Backyard Money Machine: How to Organize and Operate a Successful Garage Sale [Paperback]

L. R. Schmeltz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1993

Every weekend there are thousands of garage, tag, craft, rummage, household, moving, divorce, farm, etc. sales all over the U.S. The driving force behind each of these sales is one or a group of people who spend hours sorting, cleaning, displaying and selling unwanted possessions and other homespun merchandise to their friends and neighbors. Suprisingly few of these sales are organized and operated to make as much money as possible. Competition for the estimated 2 billion dollars spent each year at these types of sales has never been more intense and is likely to increase significantly over the next few years.

Les Schmeltz has spent the last several years investigating the best ways to help you earn money from a Garage Sale. He visited thousands of sales, gathering ideas from each of them. Some ideas were good, many weren't. They were all checked, analyzed, tried and verified in actual Garage Sales. The best of these ideas have been compiled into a 224 page book titled THE BACKYARD MONEY MACHINE: How to organize and Operate a successful Garage Sale. This down-to-earth guide offers practical advice and proven techniques for turning unwanted household items into a significant amount of cash. Hundreds of suggestions covering everything from initial organization to final clean-up will help anyone make the most of a Garage Sale opportunity. Checklists, sample promotional materials and references are also included in this well organized, clearly written "How To."

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This book has been favorably reviewed in multiple publications including The Cookbook Collector, Flea Market Trends, Women and Money, Living Cheap News, Homemakers Monthly, Parents Magazine and Steve Crowley's Money Reports. Les Schmeltz and his book have also been featured on Steve Crowley's Money Pro News (75 TV stations nationwide), KWQC's Paula Sands Live (Davenport, IA), WSYZ-TV (Columbus, OH) and WUSA-TV (Washington, DC).

From the Back Cover

Here is everything you need to organize and operate a successful Garage Sale! This down-to-earth guide offers over 220 pages of practical advice and proven techniques for turning unwanted household items into a significant amount of cash.

Hundreds of suggestions in the areas of organization, location, merchandise selection, pricing, display, advertising, sales techniques, crime prevention and clean-up will help you make the most of a Garage Sale opportunity. Numerous checklists and references will help you keep your sale well organized.

In a nutshell, the purpose of this book is to provide you with the tools to do the job right. While it is true that anyone can put together a Garage Sale and make a little money, those willing to spend the time and effort to follow the suggestions outlined in this book will be able to put together a Garage Sale and make a LOT OF MONEY!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Silver Streak Pub (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963532103
• ISBN-13: 978-0963532107
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,017,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to make lots of money, you need this book!, June 2, 2000

By 

Chris (Oostburg, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Backyard Money Machine: How to Organize and Operate a Successful Garage Sale (Paperback)

Previous garage sales I had held weren't a big success, so I purchased this book to help me do better. At the time my husband thought I was crazy, but did he change his tune! Les R. Schmeltz's book was wonderful. It helped me from beginning to end. By following his tips throughout the book we sold everything. My husband was shocked at the amount of money we made! People that came actually complimented us on our set-up and signs, one of the many things Mr. Schmetlz stated was an important feature for a garage sale. And I loved his "checklist" at the back of his book. If you want to have a great and successful garage sale, this book is a must!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Summarizing what you already know, August 23, 2005

By 

L. Dudek (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Backyard Money Machine: How to Organize and Operate a Successful Garage Sale (Paperback)

This book by Mr. Schmeltz does have some helpful hints and strategies for conducting yard/garage sales, but the majority of the information, I personally feel, is already known or common sense to those that have held these types of sales before. I would only recommend this book to first timers and those who need the extra push to get organized.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The author needs a course in brevity..., July 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Backyard Money Machine: How to Organize and Operate a Successful Garage Sale (Paperback)

This book is packed with information; too much information. I couldn't read over 200 pages on how to do a garage sale the right way! Mr. Schmeltz' "research" after studying a "thousand" garage sales doesn't take the place of actual experience. He treated the topic like a college essay, not an easy-to-use how-to on garage sales. I wonder how many who purchased this book actually read it cover to cover?