Estate Sale vs. Garage Sale: What's the Difference?
You’re driving down the road and see them on nearly every corner. The signs: big, small, store-bought, handmade, neon, plastic, cardboard. GARAGE SALE - one reads. The next, Estate Sale! Then, Yard SALE..
If you’re not a frequent shopper of these sales, you may begin to wonder…what’s the difference? Are they the same, only with different names? Today I am going to share with you a compare and contrast of Estate Sales vs. Garage Sales!
Let’s begin by defining the term “estate sale”……
An estate sale is a public sale to quickly liquidate the entire contents of a home. They are typically held when the owner has passed away, moved to a care facility, gone through a divorce, or is downsizing, making it necessary to sell most personal possessions.
Estate sales are typically hosted and run by professional companies. However, sometimes family members will choose to host estate sales themselves inside of a loved one’s home. A connotation is that an estate sale is held because someone has passed away. As seen by the definition, this is not always the case. There are many varying reasons someone may have an estate sale or hire an estate sale company to help them.
You can typically expect to find higher pricing at estate sales than garage sales. An estate sale company’s goal is to sell off the items at a fair market value and attain a profit for the client.
Most estate sales take place INSIDE the home. You can expect to shop inside of kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, etc. Estate sales have SET HOURS to shop. Most are held Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays OR Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Companies will offer discounts on the second and third days of the sale. You may find an estate sale you can haggle at, but for the most part prices are set.
Marketing play a large role in successful estate sales. Most are advertised broadly on outlets like EstateSales.Net. Shoppers line up early outside of the home to be the first one let inside!
Now to define “garage sale”…
A garage sale is an informal event where individuals sell unwanted or surplus personal belongings directly from their residential property, typically in a garage, driveway, or front yard.
I should mention here that “garage sale” and “yard sale” are usually interchangeable terms. The only real difference of note between these two is that garage sales often happen within neighborhoods where garages are the norm, while yard sales are held physically in the yard or driveway of a home.
I’ve seen garage sale pricing in North Carolina as low as $0.10-$0.25! People are ready to get rid of items at garage sales and will make deals. Expect to see fill a bag clothing sales, $1 purses, and sometimes even free items! Garage sales are the place to score cheap deals! Feel free to haggle!!! Depending on the person holding the garage sale, you may not always find this great pricing - but as a broad generalization low prices are the norm.
Garage sales are usually held on Saturday mornings. It is like an unwritten rule - some start as early at 6 am in the summer months and can run until mid afternoon or when traffic slacks off.
Marketing for garage sales is not as broad as estate sales. You can find advertisements for them on Facebook Marketplace, in the local paper, or by looking out for signs on the side of the road.
In conclusion,
Estate Sale: Garage Sale:
Managed by professional estate sale companies Organized and run by the homeowner
Takes place throughout the home Typically held in a garage, driveway, or yard
Held due to downsizing, relocation, inheritance, or settling an estate Usually held to get rid of unwanted household items
Items are researched, evaluated, and professionally priced Items are priced quickly and often negotiable
Extensive marketing to attract a larger audience of buyers Minimal advertising, usually local signs and social media
I’m sure there are differences I’ve failed to mention in this blog. Leave a comment and let me know what differences you’ve seen while shopping these types of sales!