Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Learn how to host a successful virtual garage sale and eliminate unwanted items while maximizing profits.
Moving online to host a virtual garage sale has become a more innovative way to get rid of stuff.
Making extra money during the pandemic has caused people to strip their homes and apartments of everything non-essential.
Related: How to sell everything you don’t need during a crisis
If you have stuff you haven’t used in months or years, you get rid of it by selling it if you want the cash.
Going Virtual To Sell Stuff Is The New Wave
Self-distancing is now a part of life, and many aspects of daily living outside the home have been modified.
What once was a famous weekend morning rush to find the best garage sale bargains has moved online for many sellers.
A virtual garage sale has many benefits, including avoiding early-morning waits for the masses to arrive.
Benefits of A Virtual Garage Sale
Why should you host a virtual garage sale?
- Less Hassle
- No Early Mornings
- Little to no advertising of your garage sale online or by posting signs in your neighborhood
- Work At Your Pace
- Ability to add a virtual description of each item you sell
- Negotiation tactics are easier online than in person
- Limited to no in-person interaction, allowing for self-distancing during this pandemic crisis
- Better Visual Display Of Your Items, rather than being plunked on a garage sale table.
- Easier to display larger items you are selling
- Ability to accept e-transfer
Virtual Garage Sale
What is a virtual garage sale?
With COVID-19 warning, in-person garage sales have dwindled this summer.
Although some homeowners choose to host a garage sale, many opt for a virtual one.
A virtual garage sale has almost the same appeal and pricing as an in-person one, yet you can stay home and browse.
How Garage Sales Are Changing
You don’t have to get up at a ridiculous hour to set up for a garage sale and describe your products.
Sharing more information about what you are selling at your virtual garage sale is the best way to advertise your goods.
At an in-person garage sale, you see what’s on the table, ground, back yard, or in the house and decide whether you want it.
Granted, we are human, and garage sales are meant to be fun and interactive so that you can find great deals.
This aspect of the garage sale industry drives people into the garage sale season and helps them earn extra cash.
Not only that, but homeowners and renters tend to declutter in the summer.
At one point, second-hand shops and the local city dump were not allowing customers to visit.
With a virtual garage sale, you never have to worry about what is happening outside your front door.
A virtual garage sale also allows the seller to leave the product outside for the buyer to come and look at.
This is typically called a “porch pickup” in the online world of buying and selling.
There is little to no interaction between the buyer and seller beyond being online, unless the item needs to be picked up.
Paying For Your Virtual Garage Sale Items
You also don’t need to carry a change purse, since most of your virtual garage sale payments will be made via e-transfer.
Just be cautious with any payments, as there are always loopholes and scammers.
There are still sellers who allow cash to be left, which is perfectly fine, but e-transfer after seeing the item grow.
Never send an e-transfer for a virtual garage sale item until you’ve seen it and agreed to it.
Sometimes you may have to leave a security deposit to hold a popular item.
This should not be a concern for many people as long as it’s small.
I’ve yet to encounter any scammers this way, and all sales have been processed without issue.
Best Online Virtual Garage Sale Platforms
Moving to an online virtual garage sale means you will need social media, websites, and apps at your fingertips.
Choosing the right platform or multiple platforms to sell your stuff depends on your comfort level.
Below are our top 3 ways to sell what we no longer need and bank some extra cash.
- Kijiji Virtual Garage Sale (Online Buying and Selling Platform)
- Varage Virtual Garage Sale (This is an App)
- Facebook Virtual Garage Sale (Marketplace or Facebook Groups)
There are other ways to host a virtual garage sale, but from experience, Kijiji, Facebook, and VarageSale are the best.
What is Kijiji?
Ever since I moved to Canada, Kijiji has been the best place to sell stuff you own, and it is now the hub for hosting a virtual garage sale.
Kijiji is Canada’s largest classifieds site with millions of live ads in a wide range of categories – cars, housing, jobs and everything in between.
Two new ads are posted every second! We’re proud to provide a platform that connects Canadians, helping them to buy great items in their community, make money off unused possessions cluttering up houses, and help the country waste less.
Kijiji Canada
What I love about Kijiji and Facebook is that you get far more control over what you sell and how you sell it.
On Facebook, your ads might not show sometimes because someone didn’t like a photo or word you used.
Although Kijiji is strict about its online selling rules, it allows users more freedom.
I also think you can get through to Kijiji customer service much more easily than with Facebook Marketplace.
However, if you are hosting a virtual garage sale within a Facebook group, the admin is typically a message away.
You certainly get a more personalized approach to the virtual garage sale in a Facebook group.
Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Groups
Everyone knows about Facebook; however, not everyone is on it.
For those of you who are on Facebook, you can buy and sell online
Joining local buy-and-sell groups in your area will allow you to host a virtual garage sale within those groups.
Remember that Facebook groups come with group rules you must abide by.
As for Facebook Marketplace, it is a platform within Facebook where you can sell online.
Following Facebook’s online buying and selling guidelines is as simple as creating ads for your virtual garage sale.
You can add up to 10 photos to each virtual garage sale ad, along with descriptions and pricing.
12 Tips For Hosting A Virtual Garage Sale
- Categorize all of the items you want to sell online.
- Clean everything that you have, including washing clothing, shoes, etc.
- Create a folder on your phone or computer called virtual garage sale or online garage sale.
- Find a space in your home and outside to display your items.
- Using a camera, including a cell phone camera, take clear photos of each item, including details.
- Edit any photos as needed to represent what you are selling as best as possible.
- Find an online platform that works for you. (see our top 3 favorites below)
- Create detailed information about each item, including size, color, shape, measurements, etc.
- Write down the prices for each item, or make a new note on your phone or computer to document them.
- Consider whether you want to sell your items at low discounted prices to move them faster or at reasonable prices.
- Set price limits and whether you will accept pickup, e-transfer, or cash.
- Lastly, visit your virtual garage sale daily, answer buyers’ questions, and delete items you sell as soon as they sell.
An online virtual garage sale is probably one of the most relaxed ways to sell your stuff.
If earning extra money is on your agenda this summer, consider a virtual garage sale and enjoy your morning coffee.
Overall, if we had to choose an online virtual garage sale platform, we’d go with Facebook first, Kijiji, and then Varage Sale.
Of course, you could use all three platforms to advertise your virtual garage sale to triple your chances of selling.
Discussion: What other tips can you offer someone wanting to host a Virtual Garage Sale?
Leave your comments or experiences below.
Mr.CBB
Blog Posts You May Have Missed
Below is a recap of my blog posts over the past two weeks.
If you haven’t subscribed to the blog, add your email to my list so you get my weekly blog posts and access to my Free Budget Resources Library.
Plus, now I release a bi-weekly newsletter that comes straight to your email only for subscribers.
You’ll find exclusive updates about the blog and CBB home life, including photos and exclusive contests.
- Why You Need A Net Pay Income Tracker
- Food Scraps You Can Eat
- Keto Iced Dalgona Coffee
- Simple Steps That Helped Us Increase Wealth In Our 40s (June Net Worth Update)
- Save Money Using A Rewards Tracker
Seasonal Frugal Recipe Box
I enjoy summer watermelon more than any other time of year, especially since it’s reasonably priced
I’ve always wanted to make a watermelon salad and found a blogger with a delicious recipe.
She mixes watermelon chunks with blueberries, raspberries, cherries, fresh mint, lime, chia seeds, and agave.
What a refreshing-looking salad, perfect for a summer lunch or dinner menu.
Find the full watermelon salad recipe at Munchkin Time.
- 5 cups watermelon, cubed
- 1 cup raspberries
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 1 cup cherries, seed removed & sliced
- 1 cup blueberries
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon Simple Truth Organic Blue Agave Light Golden Syrup
- few mint leaves, chopped for garnish
- Chia seeds, for garnish
- organic sugar, sprinkles for extra sweetness, 100% optional
Frugal Gardening Tips
As you already know, we love Basil at our Basilse, so we grow two large pots full each summer.
Growing herbs is easy and saves you from buying spices at the grocery store, which can get costly.
Last year, oBasilsil looked like it does this summer, although we’ve had lots of rain.
I wasn’t sure how to prune Basil. Basil’s been growing bushy all summer.
This blogger at Homestead and Chill explains how to prune Basil, especially if you want to dry it or make basil pesto.
In the crook between the leaves and the stem, you should see tiny little leaves growing.
Trim right above those. Afterwards, those little leaves will grow into two new large branches of their own!
CBB Motivational Corner
Your money works only if you manage it like a boss.
This means that YES, you should budget your money and know what’s coming in and going out at all times.
If you want to become debt-free, there’s no other gang to join but the cool club, and you get a free budget.
Home Update
If it hasn’t been raining, it’s been humid and hot, just like every other summer in Ontario.
The good news is that our garden is growing nicely, and we’re enjoying our harvesting period.
Interestingly, all of our vegetable gardens are thriving compared to last year, when we struggled here and there.
I’m sure it has to do with the balance of rain and sunshine, which makes a big difference.
I’ve been renovating the basement for the past three weeks by installing insulation and a vapor barrier.
It’s not a fun job; however, I am due to have the city inspector here in August to inspect it, so I had to get it done.
I’m happy to say I’m waiting on one costly roll of vapor barrier, $289 plus tax (ouch), to finish up.
That should arrive next week, and then I’ll move on to drywall and order materials to finish the basement.
As a family, we’ve been spending time going for walks each night, and recently we’ve been going to the park since it reopened.
Our son was SO excited to get on the play equipment finally.
It was lovely to see the smile back on his face and to be away from the house where he can play as a kid should.
Thankfully, we have a playset, pool, and lots of outdoor toys that have kept him busy this summer.
We still haven’t gone strawberry picking yet, but we plan to arrange a day as soon as possible.
Have you picked any fruits or vegetables from your local farms?
I’d love to hear about what you picked and what you thought of the crop. Was it worth the money?
Please leave me your comments below.
Blog Update
What a great couple of weeks the blog has been having, with some of the highest visitor numbers.
There has been more going on behind the scenes, with me creating new budget binder printables and updating blog posts.
On the front end, Sara recently added subscription boxes to all my blog posts at the end of each post.
I find it easier for the reader to subscribe to the blog if they don’t have to hunt for the home page.
Next, you will see freebies added for new subscribers and a password-protected page of free budget binder printables.
I’m also working on downsizing the free budget binder printables page and splitting it into two.
One page will be all the freebies for your budget binder, and the other will be discount codes, coupons, and other savings for Canadians.
Other than that, we’re moving along nicely, getting the blog to a place I’m happy with.
Please email me if you have any super suggestions for the blog to make it fun and exciting.
Don’t ask me to remove any ads, as I can’t; they’re part of the Mediavine program and how I make money to run this blog.
A blog is not cheap to run when it gets big, like Canadian Budget Binder, and you need to hire staff to help manage it.
This is all part of owning a little business, and why we rely on our customers and readers for support, likes, shares, and comments.
I work hard to share my opinions and experiences in finance, and I hope you will stay around for a long time.
Be Well,
Mr. CBB
P.S.- Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog if you want my bi-weekly newsletter, where I share behind-the-scenes photos from the CBB house and blog not shown on the blog.
You’ll also get access to insider contests and info before it is released on the blog.
Reader Mailbag Series
I’d love to start a reader mailbag series where you, the readers, send me a question, and I’ll post it right here.
This will allow CBB readers to comment below to help solve your problem or offer tips.
It can be anything from finance to gardening to parenting and relationships.
Keep your question short but with as much detail as needed to describe your problem.
If you have a photo you want me to share, you can send it to my email, canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.ca
Perhaps you have a garden plant that needs help, and you want to share a photo of the issue.
Please send it to me.
Mr.CBB
Question For Mr.CBB
Dear Mr.CBB,
How often should I reevaluate my monthly budget?
Since the pandemic, I’ve been out of work and lost quite a bit of money, only collecting the CERB.
I’m back to work now, but if something were to happen in the future, what should I have done?
Thanks,
Brad
Answer From Mr. CBB
Hi Brad,
Thanks for your question, and it’s a great one.
As a couple, we evaluate our budget when there is a change in our income, when there is a family crisis, and at the end of the year.
We also visit our budget monthly and, at the 6-month mark, consider if we need to make any further changes mid-year.
Budgets are pretty easy to use if you know what money is coming in and going out.
If anything changes with your income, visit your budget immediately to see how to ease any financial stress.
This also means that you should do the same if you get a raise at work, especially when you have extra money to designate.
I hope that helps.
Mr.CBB
Saturday Search Term Giggles
These are keywords that readers typed into their search engine and landed on this blog.
So whatever you type into a search engine and then click on a CBB post, or my actual blog URL, I can see that.
I get thousands of these daily and pick some of the best to feature here.
- Do the police come to the store if there is a theft?– I’m going to say yes if they are pressing charges.
- Best Supermarket on a Budget– The cheapest supermarket is the best.
- Value Village Tag Switching– Is that even a thing? Wow
- My Family has NO Food– This one breaks my heart
- Why are ovulation tests so expensive? – That’s nothing. Wait until the child arrives, then you’ll see money flow.
Thanks for your continued support and for listening to me ramble about our financial journey.
I’ll see you back here in two weeks for the next edition of The Saturday Weekend Review.
Be well,
Mr.CBB x