Disclosure :: VarageSale generously gave a Fort Worth Moms Blog contributor a gift card to try out VarageSale. Below is her review of her experience of a great resource to moms not only in Cowtown but other communities!
On Saturday mornings when I was a kid, my parents and I would pile into the car, hit up a few garage sales, then go out for pancakes and discuss our loot. (Generally, it was books for me, antiques for my mom, and any random thing you might imagine for my dad.)
I tried that once with my two toddlers and realized that this is not to be in this season of life.
Enter VarageSale.
All the fun of a garage sale but without the hassle. I’m hooked already.
You sign up with a local group, and there is an administrator who approves you. I joined the general DFW group, with about 5,600 members, but there are also groups in specific areas as well as those centered around exchanging homeschooling materials, scrapbooking stuff, baby gear, or other interests.
Once you’re in, you can browse the feed or search by category to find items you might be interested in, and you can post items to sell yourself.
I’ve done both, and there are two things that seem to set VarageSale apart from other online selling sites.
Layout
It is so user-friendly! Scrolling through the feed reminds me of scrolling through Instagram, except you can buy the stuff. No multiple clicks to find items; it’s all just right there in the feed. Even if you search by category, the pictures instantly pop up to view. The layout is simply awesome–both on the website and the app.
Did I mention there’s an app? Same functionality as the site but right there on your device (iPhone, Android, or Kindle), and you can set your preferences for the kinds of notifications you receive.
You can also comment with questions below the pictures and private message sellers, which fosters another feature that sets VarageSale apart.
Community
Because you have to be approved to join the group, it feels more legit and local than other sites. Your name and picture are also connected with the items you’re selling and with comments you’re making, so it feels more like interacting with Facebook friends than emailing a stranger. You can also rate and comment on other users, so other buyers will know if you were happy with your transaction.
My Experience
I posted a few items to sell, but hadn’t had any comments in a couple of days. So I went back to my posts and was able to reduce the prices and “bump up” the items to the top of the feed. From now on, this will be my go-to place when I have things to sell.
For buying, I found some toys for my girls’ Christmas presents, a print for their room, and a Beachbody workout I’ve been eyeing but hadn’t had the funds to purchase new. I’m coordinating with the sellers for meet-up times, but everyone has been courteous and understanding of schedules.
Every time I open the app, I find more fun things. Everything from books to antiques to completely random, interesting items. I kept talking so much about what I was seeing that my husband finally signed up, and we spent our Friday night scrolling the feed on VarageSale.
It’s not pancakes, but it’s perfect for our season of life.
Have you used VarageSale before? What do you buy? What has been the best online/garage sale find you have scored?