Garage Sales
An insight into local culture
What are garage sales and where are they?
Garage sales are a good, low-cost source of used household goods such as kitchen items, bedding, toys and games, used clothing and furniture. They are informal, short-term events for the sale of unwanted items by private individuals and are usually held in an open garage or on the driveway of a private home.
A sale of this type may also be advertised as a yard sale, rummage sale or moving sale.
Sometimes neighborhoods organize a garage sale day in their area so there are many sales in the same area at once. Churches and other nonprofit groups may also hold rummage or secondhand sales in a public location.
When are they held and how can one find out about them?
Garage sales are usually held at the end of the week, on Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday and occur most often at the change of seasons – in the spring/early summer and in the late summer/fall. The best way to find out about garage sales is through ads in the St. Cloud Times newspaper or the free paper, the St. Cloud Shopping News. Homemade signs at street corners are also a common way to advertise and point potential shoppers in the right direction. Group-organized events may be advertised on posted flyers.
What is the payment system?
Items offered for sale usually, but not always, have price stickers on them, but it is common for buyers to offer and negotiate a lower price with the seller. Individuals holding a garage sale are not required to obtain a business license or permit and do not have to collect sales tax. Sellers usually require cash payment for any sales and buyers are expected to provide their own transportation for the items they purchase at the time of sale.
Are there other events similar to this?
An estate sale or auction is another type of sale at which used items are sold. These events are usually conducted by a professional hired by a family to dispose of the majority of the household goods owned by a person who has died or will be moving. There may be more competition at such sales if there are collectible items and it may take more time since buyers have to wait for the particular goods desired to come on the auction block in order to make a bid.
