Finding what to sell at a yard sale can be as simple as decluttering your home and putting everything you don’t need up for sale. In this scenario, however, there’s no guarantee that your garage sale will make you good money. It will help get rid of the household items you don’t use anymore; it might not make you much money.
Thankfully, I know a way to achieve both ends: declutter your home and make money at your next garage sale.
What Is a Garage Sale?
You may have also heard it referred to as a yard sale. A garage sale is an opportunity for you to get rid of (by selling) some of your secondhand household items from your home.
They are also referred to as yard sales because they are often quite literally held in someone’s yard. The deal is simple:
- Collect everything you don’t use anymore
- Choose a Saturday or Sunday (weekends work best)
- Put up a yard sale sign on your front lawn
- Let the neighbors or passersby give you their money for your old stuff
When I say “old stuff,” I exaggerate a little. While it’s true that most people put a lot of their old stuff up for sale in a garage sale, it’s also true that you can find some excellent, hardly used items on the list. It all depends on your luck and how good you are at finding the right garage sales in your area.
How to Make the Most Money From Your Garage Sale
“Not all who wander are lost. Some are looking for garage sales.” – Unknown
Every yard sale shopper I know, including myself, goes to these things to get an excellent deal on items that would otherwise cost them half a kidney in a regular store.
I once bought a beautiful car seat (the one my last born used) for close to nothing at a garage sale I found on the Facebook marketplace. I mean, Amazon had this thing priced at $349, and I got it for a mind-bending $50.
It was practically brand new, and it worked perfectly. When I say I love garage sales, this is what I’m talking about.
But today, we are not here to talk about how to get the best deals at a garage sale; we are here to help you learn about what to sell at a yard sale and how to have a successful one and make the most money.
So, what should you sell at your next yard sale?
1. Car Seats
I bet you saw this coming. Of course, I was going to start with car seats; that was by far one of the best deals I ever made. On the flip side, however, I believe the seller also got a pretty decent return.
I mean, what are you going to do with your old baby car seats? You can’t exactly re-gift them (well, you can, but some people don’t like that). You can’t use them anymore (unless you are planning to have any more kids—I know I’m not!).
The next best thing is to stick a big, bright “For Sale” sign with a nice price tag on it when you hold your next garage sale. This way, you can get rid of it and still make some extra cash.
Considering how expensive these things are (anything from $199 to $350 plus), even if you stick a $100 price tag on a “good as new” baby car seat, I believe you’ll have some inquiries, if not an outright sale.
Remember, though, the car seat should be within the date listed on the seat itself and not expired, should be in good condition with all of its original parts, should have the original owner’s manual, and should not have been in any accidents.
You also want to make sure there are no recalls on it. You can do this by checking the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s list of the most recent car seat recalls.
If you aren’t confident about any of this, I highly recommend NOT selling that gently used car seat after all.
2. Baby Clothes
Baby items really are a hot commodity, and this includes baby clothes. Since you already gave them such a good deal on the car seat, they are unlikely to haggle too much on the baby clothes’ pricing.
The trick here is to make sure that the baby clothes are in good condition. This is what I do:
- Wash them thoroughly
- Have them ironed
- Fold and neatly place them in categories (pants, tops, and such)
This gives the whole set-up a “baby store” vibe, which immediately makes the clothes more attractive and pricey-looking.
This way, when you tell the buyers the actual price, they will be taken aback at how affordable they are, and many won’t even care to haggle (they know how expensive baby clothes can be)—even a lot of secondhand stores these days are a lot pricier than a new mom would expect.
3. Costume Jewelry
Do you have some costume jewelry you don’t fancy anymore? How about selling them at a garage sale and making some extra money? This is simple enough; here’s what I do:
- Pick out the jewelry I want to sell
- Make sure that everything is in good condition (any broken pieces can either be mended or thrown out – don’t sell broken jewelry at your yard sales)
- I make sure that the price sticker on each piece of jewelry is at least a third of its original cost (I price each piece individually)
- Place each piece in its display (this way, they can sell individually and make me more money as opposed to selling them as a set)
See how simple that is to do?
4. Sports Equipment
If you have sports equipment that is currently not being used but is in good condition, you have a treasure trove of garage sale items in your hands. Parents are always looking to buy their kids sports equipment.
No one wants to pay store prices because we all know little Johnny isn’t going to take care of his soccer cleats as well as he should, considering the price tag. This often makes sports equipment hot-ticket items at most garage sales.
5. Kids’ Outdoor Toys
If your kids are all grown and no longer need their outdoor toys, put them up for sale at your next garage sale. These include:
- Kids’ tables
- Swing sets
- Monkey bars
- Sandboxes
- Bikes or scooters
- Playhouses in decent condition
All manner of outdoor toys for kids are often a hit with garage sale shoppers, especially during spring and summer. The fact that these toys tend to be quite expensive makes them quite popular, especially when someone can get them for a bargain.
6. Yard Tools
Yet another set of hot-ticket yard sale items. Here’s what I know: any time you have equipment and tools as part of your yard sale, you are almost guaranteed to have at least a couple of potential buyers coming by to check them out.
Tools, in general, can be expensive. People who work with tools on a day-to-day basis, such as roofers and gardeners, want to have more than just one set handy in case they need a replacement when they are out on the job.
One of the best ways these people find these tools and equipment while still managing to maintain a profit is by frequently running yard sale searches on the Facebook Marketplace and cruising local garage sales.
These people know exactly how expensive these tools can be when they are bought new. So, if you have some that are in good working condition, they will almost always pay anything that is just under that price, which puts you in a good position to make a lot of money.
7. Outdoor Furniture
This one’s a little tricky since everyone’s taste is different. Nevertheless, outdoor furniture can make you good money if you price it right. I’m talking about things like picnic tables, lawn chairs, and such.
Just make sure they are all clean and in good working condition. In this case, selling the furniture as a set is a good idea. Position them in a way that allows the potential customers to envision the set in their backyard.
8. Wood Furniture
People who love working with their hands often have a thing for refurbishing old wood furniture. If you have any lying around, put it up for sale at your next garage sale and see how quickly it gets snapped up by woodworking enthusiasts.
9. Outdoor Gear
This is one of my favorite categories. My family and I love the great outdoors. This means that we almost always run through our outdoor gear and often need new ones.
Outdoor gear can be expensive. A good way to supplement that price is to simply sell off what we have already used at a garage sale and use that money to partly pay for new gear.
Things like tents, kayaks, outdoor cooking equipment, and similar items can all be sold off during spring and summer.
10. Antiques
This is a garage sale staple. If you have some antiques or vintage items you want to sell, a garage sale is the perfect place to do it. You can hold a sale solely dedicated to antiques.
You’ll be surprised at how much enthusiasts are willing to pay for rare pieces. Just make sure that they are in good condition and clean.
As you can see, it’s not “what to sell at a yard sale” that’s an issue but more “how to price garage sale items” that will get you. Garage sale pricing is crucial if you are going to make a killing.
If you can find a way to not only sell the right items but also price them accordingly, every garage sale you hold could be a gold mine.