How common are garage sales really?

[-]

SabreLee61@reddit

I haven’t been to a garage sale in decades, but I hit estate sales all the time. A first-time home buyer could furnish and accessorize their entire home just through estate sales — with better quality items at a fraction of the cost.

[-]

Ride-Entire@reddit

100% with you. I haven’t been to a garage sale in years, but I tend to hit 1-3 estate sales a weekend. Massive difference between the two

One is junk people don’t want anymore, the other is everything in the house that isn’t permanently attached

[-]

Exciting_Vast7739@reddit

My buddy likes art, and he haunts estate sales in Florida because apparently rich people move to Florida, buy art, permanently relocate out of this realm of existence, and their kids just liquidate at the estate sale rather than flying to Florida to try and ship art back home.

[-]

MastiffOnyx@reddit

Lived in a neighborhood that once a year, blocked off the street and held a 30 homes included garage sales block party.

90% of the stuff went to another neighbor and would show up in their garage sale the next year.

Mental-Paramedic9790@reddit

Ex CUUUUSE me for missing THAT little piece of information.

[-]

cownan@reddit

Ahh, yeah, I've been on that site. Not very good for dating, lots of dudes on there.

[-]

jessiyjazzy123@reddit

Lmao! I'm old, so that site didn't exist when I was younger...

But, my first day in a new school in a new state, we happened to be discussing different dialects and how people call different things by different names in different parts of the country.

savguy6@reddit

In our city, the local mall used to host a city-wide one in their parking lot where you bought a 2 parking space block for like $50. Set up time was from 5-7am where people drive in, offloaded all their crap and set up in their allotted spaces.

By 7am all the “sellers” had to be set up and they let all the “buyers” in to start looking/buying. They ran it from like 7am-2pm. At the end of the day, if you had something that no one bought and you didn’t want to take it home, the mall arranged the local Goodwill to have their donation trailer onsite so you could just donate it.

pretty common..

Back in the 80s I bought a Japanese WW2 rifle from a yard sale...and ended up selling it at one as well

Multiple in neighborhoods with yards, every weekend through the spring and the summer. There are fewer in autumn.

[-]

I would say it depends on the area and financial health. I’ve talked to lots of people my age that either use market places or don’t want to bother. I helped my friend at her parents estate sales and I HATED getting lowballed all the time. So I more or less will never do yard sales, and had friends say similar things.

If there aren’t less yard sales, things DEFINITELY have changed. I think community wide sales are more common. Where one housing development or street will agree to sell stuff all the same day, and sometimes share costs for advertising.

Another thing is that I personally get rid of most of my stuff through pop up consignment sales. Mostly for old kid stuff. Which I don’t think existed until the internet age (most of the functions are don’t on websites and sold in person)

I’ve also seen more “free” yard sales. People want to get rid of stuff so they put it on display and people can just take what they want. I’ve seen people post these on Facebook buy nothing groups- another way people can get rid of stuff with out a yard sale.

PomPomMom93@reddit

I’ve never had one in my town.

[-]

Elixabef@reddit

This has been my experience, too. Saw lots of garage sales when I was a kid in the ‘90s; these days, not so many. Seems like most folks just use FB marketplace these days.

[-]

big_sugi@reddit

I’m also in Northern Virginia, and I think it depends. My parents live in Fairfax County, and there aren’t as many yard sales in their neighborhood, but they were also never that prevalent to begin with. The subdivision is basically a cul-de-sac a mile in diameter with just one entrance, which is more than a mile down a secondary road that itself doesn’t connect to anything, so there’s very little pedestrian activity and no one is driving by who doesn’t live there.

HaplessReader1988@reddit

Vinyl used to be used as a recording medium. The last time I heard my father's voice was on a record album from some corporate stockholders meeting where he gave a presentation. Unfortunately , I think my mother discarded the record. :(

[-]

Drew707@reddit

Obviously you wouldn't find Grandma's sex swing.

Demented-Alpaca@reddit

and the weird thing is that someone will buy it. I don't care how tacky, how broken, how stupid... you can sell it if you price it right.

A dude near me was selling an OPENED bottle of Vodka. It was some collectors item Jimi Hendrix vodka or something (I don't remember the artist) and he'd opened it. Swore he had one drink and the contents were original. Got $80 for it.

$80 for someone's used goddamn vodka...

[-]

FatGuyOnAMoped@reddit

At one of our sales, my wife was selling off some old paintings she got from somewhere. They were abstract, and the canvases were quite large (like 3' x 4'). They weren't special or by a renowned artist, so nothing special. We sold them for $10 each.

A guy bought them to re-use for his own paintings. Apparently, getting pre-stretched canvases can be expensive, and a lot of painters re-use old canvases for new paintings.

[-]

___deleted-@reddit

This is an age old concern.

Many old significant paintings were made over older ones. They find out when they do imaging for conservation.

[-]

FFF_in_WY@reddit

It wouldn't be the worst idea to buy old paintings for a song just to go find out if there's anything underneath..

[-]

Kataphractoi@reddit

A guy bought them to re-use for his own paintings. Apparently, getting pre-stretched canvases can be expensive, and a lot of painters re-use old canvases for new paintings.

Depending on brand and type (gallery, museum, etc) they can be. A 3x4ft one you're paying around $40-$50 on the low end so yeah, he got a good deal.

[-]

CreepinJesusMalone@reddit

you can sell it if you price it right.

I think that's the only difference I've ever noticed between states/regions when it comes to yard and garage sales.

I grew up in the rural south and my parents lived up the street my my dad's parents. They would have a joint yard sale every spring and they would sell all kinds of accumulated junk, clothes, old toys, and appliances for literally pocket change. I have a core memory of being about 6 or 7 and an old man counting out $2 in nickels for 3 refurbished weed eaters my dad had in his shed.

I don't think my parents ever made more than $100.

Jeff Foxworthy used to have a bit in one of his sets back in the day about buying a stack of warped Tupperware lids for a dime.

That's not generally been my experience at yard sales outside the south. People don't haggle near as much and will get upset if you offer them less than $10 or $20 on some of their junk. I offered a guy just a few weeks ago $5 for a shoe box of loose DVDs and he acted like I had insulted his mother. Half those discs probably didn't even work lol.

[-]

TSells31@reddit

I’m in Iowa and both dirt cheap prices and haggling are very common here.

[-]

101maimas@reddit

I feel like it’s a rural thing mostly. I grew up in rural Illinois & use to hit up rummage sales every weekend with my grandma who was GREAT at bartering down prices & would scoff at someone trying to sell anything that wasn’t like expensive machinery or furniture for more than $5. I vividly remember finding a dress that I liked once & it was $7 & my grandma said that was way too expensive & got them to lower it to $2 for me lol. Even that was pricey for clothing to her she usually bought sweaters & tshirts for .25 cents at these spots

[-]

Demented-Alpaca@reddit

Here in Idaho it's not uncommon to haggle.

And if you put up a sign that says "prices firm" or "no haggling" people seem to take that as a personal challenge.

[-]

theCaitiff@reddit

hiirogen@reddit

America’s storage industry (self storage units, pods and the like) is always growing because we buy so much crap we don’t even have room for it all in our homes. So we either have to sell it or pay to store it somewhere

[-]

Ok-Thing-2222@reddit

They are common almost every weekend and several 'citywide' garage sales' over the course of summer--even a highway-route event extending miles.

not only is this completely normal from late spring to early fall, there are certain houses that keep one running every single weekend throughout that entire time. sometimes it's somebody down on their luck just trying to make money, but more often than not it's someone who buys garbage online and resells it at a profit or someone who scouts other yard sales, buys their stuff, and flips it for more money. they don't seem to understand how people don't find any appeal when something is very easy to get so having it every weekend is probably actually shooting them in the foot.

trout715@reddit

in the 70s and 80s, I saw one every weekend, and i grew up in a small town. Now, I almost never see them. The last few places I have lived require a permit to have one, and they are hard to get. Most of them are now community garage sales

[-]

rp_player_girl@reddit

My grandmother used to go garage sale shopping every single weekend during the summer.. and late spring most of fall (it only gets cold for about a month here)

[-]

Caira_Ru@reddit

15 years ago, I sold an old broken treadmill (the replacement parts no longer available kind of thing) for way more than it was ever worth… The guy was excited when he and his son loaded it into their pickup. I didn’t ask questions, just took their money.

March to November is prime yard and garage sale season in the US.

Super fun to put on your pirate hat, call your best friend and go yard sale-ing on a weekend.

You’ll find 2-4 every weekend in a small town, way more in a city.

[-]

SufficientComedian6@reddit

Very common. There is usually one every weekend at someone’s house in our neighborhood. (Different homes)

[-]

devilscabinet@reddit

I live in a town of 150,000 people. There are probably at least 30 garage sales every weekend in this town alone.

[-]

Footnotegirl1@reddit

You will find a garage sale pretty much every weekend throughout whatever is the good weather period (in other words, in the South, all year round when it's not too hot or raining, but in the North, probably not from mid October until late April).

Fairly common on weekends in spring and summer. If the weather’s nice there usually at least one within a couple miles of me, and that’s been true as I’ve moved around.

They’re not always in garages. Sometimes people have “yard sales” or “tag sales” — same thing without the garage.

[-]

Sharontoo@reddit

Every weekend. It’s a great way to reuse and repurpose.

[-]

Fit-Distribution2303@reddit

The garage and yard sale signs sprout up like weeds every weekend.

[-]

Pryoticus@reddit

Pretty much every Thursday-Saturday all spring and summer in Michigan

[-]

MessyDragon75@reddit

There's a house one street over that has one almost every weekend. Usually crappy stuff, but different stuff every year. I've had 2 as an adult. Never again. Had a $150 pressure cooker I was selling for $30 and an old lady with her quarters asked if I could lower the price.

Another family was piggybacking on my yard sale and some last scammed both of us and stole a bunch of stuff. Garage sale christians are the worst.

Somewhat common here in Phoenix. Many subdivisions will organize it to be on a single weekend to attract more people.

[-]

AOC_rocks@reddit

Very common.

[-]

Jsmith2127@reddit

Very. The small town I live in does town wide yard sales every fourth of July weekend. The next town over does the same, the week after.

All the time! I’ve lived in California, Texas and Virginia and see them all the time. You better show up real early to get the good stuff then show back up really late to get all the left over stuff cheap or free.

There's a house near me that has a Saturday and Sunday yard sale every frickin weekend. I ride by it every time I ride my bike on the weekends.

I bet the neighbors love that.

[-]

landob@reddit

so common in my area that aside from people doing their own sale whenever, we have a coordinated yearly neighborhood garage sale in the spring. Its advertised in the news and social media. Everyone who wants to participate get all your stuff outside for sale.

[-]

Nadsworth@reddit

My wife’s dad holds a garage sale every weekend in the summer.

They're less common than when I was growing up but they're still common enough.

But you ought to watch better shows, if this is what you're viewing.

[-]

passisgullible@reddit

Very. Like every month I see a new sign

[-]

TheMotorcycleMan@reddit

No less than 100 a weekend in my area.

serialband@reddit

Far too common with too much trash for sale.

Ok-Ambassador8271@reddit

We have an 400 mile yard sale here. They are essentially like little individual flea markets at everyone's house https://www.400mile.com/

[-]

Dalton387@reddit

Southeast, at least in the summer (maybe spring/fall) you can’t drive across town, without seeing a dozen signs.

Basically, people just decide they have too much stuff. Go through it and realize that stuff that once meant something no longer does. Babies are grown, they never use that old China, etc.

They are banned in my town by town rules.

They seem most common in middle class suburbs. Upper middle class and wealthy people often donate their items.

DanceClubCrickets@reddit

Oh boy, this is gonna be me someday 😑 my mom is a shopping addict (who really hates when I bring up the environmental impact of overconsumption, as I found out on Monday!) and I'm an only child, so someday I'm gonna inherit all her crap, and I'll probably have to either have an estate sale, or a garage sale that runs for multiple summers.

[-]

bluecrowned@reddit

I'm trying to clear out my mom's shit while she's still alive. A lot of it is ruined by rats and I have to reason with her when she whines about keeping things like a rat pee stained rug.

[-]

It depends on the area. Where I live, very common.

[-]

N661US@reddit

In the summer very common. Usually a handful within 20 mins of me on any given weekend.

About 10 times MORE common than you see on TV.

I was working on a gig in a small town in Maine.

IndomitableAnyBeth@reddit

Any sizeable town will have a number of them almost every weekend for at least the season. Where I live it's also very common for a municipality to have city-wide garage sales on a regular basis. Mine has such a thing twice a year. The city itself provides signs, the newspaper ads are cheaper, and the town provides a map of sales. Apartment complexes tend to allow a space for tenants to sell on those days and, lately, the city has provided tables at the park where any residents without other recourse can sign up to lay out their wares. They're so common where I am that at times they also become a civic affair.

[-]

[-]

baalroo@reddit

You can go out in my city on any Saturday morning and easily just drive around and do garage sales from 8am until about 2pm (most are usually done by about 2pm).

People will put signs out at the corner of the closest major throughway "GARAGE SALE turn here" so you can just drive around and easily find them every few blocks.

[-]

phydaux4242@reddit

Most towns will have 2-3 a weekend in the summer.

There are people who make it their life’s mission to prowl yard sales & estate sales looking for underpriced treasures. Most of them specialize - Vintage hand tools, vintage toys, musical instruments, firearms (most states still allow private person-to-person sales with no paperwork, America, Fuck Yeah!).

It’s fairly common in Utah. I don’t recall seeing any in Missoula, Montana. Maybe one in Idaho.

They are occasional in my hometown, though I heard the last time I was there that someone held a yard sale every weekend, which was illegal. The popular thing to do in my hometown seemed to be going and joining a big flea market, which is like a giant yard sale. I have no idea is it was weekly or monthly. It was not held in the summer, because it got much too hot….at least not when I was living there.

[-]

Opening-Variation523@reddit

Very common where I live.

[-]

MedCup4505@reddit

Very. Many people spend lots of weekends going to garage sales as their hobby. You can find good stuff if you are committed and patient. I’m neither and I have only been to a few in many decades.

[-]

GrimSpirit42@reddit

There's at least 4-5 every weekend in my small city. But we usually refer to them as 'Yard Sales'.

My parents live in a neighborhood with a Home Owner’s Association which asks politely (and fines if you don’t comply) that you only do a garage sale during designated spring and autumn sale dates that you register for (they provide a map of participating houses) which the Home Owner’s Association promotes.

Now is there anything you actually want to buy? Personally, only very rarely.

Estate sales are better for finding real treasures (that the family doesn't want).

[-]

Adorable-Growth-6551@reddit

Our area has community garage sales. People all have their garage sale the same weekend. It makes it easy to spend an afternoon going house to house

[-]

MyNameIsMinhoo@reddit

Very common. I see about 2 going on in my neighborhood almost daily in the summertime

[-]

tripmom2000@reddit

Have held 3 of them. Mostly to get rid of kid stuff. Had tripletts so had car seats and bouncers and pack n plays. Weirdest thing I ever sold was 80's cassette tapes that I couldn't play anymore. Guy who bought them had a classic Mustang convertible and thought that driving with the top down, listening to '80's music was great! Lol

[-]

Economy_Bug9290@reddit

Super common and pretty much always several every weekend

[-]

royalhawk345@reddit

like every other suburban street has a garage sale every weekend during the summer.

Honestly not far off

[-]

ObjectiveOk2072@reddit

Very common here in the Midwest, and other areas

[-]

TheJokersChild@reddit

Pretty common. Some towns hold a communitywide sale once or twice a year. We've also got flea markets, which are like going to dozens or even hundreds of different garage sales all at once.

[-]

SignificantApricot69@reddit

I know people who are pretty much professional garage sale flippers. All they do every weekend is shop at garage sales.

[-]

ZHISHER@reddit

My grandpa had a 20 year old van just for garage sales. Every Saturday for 50 years he’d get up at 6AM, map out all the garage sales in the area, and drive around.

My dad and I were just talking about it yesterday. Even though we were poor, growing up both of us always had cool clothes, they just weren’t new. We had more toys than we could count. I had a whole library of comic books, and then when I got older, a library of actual books that he built for me, 50 cents for paperback and $1 for hardcover at a time.

God I miss him.

[-]

FairBaker315@reddit

My grandma did a similar thing with her station wagon back in the 70's/80's. Get the newspaper, check out the ads, figure out the best route and head out bright and early. Once in a while one or two of us older grandkids would spend the night and get to go along.

Nobody in the family had much money but we always had lots of nice clothes and tons of toys. Grandma kept a list of needed clothes sizes in her purse so she was prepared.

[-]

SkylineFTW97@reddit

Plenty of them in the wealthy outlying DC areas, a good way to get some good stuff for cheap. Especially come spring when people are getting rid of stuff they no longer want.

[-]

PsychologicalBat1425@reddit

They are very common. I personally don't care for garage sales, but there are a lot of people that do. They get up Saturday morning with a list of garage sales for the day.

[-]

Fairly common in spring and summer.

[-]

Kdoesntcare@reddit

My area has a community garage sale day, anybody who has stuff they want to sell can set up a table. Otherwise there are flea markets everywhere.

[-]

startupdojo@reddit

Very common but also area depending.

Last summer, I set out a box of VHS tapes at my friend’s garage sale and some dude came and took all of them, ask if there were more. It was crazy assortment of random movies I’d collected around my parent’s house, no particular genre. Kinda wonder what he did with them.

[-]

vamartha@reddit

Very common. (Rural NC, our blocks are a few feet to five miles or more on each side)

Just drive. Not the most economical way to find them but you will you find them. A lot of them. Keep driving, you will find more.

I just got back from a garage sale an hour and a half away that we arrived 1 1/2 hours early at (posted to start at 9:00 am, we got there at 7:30 am). We spent $750.00, finishing up around 10:00 am. It was primarily handcrafted items/ folk art made by the person holding the sale.

send2steph@reddit

Every small town in my area has a garage sale weekend in the spring and one in the fall. There will be random garage sales here and there but a lot of people wait for the big "city-wide" sale.

[-]

bsldestroyer@reddit

I’m in Mississippi and I could go to 20-25 every weekend if I wanted to. We usually check out 1-2 every Saturday morning. This is year round too. Winters in the 60s, the garage/yard sales never stop.

[-]

Suitable_Magazine372@reddit

Common throughout spring and summer here in Anchorage, Alaska

[-]

nuwaanda@reddit

Extremely common. My town even has a big "garage sale weekend" where they try to encourage everyone to do their garage sales so folks can go hopping from garage to garage.

[-]

BigTintheBigD@reddit

In my hometown, people would collect free crap from FB, Nextdoor, college dorms at the end of the year etc and resell at their garage sale.

Some were having them so often (practically every weekend) that it became a nuisance to the neighbors. The city started requiring a permit (limit 1 every 6 months).

sohcgt96@reddit

I tell you what though, when you have little kids, its great. Most kids outgrow stuff before its even been worn more than a handful of times, plus yard toys and stuff. Same for if you're young and getting your first place. As long as stuff isn't sketchy or gross its a good way to get your first place furnished out, or at least a few things. You might get a lawn mower or a couch for $20 that gets you through until you get a nicer one later.

[-]

ClassroomCool998@reddit

100% yes. Thanks for (re)opening my eyes to this perspective. I remember those days. Old now, not wealthy but able to easily afford all we need and some of what we want 😆

They are definitely a good way to find clothing, appliances, furniture, etc… At a fraction of the price it would sell for even on MP

[-]

CaliTexJ@reddit

It seems to happen everywhere here. It could be people trying to make a little bit back on the stuff they’re getting rid of, but it’s also not an uncommon form of fundraiser for all sorts of things from schools to community programs to religious organizations (usually raising money for youth to do something).

There are some cities/towns where you technically need a permit to hold a garage sale. The town I grew up in was like that. My family would have one every year or two and I found there was a house in the neighborhood closer to the main road that would bring out their display cases of crap whenever someone else on the block put out an ad or signs. I called them out as a young teenager and they shut down (that day at least). We needed the money; it wasn’t just about getting some extra cash to have fun, and they were stealing our traffic. In retrospect, I think they probably had a failed business and were trying to make up some of their losses since they had display cases and everything.

wallE1109@reddit

There was a home right around the corner from where I lived in Arizona just south of Sedona. They were a couple that would bid on storage sheds every chance they got. They then brought everything back home with them and laid everything out on the perpetually standing tables in their driveway. Monday through Friday those tables were tarped but come Friday morning those babies came off and the flood of cars streamed through until Sunday afternoon. There were many people in town that knew what they did and just had to know what the latest haul had to offer.

[-]

CumSlurpersAnonymous@reddit

Not particularly common on Long Island.

[-]

Critical_Ad_8175@reddit

As long as the weather is nice out, there’s yard sales going on

[-]

GrumpyBear1969@reddit

Very common. But I have only once had one and it was a neighborhood street sale. In general I find it best to have a friend or family member have one and then take your junk to them to sell. I really don’t enjoy sitting around in my garage all weekend while strangers roam around.

Extremely common where I live. It’s not really a garage sale though. It’s people who buy goods in bulk from auctions or other sources and then sell them in their lawn.

It was more common when I was kid, but dependent upon neighborhood. It used to be a common thing on the weekends in very middle class suburban areas. Nicer areas it seemed to be frowned upon/ reserved for highly organized estate sales (after someone passed away). People used to drive around and look for them, hoping for deals, as a hobby. Typically prices were very low.

I used to go to like a dozen every weekend for years.

Rockglen@reddit

It's pretty common. It's usually to get rid of clutter by selling it to someone else instead of throwing it out.

I've heard sometimes old people will do it so that they can have people to chat with.

Estate sales are sometimes conducted this way.

[-]

famjam87@reddit

Super common. Some people do it every year, some people do it once every 20 years, some only when moving

[-]

RupeThereItIs@reddit

There's one across the street from me right now.

Driving out to grab lunch I passed by probably 4 or 5 garage sale signs, and a couple of estate sale signs.

They are VERY common.

[-]

Weightmonster@reddit

Yes. From April to November there is at least one around every weekend. There are also several community wide yard sales a year in my area.

[-]

groundhogcow@reddit

If I don't see 4 aweekend every summer and fall day it's because I didn't leave the house.

[-]

Inside-Beyond-4672@reddit

Suburban they are common. Big cities, not so much.

[-]

soulmatesmate@reddit

One town I drive through for work has a town-wide yard sale for a week each year.

Weekends are more common. Also, not just yard sales, sometimes the family of a deceased person might open the house for an estate sale instead of moving it into the yard. Also, garage sales are the same thing, but in The garage.

KatanaCW@reddit

Town wide and neighborhood garage sales are common around here along with individual houses. Of course, not everyone participates but there are garage sales every weekend somewhere nearby if you are looking for one.

[-]

blacktigr@reddit

My small subdivision did a whole sub one a few weeks ago, and I walked up and down the street meeting my neighbors. I went to 7 different houses and only bought 1 thing.

In my neck of the woods, you can have a garage sale once a quarter. Can choose Friday and Saturday, or Saturday and Sunday. You must purchase a permit to have a sale.

Really common. My subdivision has 4 a year. We technically aren't supposed to have any that aren't on the HOA days, but it happens all the time and no one reports it.

A city near me requires permits for a garage sale. If you don't get the permit there can be fines.

[-]

RickSanchez86@reddit

Every Saturday in fair weather

[-]

pikkdogs@reddit

Where I am now there is usually one within a half mile every weekend or so from May to September.

MassOrnament@reddit

Very common.

They're pretty common come summertime.

We have a neighborhood one every year.

That's pretty much it. Seems like more because different neighborhoods also have annual garage sales and they aren't on the same week. So it's not uncommon, but not a weekly thing for most people (particularly as a seller, I do know a couple of people who enjoy finding garage sales and go to them constantly)

[-]

Pennyfeather46@reddit

Yes, where I live, we have yard sales nearly every weekend. I’ve stopped going cuz I have enough random stuff.

[-]

Certain_Accident3382@reddit

Happens all the time in my area. To the point some city ordinances dictate how and when you can have a yard sale. Where my parent's live you need a permit to have one, cannot do it more than twice a year, and each day requires its own permit and counts for your once and twice, and can only be operated from 8am to 4 pm, with all "merchandise" removed by 5 pm from your lawn.

City. Not county, not an HOA. The city's rule.

[-]

Lovebeingadad54321@reddit

Our neighborhood has a once a year garage sale weekend for the entire neighborhood.

You get people who travel to the neighborhood when they know there are multiple sales.

You can pretty much find someone every single weekend doing a garage sale somewhere nearby in any urban or suburban areas.

Yeah, there are probably one or two in my neighborhood pretty much every weekend in the late spring and early fall.

Not as many during the height of the summer or in winter, when people are either too busy or the weather just isn't optimal for sitting out in the yard all day trying to get people to buy your crap.

Where I live there's also a culture of "put something out early for bulk collection day because someone might just take it."

Our garbage collectors will take pretty much anything (with certain limitations) on bulk trash day, so you'll see folks driving around the night before that collection, picking up furniture to restore or old bikes or whatever.

People will even post on one of the neighborhood groups, "There's a kids' wagon in front of ADDRESS if anyone needs, otherwise it's getting picked up in the morning."

[-]

CircusFreakonLSD@reddit

Very common where I live, there are entire neighborhoods that will have weekend garage sales going on... it happens a little less in the summer though, between the extreme heat and thunderstorms, no one wants to be outside... I live in Florida, btw.

[-]

kingchik@reddit

It’s pretty common here in the city, especially during the spring and summer. But they’re mostly yard sales because our garages are in the alley.

[-]

sohcgt96@reddit

Mother in law is having one tomorrow.

wvtarheel@reddit

On a Saturday, I can't avoid seeing one if I leave my house. It's really common in suburban areas of the US.

Charleston West Virginia, where I used to live, used to do a community yard sale that was literally miles long of just everyone selling their junk.

[-]

Hugely common. When I was a kid, my parents held them often. My neighborhood sometimes has neighborhood garage sales.

When I was into distance running, I started getting bored with my routes, so I would look up where the garage sales would be each Saturday morning and make a route based on them. I took the water bladder out of my Camelbak so I could take my finds with me. If I found something too big to carry, I'd pay and give my business card so they wouldn't think I was a flake, then come back after my run to pick it up.

I've acquired mirrors, art prints, rugs, designer clothes, costume jewelry and even a lamp at garage sales. I even got some Donald Pliner motorcycle boots for just $10! And the best part is that no one knows where you got something unless you tell them. 😉

[-]

Final-Guitar-3936@reddit

Yes, it's common, but they are usually town-sanctioned. You can't just have a garage/yard sale, you have to register with the town and whatnot. I've never had one because I do not have the patience to go through old shit and sell it. I just take it to good will or throw it away. lol

[-]

Soonerpalmetto88@reddit

Every single weekend.

[-]

Catalina_Eddie@reddit

They are so common that they have to be regulated. Usually by the city. Some people would have one every week if they could.

[-]

SnowblindAlbino@reddit

They are all over, in every region of the US I've lived in (all except the deep south). Seasonal in many places, i.e. up north there aren't many in winter but tons in summer. Reverse in Arizona, etc. where it's hot.

My small town has an annual city-wide sale that definitely sees multiple houses on every block participating. But on any given weekend from May-September there are a couple of dozen sales at least.

[-]

No-Recognition7168@reddit

I drive past 2 of them on my way to work this morning.

[-]

In movies and TV shows, it seems like every other suburban street has a garage sale every weekend during the summer. Is this an exaggeration

Nope, absolutely like that, I see signs up every few blocks advertising the garage/yard/tag sales in the area

is it a really common way people spend a Saturday where you live?

I don't know that i'd say it's a common way to spend a Saturday, I'm sure it is for some people, but most people I know rarely go.

Side note, my wife says calling it a "tag sale" is a very Connecticut thing to say, I didn't know how regional the terms are. She gets annoyed when I point out signs saying tag sale in NY.

[-]

semisubterranean@reddit

Where I live, different neighborhoods coordinate to have specific garage sale days. So people in my neighborhood will have garage sales on the same weekend, then another neighborhood may have theirs the next weekend. That makes it a lot easier to get people to come to your sale when there are several in the same area and it has been advertised in the local newspaper and with signs by the nearest main roads.

[-]

Vyckerz@reddit

My mom had a garage sale almost every summer. She would get rid of old clothes and items she didn’t want anymore so she could buy new items I guess.

I wanted to have a couple of yard sales to get rid of a bunch of old kids stuff after my kids had grown up a bit and again when we decided to sell our house,, but my wife was really not into the idea of yard sales and thought they were trashy.

Remember that the shows and movies don't show all of the blocks that DON'T have a garage sale, but, yeah.

The downside of this model is you can't sell big things easily, there's nowhere to put them. My family never had one, but I remember helping a friend with theirs when we were kids, I think they were mostly selling outgrown clothes, books, trinkets, old toys. No furniture or anything like that.

[-]

deadheaddestiny@reddit

My block shuts down the street and does an advertised and semi organized block yard sale every spring.

[-]

dreadfulbadg50@reddit

They're about as common as the movies make them seem

[-]

Eagle_Fang135@reddit

Careless-Impress-952@reddit

Depends on the area. Where a friend of mine lived, there were a few every weekend. In my area, they are rare. My friend is in a more rural area, while I am more urban, which might be a reason why, but not sure

[-]

MetalEnthusiast83@reddit

Pretty much every weekend from Mid April to Mid October in my neighborhood, you will see garage and yard sales. It's too cold the rest of the year or else I am sure they would still happen.

[-]

SignificantTransient@reddit

Depends on the area. In PA, we could just drive around and find them without trouble, selling anything from antique sabers to farm equipment.

Do you NOT have them where you’re from? What do you do with old clothing or things you don’t want anymore?

The secondhand market is huge here, and depending where you go, you can find some incredible things at yard/garage/stoop sales (different names depending on area).

[-]

Evening_Eagle425@reddit

All over and often. And there's a whole group of people into running the yard sale circuit too.

Bear_Salary6976@reddit

I would say it is common, but it's not like there are a bunch going on every weekend.

I live in a suburb of about 5,000 people and there is another suburb to or north of about 5,000 also. In the spring and summer, there will probably by 2 or 3 garage sales every weekend.

You could go to one that is fairly close to your house every single weekend, but each American probably will have a garage sale 2 or 3 times in their life.

[-]

alwaysboopthesnoot@reddit

Very common here, esp since this town is very walkable from end to end and to the rail station, harbor front, town center. That makes for easy sales/plenty of passing eyes to view your stuff. People travel here from neighboring towns, make a whole day of trawling though tables full of stuff, for these sales. It helps that this area is known for quality items in good condition.

In good weather, even in the late Fall and starting in early Spring plus running all Summer long, you can see families with garage sale tables set up in the garage and on their driveways. Signs announcing the sales, at intersections/street corners.

There’s huge emphasis on BuyNothing, Freecycle, Curb Day Thursdays and Free Day Fridays, here. These garage sales are the cherry on top of the sundae that is called reducing landfill/garbage waste.

madqueen100@reddit

Very common in the suburbs, probably less common in cities (at least, in cities where I’ve lived). I’ve never had one, but I once helped a friend and what we earned wasn’t worth the time we put in. Estate sales are much better. There, all the house contents may be offered for sale, not just junk.

[-]

kingoflint282@reddit

Going to one this weekend

[-]

point50tracer@reddit

You can usually find one on any given weekend by driving through a suburban neighborhood. Just look for brightly colored construction paper arrows taped to cardboard boxes.

[-]

hypo-osmotic@reddit

My town has a big garage sale weekend every spring. People register ahead of time so you can get a map of where they're all located. People who live in apartments or otherwise can't have it at home can rent a table in the city park. For people who have stuff to get rid of but don't want to/can't hold their own sale, they start putting it out on the curb a couple days before, and people will pick up any good stuff either to keep or sell at their own sales. Starting on Monday, city workers will start going around picking up anything left over to haul to the dump free of charge, I think the only exception is hazardous materials.

I think our town goes a little bigger about this than most other towns in the area, though. I work in a different city and one Friday before the big weekend I had to drive through my town with a coworker to a site and I warned him ahead of time that the town was usually nice but it was going to be chaotic that day. He was like yeah whatever and as we drove through said "oh you weren't kidding."

malibuklw@reddit

We have a town wide garage sale in May. Then there’s usually a yard sale or two each weekend.

I’ve never sold anything at a garage sale. I did buy tomato plants during the town wide one last year

[-]

brokenman82@reddit

According to my local Facebook group there are about 5 every day

[-]

FrauAmarylis@reddit

They are a way of life.

We have LARGE HOMES WITH LARGE BASEMENTS AND GARAGES.

husky_whisperer@reddit

When the weather is nice (and even sometimes when it’s not) there is at least one within a couple miles—or a nice 30 minute walk—from my house.

[-]

Very common, but less common in wealthy areas. I think most rich people can’t be bothered to take the time for a yard sale to make just a little money.

I don’t see them most weekends in my lower middle class neighborhood but that’s because we have a couple weekends a year for a neighborhood wide yard sale. So most people just wait for those dates. If there are any random ones throughout the year it’s because someone is preparing to move.

[-]

Tat2dDad@reddit

I'm having a garage sale this weekend. Anyone need a patio table, dresser, or bookshelf?

[-]

I can find several even single weekend within a 10 mile radius of my house.

[-]

BlueRFR3100@reddit

Very common. Some neighborhoods even coordinate the dates and times.

[-]

UnrelatedCutOff@reddit

When a rich person dies they call it an ‘estate sale’, put on by their benefactors. These are the best yard sales ever.

Back in the day my grandma would check the newspaper on Fridays for upcoming yard sales and be up super early on Saturdays to be the first to as many as possible. She loved them. My dad once joked that grandma would serve us a cake she got at a yard sale lol.

[-]

PurpleLilyEsq@reddit

It depends on your neighborhood and even house. My mom is downsizing and we did not do a garage sale because the speed limit on our road is too fast and there would be no where for people to safely park their cars. We donated everything to habitat for humanity and other organizations instead.

[-]

lisasimpsonfan@reddit

Extremely common in my area. Beside individual yard sales there will be ones organized by the community where half the houses will be having yard sales on that weekend. There is also a 60 mile yard sale in NE Ohio https://trulytrumbull.com/60-mile-yard-sale/

[-]

CountChoculasGhost@reddit

Around me they are usually more of a neighborhood-wide thing and they do it one weekend over the summer.

Pretty common. Cruise around most any residential area on a Saturday morning during good weather season and you're likely to find at least one.

I bought my first grown up bike at a garage sale i randomly passed and it turned into one of my biggest hobbies and kind of an integral way of living my life.

[-]

pinniped90@reddit

Our neighborhood does two organized ones a year.

But people do them on their own all the time. Any given family may do 1 a year when there are small kids in the house because you're always outgrowing stuff. Older people may do them less frequently.

And of course some people don't do them at all, opting to just take stuff straight to Goodwill a vanload at a time.

If you want to go to garage sales, you can find plenty to choose from on any given Thursday-Saturday in April-May and Sept-Oct. Summer/winter might have some but not quite as many.

[-]

Deep-Hovercraft6716@reddit

Most garage sales run for several days, not just on a Saturday. They'll usually start on Thursdays and run through Sunday. Each City and county and state will have a different setup of rules for how often you can have a garage sale.

They're not quite as common as every other block, though there are weekends it can seem like that. If you want to go looking you could probably hit several each weekend.

I see them a lot in my area in the summer, usually 2-3 every weekend. Usually because they are getting ready to move, or they are clearing out a family member's house (either to move them into a care facility or they have died). We also have church lot sales where their congregation gets together and does their garage sales all at once.

[-]

Interesting-Egg4295@reddit

They're pretty common.