Can you really make money flipping garage sale items?

I have been regularly attending yard sales on Saturday mornings for about 2 years now. Here is what I have learned.

A very typically yard sale table set up. Does anything catch your eye?

If you live in America and have ever been out and about on a Saturday morning, you have most likely stumbled upon a yard sale at some point. You've also probably heard some sort of story about a man or women buying an old sweater and later finding out that there is a hundred dollar bill in the pocket. What luck! But is it possible to intentionally and consistently make money at yard sales?

The answer is yes.

If you understand just a few basic concepts, you can absolutely make real money buying and selling strangers "junk".

I have personally made consistent money flipping yard sale items. Here are the basic concepts that you need to know to get started.

Finding good yard sales

Facebook marketplace is your best bet. All you need to do is make sure your location settings are accurate and search "yard sale" or "garage sale" in the marketplace. A Craigslist search can be a decent backup option. make sure you pay close attention to the time and date of the sale, some might be expired or happening next weekend.

Pay attention to yard sale signs at intersections, neighborhood entrances etc. if you cant find any promising leads on FB or CL just get in the car and drive to the spot where you saw the sign. Chances are you’ll probably find a sale or two on the way anyway. Yard sales are everywhere especially when the weather is nice, you just have to open your eyes.

Neighborhood/Community sales—usually a great place to start, tons of sales in a concentrated area. Cons—can sometimes be over crowded.

Timing—early bird gets the worm right? Maybe sometimes.. timing is not something you need to stress too much about. You can't be the first to arrive at every sale so don’t stress, you will still find your deals.

What items to look for

This is the make or break portion of making money with yard sales. You HAVE to be able to recognize what items are underpriced. If you want consistent wins, don’t let your emotions influence your buying habits. Just because you think something might be underpriced doesn’t mean it is. There is a ton of misinformation out there on the value of items. You only want items that are selling for significantly less at the sale than they are online.

How do I tell what the true value of an item is?

Probably the most important tool you need to utilize is the “sold items” listings filter on eBay. Search an item, go to filters then select "sold items" and boom, now you can see how much the item is selling for and how frequently it sells. Make sure you are looking at the exact same item, in some cases minor differences can make a huge difference in price.

Factors to consider when matching products:

• Condition of the item

• Serial number if available

• Color/designs

• Unique markings

• Missing pieces

• Brand names

• Dates

Getting the right price

Most people holding yard sales are pretty motivated to get their junk sold. They took the time to bring everything outside, set it up and typically they really don’t want to deal with it after that. This is good for us because motivated sellers means they are willing to negotiate price.

Light negotiating is key.

If they are asking $20 for an item, don’t offer $2. Be reasonable with them.

Negotiating is also useful because it can get you out of your comfort zone. Even if your only asking for $1 or $2 off the price, it is a great exercise develop your negotiation skills.

You will find that some people think their stuff is made of solid gold. They will ask basically full retail price. It is best to realize this quickly and just walk away and move on to the next sale. People come to yard sales to get deals, most sellers realize this and are more than willing to part with their things at a fair price, but some are not so don’t waste your time barking up the wrong tree.

Shipping & Fees

If you are selling on eBay you have to consider shipping logistics. Dealing with USPS, UPS, FEDEX etc. shipping can get confusing and expensive. The best way to simply your shipping experience is to limit the items you purchase to a certain size and weight. If it can fit in a shoe box and weighs less than 10 pounds, you shouldn't have a problem with shipping costs.

Once you ship an item, always provide a tracking number. If you don’t provide tracking you can be forced to refund buyers for items that never arrive.