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Community Corner

Clean Out Those Closets and Make Some Cash

Saturday is National Garage Sale Day.

This Saturday is National Garage Sale Day and some Sayville residents are celebrating the only way you can – by hosting a garage sale. 

Garage sales are a great way not only to find bargains, but to also make extra money, get a jump on fall organizing projects and to be green by keeping things out of landfills. So clean out the closets, garage, basement, attic and yard, ask your kids to give you a hand and let the decluttering begin.

Here are some tips to creating a successful garage sale and see our list below of this weekend's garage sales in the area.

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • A few days before, gather up newspapers and plastic shopping bags so shoppers can take their purchases home easily.
  • The day before, get small bills for change.
  • Post signs the night before on the closest busy streets.
  • Remember to advertise as a multi-family sale if some neighbors are also participating-that will attract more shoppers.
  • If you buy price stickers as soon as you decide to have the sale, you can price the items as you sort through them to save time. To avoid pricing every item, set table prices (example: "All items on this table $4").
  • Set realistic prices but leave room to negotiate. Almost everyone will expect to haggle. Offer packages ('books and records are 4 for $1') and group like items together to encourage shoppers to make multiple purchases and offer discounts to those who do.
  • If your sale is not part of a multi family one, have people on hand to help out. The unpleasant reality is some people will try to steal things, especially if they see you are running the sale alone.
  • Try to sell whatever you don't want, even if you think no one will buy it. One person's trash is another person's treasure.

For items that don't sell, or if you declutter but skip the sale, donate to a good cause. Bring unwanted clothes and shoes to a donation box, or if there is too much for a drop off bin, arrange a home pick up. You don't need to be home, just leave the donation in your driveway the night before. The driver will even leave a receipt in your mailbox (donations are tax deductible so keep receipts and a list of the items donated for tax purposes). If you need information on where to donate, here a few charities that frequently come to Sayville for pickups: Vietnam Veterans of America, 631-582-0242 (www.wepickup.org); the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, 1-877-488-6273 (www.ocrfpickup.or)g; the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. 1-888-44L-UPUS www.lupuspickup.org); Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island, 631-234-0000 (www.bbbsli.org).

Some garage sales in the area this weekend:

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Saturday, Aug. 14 at 116 Manton Street in Sayville from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Items for sale include toys, collectibles, baseball memorabilia, MP3 player, digital camera, printer and more.
  • Saturday, Aug. 14 at 395 Lincoln Avenue in Sayville from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Items for sale include clothes, electronics, kids toys, DVDs, crystal, LCD TV wall mount, computer items and more. This is a 2-family garage sale.
  • Saturday, Aug. 14, at 63 Atlantic Avenue in West Sayville from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Items for sale include furniture, used designer clothing, dresses, shirts, jeans, shoes, Halloween stuff, costumes, candles, bedding, toys, vintage items and more.

Remember you can always list your garage sales on Sayville Patch.

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