In Tuesday's Dollars & Sense, I wrote that many people who have never had a garage sale before are filling their garages and driveways with stuff to raise cash in a down economy. Readers sent in more tips to help amateurs make the most of their Herculean efforts.


Many of those newbies might be throwing away dollars by underpricing their stuff at a garage sale, said Cindy Skrznecki of Minneapolis. When people tell her that they made $1,000 at their garage sale, she wonders if they might have left money on the table. An expert who wrote a booklet of tips and offered classes on garage saling, she knows that most buyers expect near give away prices. That's why she doesn't recommend selling newer books or DVDs at garage sales. "Most people won't pay much more than a quarter for a book at a garage sale," she said. "I can get $2 to $5 easily on eBay or Half.com."


Here's the rub: Would you rather make money or just get rid of it? If the goal is to clean house, then donate all of it to charity and save yourself a major headache. If you want a little beer money, then price everything below the "10 percent of retail" standard.

Just as important, said Jennifer Geist of Ham Lake, is to make sure everything has a price tag. If buyers have to ask how much something is, they probably won't. Even putting "best offer" may keep reticent Minnesotans from speaking up.


Geist also says that even if something electric or battery-powered is practically free, have batteries or a power source nearby so customers can test it. You can keep the batteries, but at least be able to prove that it works.
It's a sign of the times, I guess, but no tipsters believe in allowing customers inside your house to use a bathroom. Gary Smith, whose site Bestgaragesale has many excellent tips, spins it positive by telling customers where the nearest public restroom is and how to get there. Smith's site offers many excellent tips on security and safety.


Lara Tickle of Minneapolis stresses the importance of having most items on tables or racks. "I'm not going to get on the ground to rummage through a box of stuff" she wrote. Especially clothes. Several salers said it's important to have a mirror outside if you want to sell more clothes.

Toni added a few more tips about signage from a buyer's point of view. Make all signs the same size and color for continuity. No mixing colors or backgrounds. Put the signs up only for the days of the sale, not before. Take them down when the sale is over.


Folden1 commented online that bargain hunters shouldn't neglect the church rummage sales. Prices are low, it's a good cause, and it's a time saver because it's like having 75 garage sales under one roof. For a list of some of the largest church and neighborhood sales, go to the Star Tribune site. Click on "classifieds," and scroll down to the drop down menu "garage sales" and finally click on "here."


If you want to make more money, sell items for $50 or more in the classifieds, Craigslist, or eBay, but also consider consignment stores for clothing, furniture and kids' accessories. Apparently, too many of us are already doing that. Stapleford commented online, "I stopped going [to garage sales]. All that is ever put out is junk." For all of you lovers of junk, enjoy this year's garage sale season.