Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
Learn how to price garage sale items for maximum profit in Canada. Get tips on what you can and cannot sell, and make the most of your decluttering.
Pricing can be hit or miss, so buyers keep their eyes open for a great deal.
It’s that time again when yard signs are popping up all over the neighbourhoods.
If you plan on hosting, please be aware of the garage sale health Canada warning.
Today, I want to discuss how to price garage sale items to get the optimum return.
Summer Garage Sale Downsizing
A garage sale might be on your summer to-do list to downsize what you no longer use at home.
We go by the theory that if we haven’t used it in 6 months, we discuss selling or donating.
Pricing is one of the most challenging sales tasks if the goal is profit.
We have also been to garage sales and talked to sellers who get items for free using coupons.
Products such as shampoo, deodorant, laundry soap, body, and toothpaste that the seller gets for free are resold for profit.
Don’t dismiss used products, as we’ve found partially used or expensive body products.
Someone will sell it if it can sell, especially if they need money.
Store closings are also a popular way to get products to sell for reduced prices.
We once went to a dollar store sale where products that were once $1 were now $0.10 each.
As a seller, you might want to consider whether your selling price is a price you would pay.
Planning A Garage Sale
If you want to host a successful garage sale, planning for at least two months is ideal.
Many sellers forget to plan for essential items in advance.
- Pricing items in advance by researching the current value
- Advertising on utility posts, newspapers, and online groups on Facebook or Kijiji.
A common mistake is advertising a garage sale online and forgetting the address, time, or date.
Below is an ad example that is easy to market and will potentially get you traffic.
Don’t be shy to add a bit of humour to your garage sale sign or online listing.
A catchy advertisement means that more people might read it and share it.
Garage Sale Ad Example
Wonderville, Ontario – Huge Garage Sale, Saturday, May 19, 2013, rain or shine, from 7 am to noon on Dovey Crescent.
Please see the attached Google Maps for directions.
Items For Sale Include:
- Baby Boy and Girls clothing six months to 5T.
- Gardening Tools
- Home Decor
- Books
- Oversized Rugs
- King-size Bedding
- Mechanics Tools
- Winter Tires
No early birds, or I’ll have to cage you and sell you at a negotiated price!
Our children hold a Bake Sale with chocolate chip cookies, coffee, water, and orange juice.
Bring your appetite and your money.
Everyone Welcome!!
Who Goes To Garage Sales?
Garage sales are for everyone, and the “poor people” stereotype we sometimes hear is the wrong attitude.
Remember, you can’t judge a person from their clothes, their car, or where they shop.
You get the odd, snotty homeowner who looks down at you, but who cares?
It’s not like you will ever see them again.
I don’t care what anyone thinks, primarily if they sell me something reasonably priced.
People of all ages and incomes are going house to house to grab the good stuff before it’s gone.
Home designers, home staging professionals, and frugal people visit garage sales for deals.
No Early Birds
At least one person will always show up early to a garage sale when a homeowner has “no early birds” posted in the ad.
Not all early birds want first dibs, as some buyers tend to scope out what the seller has for sale.
Some people get free stuff on the side of the road or from free-cycle and resell it at garage sales.
The theory is if the original homeowner didn’t want to sell it, someone else would if they could earn cash.
Garage Sale Pricing
No garage sale pricing guide is available online, as prices vary per item.
It’s up to sellers to create a pricing list based on the items for sale.
Price garage sale items reasonably by researching the article if you’re unsure.
When pricing an item, consider the condition and whether all pieces are in the box.
People don’t host a garage sale, hoping a buyer will pay retail prices because they won’t.
They won’t, even with a valuable vintage item, so try selling it online instead for the best profit.
Negotiate Your Way To SOLD!
When someone visits a garage sale, they want bargain basement prices and a discount.
If that means you haggle (which is almost 100% going to happen), negotiate towards a price you are comfortable accepting.
No one says you must accept an offer, but you don’t want to lug stuff back into the house.
Negotiating doesn’t sound so bad after all, now does it?
In the last hour of a garage sale, sellers will deeply discount items to move them faster.
Be realistic about the items you sell because you know how the product was used or handled.
The seller also knows the age and how much they paid for the item or if they are the original owner.
If you sell ancient history items (no longer manufactured), consider a reasonable price, especially if parts are no longer available.
Garage Sale Price Tags And Master List
The ideal price tags for a garage sale are coloured round stickers from the Dollar Store.
You can also colour code the items with the stickers using blue for $1.00 and red for $2.00.
Using a marker, write a price using masking tape, a paper sign, or a master list.
How To Price Garage Sale Items In Canada
If a seller has a master list of garage sale prices, how did they determine them?
Product pricing differs worldwide and, in some cases, city to city, province to province, and state to state.
Some people pay taxes on items. Others don’t, so prices are up to the seller.
If one person values an item, another won’t see its worth; better yet, they may, and you might not if you aren’t on top of your game.
How To Find Average Garage Sale Prices
1. Research Prices
I would suggest that if you are concerned about a specific item, do your research.
For example, if you have wedding gifts that are brand new and you want to sell them, see if you can find them online.
You likely have no idea what they cost because you didn’t pay for the wedding gifts, so any price is a starting point.
Search Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, Craigslist, or eBay to see what other sellers list the price.
Related: 6 Tips To Sell Yourself Fast On Kijiji
You can average your garage sale prices if it makes you feel more comfortable.
2. Price To Sell
When hosting a garage sale, if you want to get rid of the stuff, you need to price it to sell.
If you think about the money you are losing, it is when you are hauling stuff back into your house.
We sold flowers last year, and that money goes toward our landscaping project.
Everyone knows businesses will market products to customers, so they think they are getting a better deal.
An example would be 2/$1.00 or one for $0.75. Immediately, you would say, hey, I’ll take two then; it’s cheaper.
Use the same marketing as the big guys with items you have to move out faster.
If you paid $20 for an item and it is used, sell it for a reasonable percentage of the original price.
There are no hard, fast, and steady rules for pricing. It’s your choice.
You can use the percentage rule selling garage sale items at 10% of the original cost.
Again, prices are based on quality, brand, used or new, and current retail price.
- Research the current product price.
- Sell for a fraction of that price whether the item is used or new.
3. Consult With Friends and Family Or Online Communities
Don’t hesitate to ask if you aren’t sure where a product has come from or don’t know what it is or its age.
I’m sure there are many online forums where you can take a picture of the item and post it for feedback.
It doesn’t hurt to ask because you never know what you hold on to and if it’s worth the money.
How often have we heard buyers who find a great deal only to find out it was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars?
Sellers don’t want to make that mistake if they sit on a gold mine and sell it for a dollar or two.
Garage Sale Season
When is garage sale season in Canada?
Garage sales tend to start the May two-four weekends until October, when most pack it in for the season.
Negotiating Prices At A Garage Sale
We picked up a few items this past week, including the cover photo
The Rules of Wealth finance book was $2.00, and I negotiated for $1.00.
A one-dollar price tag was remarkable, considering the book price is $19.99 and brand new.
I could have borrowed the book from the library, but I considered time and gas in the equation.
Buying the book allows me to read it without worrying about late fees.
The plant stands cost us $3.00, which I haggled the seller down from $5.00.
I paid $0.50 for the dish cleaning products, such as a pot scrubber and sink plugs.
A Succulent Money Tree for $0.50 for Charity
Money Tree 2022
Update 2022: Since purchasing this tiny plant, I’m happy to report that it is alive and MASSIVE.
As of 2024, our money tree is much larger and flowering, so it’s extra happy.
Large Wicker Basket
We have used this $5 wicker basket for so many things over the years.
Now, it sits in our living room, holding blankets for movie night or when it’s chilly.
Vintage Bowl and Candle
This vintage bowl and candle cost us $4.00, with the candle sticker at $9.99 underneath, but who knows what they paid for it originally.
It’s still a good deal if you ask me, as we couldn’t buy this for $4.00 anywhere new, and that’s what it is: unique.
Stick To Online Selling For Vintage Or Expensive Items
If you are unsure how to price items, don’t sell them until you know.
If you won’t be able to sleep at night knowing that you sold an item that might be worth money, keep it indoors.
Sometimes, selling on Kijiji, Craigslist, or eBay is better if you have a set price, as you might get what you want for the item.
Take time, plan it out, and smile because every customer likes a friendly homeowner ready to conduct business.
If you have kids, involve them by making and selling baked goods to help build an entrepreneurial mindset.
Discussion: What other tips do you have?
Please leave your comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Mr. CBB
Other Garage/Yard Sale Posts
- How To Flip Garage Sale Purchases
- Ways To Host A Successful Virtual Garage Sale
- Garage Sale Food And Drink Ideas To Sell
- Do You Have A Garage Sale Permit?
- How To Sell Used Kids Clothing At A Garage Sale
- The Ultimate Garage Sale Guide To Prevent Theft
- Should There Be A Garage Sale Return Policy?
- 20 Garage Sale Tools To Attract Buyers
- How To Host A Community Garage Sale
- 5 Garage Sale Staging Secrets
I’ve been working on pricing items for a garage sale I’m planning in June. I found some pre-printed price stickers at the dollarstore and I’ve been using those, what a time saver! The biggest issue I’m having is what to price things because I want to make a bit of money, I also know if you price things too high they won’t sell but you also have to leave room for haggling, its an interesting juggling act. You also have to be willing to sell things for practically nothing, the idea is to get it out of your house! Thanks for this guide!
That’s just it… leave a bit of room for negotiating if you plan to do so and move the stuff out. If you make a deal people will take it. NO sense hanging on to it for another year. You’re welcome!!
The past 2 summers we have held a garage sale on our front lawn, to benefit a grandchild’s baton group. Another granddaughter wanted to set up a lemonade stand at each sale, and we discovered that Sunkist would send her a lemonade stand kit, free of charge. Though the kit was made of cardboard, it was very sturdy, 3-sided so she could sit behind it, and caught the attention of potential buyers quickly. The only (justifiable) catch is that the child had to identify who will receive the funds, eg charity or baton group or . . . It would be well worth googling Sunkist to see if they still offer the kits, Hope this will help another child to have a classy lemonade stand this summer.
That’s awesome Mary!! I had no idea Sunkist would do that and it’s a great way to advertise their product so a small cost for a big impact. Smart move for the company if you ask me. I’m going to look into that Mary. Thanks for sharing! Mr.CBB
We’ve never done a garage sale, though I imagine that we could hold a few with all of the junk we have collected over the last several years, Lol! We tend to sell most of our stuff on Craigslist as it’s easier for us to do it piecemeal like that as opposed to all at once. As an aside, I actually read an article last year from a guy who supposedly became a millionaire from doing garage sales…his first tip was to never price items you’re selling as it gives you greater opportunity to haggle. I don’t know if I believe it or not, but who knows.
I find that you will make more money selling on line than at a garage sale as garage sale pricing can get pretty low where on Kijiji and Craigslist you can get a bigger portion back.
I think sales with other families or a group are also a big hit. You can turn it into a party and have some fun with it =)
That’s a great idea! We’ve been to many multi-home garage and street sales.. and even church sales and it’s a great time. A good way for neighbours to get to know each other.
I have just recently discovered your website and find it very useful. I’m a frugal stay at home mom.
I found this article of interest since I am trying to sell some used Thomas trains which my son has outgrown on Kijiji and was looking for helpful tips on how to best sell them.
I usually donate most of his toys so someone else can use them but thought I would try to sell them and earn some money to use towards something else.
If you want to earn some of the money back online is a great way to sell items as well as at a garage sale. Good luck! Mr.CBB
When we did a group one – we found stickers handy. And make sure everyone helping out generally knows the prices so you don’t have to run and ask anyone!
That’s probably a smart way to handle it. Did you buy pre-made stickers or did you buy stickers you write your own price in?
I like that planter up top!!! What are you going to do with the table too???? My sister-in-law has a garage sale every year or two. When ever she feels like it. She loves kijiji!!!!! When we wanted to sell our trailer we just took it to her place and she sold it for us on kijiji. She’s already said if there is anything else we want to get rid of she would sell it for us. I’m sure my nephew will be doing the garage sales this year as he doesn’t have much at all and that includes money….He’s been furnishing his place with freebies so far. As I clear stuff out here I’ve been taking it to thew Thrift store a bag or two at a time….saves me having piles of stuff hanging around waiting for a garage sale. The younger boy used to work at the thrift store and honestly…..they hated garage sale season!!! Mostly because people wouldn’t take their stuff back inside after the sale……… they just brought all the leftover junk and dumped it out back of the store…Some one would have to check the store late Sat/ early Sunday and haul all the stuff inside, then later most of it would have to be hauled to the landfill as it was truly junk. They had to pay to haul the stuff there too!!! Their truck but they had to pay to dump it all at the landfill……..
From my experience of helping with charity yard sales vs hosting one myself, I’ve noticed that people will pay way more at a charity sale that for a private sale. I realize they are essentially making a donation, but junk is junk, so I’d say shop wisely, even at garage sales. For my own private sales, I want it all to go away, so it’s usually priced pretty cheaply unless it is a great item I could sell on Ebay if the yard sale doesn’t work.
That’s the smart way to do it Kim! Hanging on to items that are just taking space up is not worth it. Get rid of it, if someone else wants it.
Very good ariticle.
I always try to price the things that I know will sell fast, like machinery or really nice toys, a little higher. I know it will sell fast, and if it doesn’t, I can make adjustments a little later.
I try to avoid selling things to the “early birds,” or even letting them look at my items. I think they are just in it for the super good deal and aren’t interested in paying a fair price.
Great article. And you’re right about the wide variety of garage sale clientele; I know many wealthy people who are wealthy b/c they do their shopping at garage sales!! Also right about pricing to sell – remember, if it doesn’t sell, you’ll likely be giving or throwing it away, so even a few cents is better than nothing! The one thing I would add is beware of shoplifters!! We saw this a few times during our city-wide garage sales back in the suburbs. Unbelievable!
I LOVE garage sales!! Here are a few things I found and what I paid for them: http://lana88blog.blogspot.com/2013/03/garage-sale-treasures.html
That’s awesome!!! Thanks for sharing ….. let me know if you have any other finds I’d like to see them! Do you haggle?
I do haggle! I can’t remember exactly on this particular garage sale run what the before prices were, but I remember only having a certain amount left and offering to buy what I wanted for that price. And they said yes. I also haggled on some ties I wanted for my hubby. I wanted to pay no more than 50 cents a piece. The man told me he wanted 2$ a piece. They were not at all worth that to me, so I walked away. The key to haggling is you have to be able to walk away!
Good point, you have to be prepared to walk away from a deal if it’s not the right price.
hi there what do you price things out at when all of your stuff is new never used in the packaging . thanks
I look at current cost in the store, I look online Kijiji to see what others are selling it for or you can just price it to move so about 75% off the retail price. It depends the product too. If it’s worth $$$ you may want to do research.
For us complete novices, I would rather see an “Enter Your Item Here” box, that would give you at least a base Cdn price due to “poor, good, medium, excellent condition” and “Brand or Brand unknown” when you have absolutely no idea what price to ask for to sell, then it would be up to the seller to sell higher or lower. For example, I have a large Centro barbeque (non-Gas) that has rarely been used even though I have had it for many years. I have no idea what price I should ask to sell. This also applies to a full set of men’s golf clubs that I have. I saw on another web site that the golf clubs set should be priced at $25 or $4 per club, which I found ludicrous. Most of the letters in your web site do not help me at all especially pertaining to large items like this.
Hi Anne,
Thanks for your comment. I do have to say that I’m not sure what you are talking about. If you are a seller simply Google the item you are selling if you want to know a price so you can decide what to sell your product for. This post is for sellers at a garage sale. Sorry I couldn’t be of help to you.