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Contact each neighbor in person or with a flier describing the sale, dates and times, and offering suggestions. State in the flier that, on the day of the sale, a small dollar amount will be collected from each participant to cover the cost of a newspaper ad. Or, you can collect a set amount ahead of time and use any excess to purchase supplies to make signs. Plan a get-together before the sale to make signs. This is a great way to engage kids’ creativity.

Ask each participant to provide you with a list of their most attractive items so you can include in your ad the items with the most draw. If someone has just a few of a certain type of item – such as toys or books – and someone else has many, ask participants to consider grouping those articles together for better visibility. Create an e-mail group, and include all those involved in the sale. Encourage participants to use the e-mail group to connect with those who have like items. Have individuals who group items keep track through an inventory list or coded price tags.

Encourage families to include their children in the process. Suggest lemonade or soda stands for the youngsters to manage during the sale. Or sell other goodies, such as candy, cookies, coffee and donuts in the morning, and chips and hot dogs for lunch (easily cooked with a small microwave set up outside with an extension cord).

Instant Intentions

For at least an hour during the garage sale, arrange to have another family member or friend cover your sale so you can visit each participating neighbor. Try to connect with everyone so that you develop deeper friendships on which to build after the sale. Keep an ear out for those who love shopping garage sales. You may want to set up a day to go garage sale hunting sometime in the near future.

-          From the book, Field Guide to Neighborhood Outreach by Group Publishing, 2007.