Business Ideas For Kids - Garage Sale

Entrepreneurs learn at an early age that building a fulfilling and prosperous life for themselves begins by creating their own business.

A really simple and FUN business idea for your child or teen is for them to run their own Garage Sale or Yard Sale as they are also known. 

Many entrepreneurs and successful business owners started their financial growth by running their own Garage Sales.

Garage Sales are fun, they don’t take much work and they can be very profitable. 

The key thing is to keep it simple. So many people overcomplicate things and there is no need. A Garage Sale is a very simple way to earn a few hundred dollars, if not a lot more. By selling things that otherwise may have been thrown away. 

How To Run A Garage Sale

At first, it can seem like there is a lot to do to run a garage sale. But following these steps below will help you child or teen run their first successful Garage Sale. 

Step 1: Set A Date

The first step is to decide upon a date for the Garage Sale. Saturdays are usually the best day, around 10am in the morning. Remember though to account for holiday weekends. Many people go away which will mean less potential customers. 

It’s also a good idea to check the long-range weather forecast to avoid rain ruining your day. However, you don’t want it to be too sunny either! Cloudy weather is actually the best kind of weather, because on a beautiful day people are usually out doing activities. It’s a good idea to plan at least two weeks ahead. 

Step 2: Gather Items To Sell

The next step is to gather any unwanted items that you would like to sell. You can go through each room of your house. Garages and storage places in your house can be the best places to start.

Make sure you only select the items you have permission to sell. That is, if it’s not yours ask the person who does own it. Never assume just because they have not used it for a long time they don’t want to keep it!

As you gather your items it pays to be organised. Box them up by category. 

For example a box for:

• Books
• Clothes
• Toys
• Home Decor
• Kitchenware
• Tools

Having your items organised in advance of the sale will make the day itself run more smoothly. 

The 1 Year Rule

One thing worth mentioning you may find it more difficult than you think to let go of some of your stuff. This is normal, as a lot of people are emotionally attached to things. 

A good rule to set yourself is:

‘If you have not used the thing you are thinking of selling for over a year, it goes in the sale’.

Be ruthless! It feels good to declutter. Also, don’t be embarrassed to sell items that you think are silly or broken or utterly without value. Remember the general rule is if nobody has used the item within the year, then after getting permission, include it in the sale. 

There is a saying in the selling world that …

‘’One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

This is absolutely true.

You can also call for help from relations and friends for any items that they no longer need. Make sure you have at least 100 items (big or small) to sell, so your Garage Sale looks appealing. Very soon you will have a few boxes full of things ready to go for your Garage Sale. 

How Much Will It Cost/How Much Can Be Made? 

So when it comes to how much can you make from your garage sale, there are no national statistics available.

However, according to the New York Times, if you put some thought and planning into your Garage Sale, you can net between $200 and $1,000 for each sale. That’s not too bad, is it?

So how much does it cost to put on? The good news is it likely won’t cost you anything because all you will need is:

• Picnic Tables
• Cash Box
• Full length mirror (if you have clothes for sale)
• Calculator

What about pricing? You may well be tempted to price every item you have for sale. But you will not make as much money this way. It’s been proven if you do not price your goods you will make more money. 

Do not price your items, instead let the buyer name the price.

If it is not quite what you had in mind and it is early on in the sale just say ‘No!’. But often a buyer will love something that you care much for and maybe perfectly will to give you more than you think it’s worth. 

Another reason not to price items is that it is tedious and time consuming. Pricing also makes people procrastinate. 

Laws & Permits - Check This First

Some cities now require that you have a permit to run a garage sale. So check with a clerk at your local council to find out if you need one. If you need a permit please don’t be tempted to run a garage sale without one as you may end up getting shut down and fined. Some cities allow you to apply for permits online.

Some areas also may restrict or ban the posting of flyers on telephone poles or sign posts. If you are uncertain about local regulations, check with your local local council. 

Step 3: Promoting the Garage Sale

The next step is to think about advertising your Garage Sale. The more people at your garage sale, the better. Your advertising can be as creative as you feel. 

Here are some of the many ways you could advertise.

Posters

Simple homemade posters attached to lampposts can be very effective. However, make sure you check the laws in your area because some places have banned them. Someone at your local police station can tell what you can and can’t do.

Letterbox Dropping Flyers

You may also want to consider designing a flyer and delivering it to houses around where you live. 

Personally Invite Neighbours

You can also visit your neighbours and invite them to the event. People are much more inclined to make the trek to a busy street sale, so it never hurts to get people talking about your upcoming Garage Sale. 

Advertising Online

There are many ways to advertise online. These are the 3 that we reccommed.

• Listing on websites
• List on Yardsalesearch.com
• List on Community Facebook Groups (like Facebook)
• Listing on Nextdoor.com
• Advertising on your personal Social Media

Listing On Websites

Depending on which country you are there is usually a place online where you can list your Garage Sale. For example, in the USA, Craiglists is still the most widely used website listings and is completely free. In Australia, they use Gumtree and in Sweden they use Bloket.se. If you are not sure about your country or city, just go online and Google where you can list for your local area. 

Yardsalesearch.com

One thing worth doing is putting your event on yardsalesearch.com. Which lists garage and yard sales taking place.

Community Facebook Groups - Like FaceBook

Discover if there is a local Facebook group for your community. Most cities and larger towns have one and they allow you to post about what you are doing including holding a Garage Sale. Check to see if there are only certain days you can advertise and be sure not to miss them. 

Nextdoor.com

This site allows everybody in a certain area to stay informed about what is going on the neighbourhood. So you could place a post on this site about your Garage Sale. 

Your Personal Social Media

Also mention your Garage Sale on your own social media channels like Snapchat and Instagram. 

Offline Ways To Advertise

Newspaper Ads

Newspaper ads are really a thing of the past. Usually they charge a fee for advertising. If your local paper offers free classified listings this could be a good option in ADDITION to all the other advertising. But remember not many people read the newspaper anymore so this should not be the only way you advertise. 

Public Bulletin Boards

Another good place is on public bulletin boards. For example most Starbucks have a community board in store that allow businesses to put up a flyer. You can also ask other coffee shops near to you that may allow you to do the same. You could also ask your church if they have a bulletin board. 

Keep Your Advertising It Simple

All you really need on your promotional material is the total ‘Garage Sale’ and the date, address and time.

The marketing for any business is always the most crucial part. 

Most people get over excited about an idea, but an idea alone is worthless, you have to take action on that idea. 

That is what all successful people understand. 

What Happens on The Day

Today is the day that all the hard work and preparation will pay off. 

Be set up 30 minutes before your start time and take time to make the items presentable. If possible set up separate tables for different categories. Similar to when you sorted them into categories for boxes, now you want to display them also like this.  

You may also want to hang clothes on a rack if you have one and order them in sizes. You may want to provide a full length mirror if possible so people can look at themselves if they want to try the clothes on.

If you are selling electronics it's good to have an extension cord so they can test that they work. 

Make sure too you have a cash box handy with lots of change. 

You may feel a bit nervous at first as people start to come. 

The most important thing for your child or teen in is to enjoy themselves and have fun!

Offering Upsells

You may want to consider having an ‘upsell’ at your Garage Sale too. An upsell is an opportunity for you to earn some extra money, but offering a different but related service.

For a Garage Sale selling Lemonade or Coffee or some baked goodies, like cookies or cake might be a good way to go. 

Further Reading

Upselling - A Key Concept For Kids to Learn

At The End of The Day

When it’s time to end the Garage Sale, the last thing you want to do is bring the unsold items back into your home. Although at first you should not price your items, as your day draws to a close there is nothing wrong with creating a sign such as ‘Everything on this table is $1.00’ to get rid of much as possible.

Anything that is not sold you may want to take to a local charity that will accept the types of items you are selling. 

Summing Up

Garage sales are a fun and a simple way to start earning. There are probably enough items around your house that aren’t being used to have regularly scheduled weekend Garage Sales.

The more advanced you get, you can visit local thrift stores or donation centers, or even 99 cent stores and buy items to sell at your sales.

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