What do you need to run a garage sale?
Short answer: 20 items, from advertise on Facebook Marketplace and local groups through to test that anything electrical actually works first. The complete Garage Sale checklist is written out below — and the exact same 20 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Garage Sale checklist — all 20 items
- Advertise on Facebook Marketplace and local groups
- Charge your phone for EFTPOS or payment apps
- Check local council rules on street signage
- Group similar items together (all books, all toys)
- Have a "everything under $2" box, it sells fast
- Have a float of small notes and coins ready
- Have a tarp ready in case of rain
- Have bags available for buyers
- Have hand sanitiser and a chair for yourself
- Keep pets and small kids away from the driveway
- Keep valuables inside, not out with the sale stock
- Plan where unsold items go afterwards (op shop pickup)
- Print or write clear price tags on everything
- Put up directional signs the morning of
- Recruit a second person for busy periods
- Set an early start time (early birds always come)
- Set up tables, not just boxes on the ground
- Sort items into sell, donate, and bin
- Take photos of good items to sell online after
- Test that anything electrical actually works first
Garage sale morning starts at 6:40am with a stranger on the lawn asking about tools you haven't priced yet. The sale itself is easy — it's the float of small change nobody organised, the signs that blew over, the price stickers, and the sausage-sizzle question of what happens to everything that doesn't sell.
This checklist sets up the operation: signage and online listings, tables and display, a cash float plus a bank transfer sign for the cashless, stickers and a marker, sun cover, and the end-of-day plan for leftovers. Sort it Friday; Saturday you just sell.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "cash float" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What do you need to run a garage sale?
You need 20 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from advertise on Facebook Marketplace and local groups through to test that anything electrical actually works first — and the same 20 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=garage%20sale opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Garage Sale list (20 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.