What NOT To Sell at a Garage Sale

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What NOT To Sell at a Garage Sale
Garage Sales Can Be Fun and Profitable: Here’s How to Do It Right

Hosting a garage sale can be an excellent way to declutter your home and get some cash back for things you no longer need or want. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, after all. Peak garage sale season is in the summer, so it’s the perfect time to start going through your unwanted items and making a plan for an upcoming garage sale.

Hold On!

Before you part with your collectibles, uncover these 8 Genius Money Moves to Score $500+ in Free Cash This Week! Why sell when you can earn more effortlessly?

But before you do, consider whether:

The things you’re selling could actually be worth some money
What you want to get rid of is worth a sale
Some of the items you have are better off tossing or recycling

We break down 13 things not to sell at a garage sale for these reasons.

What NOT To Sell at a Garage Sale

Anything That Stores Personal Data
Used Cosmetics, Skincare, or Haircare Products
Stamp and Coin Collections
Broken Toys or Electronics
Family Heirlooms or Antiques
Outdated Electronics
Stuffed Animals
High-Price Items
Crafts, Puzzles, and Kits with Missing Pieces
Designer Bags or Clothing
Bras, Underwear, Swimsuits, or Socks
Baby Items
Medicine or Vitamins

While some of the following items could be sellable at your garage sale, there are various reasons why you might want to rethink selling them. We explain below.

1. Anything That Stores Personal Data

illustration of a laptop being sold at a garage sale

Think about all the personal and financial information you have on your electronic devices, like computers, tablets, and phones. Yes, most devices have features that allow you to erase the data on them, but if you know anything about technology, you know that data is never truly gone. Even worse, some people think that deleting apps, notes, or software on their devices gets rid of the personal data those applications store, but that’s simply not the case.

Instead of selling devices at a garage sale where anyone can potentially get their hands on your data, it’s safer to get some money from your device by using a trade-in program, like Apple Trade-In, which gives you credit for your old devices to put toward a new Apple device. Or, if your old computer or phone isn’t worth anything, opt for a recycling program, like Best Buy’s recycling program, for example, which recycles old electronics safely and securely.

2. Used Cosmetics, Skincare, or Haircare Products

Cosmetics, skincare, and haircare products can all carry germs. According to Piedmont Healthcare, contaminated cosmetics alone can carry bacteria leading to herpes or pink eye. Err on the side of caution and avoid selling any opened or used beauty products at your garage sale.

💄 Avoid selling used cosmetics at your garage sale to prevent the spread of bacteria and other germs.

Products that touch your skin or hair become exposed to bacteria and other particles on your skin or hair. Think about what happens when you use skin lotion. You open the cap, squeeze the lotion out of the tube onto your fingers, and spread it on your skin with your hands. Then, you repeat a couple of more times until you cover your skin. Each time you go back to the tube, you expose the lotion to bacteria from your hands and skin.

3. Stamp and Coin Collections

illustration of a man selling his coin collection at a garage sale

Perhaps you’re done collecting stamps and coins, but another collector might pay a lot for your old collection. However, it’s unlikely that the right buyer will come along randomly at your garage sale.

If you’re set on getting rid of your stamps or coins, consider getting your collection appraised first. You might be surprised by how much it’s worth. You can also research your collection on eBay to see what others are selling similar stamps or coins for, just to get an idea. Once you’ve figured out its worth, you might find that selling your collection on eBay could be more lucrative than tossing it in the garage sale.

4. Broken Toys or Electronics

Test the toys and electronics you want to sell before placing them for sale. If toys are broken or electronics don’t work properly, consider recycling them instead. Although people visit garage sales looking for deals, they usually still expect items to work as they should. Plus, broken toys could be dangerous for the children receiving them, so it’s best to avoid trying to sell them altogether.

🛠️ Test and discard any broken toys and electronics before your sale, or mark them as defective to avoid misunderstandings.

If you don’t care about making money off broken items, consider placing them in a marked box so visitors know they don’t work. Someone who likes to repair or refurbish items might find some value in taking them home.

5. Family Heirlooms or Antiques

illustration of a woman selling a family heirloom at a garage sale

Even if you don’t want to save Grandma’s collection of silverware and dinnerware, consider hanging onto it instead of selling it at a garage sale. It could be worth a lot more money than you realize, and your garage sale probably won’t offer the best opportunity for that cash to flow.

Vintage items and antiques may be a better fit for a pawn shop or auction, where people have experience valuing similar items. You can also donate or sell antiques to a local museum or historical society, where they can continue to be enjoyed.

6. Outdated Electronics

While some people enjoy collecting old phones, computers, and other electronics, there’s not a big market for them, so it’s unlikely that you’ll find someone who wants to buy your iPhone 6. Older devices – those around 10 years old or older – are usually no longer supported by their makers, so they become unusable at that point.

📺 Outdated electronics may have little market value and pose data security risks. Consider recycling instead of selling at a garage sale.

As we already discussed, it’s also important to consider the issue of personal data. Devices have only gotten better at encrypting your data, and they still aren’t foolproof, so it’s difficult to know whether your 10-year-old phone still holds your information.

If your device is really out-of-date, you probably won’t be able to trade it in for cash. Instead, look for your state’s Environmental Protection Agency office to learn how to recycle your devices safely.

7. Stuffed Animals

illustration of woman selling dirty stuffed animals at a garage sale

Stuffed animals are for snuggling and companionship. That’s great for the original owner but not so great for another person. Stuffed animals can carry dust mites, bugs, and all kinds of dirt and grime that someone else doesn’t want. If, after washing, a stuffed animal looks close to new, it might be worth a sale. Otherwise, they’re usually better off tossing or repurposing into something else, like slippers, purses, or home decor.

8. High-Price Items

Generally, people don’t expect to visit a garage sale and see items priced at more than $10, except for a few things like furniture, appliances, and working electronics. The majority of your garage sale should have low, eye-catching prices for visitors. Several high-price items on sale can potentially turn away customers faster than they come.

💵 High-ticket items can often be sold more effectively online where buyers are willing to pay competitive prices.

Consider selling high-price items online, like through Facebook Marketplace or eBay, where you have a better chance of the right buyer coming along who’s willing to pay your price.

9. Opened Crafts, Puzzles, and Kits

illustration of a woman trying to sell old puzzles at a garage sale

Crafts, puzzles, and other items that come in kits should be unopened or unused to sell at a garage sale. Imagine buying a puzzle only to find out halfway through putting it together that it has pieces missing. Even if it was only $0.50, the frustration alone wouldn’t make the cheap price tag worth it for many people.

Kit items, if opened, will likely have something already used or missing from the box. Avoid selling these, and only place kit items for sale if you know for sure they haven’t been used or altered.

10. Designer Bags or Clothing

If you have true designer bags or clothing to sell (not knock-off versions) you’ll probably have more success getting the money they’re worth by selling them through online marketplaces, online auctions, or local consignment shops. Some designer bags and clothing pieces can be upwards of $10,000, and it would be nearly impossible to find a buyer willing to separate from that kind of cash at a garage sale.

👜 Designer goods often sell better on platforms dedicated to luxury items, where buyers expect to pay higher prices.

Looking for the simplest way to sell your designer items? Vestiaire Collective offers easy online and app-based selling for items from top designers like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada.

11. Bras, Underwear, Swimsuits, or Socks

illustration of woman wrongfully selling underwear at a garage sale

This one’s probably self-explanatory, but we’re including it here to be thorough. You likely wouldn’t visit a garage sale looking for undergarments to buy, so you shouldn’t expect others to want to, either. Unless you have new socks and underwear in unopened packages or bras and swimsuits with tags still attached, don’t put them for sale.

👙 It's best to avoid selling used intimate apparel at garage sales for hygiene reasons. Stick to new, tagged items if you must sell such goods.

12. Baby Items

Baby gear can be tricky because safety is a priority, so the industry sees lots of recalls each year to fix potential safety issues. In 2022 alone, 100 baby and children’s products were recalled, accounting for 5.5 million units. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission makes it unlawful to sell recalled items of any kind, so you could be on the hook even if you didn’t know your baby products have been recalled.

👶 Check for recalls and safety standards before selling baby items, as selling unsafe or recalled items can be illegal and dangerous.

Also to enhance safety, some products like car seats and cribs have expiration dates or become unaligned with current safety standards after a number of years. It’s not necessarily illegal to sell expired products, but it’s also not a good idea, as the product could be unsafe for the next owner.

13. Medicine or Vitamins

There’s no way to prove to buyers that the vitamins and supplements you want to sell at a garage sale haven’t been tampered with or are legitimate products, even if they’re sealed. Prescription medication is illegal to sell to someone else, period. Steering completely clear of selling any medication, vitamins, or supplements keeps you out of potentially hot water.

💊 Never sell medicine or vitamins at a garage sale to avoid legal issues and ensure everyone's safety.

Garage Sales Can Be Fun and Profitable: Here’s How to Do It Right

cartoon illustration of a garage sale at a home

Yes, there are several things not to sell at a garage sale. But don’t worry — there’s more than you should sell than not. Garage sales serve as an excellent way to declutter your home while bringing in some extra income, and they give shoppers the chance to buy something that suits their needs.

For example, a garage sale could be one of the best places to sell Pokemon cards. Pokemon cards are trendier collectibles right now than coin and stamp collections, so you’d probably have an easier time trying to sell your card collection at a garage sale. Some people visit multiple garage sales each weekend in an attempt to find new Pokemon cards to add to their collections. For the same reason, selling comic books can also be relatively lucrative at a garage sale.

💡 Trendy collectibles like Pokemon cards can be a hit at garage sales, appealing to specific collectors who may be scouting your event.

You can also sell furniture locally at a garage sale if it’s in good condition. Desks, desk chairs, tables, patio sets, and even beds and bedroom sets could sell at a garage sale if they’re in good shape. If you advertise your sale anywhere, be sure to note that you have furniture so customers interested in buying it know they’ll need to haul it away.

Tools, outdoor gear, like-new clothing, non-designer jewelry, video games and systems, like-new toys, picture frames, and cookware are also ideal options for garage sales.

What NOT To Sell at a Garage Sale