8 Apps for Garage Sale Success

Smartphones are changing the way homeowners sell their stuff. Gone are the days when people simply stuck “Yard Sale!” signs in their front lawn and waited for the crowds to roll in. Today, mobile apps are making it easier than ever to earn some extra cash from your latest round of spring cleaning.

Ready to sell your items? Make sure your smartphone is loaded up with these eight apps for garage sale success.

CPlus for Craigslist

First up is good ol' Craigslist, the staple website and mobile app that lets people post classified ads. Licensed by Craigslist, the CPlus app is bare-bones — its interface looks like it’s straight out of the '90s — but it gets the job done. And, given how long it’s been around, Craigslist drives an immense amount of traffic every day. You can post ads for specific goods or promote your upcoming garage sale to generate a bigger turnout.

Available on iPhone and Android

VarageSale

Want to skip a garage sale altogether and sell your used goods online instead? Like Facebook Marketplace (basically Facebook's version of Craigslist), VarageSale lets users post their wares for sale online for free and allows local shoppers to purchase them. What makes the app different from Craigslist, though, is that it allows sellers to establish credibility by showing their ratings from past customers and average response times.

Available on iPhone and Android

OfferUp

Another Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace competitor, the OfferUp app lets its users post classified ads. In addition to smaller goods like baby clothes, books and jewelry, you can also sell exercise equipment, kitchen appliances or even cars. Shoppers message sellers directly to negotiate a price. The app has no listing or transaction fees.

Available on iPhone and Android

Yard Sale Treasure Map

This mobile app is a way to get your garage sale noticed by more people. Once you’ve posted an announcement on Craigslist for the event (make sure you fill out the address), you can enroll it in Yard Sale Treasure Map’s system, where it will appear on a map that local yard sale shoppers can use to find your house. You can also print personalized garage sale brochures directly from the app.

Pro tip: GLICKIN Garage Sales, 5Miles and Garage Sale Map are three other apps you can use to maximize your garage sale’s exposure.

Available on iPhone and Android

Square Point of Sale

Yard sale browsers aren’t always equipped with the right amount of cash, which is where the Square Point of Sale app comes in handy. It allows you to process transactions from credit and debit cards, and the funds get deposited into your bank account in one to two business days. In addition, the app lets you send receipts via email or text message, access real-time sales data and complete sales history, and track inventory in real time. The caveat? Square charges a 2.75 percent processing fee on all swiped transactions, and a 3.5 percent plus $0.15 fee for manually entered transactions. Buying a Square Reader ($6.05 on Amazon) that you plug into your smartphone can be a worthwhile investment.

Available on iPhone and Android

TallySheet

Throwing a yard sale with a few neighbors? TallySheet lets you easily track the total amount earned by each seller, eliminating any confusion over how much each of person made when the sale is over. The app, which generates real-time reports with total payouts for each seller, allows an unlimited number of friends to connect as cashiers to your event. It also reduces human error by calculating the change owed to the customer.

Available on iPhone and Android

Nextdoor

Throwing a joint yard sale can help make your event a success, since you’ll have more people spreading the word. If you don’t know any neighbors who want to participate, you can search for like-minded folks in your community using Nextdoor, a private social network in more than 197,000 neighborhoods across the U.S.

Available on iPhone and Android

BookScouter

Downsizing your home library? Download BookScouter, a mobile app that lets you compare real-time price quotes online for used books and textbooks. Though BookScouter is designed for you to sell your books through the app, it can also be a good tool for determining what price tags to put on your used books.

Available on iPhone and Android