If you have a big move coming up, it’s time to packing up your belongings for the transition to your new place. However, what are you to do with the stuff you don’t want to bring, such as an old couch? Keeping stuff you no longer need not only means more stuff to deal with, but a more expensive move! Low-budget movers say purging before your move is one of the best ways to cut back on moving costs! Fortunately, organizing a garage sale is one of the easiest and profitable ways to clear out some junk before your move. Below, is a guide on how to plan out your garage sale to make it a success.

Planning it Out

The best to have a successful garage sale is to make sure it’s well planned. When you’re planning your garage sale, consider these tips:

1. Time it Right

Although it may seem obvious, the first step in planning your garage sale is to choose a date and time to have it start and end. However, you should plan to do it early on the weekend, particularly Saturday. But, if you need to sell a lot of stuff, we suggest you plan for a weekend sale that starts on Friday and ends on Sunday.

2. Get the Proper Permits

Keep in mind that some cities will require you to obtain a permit before you host your garage sale. Make sure that you run down to your city hall a couple of weeks before your sale to get the required permits ahead of time.

3. Advertise in the Area

The more advertisements you place in your community, the more people visit your sale, and you’ll end up selling more of your things. Below, are a few effective marketing techniques to advertise your garage sale:

– Post online listings, such as Craigslist

– Remind your friends and family on social media

– Place posters that tell the date and time of your sale on street signs

Prepare the Junk You Want to Sell

Now that everyone knows when and where your garage sale is going to be, it’s time to prepare your sale, following these steps:

1. Start Organizing Early On

The best way to prepare your garage sale is to collect and organize the things you plan to sell early on. This way, you have more time to collect more stuff to sell and decide which items you want and don’t want to sell. Simply go through each room of your house and sort your belongings into three main piles: sell, keep, and donate.

2. Prepare Your Items That You’re Going to Sell

Now that you’ve got your “sell” pile, you can divide your items into categories such as toys, books, clothes, etc. This will help you further plan out your garage sale and label your items with necessary categories labels to help everything organized for the day of your garage sale.

3. Clean Objects

Wipe off and clean all toys, clothes, and other objects before putting them out to be sold.

Set Your Prices

If you have never sold items before, it can hard to set prices. Here are a few tips to help:

1. Price According to Worth

Determine prices based on the value of items to consumers, not their sentimental value to you. If an item is in good working order, charge around 20 to 30 percent the original price. Used items should be priced even lower.

2. Make it Easy for Yourself

Price objects in increments of whole dollars or 25 cents. This will make it much easier for you to add totals and give back change. See this great post for the specifics on how much cash you should start the day with to make change during the sale.

3. Use Stickers

Place a sticker on each object that states its price. You should also create a spreadsheet with every price on it so you can keep track if tags get lost.

The Day of the Sale

The big day of your moving sale is always stressful, no matter how well you have planned it out. Here is some advice for the day of:

1. Clean Up

Before people begin showing up for your yard sale, mow your lawn and sweep the driveway. This will make a great first impression and entice more customers.

2. Gather Supplies

To ensure your sale goes off without a hitch, gather these necessary supplies:

– Chairs to sit in

– Tables to display products

– Change

– Plastic bags and newspaper to wrap breakable items

3. Donate

Donate any items that do not get sold or leave them on the curb for free. Don’t bring them back inside or toss them out.