Suitable For Small Items
GST WILL BE CHARGED AT 10% OF THE FINAL BILL
Suitable For 1 bedroom
GST WILL BE CHARGED AT 10% OF THE FINAL BILL
Suitable For 2 bedroom
GST WILL BE CHARGED AT 10% OF THE FINAL BILL
Suitable For 2-3 Bedroom
GST WILL BE CHARGED AT 10% OF THE FINAL BILL
Suitable For 3-4 bedroom
GST WILL BE CHARGED AT 10% OF THE FINAL BILL
Suitable For 4-5 Bedroom
GST WILL BE CHARGED AT 10% OF THE FINAL BILL
At We Move Sydney we believe that a garage sale is an excellent option if you need some extra cash and are looking to get rid of a few items before your move. However, it’s a lot more than simply setting up all your items in the driveway or placing a sign on a telephone pole.
If a garage sale isn’t for you, our guide on how to declutter your home before moving house covers donation and recycling routes for unwanted items instead.
Go through every cupboard, hidden storage space and room in the house before you start pricing anything. Create a single holding area for items you’re planning to sell so nothing gets missed or accidentally packed.
Avoid throwing away things that you might feel are old, as people may find value in them. Items that seem worthless to you (old tools, retro homewares, kids’ toys) often sell well at garage sales.
Hold your garage sale 2-3 weeks before moving day so you have time to deal with leftover items afterwards, and pick a Saturday or Sunday morning when people are actually home and out walking.
Before you move any further, you need to consider how long you are collecting these items and your moving date before deciding. Try settling for a date somewhere in the middle. However, it would help if you also kept some time after your garage sale to donate or throw away items that didn’t sell. This makes it much easier to organise your entire move.
You need to check with your local council on the rules and regulations for holding a garage sale. Some councils have specific guidelines on setup and logistics for the day, particularly if you plan to spill out onto the footpath or nature strip rather than staying within your own driveway.
Facebook Marketplace, local community groups and printed street signage reach far more people than a single cardboard sign on a telephone pole.
Get to advertising as soon as everything’s sorted out. You want to see that everyone in your neighbourhood is at your garage sale. Consider printing out some signage rather than using a sharpie on a cardboard box. You can also advertise in your local newspapers or create a Facebook event, inviting everyone you know and more.
It’s crucial to plan a layout for your garage sale and decide whether it will be in your driveway, yard, or somewhere else. Select the best spot on your property, which will make browsing through much more straightforward. You can always set up tables for smaller items and another area for group things. This also makes pricing simple, as you can group boxes like “Everything $2”.
Whatever’s left unsold at the end of the day should go straight to donation or recycling rather than being repacked. Our guide on how to save money on your next house move covers other ways to cut costs once the garage sale is done, and if the whole house still feels overwhelming, see how to pack a messy house for a move.
Aim for 2-3 weeks before your move date. This gives you enough time to advertise properly, run the sale, and still have a window to donate or dispose of anything that didn’t sell before the removalists arrive.
It depends on the council and where the sale is held. A sale contained entirely within your own driveway or yard usually doesn’t need a permit, but spilling onto the footpath, nature strip or street often does. Check your specific council’s website before advertising.
Furniture you’re not taking to the new place, kitchenware, tools, kids’ toys and books tend to move fastest. Group low-value items together with a flat price (e.g. “everything $2”) to clear them quickly rather than pricing each one individually.
Donate them to a local charity, list them free on Facebook Marketplace or community groups, or take them to a council recycling/waste facility. Avoid repacking unsold items into moving boxes purely out of habit — if it wasn’t worth keeping enough to price at the sale, it’s usually not worth the cost of moving it.
For most households, yes — it reduces the volume (and therefore cost) of what you need to move, and any cash raised offsets moving expenses. The main cost is time, so weigh it against how tight your moving timeline already is.
For more information on our removal services, get in touch with We Move Sydney via this Online Form, or give us a call at 1300 017 159 for a free estimate, and we will get back to you shortly.
