BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Could hundreds of dollars be lying around your house? Garage sales are a great way to bring in some extra cash, and you never know how much you might rake in - or what people might want to buy.
"Old paint - who knew - but somebody may be looking for that," explained Crystal Newman, who lives in Lancaster. Newman calls herself a "third generation garage-saler" and loves shopping around for deals.
"Oh so many times we have had just amazing days," she laughed. "What I like about it is the hunt. You don't know what you're going to find!"
You also never know what you might be able to sell. Newman has been on the other side of the sale as well.
"I have to say it's a lot more fun to go to then than to have them," she laughed. "But it's also good to purge and get rid of stuff."
And depending on how your sale goes, you can bring in a lot of cash. 7 News Anchor Katie Morse talked about garage sales on a recent episode of Second Cup, which is streamed every morning on our 7 News app and on Facebook. A number of people who joined the conversation said they've made between $600-$800 on sales they've held.
If you're thinking about a sale, Newman gave some tips to make yours as successful as possible.
Easy Garage Sale Tips
- Time your sale with community events like garden walks or neighborhood sales to increase foot traffic
- Make sure you have good signs for your sale - and set them up at busy intersections to point people to your yard
- Have your items well-displayed, properly-priced and clean when you set them out
- Consider having a table of items that are all the same price. That way you don't have to price each individual item.
- Be ready to bargain with shoppers
- Price things to move so you don't have to bring them back inside after the sale
If starting your own sale seems daunting, there's also an option to join in on a local sale that promises tons of foot traffic.
The World's Largest Yard Sale isstill accepting vendors for this year's event, which is May 10th and 11th at the Hamburg Fairgrounds.
"The real benefit of being at the world's largest yard sale is the fact that we drive shoppers," explained organizer Karen Konecko. "We always get five to seven thousand shoppers over the two days."
The Yard Sale partners with the store Rustic Buffalo, and there are more than 100 garage sale tables and 100 crafters.
"It's really a huge event where you can find new items, re-purposed items - and a sense of community," explained Rustic Buffalo Owner John Pirrone.
Tables at the sale start at $125 dollars. Organizers say the table cost is worth it for a lot of people because after 24 years, the sale is really popular.
"That's the real plus to our event. We can guarantee the foot traffic," said Konecko.
No matter how you decide to hold yours, a garage sale can be a great way to help you make ends meet.
