Planning and pricing separate good garage sales from bad: deal hunters

Bargain hunters check out tables of goods set up at the Great Glebe Garage Sale, in Ottawa, on Saturday, May 27, 2023. Photo by Justin Tang /The Canadian Press

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Candy Ingram was hooked on garage sales from the first time her parents dragged her along to one.

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“I was 20 or 21, with my mom, and I put my hand in a box of jewelry and pulled out a gold ring, so all that got me going,” recalled the Winnipeg woman who now goes to garage sales weekly and has hosted several.

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In the decades since she struck gold, she’s learned it takes much more than a box of jewelry to make a garage sale a hit.

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Success hinges on planning and pricing — processes she thinks should begin almost as soon as the urge to declutter or earn some extra cash through a garage sale strike.

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“Make yourself three piles: give away, keep and then, of course, your garbage pile,” said Ingram. Whatever doesn’t fit in any of those can be ideal for a garage sale — with some caveats.

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Health Canada says anyone hosting a garage sale is legally responsible to ensure products sold, whether new or used, meet safety standards.

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That means no selling baby walkers, which were banned in April 2004, cribs made before 1986 or protective sports equipment like helmets more than five years old or without a CSA International safety sticker.

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Baby gates, car seats, strollers, playpens, toys, kids clothes with drawstrings and jewelry also come with Health Canada requirements for anyone selling them or even giving them away.

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If an item can be sold, the seller should check to see whether it is working, has all of its parts or has any damage, said Jeremy Gruman, one of the organizers of the Great Grandview Garage Sale in Vancouver. Sometimes you can sell items missing a piece or in need of repair, but it should be disclosed to the buyer.

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Assessing what you want to sell should begin long before your sale so you know the state of what you have to offer but also so you can start “the emotional work of detaching yourself from these things,” Gruman said.

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“The sooner you start thinking about the stuff you want to get rid of, the better,” Gruman said.

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“I’m a total pack rat and I often realize I don’t need this … and I can put this on the front lawn next weekend and hopefully sell it for $5 and, and then not have this clutter in my home and in my life.”

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Once you’ve got your haul together, check what laws your municipality has around garage sales. Some cities have a limit on the number you can host annually or require you to get a permit.

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If you’re able to proceed, pick a date that isn’t a long weekend or holiday, said Ingram. Saturdays and Sundays in spring or fall work best, though Fridays are gaining in popularity, she said.

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When a date is selected, you can start advertising. Share details about your sale on Facebook or other online spaces and make signs you can put up in your neighbourhood.

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“Have the address big and clear,” said Patricia Sawicki, another Winnipeg-area garage sale hopper.