How to run a facebook garage sale...a beginners guide written by a beginner


1. Choose what kind of sale you are going to have. - I did my first sale on seconds and old stock that I have had sitting round for ages. I chose 15 items made up of pendants, stud earrings and necklaces.

2. Announce to the world- I started doing this about  4 days before the sale and advertised through my facebook page and these promotion pages: F.B.G.S , and  Promote My Fan Page. I also had my friends to shout outs about my sale.

3. On the day I took photos of the items and wrote down all the item specifics about 2 hours before the sale started. As I was selling seconds and old stock I listed any faults or damage to the piece. Here is an example:

Item Number: 15
Description: Alice and the caterpillar pendant from Alice in wonderland. Size: 55mm x 28mm.
Faults: quite a bit of crystallization spotted around the pendant
Price: $8 without chain or $13 with chain (Normally $35)
Postage: $3

 

4. At 6pm I listed the rules. 

"Jubly-Umph F.B.G.S Old Stock Garage Sale is starting in one hour. We have 15 items- necklaces, pendants and stud earrings.
Here is how it works. I will load a pic of the item along with details such as description, condition, price and postage cost. To win it be the second person to comment on it and say 'mine'. (you will need to already 'like' our page to be able to comment.)
We will email you tomorrow with bank details and totals. BTW you only pay one lot of postage if you are purchasing more than one item.
Hope that makes sense.." 

I had been told by seasoned F.B.G.Sers that it is better to have the second or third person who comments win the item. This is to stop fights apparently. I think it is more of a problem when you have dozens of people all wanting the same items.

A good example of where I could have taken better photos


5. At 7pm I listed the first item by uploading the picture into the wall comment box and coping my description into the text box. (See image)


here is a link to the first item:

 6. I spaced the listings about 3 to 5 mins apart. Most people seemed to be watching to see what other items were listed before they decided to buy anything. I didnt get my first sale until about 10 items had been listed.

7. After everything was listed I announced that I would email everyone at 9am the next morning. I subsequently emailed them with an invoice and payment details. 

Conclusion

For my first Garage Sale I was very happy. All my items sold and I made about $120 for a couple hours work and quite a few new friends and fans. I also managed to clear some old stock. I am planning on having another sale in a month or so.

Things I would do differently next time: 

1. Take the photos and info in advance. My photos were not very good as they were rushed.

2, Promote a week earlier, instead of just 4 days, and email people on my mailing list and blog.

3. List the RRP$ for the item so people can see how much they are saving


Upcoming sales: Hellpixie is having a facebook sale on Wednesday Aug 4th with handmade rockabilly headbands, earrings, fascinators and brooches. It is coming up soon if you want to see a sale in action.

You can check out my facebook garage sale by going to my 'Like' page- Jubly-Umph On Facebook