How To Flip Garage Sale Purchases

May 27, 2022

You might think we are crazy trying to flip garage sale purchases, but it has been worth it.

We still can’t believe that we’ve been mortgage-free since 2014 by living a frugal lifestyle.

In two years, we have earned thousands of dollars that we stash away in our fireproof safe.

Some of you might cringe at leaving money in the house, but we do it with reason.

We are planners of disaster, so we consider it our emergency stash of cash not left in a bank account.

For lack of better words, keeping money in our house is comforting, knowing that we have it.

There might be a time when something awful happens, so we’re prepared with fast cash.

Today I want to talk about how garage sale flipping earned us over $7000.

What to look for to flip garage sale purchases
What it means to flip garage sale purchases.
Best time to go to a garage sale
Hosting a garage sale at your home
Is it worth it to flip garage sale purchases?
Ways to stash cash at home and why
How to flip garage sale purchases

If you’re not interested in earning extra money or paying your mortgage off fast with little effort, perhaps you might want to learn how to budget in 10 easy steps.

resell garage sale — How To Flip Garage Sale Purchases In Canada.

What Does It Mean To Flip Garage Sale Purchases?

The idea to flip garage sale purchases occurred to us once we started selling items that we bought at secondhand shops.

Once you map out the garage sales in your city, including community yard sales, it’s go-time.

Print my free Garage Sale Route Guide for the garage sale season and fill it in each week.

You’ll want to spend the least amount of time and gas, so I’d suggest picking an area close to home.

Garage Sale+Map+Cash+Flippable Items+Negotiations = More Money For Your Bank Account.

When we consider buying items at a garage sale to flip, we make sure we can first earn our money back.

How To Flip Melissa and Doug Puzzles

For example, you’re at a garage sale and see 5 brand new Melissa and Doug puzzles sitting on a table.

These name-brand quality wood puzzles retail for up to $20 or more at the toy stores.

After a quick online search, you realize that you could profit from the puzzles if you can get the puzzles cheaper.

How To Negotiate Prices At A Garage Sale

The garage sale owner wants to sell them as a lot for $20, and right away, you try and negotiate a deal.

Offer the seller $15 for the lot to see if they will accept your negotiation.

If yes, fantastic, but if no, keep looking around and say nothing.

When it’s time to leave, make a final offer for $17, and they bite because generally, no seller wants to bring stuff back into the home.

Each puzzle retails for $15.00, and you’ve just paid $17 for all five new puzzles.

Let’s do the math just for the products, not including your time and petrol.

$17/5 = $3.40 each which means if you sell one for $10 your profit will be $6.60 each x 5 = $33 profit.

We’ve found used all of the above Melissa and Doug puzzles at garage sales and paid anywhere from one to three dollars each.

We put them on Facebook Marketplace as individual Melissa and Doug puzzles which sold for $10 each.

resell Melissa and Doug — How To Flip Garage Sale Purchases for Cash.

Source Retail Price Online Before Buying

If you’re not sure what the original or selling price is before purchasing something at a garage sale, look it up online.

Check current retail prices or vintage prices by going on eBay, Kijiji or home content auctions.

Once you’re home, get to work cleaning the products to earn the most money.

Flip your garage sale purchases on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Kijiji, or host a garage sale.

We’ve had the best luck flipping yard sale items by creating a Facebook garage sale on Marketplace.

If related, we list each item separately, such as clothing and add photos for each item.

If you plan to flip garage sale purchases by hosting a garage sale, it’s not worth it.

Garage sales are meant to sell items cheap to get rid of what you own.

Best Finds To Flip Garage Sale Purchases

Learn how we flip garage sale purchases to earn a profit including Le Creuset pots and pans. — **Value Village Pots and Pans For Sale**

In 2019 I wrote a post about the most popular items worth money at a garage sale which I still support today.

Whether you are hosting a garage sale, community garage sale, or estate sale, always know what you sell.

For example, a friend of ours just purchased a home where all the furniture was vintage teak.

It was stunning to see a home in mint condition and filled with furniture flashbacks.

Anyways, a power of attorney (POA) for the home would sell the house with all of the furniture.

Unfortunately, our friend didn’t want the furniture but changed his mind once he realized his mini goldmine.

Naturally, the POA decided that she wanted to sell the furniture through an auction instead and boy did she ring in cash.

Our buddy sent us the auction link, and one of the vintage teak tables sold for $700, and the house was full of it.

Know The Price Of What You Plan To Flip

If you want to flip garage sale purchases first, you need to know what items are worth money.

You also have to recognize if you’ve just bumped into another reseller just like yourself and move on.

Since beginning to flip garage sale purchases, we’ve had the most success with name-brand clothing for the family and wood puzzles and toys.

So we would look out for the following name-brand items that you wouldn’t expect to find, but you’d be surprised what people sell.

Addidas
Nike
Converse
Burberry
Prada
Yves St. Laurent
Chanel
Versace
Dior
Louis Vuitton
Fila
Air Jordan
Gucci
Under Armour
Lululemon
Hollister
Vans
North By Northwest

People will buy many name-brand items for the right price if you plan to flip garage sale purchases.

Below is a list of garage sale items that we would flip or resell for cash.

resell garage sale deals for profit in Canada — **Buy and Sell from garage sales to turn a profit.**

Brand New Wrapped Products (New stuff always sells if it’s a big seller)
Brand Name Baby and Kids Products (Brand name baby items and children’s clothing are huge sellers)
Indoor and Outdoor Furniture (Mint condition or vintage such as teak furniture)
Toys, vintage toys, old games (Check that all of the pieces are in the box)
Televisions, Stereo equipment (Ask the seller to show you the items work before buying)
Yard/Home Maintenance/Tools (Test tools before you purchase)
Music/Vinyl/Box Sets (Look for damage, including scratches on vinyl, CD, Blue Ray or DVD)
Jewellery and Costume Jewellery (Look at each piece carefully for damage or authenticity)
Artwork/Home decor
Large and Small appliances (New or Clean without missing parts or damage)
Camping and Sports Equipment
Brand Name Clothing/Shoes/Handbags/Wallets (Don’t get fooled into buying Prada when it’s Prado)
Books One Direction books
Authentic Concert Merchandise such as t-shirts or hats
Vintage Signs such as Coca Cola
Workout Gear and Equipment
Brand Name Cookware, whether it’s open stock or a set of pieces such as Le Creuset or Cast Iron Pans, you can resell for big money.

Find Quality Items That People Will Love

We purchased the pot below at a secondhand shop for meagre money. Once we found out the retail price, it all went from there.

We’ve found five Le Crueset pots, including a dutch oven, a frying pan at Value Village, and a yellow pot at a garage sale.

Have a read about the Le Creuset line on Amazon, and you’ll find out just how much quality goes into this line of cookware.

Is It Worth The Time To Flip Garage Sale Purchases?

There’s no harm in trying to buy low and flip garage sale purchases for more money.

Although we kept the Le Creuset Cookware, we could quickly sell it for a massive profit.

When buying, think about quality items that will last for life or those that are trending or popular.

You might not always find something to resell, but you probably will.

Once you start to see profit coming in, you’ll be hooked and perhaps make thousands as we have.

When Should You Go To Garage Sales?

Items purchased by CBB Reader Jen P at a garage sale

Typically outdoor garage sales are held on Saturday in Ontario and across Canada.

However, it’s not uncommon for sellers to host on Sundays or both days.

We are early risers and plan our garage sale route the night before, so we are early.

We’ve stopped at a garage sale that wasn’t quite open to see what the homeowner is selling.

Although I don’t suggest trying to beat the crowd by showing up early, there’s no reason why you can’t be nosey.

There have been garage sales where the owner tells us to come on over before the specified time.

Either way, get to the sales as they open so you get first to pick and buy what you can resell online.

Don’t spend too much time before you move on, especially if you are in an area with more than one garage sale.

Ideally, read the online ad for garage sales wherever you find them and see what’s there.

Some garage sales are exclusive to baby and toddler products, whereas others have tools, home decor, art, cookware, clothing etc.

Best Ways To Flip What You Buy At A Garage Sale

As mentioned above, we earned the best money when we flip garage sale purchases on Facebook Marketplace over the years.

Alternatively, we would also list each item on Kijiji to spread the reach of what we were selling.

You have to keep a running total of numbers as a good flipper.

By this, I mean to keep a tally of what you buy at a garage sale and plan on flipping.

The calculations you document will help you understand whether you are profiting and your best sellers.

Now you know what’s hot to flip and what to hunt for when you’re buying and reselling.

Should You Keep Cash In Your Home?

Fireproof Safe to stash valuables including cash in your home. — **Sentry Safe that is fireproof and waterproof**

Stockpiling cash at home in a fireproof safe is a personal choice, although we only did this once we were debt-free.

At first, we did not have a safe but purchased one to keep all valuables, including jewellery, passports and cash.

There might be a day when you’ll need cash, your bank is closed, and the debit machine isn’t working.

If you have debt, don’t be afraid to stash a few hundred dollars or an amount you can afford.

Everything You Need To Know About Garage Sales

We love garage sales, and over the years, I’ve documented fantastic ideas and tips for all of my readers.

We’ve been through so much collectively over the past two years that selling what we own makes sense.

Often our homes are filled with dust collectors such as gadgets, home decor and oversized furniture.

Consider rooms you don’t spend much time in and minimize what you own to keep your space tidy.

Sell what you no longer use and earn cash back, so you’re not sitting on it until you retire.

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The post How To Flip Garage Sale Purchases appeared first on Canadian Budget Binder.

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