National Garage Sale Day is celebrated on the Second Saturday in August to recognize a time-honored tradition of community resale, decluttering, and secondhand treasure hunting. It encourages people across the U.S. to clean out their homes, set up tables and signs, and join neighbors in hosting garage, yard, or tag sales.
Garage sales have long been a part of American culture, offering an affordable and sustainable way to reuse items, reduce waste, and make a little extra money. They also foster local connections, turning neighborhoods into lively marketplaces for a day.
The day was established by C. Daniel Rhodes of Alabama in 2001 as a way to bring more visibility and unity to this grassroots tradition. Today, it’s not just about bargains—it’s about stories, community, and giving forgotten items a second life.
When Is National Garage Sale Day Celebrated?
National Garage Sale Day takes place on the Second Saturday in August, so the date changes every year. Below are the upcoming dates to help you plan your next sale or treasure hunt.
| Year | Date, Weekday |
|---|---|
| 2025 | August 9, Saturday |
| 2026 | August 8, Saturday |
| 2027 | August 14, Saturday |
| 2028 | August 12, Saturday |
| 2029 | August 11, Saturday |
| 2030 | August 10, Saturday |
Garage Sale Lingo
If you plan to celebrate National Garage Sale Day, you need to know some garage sale lingo. We hope these twenty commonly-used terms and their definitions will help you sell and buy like a garage sale pro.
Garage Sale Lingo
- Upscale Sale: A sale featuring higher-end or luxury items.
- Early Birds: Shoppers who arrive before the advertised start time to get the best items.
- Haggling/Bargaining: Negotiating the price of an item.
- Firm Price: A non-negotiable price set by the seller.
- Make an Offer: Seller invites the buyer to propose a price.
- Estate Sale: A sale that typically involves selling the contents of a home, often due to a major life event.
- Yard Sale: Another term for a garage sale, usually held in the yard.
- Tag Sale: Yet another term for a garage sale, often used in the Northeast US.
- Multi-Family Sale: A sale involving items from multiple households.
- Moving Sale: A sale held when someone is relocating, often featuring a large variety of items.
- Curb Alert: Items left on the curb for free, usually listed online.
- Bundle Deal: A discount offered when multiple items are purchased together.
- Gently Used: Items that are second-hand but in good condition.
- Vintage: Older items that are often considered collectible or unique.
- Clearance: Items marked down significantly to clear out remaining stock.
- No Holds: Items that cannot be reserved; it’s first come, first served.
- Cash Only: The seller only accepts cash payments.
- Rain or Shine: The sale will proceed regardless of the weather.
- Must Go: Items that the seller is very motivated to sell quickly.
- Pickers: People who hunt for valuable items to resell.
How to Celebrate National Garage Sale Day
Looking to celebrate National Garage Sale Day but need some inspiration? Here are seven easy and fun ideas to get you started:
- Host Your Own Sale: Gather your unused items and organize a garage sale. It’s a great way to declutter and make some extra cash.
- Neighborhood Event: Coordinate with your neighbors to host a multi-family sale. Bigger sales attract more buyers.
- Treasure Hunt: Spend the day visiting local garage sales. You never know what unique finds you might discover.
- Advertise Creatively: Use social media, local bulletin boards, and signs to promote your sale and attract more visitors.
- Set Up a Kids’ Corner: If you have children, involve them by setting up a kids’ corner where they can sell toys, books, and lemonade.
- Donate Unsold Items: At the end of the day, donate any unsold items to local charities or thrift stores.
- Learn and Enjoy: Embrace the experience by learning about the history of items, negotiating prices, and enjoying the social interactions.
National Garage Sale Day is a fantastic occasion to declutter, meet new people, and enjoy the thrill of finding unexpected treasures. Happy selling and shopping!
Before You Go:
We have many more national days lists for you to explore.
- Food-related national days: complete list of national food days, pasta & noodles days, vegan & vegetarian days, mushroom days, ice-cream days, pizza days, coffee days, chocolate days, wine days, alcohol & drinking days.
- Non-food national days: National Days Calendar 2025 (check out the printable calendars in my Etsy shop), National Days for Teachers, and a wide array of special lists such as cat days, dog days, animal days, cleaning & organizing days, book days, music days, family & relationships days, national days for women, stationery days and even Harry Potter days.
- Country-specific national days: Australian national days, more coming soon.
📝 This article was originally published on July 26th, 2024. It has been thoroughly updated, and the publishing date has been changed to reflect the new version.
