Don't be afraid to bargain, but be reasonable. If you've talked the seller down to 50 cents, don't try to pay with a $50, or run out to your Porsche for more change. These things may not matter in the long run, but the garage-sale experts know it's better to drive up in a junker.
10. Don't be afraid to walk away empty-handed. You're under no obligation to buy anything, though many garage-salers feel it's rude not to purchase at least a token rusty spoon. If there's nothing you want, there's nothing you want.