Organization and advertising are key to a good garage sale.

Organization and advertising are key to a good garage sale.
By TRACEY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
While holding a garage sale at her parents' Boardman home, Kathy Atkison discovered that her mother's diamond wedding band was missing.
After searching high and low for the ring, they concluded that it must have been mixed in with the costume jewelry they were selling.
"I think someone may have gotten a treasure at this garage sale," said Atkison, of Chicago.
Garage-sale lesson No. 1: Double-check your merchandise lest something valuable get lost forever.
Whether it's baby clothes or antiques, tools or knickknacks, garage sales are a popular way to clear out an accumulation of unwanted stuff. Although holding a sale can be a lot of work, proper preparation can make the process a lot easier and guarantee success.
Gathering up items
Start planning your sale early and put things aside all year long. Designate an area to store these items.
"I go through the whole house and box things up as I go," said Lori Czap of Austintown. "When I'm taking the Christmas stuff down, I throw whatever I'm not going to keep in a box."
Bev Booker, Czap's mother, said not to discard something thinking it won't sell. "It's amazing what will sell," she said. "You put out something you were going to throw away, and it's the first thing to sell."
Most garage-sale holders say they need at least three or four days to prepare for the sale.
Linda Reeder of Kinsman, who recently held a sale with her kids, Amy, 15, and Adam, 10, said you should give yourself even more time if it's your first sale.
"It took us about six hours to set everything up, about six hours pricing and a good two or three days to sort through and decide what to sell, what to keep, what to store. If you're planning one and you haven't done one before, you need to allow yourself at least a week to prepare for it," she said.
Take your time
Cleaning and organizing your items and making sure they are in working condition is essential to a good sale.
Elvera Richey of Austintown said a well-organized garage sale is a plus. An avid garage-sale shopper, she said a home's appearance can also make a difference. "What appeals to me is a home that looks like it's well-kept-up, and usually that means a good, organized garage sale," she said.
Boardman resident Gina Popovich categorizes her garage sale items into "departments," such as tools, clothes, toys, etc., and separates clothing into sizes.
"Be sure to clearly label all items and make sure shoppers have plenty of room to walk between tables," she said.
Tips for pricing
The main purpose of a garage sale is usually to get rid of unwanted clutter. Price things fairly or you will defeat this purpose.
"If it doesn't sell, I'm going to give it away, so get a little out of it rather than trying to go for a great amount and getting nothing," Atkison said.
Janet Hartley of Austintown said cleaning up sale items may increase their worth.
"If you clean it up first and make sure your things look good, you may be able to ask a little more for it."
But, she adds, "people are looking for bargains when they go to garage sales, so you can't price things too high."
Garage-sale shopper Margaret Yannucci of Youngstown agrees.
"Prices should be low. I don't expect to pay consignment prices at a garage sale, no matter how new the item is," she said.
Negotiations
Amy Reeder said items at her family's garage sale were priced a little higher because people will often ask to pay less.
Atkison said you shouldn't be offended when shoppers offer you less for an item.
"Be flexible on your pricing. What you may feel is a treasure might not be in someone else's eyes," she said.
Atkison held a sale at her parents' home to prepare them for moving out of the area. She said she generally asks for less than half of the retail price of an item. If you aren't sure of the value of an item, it might be wise to contact someone who does know, she added.
"If I had a lot of antiques, I would probably have an antique dealer come in first and go over pricing with me so that I'm not being gypped or gouging someone else. I'd try to get a fair price for things," she said.
Margaret Cianciolo of Boardman recently helped her daughter with her garage sale. When valuable items are for sale, she said, it's best to keep them in the house. Hang a sign on the garage to let shoppers know they can view the items on an individual basis.
Getting the word out
Another important step is advertising your sale. Most people hang signs in the neighborhood, and many place ads in newspapers.
Atkison said she posted easy-to-read signs throughout the neighborhood, with arrows pointing the way to the house. Popovich said putting an ad in the paper is worth the cost, saying she earned the money back during the first few hours of the sale.
"I think it helps to list a few items in the paper, especially if you have something that would draw people in," Linda Reeder said.
"The ad in the paper helps too, because when it's raining, we can't put our signs up on the road. So the people who are going to come are the people who saw the ad in the paper," added her daughter, Amy.
Other suggestions from garage-sale holders include having coffee or lemonade available for shoppers, keeping pets in the house and providing adequate parking. Have change and bags for purchases on hand, and have sale items such as TVs or radios plugged in and operating.
Finally, most garage-salers agree, donate leftover items to charity or thrift stores at the end of the sale.