GARAGE SALE ARTICLES

Make the most of your wet day yard sale

It’s the morning of your garage or yard sale. You’ve got everything in place. You’ve set your prices. And the weather forecast is good.

Then, out of nowhere, a thunder or snow storm rolls in, and your sale prospects take a turn for the gloomy.

This is every seller’s worst nightmare. But don’t worry. Once the initial disappointment fades, there are ways to minimize the impacts of bad weather!

First of all, you’ll need to make sure all your merchandise is under cover, and that you’ve got plenty of covered spaces for people to walk around and view the items you’re trying to sell.

Second, try to ensure your visitors will be warm. If you’re having a garage sale, see if you can rig a heater up in there.

For both garage or yard sales, you or the kids may have been considering selling home-made lemonade - ditch this idea and sell hot chocolate, coffee and tea instead. (Of course the kids will now need supervision here).

Another good idea is to stoke the barbeque up (provided it’s under cover) and hold a sausage sizzle - the yummy smells wafting from your yard will entice customers from around the ‘hood who’d otherwise have stayed indoors. And the sausage they buy will warm their insides up, making them more likely to make a purchase!

Third, try making the most of the wet by getting your hands on some new umbrellas. Display these in a prominent place near the entry/entrance of your sale. You’ll be amazed how many people decide to buy or replace an umbrella on a rainy day! (But don’t go overboard here, you don’t want to be stuck with a 100 umbrellas at the end of the day). Another good idea along these lines is to purchase and resell some of those plastic rain hoods that fold up into a small plastic bag.

Fourth, make sure there’s a clear, non-muddy path to your sale. People simply will not wade through half a foot of mud or water to get to your merchandise, no matter how nice those sausages are smelling!

Fifth, ensure the public liability insurance for your home is up to date. Accidents such as slips are more likely to occur on a wet day, and you don’t want your sale turning into a drawn out legal drama.

And finally, don’t despair! There will be people out and about - those who’ve had to cancel all sorts of outdoor activities like taking the kids to baseball, or playing a round of golf. And they’ll be looking for something to do.

Try not to cancel your sale, because any one who’s responded to your advertising and who makes the trip in the rain will be very disappointed when they get to your home. By the same token, if the crowds are well down, you may wish to shut up shop early, return indoors for a warm cup yourself, and arrange a ‘private viewing’ of your sale items for the odd diehard that does battle the elements to your front door.