Last Saturday was the 2013 Garage Sale Trail. It's the third year it's been held and my first time! Hard to believe I know, but for some reason this regular opshopper had never checked it out before.
The idea of the Garage Sale Trail is to organise folk around Australia to hold garage sales on the same day, with the goals of sustainability, growing community and helping money change hands for people and charities.
With the help of the interactive map on the website (which displayed sales in your area that people or organisations had registered and enabled you to create your own "treasure trail", so handy!) and the mobile app, off I went with a purse full of change and high hopes.
Unfortunately I completely bombed out! I think I was too late, as you may know, the early bird gets the worm. But this little worm had a sleep-in.
Nevertheless, I had fun poking about in other people's stuff, and you never know what gems you are going to find.
At the end of the day, the Garage Sale trail had over 13,000 sellers registered across the country, 1.5m items listed for sale and they project over $4.5m will flow into the local economy as a result of the day. That's pretty amazing stuff.
Did you do the Trail? Do you love or hate garage sales?
Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm 33 and searching for my passion.
Until then, I slog away in a cubicle working full-time and focus on enjoying my downtime with things like TV (my old friend), movies, twitter, (trying to) cook, reading and hanging out with my hubby. My head is turned by things like vintage homewares, stationery, chocolate and scrapbooking. I blog about whatever takes my fancy.
You know I love garage sales! I wish they had an app (preferably tide into a GPS for your car) each week based on local newspaper listings. And yep, the earlybird does get the worm - like last time I held a garage sale and had to physically chase people away more than an hour before it started. Who then got offended at me and told me I was rude & they wouldn't come back...ah...the people you meet haha.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a million dollar app idea there!
DeleteBring a buyer is always better than being a seller, agree with you on that!
I hate garage sales as the people who like to buy things then re-sell them at other places always show up way before the advertised time of the sale & you have to have eyes every where to make sure no one is walking of from something around the back or else where on your property.
ReplyDeleteI do love markets, car boot sales, and that where you can sell the items away from the place you live in they are great.
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I agree there does seem to be an unsavoury element about amount at second-hand buyers these days - which is why I prefer to shop instead of host garage sales!
DeleteI do love a good car boot sale though - makes people selective of what they want to sell too, improves the quality of goods on offer :)