How to Display Clothing at a Garage Sale for Max Sales

by Nikki Davidson

You’re drowning in cluttered closets and piles of bottomless laundry. 

You can turn those stacks of rags into riches with a garage sale, but there’s a strategy to making good money for your efforts. 

Many people don’t put much thought into how to display clothing at a garage sale, but there’s a method to the madness. 

Here are answers to your questions about the best way to sell clothes at yard sale.

How To Sell Everything at a Garage Sale

There’s never been a better time to make money at garage sales

According to a report created by secondhand marketplace OfferUp, 93% of Americans say inflation has impacted their decision to shop secondhand in the past 12 months. 

People want the best deal they can get, often by raiding their neighbors’ closets instead of spending big bucks on brand-new clothing from a department store. 

But the truth is, they don’t want to feel like they’re digging through a trash bin to save a little money. 

Check out our list of top resell items to get some ideas of more items you can sell at your garage sale.

Tactic for Success

For best attendance, plan your sale on a Saturday or Sunday morning between 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The largest number of people will be off work at this time, and you’ll have a bigger pool of potential buyers.

If you can make your customer’s shopping experience as close as possible to what they’ve come to expect in retail stores, you’re on the right track to clearing out your stash of unwanted clothes. 

After all, if you’re going to go through the effort of hauling all of your stuff outside, you might as well sell out as quickly as possible and enjoy the rest of your weekend. 

To accomplish this, you need to know how to show clothes at a yard sale. 

sellling-clothes-at-garage-sales-pros-and-cons

Trend on the Rise 

Rather than rely on strangers spotting a sign for your garage sale in the neighborhood, post an announcement on social media. As seven out of 10 Facebook users are on the site daily, you’ll draw in the right buyers by posting pictures of what you’re selling, sizes and when you’re open for business. This is a good tip for selling locally.

How do you hang clothes for a garage sale?

You know first impressions count if you’ve ever shopped at a garage sale. Most customers will cruise by to see what’s sitting out before getting out of their vehicles and walking up. 

If you don’t draw them in with these top items that sell at garage sales, people may not even make it to your driveway, let alone hand over their cold hard cash for your unwanted goods. 

A few well-positioned design choices can make all the difference in how much you can sell. You want to make your space as appealing as possible to most people. The following is a list of simple rules to follow. 

Yard Sale Display Hacks: 

  • Maximize Space – Make your inventory appear as robust as possible by hanging or arranging each item, so it’s spread out rather than stacked.
  • Organize Into Categories – Arrange your sale into “departments” and separate your items into men, women, boy, girl and infant sections. 
  • List Prices – While you should expect some buyers to barter, the best practice is to clearly display prices to avoid sticker shock or turning away timid shoppers. 
  • Keep it Clean – A smelly or dusty garage will make buyers question the clothing’s quality and cleanliness. 
  • Avoid Piles – Keep Covid-19 safety protocols in place and allow people to look without touching. 

Tactic for Success

Consider offering discounts or BOGO deals to customers for purchasing more than one item. They’re more likely to buy from you, and the faster you can sell your stuff, the less time you’ll spend waiting for sales.

How do you hang clothes in a garage? 

It can be challenging to transform a dark and dingy storage space into a boutique shopping experience. 

However, a little effort goes a long way in getting buyers to you. You can draw eyes to your sale with balloons and signs, but you don’t want to neglect the customer shopping experience. 

Luckily, you probably already have plenty of things on hand to style the space and make it into a place people are willing to spend a Saturday morning in. 

The easier they navigate your garage, the more willing they will spend time looking around for something they want to purchase. 

tips-to-display-clothing

Tips to Display Garage Sale Clothing:

  • Make a DIY Clothing Rack – Repurpose laundry drying racks, old ladders or even hang a clothesline between trees. 
  • Maximize Table Space – Fold or roll clothing in tidy squares and display with drawer dividers from your dresser so every piece is visible. 
  • Create Bundles – If you’re selling multiples of similar low-priced items, you can put them in repurposed gift bags and tie them together with a ribbon. 
  • Style Expensive Pieces – Don’t be afraid to make displays similar to a retail store end cap to showcase designer goods. 

Trend on the Rise

If the thought of hauling everything out for one day seems daunting to you, consider selling digitally by selling clothes on eBay. According to ThredUp, online resale is the fastest growing sector of secondhand shopping, expected to quadruple by 2026. You can find more tips about how to take photos for online resale here.

Wrapping Up

Old underwear, stained, dirty, wrinkled or damaged items can throw off your sale and send people running. 

Some things are just better meant for the trash can, so it’s best to ask yourself, “would I buy this?” before trying to sell it. 

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Nikki Davidson is a freelance TV and print journalist who covers finance and real estate news for media outlets across the country. She's also a chronic side-hustler and YouTuber who creates videos about reselling clothing online (Channel Name: Sew Much 2 Wear).

About the Author

Photo of author
Nikki Davidson is a freelance TV and print journalist who covers finance and real estate news for media outlets across the country. She's also a chronic side-hustler and YouTuber who creates videos about reselling clothing online (Channel Name: Sew Much 2 Wear).