Call me crazy, but my son and I planned our Labor Day weekend around a garage sale. Not just any garage sale, mind you, but OUR garage sale. Thankfully, we had reinforcements in the form of another family who embarked on this semi-crazy endeavor along with us. Somehow, the whole idea seemed less daunting and, ultimately, a lot more fun with friends by our side.

The truth be told, I actually like throwing garage sales. I have held several over the years and have learned that each one is unique; you can never quite tell what will sell, what will stay, or whom you will meet along the way.

From a strictly practical standpoint, a garage sale is a great way to unload your unwanted, tired, and underused stuff. Not only is it environmentally preferable to dumping your junk at the local landfill, but it also provides an opportunity to connect with people, some of whom you wouldn’t have otherwise met. For me, that’s the best part. If you get rid of your stuff and make some money while you’re at it, well, that’s just icing on the cake.

While I don’t think there is any such thing as the perfect garage sale,  I do believe there is an art to how you go about it. Here are a few tips I have learned along the way.

1. Location, location, location.

This is the single most important element of a garage sale. Hold it at an easy-to-reach location with plenty of parking. If you don’t live in town, get together with other families and hold it at the most centrally located home. If that’s not possible and you hold the sale in a more remote spot, then double up your advertising efforts to compensate for the geographic undesirability.

2. Be prepared.

The right supplies make a huge difference. Here’s a quick list: foam core board for signs, thick felt tip marker, hammer and nails to post signs, colored round labels for pricing, folding tables for merchandise, old blankets for items you can lay on the ground, grocery bags and/or cardboard boxes for customer purchases, and, most importantly, $100 or so in quarters, ones, fives, and tens for change. If you are selling something for less than a quarter, you should give it away!

3. Keep the goal in mind.

In my opinion, the real reason to hold a garage sale is to get rid of stuff. Earning money is a nice reward, but shouldn’t be your main reason for the sale. If it is, you’ll likely be disappointed. Not to say you won’t make any money. But people are looking for bargains and, if you want to sell your stuff, you need to price it accordingly. In other words, sell it cheap. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself what you think it’s worth and sell it for half of that… or less.

You can spend hours beforehand pricing and marking every last puzzle, utensil, book or whatnot, only to find yourself negotiating anyway. My system is to tag the bigger tickets items with my hoped-for price and then see if you get bites at that price. If not, you can always lower the price as you go. For all of the smaller stuff, I try to have general prices in my head (hardback books – $2, paperbacks – $1. etc. and group things together by dollar amount. Set up a dollar table, a five dollar table, etc. and make signs for each. You’ll find people will pick out several things and want you to give them a deal on the whole lot. Unless someone offers me an insult instead of a semi-reasonable price, I generally take it. As they say, a bird in hand…

4. Keep it short and sweet.

Personally, I prefer one-day sales. I hold them from 9-4 on Saturdays and call Salvation Army to pick up anything that’s left at the end of the day. If you’re game, you can have a two-day sale; however, my experience is that the serious buyers come on Saturday and that by Sunday you’re pretty much just giving it away.

5. Don’t make ’em dig for it.

Spread your merchandise out so that it’s easy to see and reach. Customers don’t want to have to work to see your stuff. The display doesn’t have to be perfect because everything will likely get messed up anyway, but you need to put things within easy reach. Group like things together (e.g. stuffed animals, games, tools, books, etc.) and put merchandise out in rows with aisles in between. Think two-sided buffet line…

6. Put on your party hat.

Approach your garage sale as you would a party. Think of yourself as the host and greet potential buyers as your guests. Not only are they much more likely to buy from a friendly face, but you will also have a lot more fun in the process. Crank the iPod, put on some sunscreen, don a big hat, grab a chair, and hang out where the action is. You will attract more customers and close more sales… I promise.

7. Spread the word.

Running an ad and posting signs are the best way to advertise your sale. Stick with the local paper and run your ad two to three days before the actual sale. Keep it simple – what, where, when. As far as signs, they don’t have to be fancy – just easy-to-read, big, durable and abundant. Foam core board works the best. Be sure to put the address, day of the week, time and actual calendar date (Saturday, September 4, 9-4) so that people know that the information is current. Post them early in the morning on the day of the sale at every nearby cross street and busy thoroughfare. Remember to make enough signs for traffic coming in both directions. And don’t forget to take them down at the end of the day.

8. Invite your friends.

Not only do friends buy stuff, but they bring their friends, who bring their friends. Our last garage sale turned into quite the party. Throughout the day, friends stopped by to peruse and ended up staying for a visit. I also finally met my new neighbors, who had been living across the street for several months.  In a small community like ours, a garage sale can be best social event in town!

9. Share your stories.

Telling the “story” behind a particular item is one of my favorite parts of a garage sale. It creates a connection between you and buyer and gives you an opportunity to say “goodbye” to whatever it is that you’re selling. For instance, my little dog, Rosie, died last month and I made the bittersweet decision to sell her favorite dog bed at our last sale. The woman who bought it was a fellow dog lover so we bonded over a few photos (and stories) of Rosie before she happily took the bed home to her own beloved dog. The money exchanged between us became a mere formality.

10. Reward yourself.

Whether you make ten dollars or 10K, how you spend the money is just as important as how you earned it in the first place. Maybe it’s as simple as a family dinner out, a new ping pong table for the now spotless and usable garage, or a fund toward your next rescue dog. Whatever it is, make it fun. You’ve worked hard and deserve to splurge a little. Just try not to spend it on something that you’re going to decide to unload… at your next garage sale!