Although not everyone puts price tags on their garage sale merchandise, pricing your merchandise in advance will make the day of the sale less hectic for you, and may make customers more likely to buy.
Here are some tips that may be useful when preparing for your garage sale.
Advertisement
- Write prices on masking tape or stickers. If you're having a multiple-family garage sale, label stickers with the initials of the families, e.g. S 25¢, P 50¢, etc. Collect the stickers as you sell items. Later you can add up the total and divide the earnings accordingly [source: Consumer Home].
- Put up a sign designating different color stickers for different prices (e.g. red is 25¢, yellow is 50¢, etc). Then put the appropriate colored stickers on merchandise [source: Organized Artistry].
- Sell items in bundles (e.g. $1 each or five for $4).
- Price items between 10 and 30 percent of their retail value [source: Garage Sale Source]. Going to garage sales in your area before your sale will give you an idea of what prices things go for.
Here's a list of fairly standard prices for garage sale items:
- Books Paperbacks 25¢, hard covers $1
- Children's clothing 50¢ to $3
- Adult clothing $1 to $3
- Jewelry 50¢ to $2
- Toys and games up to $3 (Package small groups of similar toys together in clear plastic bags.)
- Large outdoor toys up to $10
- Electronics 1/3 the retail price, or ½ the retail price if it's new in the package [Source: Romans]
- Pots and pans $1 to $4 [Source: Garage Sale Source]
Price larger items higher to give customers bargaining room [source: Garage Sale Source]. If you want more than $10 for an item, it might be wise to try selling it online rather than at a garage sale [source: Romans].
Advertisement
