Make Sure Your Garage Sale is Safe
Holding a garage sale is a great idea: You get rid of your old junk and make some money along the way.
But holding a garage sale does have its problems. It takes a good amount of time to set up, drains an entire day out of your schedule, and most importantly — it poses a safety risk.
Everything from people stealing from your garage sale to people breaking into your home during the sale (this happens more often than you think!), can happen at your garage sale. Thankfully, there are some steps you can follow to make sure you’re safety isn’t compromised.
Don’t Work Alone
It doesn’t matter if you’re holding a small or a large garage sale, working alone is never a good idea. If you’re the only one from your family available, ask a neighbor. If no one else can help you out, pick a different day to hold your sale. Having an extra person help you out not only makes the day go by faster, but it also helps you keep an eye on your merchandise.
Don’t Let Anyone Inside
There’s bound to be someone who comes to your sale asking to use the bathroom. You might feel bad saying no to someone, even if they look like an honest person, but you have to go into your garage sale with the mentality of not trusting anyone. Letting someone into your house just opens the door for things to be stolen from inside.
Secure Your Garage
Most people set up their garage sale the night before so they can easily open up the door in the morning and get started. That’s a great idea, but that means that you’re garage is filled with potential valuables all night long. Improve the chances of someone breaking into your garage by installing a padlock on both sides of it. It’s inexpensive and is something good to have even when you’re not holding a garage sale.
Keep Just Enough Cash
You want enough cash on hand so you can break change for customers, but you don’t want too much. Why? If a shady character ends up stealing your cash when you’re not looking, you don’t want them taking more than they need to. On that same note, don’t accept large bills from customers. Keep it at $20 or below. Bigger bills are more likely to be counterfeited.
Keep Your Neighbors informed
It’s a good idea to let your closest neighbors know about your sale. In case they see any questionable activity, they’ll know to contact you. If you live in a neighborhood that has experienced some crime, it might not be bad idea to also let the police know what you’re up to.
Have Fun!
Most importantly, have fun with your garage sale! Use your common sense and you can have a successful sale.
Bio: Brian Russo is a garage expert for Rossdoor.com.au garage doors and wants to make sure your next garage sale is safe.