VarageSale: The NEW Garage Sale

Once upon a time….in a very crowded house not so long ago…

I decided to have a garage sale.

I purged my house and made big piles of items I wanted to sell. Signs were posted around the neighborhood. I got up at the butt crack of down on my Saturday, made coffee for the visitors, and provided snacks to the people who stopped by to check out my awesome loot….ha. But the more I thought about it, I really didn’t want to sell my daughter’s Burberry onesie for 25 cents when I knew I paid much more for that at Neiman Marcus. And definitely all the work I did to get it ready to get $20 in my pocket… it was a total bust.

Now, I don’t have to.

VarageSale is the modern, virtual day approach to the tried-and-true garage sales. It’s a marketplace app that allows you to buy and sell pre-loved items with neighbors without driving around the block on a Saturday morning. The app was created by Tami Zuckerman, a mom and former elementary teacher in Toronto, who was frustrated with how difficult it was to sell some of her child’s clothes. She wanted it to be simple for busy moms and dads who were always on the go and didn’t have time to physically sit at a computer. And it couldn’t be easier to use for both buyers and sellers.

Like most things online, the app is connected through Facebook, so you don’t have to worry about remembering yet another username/password. Download the app, type in your zip code and shop away.

There are seven new communities in the DFW area giving you more opportunities to find the perfect items:

Arlington & Grand Prairie – http://m.varagesale.com/m/VpzqrBymTn
Carrollton & Farmers Branch – http://m.varagesale.com/m/WyYinD0eTn
Dallas Inner Loop – http://m.varagesale.com/m/hqS4xcqmTn
Duncanville/DeSoto/Lancaster – http://m.varagesale.com/m/vLcp7UumTn
Fort Worth – http://m.varagesale.com/m/86SLojVlTn
Mesquite & East Dallas – http://m.varagesale.com/m/adGCMthlTn
Richardson, Garland & Rowlett – http://m.varagesale.com/m/GTcJpMXfTn

You can search for items like “elsa frozen toys” and voila, it shows you all of the related items in your community. Whether or not your daughter wants to let go of her Elsa toy is another story. Plus, it’s the perfect way to declutter your home and make a little cash in the process. No longer do you have to dread the growing piles of clothes, toys and other knick knacks that the kids have outgrown or “outloved.”

Selling on VarageSale is a piece of cake. Once you have sorted through all of the items and decided what is appropriate for the site, snap a photo of the item, price it according to its retail value and how much loved it received and upload away. I really didn’t get rid my daughter’s Burberry onesie, but if I wanted to, now I can sell it closer to the retail value and not shed a little tear when it goes home to a new owner for only a quarter.

Another nifty and helpful trick for VarageSale users?

You can customize your news feed so that only the categories and items you care about, show up! Here’s how!

Right now, VarageSale is running a super seller cash offer specifically in the new DFW communities and a free family vacation contest. Note that you have to sign up via the links below in order to enter.

Here’s a breakdown on how you can get even more cash in your pocket:

New VarageSale sign-ups who join a newly launched community will earn $5 for every item they list for sale (up to 25 items). That’s potentially $125 up for grabs!

Super Seller cash offer available to new VarageSale signs-ups only, and only eligible in new VarageSale communities. Limited to first 100 new sign-ups per community. Disney contest is available to new and existing VarageSale users and is state-wide. Full terms at terms.varagesale.com/tx

BONUS: Every item listed for sale is also an entry into a state-wide contest to win a family vacation (up to 5 people) to the most magical place on earth in Orlando, Florida (Disney World).

VarageSale is quick and fun way to buy products, and the community vibe makes it a little safer to sell items without the fear of being kidnapped.

And you keep on your pajamas and can get it all done before your next round of coffee.