Well, the garage sale has gone very well. Lots of fun, not really all that profitable but then it was mostly aimed at getting rid of junk so we wouldn’t need to move it.
The red couch still hasn’t sold, but we have a few bites. Larry Hryb of the Xbox Live team was by here earlier to sit on it one last time. Of course he had to check out my HDTV. “Nice,” he said.
Anyway, I’ve learned a few things about Garage Sales.
First, make good signage. About six out of 10 people I asked said they came just because of the signs.
Second, advertise on Craigs’ List. Three out of 10 said they came that way. I’d also recommend Microsoft’s Expo site.
The rest came cause of the blog.
Other best practices? Furniture doesn’t sell well cause it’s hard to haul that stuff home. Best sellers? Toys, bikes, appliances, old AV equipment went fastest.
Most potential buyers just drove by in their cars, so make your best stuff easily viewable from the street. That got them to stop or turn around.
Leave room for bargaining, everyone loves to drive down your prices.
Have some free stuff. I had Channel 9 guys for the kids, that got everyone in a good mood.
Get your neighbors in on the act. That helped get people to stop cause there was more stuff to look at.
Have bags, if people’s hands are full they stop buying.
Have plenty of change.
Oh, and Patrick made about $20 selling lemonade and cookies. Not a bad way to earn some extra iTunes money.
One other thing. You might think that only geeks read Craig’s List. You’d be wrong. Almost everyone who mentioned Craigs List was a non-geek and included several senior citizens.
Maybe I should just trade the Red Couch to this guy for a paperclip!