The sale you exhausted yourself preparing for is over {Oh, wait, is that just me? Do garage sales seem like a crazy ton of work to anyone else, and then in a blink they’re over?}. You’ve hopefully unloaded your old treasures, they’ve found new homes and you’ve fattened your wallet. But inevitably, regardless of how flawlessly you execute your sale, you’ll end up with some unsold items. It happens every time I have a sale. So what to do with all that stuff you didn’t want in the first place? Here are a few options:
Sell Your Stuff Online: Take your sell-able stuff {so not that stuffed bear you were hoping to get a quarter for} and list it on eBay or Craigslist. If you have some great gently loved clothes that didn’t sell, try Tradesy.com or ThredUp.com. It’s a little additional leg work, but you might find you make much more than you would at the garage sale!
Donate it: Your favorite local charity would probably be so excited to have your leftovers! Sometimes, they’ll even send a truck to haul it all away, so you don’t even have to deliver!
Save it: It might be a hassle to find a spot to store it all, but if you have the space and plan on having another sale, box it up and hang onto it. You might also consider extending the sale another weekend if you still have plenty of stuff and think the traffic will justify round 2!
Gift it: Offer it up to your family or your friends on Facebook. Even check with your neighbors. If you go this route, make sure you place a time frame on it or Aunt Glenda will be promising to pick up that end table your shoved in the garage for her for the next 4 months! Don’t fall in that trap! I’d give them a week to claim their free stuff, otherwise I’d haul it away!
List it for Free: Put a “FREE” sign in front of the items and leave them on your driveway. Chances are, they’ll be gone by the end of the day! If not, try freecycle!
What do you do with your leftovers? Know any great organizations that accept them? Do tell!
~Mavis
missy says
I really like the local Buy Nothing movement. While these hyperlocal facebook groups are about building community and reducing unnecessary use of resources, I found them to be a great place to offer things you no longer need (and ask for things you do).
Paula says
I see Lucy’s pink egg. I remember when she got it. Donate it to local animal shelter. Another sweet baby will find comfort.
Bridget Bryant says
I gift my items on my local Buy Nothing and Gift Everything Shoreline (Local Buy Nothing offshoot) Facebook groups. Gift Everything Shoreline is an amazing group of people that regularly pull together to fulfill needs and offer amazing gifts to their neighbors! Only after offering items to these groups do I then donate to Goodwill.
Jamie says
I noticed Lucy’s egg too!
I would love to second and third the part about time limits on picking up items you are giving away!!! I am part of my local Buy Nothing group and also give away on some other Facebook groups. It amazes me how someone can beg for an item they “really need”, then make every excuse in the book to not pick it up for months or even forget all together. Now I know to be very specific as to when I want it picked up by, or I will choose someone else.
My friend has done a lot of secondhand selling on Craigslist/Facebook/etc. She told me she has found people are more reliable to come get your stuff if you ask for even a few dollars instead of giving it away for free. When money is required they give the object more value. More than once she has tried giving something away for free with people being flakes. Finally asking $5 had someone actually follow through and pickup the object. She has done this many times and made money when she didn’t plan on it.
I know if I really want something from a group, I’m usually over within an hour or two. If it’s not “important enough” or have enough “true value” for me to prioritize the pickup, I probably don’t really need it to begin with!
Katy says
I love the egg pet bed. I wish I was closer I’d come buy that from you!
We gather up all leftovers and donate to the charity shop.
michelle says
I sell my leftover books to Half-Price Books or donate kids books to school library. I haven’t tried it but heard Poshmark is a good option for clothing and I love the online Facebook Yard Sale in my area to get rid of items quickly. Animal stuff, bedding, towels donate to shelters.