Are Garage Sales Dead for Secondhand Clothes?

While we focus a lot on thrift stores on this site, garage sales can sometimes be an incredible source for secondhand clothing—especially for resale. With approximately 165,000 garage sales held in the United States every week, they’re certainly popular with both buyers and sellers alike. In this article, we’ll explore some of the appeal of garage and yard sales, gems to look out for, how they compare to thrift stores, and how to get great deals.

Why garage sales?

Garage sales offer several distinct advantages over thrift stores as well as some drawbacks.

A garage sale is certainly going to have fewer items than a thrift store. There won’t be as many sizes or brands either, they’re less convenient, you might be out in the hot sun, you’ll almost certainly have to pay with cash, and you can forget about any type of return or refund policy. You’re on your own here and taking bigger risks.

At the same time, there are many inherent benefits. Even if the risks are bigger, you’re probably spending less money. Pricing at garage sales will almost always be lower, and typically it’s negotiable. You’re interacting with the seller directly, not an intermediary at a thrift store. You can bundle things together, barter if you want, and come up with more creative offers. Where I might be satisfied netting a 3X profit from a thrifted piece of clothing from a thrift store, from a garage sale I might target as high as 10X. Even if it’s more work to find great pieces, the lower prices tend to pay off for resellers in particular.

If your goal is resale, you will have an easier time at garage sales. When shopping for yourself you might only be able to target a single size and style, whereas as a reseller you can look for the best resale opportunities across sizes, styles, brands, and more.

What to look for at garage sales

With no way to return or refund garage sale purchases, it’s especially important to pick great items only, and to be extra cautious when doing your due diligence.

Before we talk about key pieces to look for, I want to give extra attention to things you should check with clothing purchases. As is typical for many clothing purchases, inspect for any damage or signs of wear. Look for intact linings, working zippers, and buttons where there should be buttons. Check for signs of heavy wear, especially around places like cuffs and collars. Avoid anything with obvious signs of alterations.

If, after checking 2 or 3 pieces of clothing, you find consistent wear and quality issues, move on. There are likely other garage sales you can visit instead, and it’s not worth your time to dig through items at a location where perhaps clothes weren’t well cared for. Quite often you’ll be able to tell if a garage sale is worth your time within 2 minutes of arriving.

When I visit garage sales, I generally find the best deals and resale opportunities in a few key areas:

• Designer pieces. Check for clothing and accessories from well-known designers or brands. Target pieces that are unique and appear to have high-quality materials and craftsmanship.
• Outerwear. Look for classic coats and jackets, particularly denim and leather jackets that are in good shape and ideally branded.
• Jeans and denim. Popular and designer brands can sell well, especially when they’re made of high-quality, heavyweight denim. Look for classic cuts and styles in popular sizes, which tend to be in the medium range.
• Dresses and formal wear. Garage sales are a great source of elegant pieces that might have been worn only a handful of times, if at all. Watch for stains and alterations, and keep an eye out for fabrics like silk, satin, and lace, and pieces in timeless styles that don’t go out of fashion.

Conclusion

If you have some time on a weekend and it’s nice weather, spending it on the hunt at garage sales is a great way to pass the time. With the tips in this article, I hope you’ll be able to improve your likelihood of finding great pieces, getting them for a great price, and reselling for a significant profit.

Happy thrifting!