After hosting dozens of yard sales (and shopping at many more), I have tons of garage sale tips but this is my ultimate list of what to sell at a yard sale.
I have said many times that ANYTHING will sell at a yard sale. Yes! Even underwear and old nail polish. I have watched it happen. Whether or not an item goes is based on two factors:
- Who visits your yard sale
- How you price your stuff
And honestly, I think the second factor is much more important than the first.
Helpful Link: Get advice on pricing your yard sale inventory.
But back to the point… If you are considering a yard sale or garage sale and wondering, “What would I sell is I had a yard sale?” allow me to help you clear your home of clutter with this comprehensive list.
NOTE: I have not placed anything on this list that I personally did not see pass into the waiting arms of an excited buyer at one of our many yard sales. If you can add more to this list, please comment below because I am always intrigued by what people will purchase at garage sales.
The Ultimate List of What to Sell at a Yard Sale
Kitchen & Laundry
Leftover Spices – I purchased several that I hated. Ummm… who knew that curry could be so gross! So instead of trashing the bottles, I stuck them in a yard sale and they SOLD.
Dishes and Glassware – Always a hot seller if priced right, especially when sold in sets.
Silverware and Serving Pieces – Even mis-matched sets will sell. Just bundle everything in a gallon-sized bag or use a rubber band to keep them together.
Cooking Utensils – Potato mashers, pastry blenders, spatulas, and more. Clean out the duplicates in your drawers and sell it at your yard sale.
Cookware – Pots with or without lids will sell. Cast iron is super popular. Just don’t be like my mother and sell the cast iron skillet you only use once a year to make Thanksgiving dressing.
Kitchen Towels – Why do I seem to collect so many?
Sponges – Not the used kind, although I am sure used sponges would sell if they were clean.
Flower Vases – Another item that seems to collect under my counter. You have to price them super-ceap if you want them to go. And you might have better luck selling them to a florist at yard sale prices.
Casserole Dishes – Why you would sell a casserole dish, I am not sure because I never seem to have enough of them even though I never cook casseroles.
Leftover Party Products – Used extra napkins go into my school lunch box station after a party but the other party products go into the yard sale bin.
Cookbooks – Super hot!
Live Plants and Herbs – Even dead plants have sold at yard sales.
Clothing Dye – I keep buying black dye with the intention of using it but when I do, everything only turns gray.
Organizing and Storage Boxes – Each time I sell a storage box, I find myself regretting it later but they do sell very well.
Cake Decorating Supplies – Tips, pastry bags, turn tables, specialty pans…
Canning Supplies – If you thought about taking up canning as a hobby and then changed your mind because it looks like too much work, place those things in a yard sale.
Canned Food – If you did pursue canning and have more jelly than you could possibly each, pop a label on those containers and sell it.
>>READ: Get my best garage sale tips.<<
Lightbulbs – Ever buy the wrong size and then refuse to go back to the store for $2?
Batteries – Regardless of the size… even used car batteries can sell at a yard sale.
Cleaners – Half a bottle of carpet cleaner and you just got hardwood floors? Put those leftover cleaner into your yard sale.
Bug Spray – Your kids broke out in hives last year? Sell it.
Extra Clothes Hangers – I would personally use these to display my clothes and then give the hangers away with purchase. However, you can bundle them and sell a group for a low price.
Specialty Appliances – Deep fryers, rice makers… the Instant Pot you thought you couldn’t live without.
Small Appliances – Toasters, blenders, and such might not sell very well thanks to the deep discounts on Black Friday, but they will occasionally find a new home.
Large Appliances – The old refrigerator in the garage or the freezer that always seems to be empty… as well as microwaves, stoves, and dishwashers. If you replaced it but it works, the thing will sell at your garage sale.
Living Areas
DVDs and VHS – Believe it or not, some people still have VHS players.
CDs, Cassette Tapes – Your vintage Randy Travis might sell but that gospel group no one has ever heard of will probably remain. Even so, you never know!
Gaming Sets – New or old… as long as it works… a gaming set is a delight for teens and guys who would rather sit on the sofa than work in the yard.
Board Games – Even if it is missing pieces, you can sell old board games. But please, do make note of any pieces that are missing as not to mislead your customers. Also, bag small pieces to keep them from being scattered across your yard.
Office Supplies – Pencils, pens, envelopes… even filing cabinets.
Furniture – This one is kind of obvious but furniture is always a hot seller.
Rugs, Curtains – If you redecorated, put the old style in your yard sale pile. Just make sure to fix tears and remove stains for a better price. Most people will not buy dirty rugs.
Silk Plants – Kiss the pretend ficus goodbye.
Ceramics and Knick-Knacks – Unless it is sentimental, let it go… along with the dust it collects.
Phones and Tablets – Make sure to remove your personal data from your device by deleting it first and then performing a factory reset.
Computers – This is kind of dangerous. To avoid the potential of identity theft, you should remove the hard drive before selling a computer. Hard drives should have large holes drilled into them before discarding. However, most people will not buy a computer that is not in complete working order. Just remember that your personal data is never 100% deleted from a computer.
Lamps – Even if the lamp does not have a shade (or is just REALLY ugly), lamps of all shapes and sizes will be purchased if you have the right person visit.
Bathrooms
Sample Toiletries – Have an abundance of samples from your recent travels? Partially use the shampoo? Doesn’t matter. While I would put those items into a Homeless Blessing Bag, you can sell it at a yard sale.
Nail Polish and Makeup – Wrong color? Broken mirror? Price it to sell and it will leave with a happy person… typically a tween who likes to play dress up.
Hair Accessories – Any kind of hair accessory.
Disliked Toiletries – You tried it and didn’t like. Now you feel stuck with it. Nope. Find an old pregnancy test in the back of your cabinet and you KNOW that isn’t happening? Let it go.
Towels and Wash Clothes – Typically, only the good towels (read: minus holes and tears) will sell but try it anyway.
Personal Electronics – Get your mind out of the clutter! I’m talking about shavers and curling irons… although I did sell some wedding gifts we received as a practical joke.
Matching Bath Sets – The shower curtain, rug, and curtains you just replaced will make a nice sale when bundled together.
Bedrooms & Linens
Children’s Toys – Toys are not easy to sell, even when they are in perfect condition, but I keep trying.
Children’s Furniture – The toddler bed and nightstand or the play kitchen that took hours to build… even the wall decor and matching light switch plates… all of that can be sold at a yard sale.
Baby Items – If you get the right crowd, all of your baby stuff will go. We have sold car seats, riding toys, bouncers, swings, onesies, bottles, and name books.
Seasonal Clothing – If you try to sell your wool coat in the middle of summer, you will probably be taking it back inside when the day is over.
Children’s Clothing – Group children’s clothing by size and make sure you mention the size when you advertise. Otherwise, it will not sell. Trust me.
Dress Up and Halloween Costumes – Clean out the dress up chest!
Dance Costumes – Your ballerina will never need that costume again. You can keep the pictures for sentimental value. But understand that no one is going to pay what you were forced to pay because it will end up in some little girl’s dress up collection.
Dance Shoes – I would personally try to sell these on Facebook or to friends with younger children at the dance studio.
Dance and Gymnastics Apparel – This kind of specialty clothing is hard to sell unless you mention it in your advertising.
Lingerie and Underwear – I will never forget the look on my mother’s face when she sold a package of my dad’s old underwear. Nor will I forget the face of the creepy guy who bought a nightie.
Sheets, Bedding Sets – If they are in good condition, these will sell quickly.
Curtains – As long as there are no tears, your curtains will go.
Belts – Unfortunately, the belt that is stretch and worn will not find a new home but the one you bought and never wore will.
Shoes – Put those pumps and dress shoes into your yard sale but send the slip-ons, flip flops, and sneakers to Soles for Souls.
Purses – Carefully check the cracks and crevices of your handbags before you sell them. Double check every pocket. I once almost sold a pair of diamond earrings in the bottom of a purse.
Scarves and Accessories – Even Great Aunt Edna’s shawl is a great item to put in your yard sale. Just don’t tell them if she died wearing it. (Ask me how I know this isn’t a good sales strategy.)
Exercise Equipment – It the treadmill has become a clothes rack, rest well know that someone out there is needing a new clothes rack and you can help.
Attic
Seasonal Decorations – When you sale is close to a holiday, seasonal decorations have the potential for selling, but if Christmas just passed, expect that old tree to still be leaning to the left in the middle of you yard after the last car has pulled away.
Furniture – Any furniture! Just think twice before you sell that antique armoire for $100. (Again… ask me how I know.)
Baskets, Boxes, and Bins – My mother used to collect baskets. The day she sold then she made a lady very happy.
Vintage Clothing – I try not to ask why someone would purchase that 1970’s tire but sometimes, my manners slip.
Screws, Nails – All you need is the right nut…
Sewing Notions – Have the world’s most complete set of sewing needles… that have never been used? Still trying to find out how to change the bobbin in your sewing machine? Just a suggestion.
Hobby Supplies – From scrapbooking to candle making, whatever your hobby used to be… Someone is still doing it and would love your remnants.
Mason Jars – You do know how much mason jars cost, right? And you do understand how popular they are right now, right?
Lighting Fixtures – We replaced the bedroom lighting with ceiling fans and put the light fixtures in our yard sale.
Luggage – I seem to collect pilot bags. All the colors of the rainbow. But I only need one.
Unused or Forgotten Gifts – One year, I purchased a gift in advance. Come Christmas, I couldn’t find it. Right before a yard sale, there it was! Not the best of timing but it worked out for the lucky guy who scored a hot deal.
Garage and Outdoors
Sports Equipment – If you can find it in a sporting goods store but you no longer need it, sell it in your garage sale.
Tools – My Dad once put broken tools in a yard sale. He was honest about their condition and they still sold.
Leftover Lawn Care Products – Despite valiant efforts five years in a row, my gardening days are over. So the leftover fertilizer and weed killer are going in the next yard sale.
Lawn Care Equipment – Mowers, blowers, and edgers are all super hot sellers. We even sold an old, broken mower to a man once who said he liked to “tinker” with broken stuff.
Outdoor Furniture – Lounge chairs, tables, and fire pits will find a cozy spot in the backyard of the person who isn’t afraid of West Nile Virus.
Children’s Play Equipment – If the children have outgrown the swing set, you should sell it.
Bicycles and Riding Toys – Your child is now peddling a ten-speed. Don’t you think it’s time to let go of the tricycle?
Scrap Lumber and Metal – Anything you discovered when cleaning out the old barn or had leftover from building your deck goes into the garage sale pile.
Pallets – You can find pallets for free in many places… but not everyone knows that.
Leftover Paint and Wallpaper – Crafters are always looking for remnants.
Painting Supplies – If you have no plans to paint for five to ten years (or whatever the warranty was on that gallon on paint), then sell the supplies to remove the clutter.
Construction Materials – Absolutely anything you have leftover from your last project that could not be returned to the store should be sold in your garage sale.
Gardening Equipment – A tiller doesn’t do you much good when you are living in a condo.
Flower Pots – Even those temporary pots that come with your plants can be sold.
Compost – Make your own compost? Bag it an sell it.
Bricks and Pavers – Removed the brick patio for a new deck? Discovered an old pile of bricks behind your new home?
Tailgating Equipment – While it is sacrilegious to sell tailgating equipment in my part of the south, I have seen it done.
Grills – Electric, propane, or charcoal? Smoker?
Door Knobs – When we replaced the knobs in our house, we sold the old ones.
Car Wash Supplies – This would go in my “keep” pile but I did see someone sell a collection of car wash supplies when he swore off his DIY kick.
Folding Chairs – I would buy them from you right now!
Card Tables – Sell as a set with at least two chairs for extra cash. Otherwise, sell separately.
Dead Bolt Locks – Just remember to include the keys.
Chains – Our tire swing didn’t make it. But the chain is still in good shape.
Fencing – Again, if you cannot return it, sell it. Even if you only have a couple of feet left.
Bagged Cement and Sand – You might not have a need but someone else does.
Old Tires – Did I mention the tire swing?
Other
Used Magazines – Mark these for 25¢ a piece and watch them leave.
Comic Books – I would prefer these go to a specialty store but if you KNOW there isn’t anything valuable in your pile, mark them for 25¢.
Trading Cards – Just like the comic books, be aware of what you are selling and price the non-valuable ones for cheap.
Computer Gear – All those accessories – even the extra power cords – can be sold at your garage sale.
What have you seen sale at a yard sale?
What was the weirdest thing you saw for sale? Leave a comment and let me know.
Diana Nolen says
In this line, ” Vintage Clothing – I try not to ask why someone would purchase that 1970’s tire but sometimes, my manners slip.” It should be attire.