After going through old clothes and decluttering your house, it might be tempting to put everything you don’t want in your upcoming garage sale. However, that’s probably not a good idea. Although some items will be a hit with garage sale enthusiasts, others will fall flat — leaving you to deal with them a second time during the cleanup.
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To help, here are five items to sell at garage sales — and five that aren’t worth it.
Items To Sell at Garage Sales
From vintage items to tools, here are the items that are worth putting in your garage sale.
Antique Type Items
“Anything that is antique or vintage should do very well at your garage sale,” said David Bakke at DollarSanity. “Just make sure you research it well so you’re not selling something for a few dollars that is worth big bucks.”
Boys Clothing
“I’ve had plenty of garage sales over the years, and when it comes to clothing, it seems that the boys’ stuff sells good, the girls not so much,” said Bakke. “I wish I could tell you why, but I cannot.”
Consider pricing clothing items all the same, such as $1 each. You could also have disposable bags available with a sign that says, “Fill a bag for $5.”
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Costume Jewelry
If you have pieces of costume jewelry you’re no longer interested in wearing, put them in your garage sale. Make sure to clean dusty pieces and display them in a way that will catch the eye of potential buyers.
Fishing Gear
Liz Sweeney, owner at Dogwood Solutions, said that she’s usually the person who makes the most money at community or group garage sales, and fishing stuff is one of the things people are always looking for. According to her, people are interested in anything from fishing rods and reels to lures to tackle boxes.
Tools
“Tools almost always do well at garage sales,” said Bakke. “And really tools of any kind — power tools, yard tools, you name it. Just make sure you have an outlet available for testing, and if selling cordless tools, make sure the batteries are charged.”
Items That Aren’t Worth Selling at Garage Sales
You likely know that stained clothing, broken electronics and worn-out shoes are all items to leave out of a garage sale. Here are some other items that aren’t worth it.
Homemade Craft Items
If you’re looking to offload your collection of homemade craft items you’ve collected over the years — or even worse, you are looking to use your garage sale as a way to sell your own crafts — think again. People more than likely won’t be interested unless your stuff is unique or exceptionally awesome.