This guide is a quick comparison between the average Garage Sale and Ebay - proving that in the vast majority of cases, Ebay IS the place to sell your items.



Here are some major factors to consider. I think Ebay is the winner, hands down
                                                                        

TIME:

Think about the time it takes to haul out tables, gather your items and display them for a garage sale. In far less time, you can list those items at YOUR leisure and have them be seen by more people over a longer window of time.

BUYERS:

Most garage sale buyers are those who happen to see a local ad or drive by an area where there are signs. I've had more viewers see some of my Ebay items than I EVER get in two days of a garage sale. As an example, the item below got over 300 viewers and sold for a price that was a pleasant surprise: Also, Ebay allows you to use keywords to drive the RIGHT buyers to your product . Would the average Garage sale buyer pay $70 plus for this item? Someone did on Ebay. Also, Ebay allows International buyers to see your items, increasing sales potential.
                                         

COST and RETURN FOR INVESTMENT:


With garage sales, you have to pay for a newspaper ad or find some other way of advertising your sale - and even then, the return for the money spent may be disappointing. You are dependent on who happens to see that paper for the days the ad appears and who wants to spend their time and energy driving from sale to sale.
       Your other costs? Consider how much your time and energy is worth per hour. Remember, at a garage sale you'lll be sitting there for up to 8 hours a day, sometimes with only a few people looking at your item. Once you list on Ebay, you go about your business and let the customers come to YOU, 24 hours a day.


SECURITY:

At a garage sale, shoplifiting is always a risk. Ebay has built-in safeguards. In over 8 years of selling here, I've had a minimum of problems.


WEATHER:

I've schedue garage sales, paid for an ad and then had it rain the whole time!  Sure, you can reschedule but it is a major inconvenience. Meanwhile, your items still, still unseen, still unsold. You can also sell year round - try holding a garage sale in the middle of a winter snap, with ice and snow on streets and sidewalks. You wouldn't be likely to have many buyers and you'd risk someone falling on slippery roads and/or driveways.

I hope this guide indicates that Ebay provides significant advantages over a Garage Sale. However,  there are times when garage sales are better (I find those times to be limited) and many of us are grateful to have garage sales as another way to find Ebay-able items.

My final words of advice: Stay on top of Ebay guidelines, NEVER sell prohibited or items that are banned from the site. To find out what items ARE prohibited, check this page:

                           Prohibited and Restricted Items

As a general rule, food items, live pets and overly heavy, fragile or perishable items are best sold other places than Ebay. If in doubt, check Ebay guidelines to be sure.