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How to Profit From a Garage Sale ChecklistBargain hunters know that to find the best deals, they need a garage sale checklist to organize their buying trips. After you've searched through the local garage sale listings for your area and identified the most promising prospects, it's time to start planning your outing. Some of those listings can be found in garage sales online advertisements. Use these garage sale survival tips so you can get the best items before others grab them. Start With Your RouteIt's important to map garage sales you intend to visit so you can make the best use of your time. Ideally, you'll be able to create a circular route for the most efficiency. There are several different map software programs to do this. For example, Google Maps is a free solution from the search engine giant that gives you turn by turn directions and multiple map and satellite views. MapQuest is another great choice that offers a live traffic view in some areas if you're planning at the last minute. This is the first piece of a great garage sale checklist. Once you have your garage sale map, make sure you wake up early and get to the first sale right when it starts. You don’t want other garage sale hunters to beat you to the really great deals. A well-prepared garage sale checklist is worthless if you don't show up in time to make good use of it. In the interest of maximizing your time, take food and water with you. A well executed garage sale strategy can be exhausting, and if you stop to grab a bite to eat during peak hours you might miss out on some phenomenal finds. Also, take a GPS with you if you have one. Even though you have mapped out your route, sometimes getting where you need to be can still be confusing when traveling to unfamiliar parts of town. It’s easy to get lost when following directions contained in garage sale ads. It's better to have a GPS and not need one, than to need one and not have it. A great way to know what you're buying at local garage sales, especially if you're looking for used books, is to have a bar code scanner. Most books have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) bar code on the back cover. Scanning this code is a fast and easy way to know how much a book is worth. If you don't have a dedicated scanner, bring a smart phone. Many smart phones can read bar codes through their cameras with apps that are free or only cost a couple dollars. If you don't have a scanner, add one to your garage sale checklist. Books that don’t have a barcode can be looked up by keying their 10 or 13 digit ISBN into the keypad of your scanning device to retrieve pricing information. The Last Word…Finally, if a book doesn’t have a barcode or an ISBN, this is where your knowledge of books will give you an edge over the competition. Over time you’ll learn how to spot valuable books that can’t be easily looked up through a device simply because you’ll become familiar with certain genres. Even though you’ll be thoroughly prepared for your trip, it's good to add the phone numbers for each seller to your garage sale check list. You never know if you'll get lost or have some other concern, and it's always better to be safe. Now, you're ready to get out there and book scout like a pro. Work smart, and work hard, and success can be yours! Good hunting. Return To Top: Garage Sale Checklist Return To: Garage Sale Tips For Savvy Buyers Return to Home Page: Making Money Online Selling Used Books Would you like to comment on this article?Has this article been helpful to you and/or your business? Would you like to add a point or two I may have missed? |