When you hear estate sale, you’re probably thinking vintage jewelry, family heirlooms, and stacks of artwork or old records. But over on r/Frugal, a loud and proud group of deal-hunters swear there’s even better stuff hiding in the garages and utility rooms: High-quality chemicals, gardening supplies, and household goods that folks tend to overlook.
Because most buyers are zeroed in on furniture and decor, items like huge jugs of laundry detergent, unopened spray bottles of WD-40, garden gloves, spare light-bulbs, and tools just sit gathering dust. Instead of paying full price, you can score these estate sale finds for a fraction of their retail cost.
Hidden Gems To Look For
Before you elbow your way toward that vintage lamp, take a detour to the garage. That’s where the best under-the-radar deals tend to hide. Here are some of the best types of items Redditors say they score at estate sales:
- Laundry detergent, fabric softener, dish soap – Big sizes, sealed or mostly full.
- Garage tools, chemicals, and DIY supplies – Think motor oil, WD-40, silver polish, sandpaper, screwdrivers, drill bits, and even half-full cans of paint.
- Gardening supplies – Bags of fertilizer, garden gloves, unused flower pots, and seed packets tucked in sheds.
- Household goods you need anyway – Extra sponges, long-life lightbulbs, unopened tool sets, unopened cleaning sprays.
- Unused unopened boxes – Brand-name cleaners, duplicate kitchen gadgets, back-up toiletries, or gear bought for projects that never happened.
“I used to cruise by a few and head straight for the garage for large plant pots and stakes and tomato cages, etc,” writes one Redditor. “That stuff is expensive at the garden center. I even got a few large bags of compost soil.”
Another adds, “The commercial shelving you find in high-end garages is great stuff. Most are forever-grade, in continuous production for half a century.”
Indeed, items like gardening supplies, shelves, and tool kits will typically run you a hefty tab at the hardware store, so finding them for cheap secondhand is a score worth bragging about.
How to Maximize Your Chances
Rather than wandering from room to room like it’s an open house, savvy shoppers suggest treating estate sales like a mission: Know where you’re heading, know what’s worth scooping up, and don’t hesitate to pull the trigger once you find what you need. Here’s a quick game-plan by Redditors who’ve done this before:
- Arrive early, as the good stuff will go fast. As one user advises: “Make sure to go on the first day early—like bring a book early.”
- Head straight to the garage/utility area for the more practical and worthwhile finds. “The garage often holds great treasure!” writes another Redditor.
- Search for sealed or high-quantity items. Read expiration dates if possible to make sure they’re still safe to use.
- Check prices before you buy. Some items may still be overpriced or long past its prime. “In my area, estate‐sale managers have jacked up prices, and sometimes the stuff you find is 20+ years expired,” notes one Redditor.
- Have a backup mindset. Even if you don’t find that mid-century dresser you had in mind, walking away with a trunk full of $1 essentials is still a W.
Where to Find Estate Sales, Plus a Few Caveats
If you’ve never been to an estate sale before, the hardest part is just knowing where to look. Luckily, most of the big listings are gathered in a handful of places — and once you know where to browse, you can find multiple sales every weekend:
- EstateSales.net — This is the go-to site for most seasoned hunters. You can search by zip code, filter by dates, and preview photos of what’s for sale before you even show up.
- EstateSales.org — Similar idea, but with more detailed descriptions and the option to “favorite” sales. Many sellers also post day-of discounts here, like last-minute sales and even online auctions.
- Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace — Surprisingly, a lot of local, family-run sales never make it onto the big sites. Searching “estate sale,” “moving sale,” or “garage cleanout” on these platforms can help you find more low-key events.
- Local auction houses — Some estate liquidations are done through small regional auction companies. Many post full catalogs online and allow in-person pickup for anything you bid on.
- Neighborhood signs — It sounds old-school, but good ol’ yard signs can lead to some of the best finds, especially in affluent neighborhoods where homeowners may be looking to downsize.
Before you start filling your trunk up, it’s worth keeping a few caveats in mind. Not everything at an estate sale is a steal, and seasoned shoppers say these precautions can save you from rookie mistakes, including:
- Check expiration dates. A $1 jug of detergent is no bargain if it’s expired or has a leak in it.
- Don’t buy too much “just because it’s cheap.” If you aren’t going to use it, you’re basically throwing money away.
- Transportation and storage matter. Make sure you have proper transportation (a van, dolly, or a helping hand) if you’re planning to grab larger items like furniture or framed artwork. There’s nothing more frustrating than scoring a great piece and realizing you have no way to get it home.
- Make sure the items are genuinely unused or still usable. Redditors note prices may be inflated for items past their prime.
Final Thoughts
If you go to estate sales looking only for furniture or retro design pieces, you might be missing the low-hanging savings fruit. To snag the best deals, Redditors suggest heading straight to the utility area, scanning for big boxes and sealed bottles, and scooping up household staples that tend to get overlooked.
Heck, the next time you’re lining up for an estate sale, bring a checklist: Detergent, garden gloves, spray bottles, unopened tool kits. You might leave with a stacked cupboard and the satisfaction of knowing you out-smarted the weekend throng — all for a fraction of the price.
More Estate Sale Content on Cheapism
- Garage Sale vs. Estate Sale: What’s the Difference? (and Why Your Wallet Wants You To Shop at Both) — Join us as we take a closer look at what makes them different, where you can find them, and how each sale structures its pricing.
- What Is an Estate Sale — and How To Find One Near You — Estate sales can be an excellent way to find unique, vintage, or rare items for cheap.
- Garage Sales Gross Me Out. I Finally Went to One, and Here’s What Happened — When I was challenged to attend an actual garage sale, held in an actual person’s garage, with piles of stuff they wanted to get rid of, I expected to be disgusted. I was actually surprised.
