Shopping, Perfect For Our Season of Life {Sponsored Post by VarageSale}

0

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.

Square VS logo

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.

photo-4
In pajamas, after the kids go to bed, while watching some TV. THIS is the way to shop!

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.

FWMB_VS_CollageMy 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? 

Previous articleLet’s Talk Ta Tas: A Breast Cancer Discussion
Next articleCamp Fire: Light the Fire Within
Tiffany
Tiffany is an Alabama expat who has been married to Jason since 2005 and has called Fort Worth home since 2007. They welcomed Catherine in 2012 and Nina in 2013. Tiffany recently retired after 10 years of librarian life to focus full-time on doctoral work at the University of North Texas and part-time on health and fitness coaching. In her spare (ha!) time, she enjoys blogging at tiffanynorris.com, tweeting (@mrsmcbookworm), podcasting (OnTheGo.fm), watching sports (Roll Tide!), and walking with Fred, their Bichon Frise. You will rarely find her without a cup of coffee, and she is a big believer in the one-minute dance party.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here