Garage Sale Tips and Tricks

The summer is here, and it is revving up to be a great and glorious one.  It is going to be filled with such fun, the beach, the lake, the park, bicycle riding and picnics.  You are so excited and ready, the sun is shining, the skies are blue, and the garage is overflowing!  Wait, what does the garage have to do with summer, you ask?  Well, it has a lot to do with finding all things summer.  Those wonderful and elusive fun in the sun accoutrements. This is when you stand there facing all that clutter and make that monumental decision…let’s have a garage sale.  No sooner have those epic words been uttered then panic sets in.  Fear not, there are a few steps and practices that will help to ensure your garage sale is a success story rather than a tragedy.  We, here at Green Storage, 1-(844)-50-GREEN have assembled, for you, a list of tips to help you wade into the garage sale territory.

Weather Watch

It is impossible to predict the weather with absolute certainty but looking to the extended forecast before setting your date for the sale is a very good first step.  Being able to have a dry day for your garage sale is great but taking into account the Canadian weather and its habit of always changing, being able to have a back up plan is a great idea.  Either a rain-date or a shelter of some kind. Maybe you can have it in the garage or have a canopy over the driveway.  Utilizing a self-storage unit beforehand will allow you to sort out the keep, sell and toss items effectively.  You can store the keep items in the self-storage unit as you prepare the garage for the sale.

Advertise

Once the date is set, get out there and peddle your sale.  Signs in community centers, a listing in the garage sale section of the local newspaper and the quintessential “Garage Sale” signs that pop up like dandelions on the corners.  Make your signs bright and cheery and make sure the date and your address are well placed on each sign.

Pricing

Remember this is a garage sale, not an estate sale so you need to keep the pricing simple and reasonable.  You are trying to rid yourself of some clutter and possibly make enough for a family outing.  Pricing is hard, these are your treasures (or they were at one time) and you want everyone to see the value.  Try to remember to use pricing reasonably, a table of items all priced the same or groups of similar prices is a great idea.  Keep the pricing to 25¢ increments, this will help with the amount of change you will need to have on hand.  Always be ready to haggle as well.  Some people pride themselves with their ability to haggle a price and you should not find this insulting.  This is some of the fun of finding that bargain.

Presentation

Believe it or not curb appeal can make or break your garage sale.  Make sure your area is neat and tidy and enticing.  Cut your grass beforehand to eliminate people walking through mulch, pick up any toys or clutter lying around.  People out cruising the streets looking for that one legendary garage sale item will judge your items by your curb appeal.

Now that you have made that final sale and you have decided what you are going to donate or leave on the curb with the “free to a good home” sign, it is time to take stock.  You now have this lovely empty garage and you want and need to keep it organized.  A self-storage unit can do just that for you.  Think of it as your home-away-from-home for your off-season equipment.  The winter season equipment can rest comfortably in the self-storage unit and you will be able to have the bicycles, the paddleboards and maybe even the car tucked tidily away in the garage.  When the seasons change you just store the outgoing season’s equipment and bring home the current season’s equipment and maybe still have room for the car.

The important task is at hand, it is time to select a self-storage facility.  Green Storage has 20+ different sized units, to facilitate your every need.  Our friendly and qualified staff will work with you to provide expert advice.  We even offer truck rentals and moving supplies to help you move your items.  Our premises have 24/7 recorded video surveillance as well as a full site security system.  Our facilities are equipped with sprinkler systems and each aisle is equipped with adequate fire extinguishers.  Green Storage facilities are also a climate-controlled environment. 

Make an informed choice for your self-storage needs.   Call us at Green Storage at 1 (844)-50-GREEN or visit one of our Ontario self-storage locations today!  We are your dependable full-service, self-storage provider in Ontario, and we look forward to assisting you!