You Don't Need a Garage to Host a Money-Making Garage Sale
If you’ve decluttered your home as part of your spring cleaning and now you’re wondering what to do with all those boxes and bags of unwanted stuff, don’t head over to Goodwill just yet. Even if you live in an apartment or condo without a garage, you can still host an online garage sale online.
Sell your spare items using apps/websites like VarageSale and OfferUp.
You can get started selling your spare items in just a few minutes using your smartphone. VarageSale, an app/website started by a busy mom, lets you post items you’re looking to sell in your area. It’s easy to list lots of items at once with just a picture, a price and a short description. OfferUp is a similar app that allows you to quickly put up pictures and descriptions of the items you’re looking to sell and connect with potential buyers.
Join local Facebook communities for buying and selling items.
Facebook can be another great place to offload stuff you’re looking to get rid of. You can use Facebook Marketplace to list your spare items, such as furniture, clothing, knickknacks—you name it. You can also try searching for “Buy and Sell Items” + Your City and see if there are groups specifically meant for selling things in your area.
Of course, if you’re selling items online through an app or through Facebook, make sure you stay safe. The blog How Does She recommends meeting up in a public place (or asking a friend or family member to stay around if the person needs to come to your home), having your phone easily available, and listening to your instincts—if something feels wrong, trust your gut.
Research what your items are worth.
Some of the items you’re looking to sell could be more valuable than you think. You can check sites like eBay to see how much similar items are going for. Or if it’s a specialty item, you can get in touch with collectors to see what they believe it’s worth. Lifestyle and entertainment site LiveAbout notes that you can often search online to see if there are any collectors clubs nearby. Members might be willing to answer your questions or appraise the item. And who knows? Maybe that old book or coin collection you were about to donate could be worth hundreds of dollars.
Take good, well-lit pictures of items you’re trying to sell.
Once you’ve decided to sell your items online, make sure you’re truly selling them. The Simple Dollar notes that you should avoid taking grainy, blurry, or dark photos of the item. Make sure it looks clean, and if possible, place it against a backdrop that makes it pop. If there are any cosmetic flaws in the item (like a small dent or area where paint is coming off), make sure you take a picture of that spot so buyers know exactly what they’re getting.
You don’t have to be a professional photographer, but taking a high-quality photo can help sell your items much faster.
Write detailed descriptions of the items you’re selling online.
On a similar note, you should provide some detail about the items you’re selling. It doesn’t have to be a novel, but telling potential buyers about the item and why you’re selling it can be helpful. Prospective buyers may want to know measurements, whether the item is from a smoke-free and/or pet-free home, and why you’re getting rid of it. The Simple Dollar also recommends that if you’ve hardly used the item and it’s basically like new, you should include that in your description. That barely touched gift from your aunt might be clutter to you, but it could be the perfect piece for someone else.
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