I've lost count of the number of times I've received emails from people asking, "What day should I have my garage sale? Saturday or Sunday? Which day is better?" Honestly, if I had a dollar for each time I've been asked this question I'd be writing this article from the beaches of Hawaii, on a deck chair by the pool, sipping a $65 cocktail.

It's such a commonly asked question, and I guess it does make sense to ask it really. For people who are relatively new to the garage sale community, or who have never held a garage sale before, getting the day right is essential. Why? Because getting it wrong can be a costly mistake. If you've ever spent the whole day sitting in your garage on a fold out chair wondering where the devil everyone is, then you can no doubt relate to what I'm saying.

Alright then. Which day?

The thing is, the majority of people who frequent garage sales have a certain day mindset. They are prepared for a big day of garage sale bargain hunting. Typically they do it on one day of the weekend - rarely both. They have set aside time for ONE day and they know ahead of time, which sales they'll be going to, and on which day. They may even decide against going to a garage sale that has items they like simply because it's not the day that they like to bargain hunt.

Now think about it. 

People are most likely to spend one day out and about in their car hunting down bargains on a given weekend. What's the likelihood that they are going to spend their entire weekend bargain shopping? Probably minimal, unless they are either dealers or are after certain items of interest for specific purposes. The majority of people will want to kick back at some point and get a chance to relax and unwind after a big week of work.

So in saying this, you need to think about your buyers behaviour more so than what suits you!

I can tell you without a doubt, that the best day to have your garage sale is .....

SATURDAY!

Now, I'm sure I'll probably get a few responses from people arguing differently, but after reading survey after survey, email after email, plus the feedback received over the last 5 years, I can confidently say - you should hold your garage sale on SATURDAY, not Sunday, and rarely on both days of the weekend.

Why?

Saturday always seems to attract more interest, more people and bigger profits. People are out and about, actively looking to shop for bargains. Sunday, well, Sunday is a day of rest. It's a day for watching the footy or kicking back with friends and a cold drink.

However, there may be exceptions. Some weekends are voting weekends, or public holidays, where there are plenty of people simply out and about looking for something to do. These days are a fantastic opportunity to pull more sales and make more money, as opposed to normal weekends. But this makes for a completely different story.

When deciding whether or not to hold your sale on both days of the weekend, be mindful that people will tend to think that all the bargains went on the morning of the first day. Your second day is likely to attract people in the immediate vicinity who can easily pop around just in case something they might like has been overlooked. To have a successful two day sale, I would suggest that you need to have lots of goods for sale and you need to describe what you have in some detail.

Another thing you could do to help a two day sale is to put a message in your ad description that you will update your ad on Saturday afternoon with what you still have for sale for Sunday. With egaragesales, it is easy to edit your ad ready for Day 2 of your sale. If people know what is left, and there is something they like, you just might entice them to drop by for a look. Also give serious consideration to dropping prices for Sunday if you really want everything gone.

So, my suggestion is to plan your garage sale for one day of the weekend, not both, and have it on a SATURDAY. If you're selling a houselot and want to have your sale on both days, then let people know what is left for Sunday by editing your ad on Saturday afternoon. Equally important, if you sold everything on Saturday (yippee), then edit your ad to say that you are cancelling Sunday as you had a sellout Saturday.

                                              egaragesales - helping buyers and sellers meet.