topic Re: Garage Sale Update in Community Chat

Garage Sale Update

ScrapHappy — Mon, 18 May 2026 18:44:28 GMT

I posted about selling my Mothers's china at our garage sale. Thank you for all your responses. I decided not to put the china out for sale. I went back and forth about it and I remember my Dad once told me, "if you have to think that much about doing something, that it may not be right thing to do." We've had many many neighborhood garage sales over the years and this year by far was the worst. Hardly anyone in the neighborhood signed up for it and foot traffic was very low. We were going to do it on Sunday as well but decided not to. We will donate everything. This was our last garage sale.

Re: Garage Sale Update

D Kay — Mon, 18 May 2026 18:53:45 GMT

In my opinion, they are more trouble than their worth.

Re: Garage Sale Update

kaydee50 — Mon, 18 May 2026 19:59:07 GMT

@ScrapHappy IMO, garage sales are a waste of time and energy. Did one once and that was enough.

Have you checked Replacements.com? I had good results with them.

Good luck!

Re: Garage Sale Update

threecees — Mon, 18 May 2026 19:20:06 GMT

I used to have yard sales years ago when my kids were much younger. Even back

then people want everything for practically nothing.

I would have everything priced to sell and organized neatly on tables. When something

was $4 or $5, they have the nerve to say can I have this for a dollar. No get lost.

We would sell lots but then still have so much to clean up. I used to take a big haul

to Goodwill but done with donating to them too.

I stopped going to them too, used to bring too many little trinkets home, piles up and

no place to put somebody elses stuff anymore.

Re: Garage Sale Update

ninjawife — Mon, 18 May 2026 19:32:43 GMT

In the neighborhood I lived in previously we had annual community yard sale. I participated when my children were little when I wanted to sell baby gear or children's clothes or toys. I priced things to sell and I did sell a lot. We usually donated the proceeds to the food bank.

When we moved from that neighborhood to our current one, I had two yard sales and got rid of a lot of stuff I did not want to move to the new house. My father was moving in with us in the new house so I sold a lot of things from his house as well.

The neighborhood I live in now is too upscale to have a community yard sale and frankly I miss them. I was able to clean out a lot of stuff and raised a lot of money for various charities.

Re: Garage Sale Update

JYWilliams — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:23:34 GMT

@scraphappy, Years ago I use to love going to garage sales. We would get up early in the morning and go grab a newspaper. We would mark the ones we wanted to go to. It use to be so fun. I haven't been to one in over 25 years.

Re: Garage Sale Update

cjm61 — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:48:40 GMT

@ScrapHappy Sorry you decided not to try to sell your China. I do think the odds of getting what you wanted may not have happened but I think it would have been worth the try IF you had also advertised on sites like Craigslist.

@ninjawife , why do you think an area is too upscale for a garage sale? The homes in our area go for up to 2 million and many have garage sales. I know people that purposely go to the higher end homes where you can usually get some quality items for cheap.

I have to completely disagree with @kaydee50 and @D Kay. It's definitely worth our time and very little trouble. I have a designated site in our garage where we put items we will sell at our next garage sale. We have two per year so we don't accumulate a lot of stuff. Somehow, we do manage to have enough things to participate in our community garage sale but it only takes about an hour to price the items and place on tables. Everything is ready first thing in the morning.

We do sell cheap, very cheap. I love meeting people and seeing their excitement to find something they appear to really like, especially the children. We see neighbors and have some great visits. My daughter comes with her family, and 3 of our grandkids, and they love it too. They sell some of their stuff too. I make a big breakfast and we make it a fun day. In fact, I've had many customers ask if they could buy some of my breakfast. It's a fun family day for us. We make anywhere from $200-$700, just depends on what we are selling.

I schedule a donation pick up on the following Monday so anything not sold is donated.

Re: Garage Sale Update

Franklinbell — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:48:35 GMT

@cjm61 that sounds like fun!

Re: Garage Sale Update

cjm61 — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:58:20 GMT

@Franklinbell It really is. We've done it for a good 15 or so years. People stop by just to see how the grandchildren have grown and to see my daughter's golden retriever, who actually passed away last year at 12 years old. People remembered him as a puppy, they remember when my daughter was pregnant with each of the kids, etc. It's a lot of fun.

Re: Garage Sale Update

Franklinbell — Mon, 18 May 2026 21:01:11 GMT

@cjm61, I am so happy to hear of a fun community event. Years ago, I bought a watch and bracelet at a garage sale and have loved them dearly ever since.

Re: Garage Sale Update

Tinkrbl44 — Mon, 18 May 2026 21:53:12 GMT

@kaydee50 wrote:
@ScrapHappy IMO, garage sales are a waste of time and energy. Did one once and that was enough.

Have you checked Replacements.com? I had good results with them.

Good luck!

@kaydee50 @ScrapHappy

ITA, check them out. Someone, somewhere, might be hoping to complete a set that has missing pieces due to breakage.

Re: Garage Sale Update

ninjawife — Mon, 18 May 2026 23:00:48 GMT

@cjm61 wrote:

@ninjawife , why do you think an area is too upscale for a garage sale? The homes in our area go for up to 2 million and many have garage sales. I know people that purposely go to the higher end homes where you can usually get some quality items for cheap.

@cjm61 My current neighborhood has never hosted a community yard sale but there have been a few estate sales. I don't have enough to sell to hold my own yard sale which is why I miss the community yard sales.

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cjm61 — Mon, 18 May 2026 23:49:31 GMT

@ninjawife Yes, it's very helpful to live where we have Community Garage Sales. They do the advertising and put several very large banners throughout the neighborhood.

Re: Garage Sale Update

Onslow1111 — Tue, 19 May 2026 04:55:51 GMT

The HOA where we live now (north San Diego County) does not allow garage sales. They don't allow unpermitted parking, anyway. They don't even allow parking in your own driveway without a permit, which you pay for annually. I know, I was stupid not to read the rules before buying, but it is a great area and we loved the yard for our dogs, and a yard is rare here.

Re: Garage Sale Update

Desertdi — Tue, 19 May 2026 05:59:32 GMT

@Onslow1111 wrote:
The HOA where we live now (north San Diego County) does not allow garage sales. They don't allow unpermitted parking, anyway. They don't even allow parking in your own driveway without a permit, which you pay for annually. I know, I was stupid not to read the rules before buying, but it is a great area and we loved the yard for our dogs, and a yard is rare here.

@Onslow1111

Same thing with my HOA...some "strange" rules...and they are located in another STATE, probably don't even know what the weather is here. di

Re: Garage Sale Update

cjm61 — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:55:26 GMT

Hi @Onslow1111 , I too live in North SD. Where abouts do you live? There are many areas here with lots of land. I could not live where you couldn't even park in your driveway without a permit.

When we first purchased our home the HOA said no parking on the driveway and if you did, it gave them a right to look in your garage to see why you don't park in it. Needless to say, the courts would not allow this regulation. I do see areas you can't park on the street though. My daughter was looking to buy a house in one of these areas and when I told her the parking situation, she refused to buy there.

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faeriemoon — Tue, 19 May 2026 15:35:40 GMT

I am definitely a person who loves to get rid of clutter. However, when it comes to china, and all the hoopla regarding the claims that "no one wants it", it is still something I would hang on to. I believe people are going to want it again, and when that happens all those who sold "a service for twelve and all the serving pieces" for fifty bucks, are going to regret that decision. Truthfully, it takes up about two storage boxes. It's worth hanging on to.

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sandy53 — Tue, 19 May 2026 15:42:29 GMT

OP-- I think your father's advice is very true-- If you have to think that much about doing something, it may not be the right thing to do. Such good advice. When you know, you know. No reason to ponder when it's right. We should not be hasty, but we need to be decisive.

Thanks for updating us on what you decided about the china. Why not use it? I have a china setting on my dishwasher that works great.

Re: Garage Sale Update

deeva — Tue, 19 May 2026 16:21:56 GMT

I think you made the right decision.

I don't have the patience for a garage sale. Plus you need more than one person helping during the sale because of thieves. And those folks who want everything practically free.

Re: Garage Sale Update

Maizie Green — Tue, 19 May 2026 16:44:37 GMT

My mom died last fall, and we sold her house in January. When we were packing it up, we literally posted in her neighborhood's Facebook group that we were having an "estate sale." We also stuck a sign in the snow outside by the road that said 'estate sale'.

We made $7,000 in three days, and people were looking for more, but we had already started packing, and the stuff was already in storage.

The rest of the stuff we decided to market as an estate sale when my sister's neighborhood held its garage sale two weeks ago. I took an ad out for $100 on the estate sales.net and joined several Facebook garage sale groups.

I marketed it as a sneak peek shopping on Wednesday evening from 3 to 8. On opening day, it was pouring rain. My sisters wanted to cancel it, and I kept telling them we couldn't because it was marketed and people were going to show up. I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelmed we were with the crowd.

There were times we had 25 to 35 people standing in the rain waiting to pay. We had set up tents to protect the stuff, but everything was soaked, and nobody cared.

The sale ran from Wednesday evening to Saturday afternoon, and we made $12,000. We had people come back 3, 4, and 5 times. The last day we had someone come through that asked if we were interested in a buyout, and at this time we were done, so we said $1000 takes it all, and they snapped it up like nobody's business.

two weeks later I'm still getting messages on Facebook asking if I have this that or the other thing left.

We had so many people tell us they saw one on the ad on the estate sales.net and into the Facebook ad. Never underestimate the power of Facebook. It is still very very popular. I've had people that I work with. Tell me that my ad came across their Facebook feed