Now that your garage sale is over and done, you're left staring at the unsold garage sale items, wondering what to do with them. Garage sales can be a great way to declutter your home and make some extra cash, but they often leave sellers with remaining items taking up floor space. Don't worry—there are plenty of options for getting rid of your garage sale leftovers. Read on for tips on handling the garage sale leftovers after your successful yard sale weekend:
The key to minimizing leftover items after a garage sale is hosting a sale that attracts a lot of potential buyers. Use the following garage sale tips to advertise effectively, display items nicely, price competitively, and more to drive traffic and sales:
Before planning your garage or yard sale, check with your local municipality on any by-laws, permits, or restrictions for hosting sales. There may be rules around zoning, signage, timing, or frequency that impact how and where you can host your sale. For example, some areas only allow two garage sales per household per calendar year or may require special permit approvals. Knowing the guidelines will help your sale go smoothly without any compliance issues.
Spreading the word about your upcoming garage sale is crucial for driving traffic. Brightly coloured signs with large text and clear directions posted around your neighbourhood approximately one week before your sale date help attract people’s attention. Choose intersections, community mailboxes, local parks, and other high-visibility areas within a few blocks' radius to maximize impressions. Rotate sign placements over the week to keep them fresh, too.
Promote the garage sale on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Kijiji, Nextdoor, local online yard sale groups, and community bulletins. Include key details like date, location, photos, and categories of items available. Create event pages and write posts leading up to the date to build excitement and intrigue. Ask friends and family to share the event widely with their networks—the more potential buyers you can attract, the more items you’ll sell.
Research similar items online and at second-hand stores to determine fair asking prices for your merchandise. Remember, the primary goal is to sell stuff and declutter rather than make top dollar, so keep prices on par with perceived value. Bundle together complementary items to add more value—for example, market bedding sets, a stack of children’s book series, or a full dinnerware set rather than individually. Provide deep discounts on slow-moving merchandise each day to motivate purchase decisions. Consider accepting reasonable negotiated prices and make-an-offer options, too. The easier you make it for shoppers to envision a good deal, the more success your garage sale will have in clearing items.
Display items neatly on tables so buyers can clearly visualize them in their own homes. Use tablecloths to add some flair. Group similar merchandise together in sections—kitchenware on one table, books on another, children’s items in one area, etc. Clean items to show they are in good condition without major flaws or defects. Lightly wash toys and sporting goods. Remove stains, scuffs, or other visible wear from goods when possible. Well-displayed, cleaned merchandise helps demonstrate continued value to buyers.
Offer bundles and bonus items to add additional value for shoppers. For example, you could sell a set of six matching glasses together rather than individually. Toss an extra book in for free with the purchase of a box set. Make a pile of children’s toys and games priced as a lot. Bundling makes it easier for buyers to purchase more goods in bulk, increasing your overall garage sale numbers.
Remain open to accepting reasonable counter offers on asking prices whenever possible as the sale progresses. Throw in an additional small item for free if someone is wavering on a purchase decision. Offering tailored deals sweetens the transaction for both parties—shoppers appreciate a bargain, and you’re able to clear more pre-loved goods from your home. Flexibility enables you to sell more items during your garage sale weekend event.
Even seasoned garage sale hosts end up with some amount of leftover items and unsold merchandise. You might have remaining goods hanging around, like dressers, side tables, vintage decor, bicycles, electronics, dishes, vases, picture frames, etc. If your garage looks like an overstocked thrift store by the time your sale wraps up, don’t fret! You still have options for conveniently getting rid of the garage sale leftovers without much hassle.
Gather up any nice but unsold clothing, shoes, accessories, linens, books, toys, and housewares still in good, usable condition. Deliver these to local charities and donation centres like Goodwill, Salvation Army, and community thrift shops. Call ahead to ask about categories accepted. For example, some thrift stores may not take certain electronics, large furniture, toys, or textbooks. By donating the goods left over from your garage sale, you simultaneously free up space in your home while supporting community missions. Double win!
Digital platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Kijiji, eBay, and more enable you to easily post photos, descriptions, and details of your unsold items for online sales. Compared to an in-person garage sale event confined to a single weekend, selling online opens you up to a much wider geographic audience over an extended time period. You can peddle leftover goods locally to arrange safe porch pick-ups in your neighbourhood or even ship items sold to distant buyers using calculated shipping rates. Relisting unsold physical merchandise from your garage sale into online listings helps you continue clearing out goods long after your temporary sale event ends.
Instead of selling the garage sale leftovers online, consider bartering them. Ask friends, family members and neighbours if anyone wants to trade items. This approach eliminates pricing research and negotiations. Focus conversations on conveying what you have to offer and wish to receive in return. Trades could work especially well for hobby supplies, kids’ toys, niche kitchen appliances, games and puzzles, home accents, and decor. With a little networking, you’ll discover mutual wants that turn your garage sale leftovers into freshly useful goods.
If you have sizable or challenging leftover items after your garage sale, avoid letting them sit around indefinitely cluttering up your home. Boxes of unsold electronics and gadgets or heaps of clothing piling up in the basement for years tends to just attract dust bunnies. Super Junk offers fast, friendly large item junk removal services throughout Winnipeg, MB and surrounding areas. Rather than wasting your weekend dragging heavy leftovers to thrift stores or the dump yourself, let our experts handle the hard work.
Our experienced team provides safe loading of all garage sale remains using proper equipment like dollies, ramps, and lifting tools. We haul away sizable leftovers like armoires, bed frames, sinks, chairs, bikes, printers, tables, stoves, mattresses, treadmills, and even hot tubs. Just point out the bulky garage sale items you need removed, and our crew will seamlessly transport them out of your space.
Schedule a special post-garage sale junk pick-up online or over the phone for a date that fits your availability—we work weekends, too. Super Junk keeps reusable goods circulating through responsible recycling programs and partnerships with charities. Items get broken down based on composition and material type to prevent waste accumulation.
Stop staring helplessly at the garage sale leftovers cluttering up your home post-sale. Call Super Junk now to conveniently remove any heavy, challenging, or bulky leftovers to free up garage or basement space. Our experts make clutter removal easy, allowing you to fully enjoy the decluttering benefits of hosting a neighbourhood yard sale event.
