Garage Sale Scams: What to look out for & how to stay safe

Garage Sale Scams are on the rise. Garage Sales have always been a great way to get excellent deals on items you need, want or just like for decoration. Garage Sales can be an affordable way of furnishing your home and getting rid of things you don’t want anymore.

If you notice anyone attempting to scam using the My Garage Sale App, contact us immediately! You can reach us via live chat by clicking the chat icon on the bottom right corner of any page. We take the security and privacy of our users very seriously and we do not condone any misconduct.

What to look out for: Garage sale scams can take many forms, here are some examples of Garage Sale Scams.

The Garage Sale Scam: The Garage Sale Poster

You see a gorgeous ad on Craigslist saying that someone is moving and having a Garage Sale, getting rid of all their furniture for dirt cheap prices. They are willing to negotiate the price lower than what you would believe someone would get for these items so it seems impossible to pass up this amazing deal! You call the person up to ask them about the items listed in the Garage Sale Ad, they come across as very nice, friendly & give you great tips & tricks about garage sales because they have been holding them since they were little children. When you finally show up at their house – surprise! There’s no Garage Sale! They are just trying to sell you stolen goods for dirt cheap prices.

The Garage Sale Scam: The Garage Sale – No Bargaining Allowed

You call up the Garage sale poster and they tell you that it’s their first-ever Garage sale so they aren’t sure how things will go but they want to start off by having fixed prices on everything because garage sales can be hard work. They assure you that there are lots of people who have Garage Sales who don’t allow haggling or bargaining at all, so it should be no problem either way. When you show up at the house to buy something – surprise! There’s no Garage Sale! They are just trying to sell you stolen goods for a higher price.

The Garage Sale Scam: The Garage Sale – No Exact Address

You call up the garage sale poster to ask them where their Garage Sale is, they give you a very vague answer, something like “It’s on Fairbush Street” or “It’s in an alley behind Fairbush street”. They tell you that it should be pretty easy to find. You get there and watch for other Garage Sales around Fairbush street but can’t find anything. When you finally go back to the person who gave you the address and you ask if they were sure about which house was theirs? – surprise! There’s no Garage Sale! They are just trying to sell you stolen goods through a different means & definitely not for a good price.

Read this article by CBS6 about 3 more garage sale scams.

How To Stay Safe: Here are some tips on how to stay safe from Garage Sale Scams:

– Ask them an extremely specific question about the item. Like “Is this a  brand new  item?” or “What is the model number?” A Garage Seller who has stolen items will not be able to answer those kinds of questions confidently, if they attempt to answer those kinds of questions it’s just plain fishy & you should probably find another Garage Sale.

– If they refuse to give you their exact address that should be your first clue. Garage Sales are usually advertised on the internet and online ads usually include their exact location for convenience sake. If they can’t even bother posting an ad online with their actual physical address then there is something wrong with that picture!

– Garage sales usually have a clearly posted date & time. If the Garage Sale you’re going to say is only happening on Saturday from 10 am – 12 pm, but they can’t answer your question about exactly what day that is – there’s a reason why.

– Garage Sales are usually advertised on multiple platforms online & if you call them up or message them and they refuse to give you any personal information at all – this should also be a red flag! A Garage Seller who has stolen items will not want to give their name, address, or phone number away because it could be traced back to them!

So remember: If it seems too good of a deal then it probably is. You can find lots of great deals at Garage Sales if you keep your wits about you and use some common sense!

Final Thoughts Garage Sales are great for finding unique items at a low price, but Garage Sellers who have stolen items will try to use any means possible to get rid of their stolen goods. In order to stay safe from Garage Sale Scams make sure that you’re cautious about the Garage Seller’s answers & give them plenty of personal information in return.

You should never feel pressured into giving out more information about yourself than necessary when buying something from a Garage Sale – this is a red flag that someone is trying to scam you! If it sounds too good of a deal then it probably is, look for Garage Sales at your own convenience and buy whatever makes you feel comfortable.