Craigslist Garage Sales Santa Barbara (2024)

FAQs

What is the best garage sale day? ›

Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings are usually the best time to hold a successful garage sale. Consider scheduling your sale on the first weekend of the month—when people have just gotten paid and haven't spent all their fun money yet.

Post your garage sale flyers around the neighborhood a few days before the yard sale. Make sure to place them in high-traffic areas like marts, parks, office elevators, and churches so people will see them. You can also ask your friends and family to help out.

Put up signs in the area the day before your garage sale. Be sure to have a BIG sign at the sale site. When making signs, BIG and BOLD lettering is a must. Include the date, times and address of the sale.

Baby & kids clothing, toys, and gadgets sell super well as well as kitchen stuff (dishes, cookware, etc). Adult clothing can sell, but it's generally not as popular as kids clothing. If you don't have many of the best selling items, a garage sale might not be worth your time.

But how much change to have for a garage sale? Many experienced sellers recommend having $100 in cash for your garage sale. Not only is this a good amount to get your sale started, but it also makes it easy to calculate your profit quickly.

Plenty of cash.

Get two rolls of quarters, a stack of 50 $1 bills, 10 $5 bills, and 5 $10 bills. Do it two days before the sale so that, if you forget, you can still get the change on the day before.

Sites like YardSaleSearch.com, Gsalr.com and GarageSaleFinder.com—and their mobile apps—enable garage sale enthusiasts to browse sale listings and even map out a route of their favorites. You may also want to do a quick Facebook search to see if you have any active garage sale groups in your area.

The right items bought at garage sales are often resold for an average profit of 462% each. As long as you know what to look out for, and who to sell it to, flipping garage sales (and yard sales, and flea markets!) is a clever and easy way to really line your pockets.

What are the disadvantages of a garage sale? ›

Another significant downside is that a garage sale is a lot of work. Successful garage sales involve (and require) a lot of preparation like making signs, placing ads, getting permits, pricing items, and getting up before dawn on the day of the sale to set everything up.

Whether you print, draw or buy signs, choose large, thick lettering that is bold and easily visible from a distance. Aim for contrast with text that sharply stands out against the background, such as black on white or hot pink.

Bright colors draw the eye. White lettering on a red background is a popular choice for yard sale signs, because red creates a sense of urgency, and the two colors contrast well for easy readability.

Garage Sale Tips

There should only be one designated cashier so buyers can't claim they paid someone else. All transactions should be cash only; never accept personal checks, business checks, or payroll checks. Use a locked cash box or a fanny pack and keep only a very limited amount of money on you at any time.

A good sale description is:

Concise (longer is not always better) Specific (mentions brand names where appropriate, especially for items in high demand) Spelled correctly (seriously, run it through spell check) Focused on what makes your sale unique (“Three-family sale,” “Moving sale,” or “Done having kids!”)

Use a locked cash box or a fanny pack and keep only a very limited amount of money on you at any time. If someone wants to break a large bill, such as $100 for a small item, tell them you will be happy to hold the item if they want to go get change.

Sellers are ready to part with their things, so it's perfectly acceptable to haggle on pricing, especially if you are interested in a high-dollar item or have a grouping of things. Either ask the seller if they can lower the price or feel free to make an offer. However, don't suggest too low a price.

Best to put everything on a table or hang it within reach. Dumping clothes on a sheet on the lawn, only looks like you haven't done laundry in a long time. Clean it, dust it or at least wipe it down. If it's clean and tidy it sells a LOT faster.