How To Hold a Successful Moving Sale

A pre-move garage sale offers advantages beyond just making some quick cash. If you have fewer items to load onto the moving truck, the total weight of the truckload will be less, and the cost of your move might be lower. You’ll also save significant time by not having to pack and unpack many unnecessary items you won’t use very often anyway.

Here are some tips for holding a successful pre-move garage sale.

Choose a Date and Time

Choose to hold your sale about a month or two before your moving date. This way, you have plenty of time to pack and finalize things without worrying about setting up a sale.

Generally, the best days for moving sales are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. First, pick an early start time because customers like to arrive early— and plan for at least a two-day sale to help you sell as many items as possible. Then, if the weather doesn’t cooperate or you want to sell more things, you will have time to hold a second-weekend sale.

Hold a Neighborhood Sale

Ask your neighbors if they want to earn some extra cash and free their homes of clutter. The more homes you can bring on board, the larger your sale will be to attract more buyers.

Set Fair Prices for Each Item

While something might seem sentimental or priceless to you, it’s essential to be realistic and not overprice your goods. To double-check going rate prices, check eBay, Craigslist, and other online sales websites to see what prices people sell specific items.

Some items may be worth more than you expect. In those cases, you should go to a consignment shop or sell them separately online. Moving sales customers are notorious for trying to haggle. Keep this in mind when pricing.

Plan for Laying Out Items

Organize your sales area to ensure you don’t accidentally place items you do not want to sell near your moving sale. Use tables, blankets, and baskets to position items. (Baskets are for smaller, non-breakable items that can easily be misplaced). The organization helps you track your sales and makes your space look more appealing, which equates to you selling more things.

Determine How You’ll Collect Payment

Choose one person to manage all payments. This way, you streamline the process, and people don’t walk off with your stuff. You’ll need a cash box, change, calculator, and packing paper/bags for cash payments.

You could also take electronic payments, including PayPal, Venmo, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and others, to boost sales options. Just be sure to learn all the fees involved since those add up quickly. Factor fees in when setting prices. This way, you can also advertise attractive cash discounts.

Advertise Your Moving Sale

Get the word out! Post the announcement about your sale well ahead on Facebook and Craigslist. Additional apps like NextDoor might also be a great way to advertise.

Put up flyers in the grocery store, utility poles, and other high-traffic spaces. Use a bright-colored poster board and dark marker. Print the words on your advertisement large enough for people to read from a distance.  Before you post, check with owners, HOAs, village regulations, and anyone with authority over your community so you don’t inadvertently break any rules.

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