People Who Should NOT Host A Garage Sale

Although I find the process of getting ready for and hosting a garage sale to be a lot of fun, I’ve come to realize there are some people who should NOT host a garage sale.

What Is A Garage Sale?

A garage sale is a sale where individuals or families sell their unwanted items from their garages. It usually involves setting up tables in the driveway and garage to display the items you have for sale. Garage sales are most often held on weekends and are open to the public. A garage sale provides an opportunity for people to declutter their homes, make some extra money, and allow others to purchase items they want at an affordable price.

People Who Should Not Host A Garage Sale

Those With Financial Hindrances

While you don’t need the big bucks and shouldn’t spend the big bucks to host a garage sale, there are a few financial hindrances that make hosting a garage sale a no-go.

Those who would have to take unpaid time off work to host a garage sale. Garage sales can be a lot of fun, but if you have to take a day off work unpaid, you could end up losing money. Of course, this depends on your wage and how many items you have to sell. For example, if you make minimum wage and don’t have a whole lot to sell, you may have made $50 at your garage sale but lost $120 in wages. That’s not worth it unless you are viewing a garage sale as a form of fun entertainment and a way to get together with friends and meet new people!
People who only have high-value items to sell. Garage sales are not the place to sell high-value items. You’d be better off selling your things on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or through a specialty site like Poshmark. Garage sale customers want deals, and you can make more money by selling your high-dollar items in other ways.
The person who likes to give everything away. If you’d rather have the satisfaction of giving your items to charity or to a person who could use them, there are good ways to gift your items so you can get them out of your house.
Individuals with limited inventory to sell. If you don’t have a lot to sell and can’t combine your efforts with friends and family, a garage sale will probably not be worth your time. Not only that, many garage sale customers will not stop at a garage sale that only has a few items.
People that don’t have a way to display their inventory. For those who don’t have tables, clothing racks, or even large boxes to set their items on, it can be a challenge for customers to shop off the ground, and they will probably not bother.
Those who are not willing to make signs to put at each turn leading customers to your garage sale. Signage is the most important step to get traffic to your sale. If you aren’t willing to make garage sale signs or even print garage sale signs to put out on the roads, you might as well keep your garage door shut and forget the sale!

People Who Don’t Have The Right Space For A Garage Sale

Those who don’t have space to host a garage sale should try to team up with a friend or family member who does have the space. For example, if you live in an apartment, you likely don’t have the space to host a garage sale and probably wouldn’t be permitted to have one anyway.
Those who live in gated communities. If your gated community does not allow the gates to remain open for a sale, you might as well not plan one in your neighborhood.
Families who live in homes with limited parking. If you live in a busy city where parking is nowhere to be found, you probably shouldn’t hold a garage sale.

Garage Sale with inventory in the driveway.

Individuals With No Time

If you’re barely keeping your head above water with your normal day-to-day and can’t possibly squeeze out time to prepare for a garage sale, then it’s time to let it go.
Running your sale for a few hours on the afternoon of garage sale day is not enough to make it worthwhile. Wait until you have more time, or skip it altogether.

People With An Emotional Attachment To Their Possessions

The person that would bring leftover garage sale inventory back into the house. The main purpose of hosting a garage sale is to get rid of stuff. If you’d rather bring the stuff that didn’t sell back into the house, then you probably shouldn’t have added it to the garage sale pile in the first place.
If you know you’d have trouble parting with an item that was given to you by your great uncle’s grandma; then you probably would have a hard time watching it leave your garage. You would be better off dropping those items off at a charity site.

Garage Sale Sign in front of a garage sale.

Those With Safety Concerns

If you live in a neighborhood that is known for unsavory activities, you should host your garage sale at a friend or family member’s house who lives in a safer area.
Those who won’t have help on garage sale days. For safety reasons, it’s always good to have at least two people running the garage sale. That way, if one person needs a bathroom break or wants to heat up leftovers for lunch, they won’t be leaving the sale unmanned.

There are many reasons why people should NOT host a garage sale. It is important for you to assess your circumstances and consider different ways of getting rid of unwanted items if hosting a garage sale is not right for you.

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People Who Should NOT Host A Garage Sale

What Is A Garage Sale?