Few, if any, have made their fortunes in the garage-sale business. While wealth might be an unrealistic expectation of a successful garage sale, the old adage, "One man's trash is another man's treasure," certainly holds weight. That means there is a market for your old things, you'll just need to organize well to get something for them.

Perhaps the key thing to remember when organizing a garage sale is to sell stuff you yourself might want if you were a potential customer. All too often, garage sales feature old or torn clothing, scratched records or even cracked lamps, items that are far more likely to end up at the bottom of the driveway with the trash cans than in the back of a satisfied customer's car. The following tips should help you hold a successful garage sale that might not make you the next Donald Trump, but will certainly help you avoid being the next Fred Sanford.

· Get the word out. A garage-sale proprietor's best friend could be the local newspaper. A simple classified ad in the local paper's garage-sale section can open your garage sale up to hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Such ads are often inexpensive, and can include a quick rundown of potential items, the date/time of the sale, and an address to reel the customers in.

· Involve friends. If you don't think you have enough quality items to sell, talk to some friends and see if they might want to clear their clutter and sell a few items at your garage sale. This can be both good for business (more items to sell) and there will be more people around to relax with during the lulls between customer visits. Should you choose to involve others and division of earnings prove an issue, simply sort the different participants' items by colored tags or set up separate tables with each seller's things.

· Sort items. It may be tempting, especially if most of your items are coming from the depths of the garage, to just put all the items out on a table and let the visitors seek out what they must. However, organizing items can be a great way to make the most money. Oftentimes, garage-sale customers might have a specific item in mind, such as a reading lamp or a night table, or even some vintage clothing. Separate furniture from records and place similar items together to make it easier for potential customers to find what they're looking for.

· Be open. Keep in mind that items which aren't purchased by the end of the sale are likely going one of two places: the garbage or back in the garage. Therefore, it's just as important to remember the point of a garage sale is to free up some space, so don't get stuck on firm pricing. Be ready to negotiate with potential customers and accept less than you might have expected. If you remember the goal is to rid yourself of these items, fewer dollars here and there shouldn't make much of a difference.

· Take clothing out of the box. People are less inclined to look through a box of clothes than a rack of clothing. Plus, clothes on a rack are more appealing than clothes in a box. Set up a clothesline or a makeshift rack for all clothing you'll want to sell.

· Watch what you sell. Stories are told all the time of precious, valuable items purchased at a garage sale for a dollar or two. If you come across anything, be it an old painting or timepiece or anything else that looks like it might be worth more than a couple of bucks, take it to an appraiser before making it available at your garage sale. Selling a centuries-old item worth thousands for a couple dollars in your driveway is one way to have an unsuccessful garage sale.