PicoBlog

While you might argue that the small differences between yard sales and garage sales are moot, I figured that a glossary could still come in handy for all you thrifters.

Second-hand shopping, of course, isn’t limited to garage sales and yard sales—there are rummage sales, stoop sales, and estate sales, too. The general concept for all these sales is the same, but there are nuances to help distinguish them from each other. And I think these nuances are what shape the expectations we have when we see a yard sale or estate sale sign.

Let’s start with a definition for the type of sale named in the title of this podcast:

Garage sale. You don’t just have to sell stuff that you’ve been storing in your garage, but it does help to actually have a garage to, you know, have a garage sale. I suppose you could set up a sale by a shed, if that’s all you’ve got, and call it a garage sale. It certainly makes more sense than trying to make “shed sale” a thing. How about this: To have a garage sale, you must have some sort of small building dedicated to storing stuff on your property?

Yard sale. If you don’t have a garage (or shed), you can always have a yard sale. All you need is a yard, and if you listened to episode 2 of Thrift, you know that you don’t even really need that. You can call just about any type of second-hand sale a yard sale—no yard needed.

Stoop sale. In cities like New York, where most people don’t have a garage or yard, stoop sales are common. Urban Dictionary literally defines a stoop sale as “a garage sale if you live in Brooklyn.” I live in Brooklyn now, but growing up I watched a lot of Hey Arnold!, so whenever I see a sign for a stoop sale the chant, “Stoop kid afraid to leave his stoop” comes to mind.

Rummage sale. The concept is the same as the other 3—selling a variety of second-hand things—but all the money earned usually goes to a charitable organization or cause. Rummage sales are also typically organized by a group of people, not just one person or family. So this is a good option if you and your friends are looking to get rid of a lot of stuff and also do some good in the world.

Estate sale. A family member or realtor might have an estate sale after you die if they need to quickly liquidate your assets. Well, you don’t always have to be dead to have an estate sale—you could just go bankrupt and need to sell all your possessions in order to pay off your debts. For buyers, estate sales can turn up some great finds (they can also give you an interesting glimpse into a person’s life). You should avoid needing to have an estate sale until you can’t avoid it anymore (when you go to your eternal resting place).

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