When Is The Best Time To Have A Garage Sale?

Are you looking to declutter your home and make some extra cash? A garage sale might be the perfect solution! But when is the best time to have a garage sale? Keep reading to find out.

What Month is Best for a Garage Sale?

It’s garage sale season!

Or…is it?

It can be hard to tell when you should time your garage sale in order to maximize your sales (and your enjoyment of the experience). 

There are lots of people who advocate for having a yard sale in the spring, especially when you’re trying to do a thorough spring cleaning and want to purge some unwanted clutter.

However, spring is far from your only option. 

Finding the best time of the year – and the best month – for your garage sale will vary depending on where you live. You may have the best traction in the spring at your yard sale, that’s true – unless, of course, you live by the ocean. 

Yard sales that occur on the ocean or anywhere near a beach almost always perform best in the summertime, which is when the most people will be in town and walking past your yard.

If you live in a college town, you may find the best luck shopping at yard sales in the spring, which is when you’ll likely find college students unloading their unwanted gear before they head home for the semester.

If you buy any of these items, though, wait to sell them until the fall – when they’re back in high demand again. 

Again, although the most popular time of the year to hold a yard sale is the spring – typically early spring – you can also have some success by planning a yard sale in the summer (as long as it’s not too hot), end of summer, and fall.

In fact, the end of summer and fall can be the most productive times to have a yard sale because the weather is nicer and because there is less competition.

Just as is the case in the spring, you can do a fall clothing purge and get rid of clothing items that people might be more likely to buy as winter weather approaches – things like boots, sweaters, coats, and other bulky garments. 

You can also get rid of summer clutter like outdoor furniture and toys, equipment, and other lawn gear. 

What Day of the Week Should I Choose for a Yard Sale?

We may be preaching to the choir here, but weekends are almost always the best time to hold yard sales.

People aren’t as likely to be at work and they have some free time to get from one yard to the next. In fact, many “yard salers” make it a habit to bounce from house to house on Saturday mornings, checking out the local items for sale.

Start on a Saturday to sell your items, then consider extending to Sunday. You may be able to find people who are headed to church or running their errands on Sunday, another good opportunity for attracting sellers.

Just whichever day you choose, make sure you put up plenty of signs and other advertisements so people know that you’re hosting a yard sale! 

Finally, don’t overlook holiday weekends like Memorial Day, Labor Day, or Black Friday. Most shoppers are off work and again, have the time (and hopefully the money!) to browse.

Holiday weekends like the Fourth of July don’t usually attract as much traffic because the weather is so hot, but again, this depends on where you live.

Again, to recap – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings are the best time to hold your garage sale.

Pro tip? Schedule your yard sale on the first weekend of the month. Most paychecks go out at the end of the month, so there’s a good chance that people will have extra cash to spend. 

What Time Do Most Garage Sales Start?

When planning a garage sale, you also need to pinpoint the ideal start time.

Although there are always exceptions to this rule, for the most part, garage sale shoppers prefer to start and end their shopping earlier. The sooner you start the sale, the better your chances are at maximizing traffic. Start your yard ale around 7 am or earlier for the best results.

In addition to attracting the most shoppers, starting early also poses the benefit of better weather. It’s going to be much cooler earlier in the day than at night. You might have people show up just to get their shopping done early solely for that point. 

Not sure how to set up your garage sale to increase your sales? Be sure to check out this video, which has some helpful and actionable tips:

Stay open for at least four hours – but really, as long as possible. Often, early birds will scope out the sales first thing in the day, go to some other sales, and then come back because they realize they couldn’t find anything quite as good as what you were selling. 

Staying open for the longest period of time is the key to selling the most product. 

Planning Your Garage Sale: Factors to Consider

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you plan your garage sale this season. 

The Weather 

Without a doubt, the weather is one of the most important factors to consider when you’re holding a yard sale. Not only will shoppers be less inclined to visit your property when the weather’s cold and miserable, but you also won’t find it as easy to display your items, either.

Therefore, if you live in an area where winter weather tends to include sub-freezing temperatures and lots of precipitation, wait to hold your garage sale until the spring through early fall. 

If you live in the South, don’t be afraid of hosting a yard sale in the winter. After all, the weather will be cooler and you may be able to offload quite a bit of your gear right around the holidays. 

Check the forecast as you’re planning your yard sale and consider rescheduling if the weather is going to be particularly unpleasant. Rainy days tend to keep buyers away! That said, overcast days tend to be some of the best for shopping – so don’t be afraid of a lack of sun.

Other Events

Some people say you shouldn’t hold a yard sale if there are other events going on in town. This opinion really varies.

While the idea here is that too much competition is a  bad thing – and that the events will draw people away from your yard sale – there is also a theory that if garage sales are taking place at the same times as events, there are just more people milling around.

Bargain hunters will be out and about and more likely to find your yard sale – strength in numbers, of course! If you can line your yard sale up with events like a town-wide yard sale day, that’s even better. 

How Many Garage Sales Can You Have a Year?

Technically, you can have as many garage sales as you want – but you’ll need to pay attention to the rules where you live. 

In some places, there are zoning regulations in place that dictate that you can’t have more than two or three yard sales per year.

While most people will just stick to one (or fewer) yard sale per year anyway, it’s a good idea to check regulations to make sure you’re in line – especially if you’re what they call a “career yard saler!”

Do You Need a Permit to Have a Yard Sale? 

This is another area where it pays to check the rules. Depending on your locality, you may need a permit to have a yard sale. There might be other rules in place, too, like how and where you can erect tables and signage for your sale.

How Can I Get the Most Money for My Garage Sale?

The best way to make money at your yard sale? Be strategic  – both in your time, advertising, and your pricing.

Planning ahead is the best thing you can do when you have a garage sale, regardless of the time of year. Follow these tips for success no matter what!