The large group of people moves excitedly and anxiously, bright coloured balloons sway back and forth and amongst the laughter and loud conversations there is the sound of coins dropping into a wide tin as garage sales host, Pavan Sandhu smiles willingly at her earnings. Arranged precisely on foldable tables are all sorts of items from clothes and jewellery to cd’s and teddy bears. Hanging from each item is a small price tag paired with an even smaller dollar amount, naturally the second hand belongings are selling quick.

While garage sales may seem like a thing of the past it is safe to say that history is repeating itself, making them bigger and better then ever before.

A moving house garage sale, in Narre Warren is proof that people are still fascinated in attending sales and have no shame when it comes to saving some extra cash. Host, Pavan Sandhu openly tells “This is my first garage sale in a long, long time so it’s very exciting for me and I’m surprised at how successful it has turned out to be.” When mentioned the increasing popularity of garage sales she was quick to add “Almost every week there is at least one garage sale around here, sometimes more”. “My neighbours had a sale a couple months of ago that was a huge success”. The sale took place on a “Sunday morning, and I remember waking up to a lot of noise coming from next door. When I looked outside my window I saw a lot of cars parked down my street and I assumed one my neighbours must be having a party.” Later on when I realised “It was a garage sale I was amazed at how many people actually went and it was pretty early too”.

On a Current Affairs program a month ago a story on frequent garage sales shoppers also noted how early some of the buyers attend the sales. Almost like boxing day sales people want to get there as early as possible so they don’t miss any of the better items.

While Miss Sandhu has used the conventional ways of advertising for a sale, “I made a sign and stuck it at the front of the street with a couple of balloons. I’m not the most creative person,” she giggles. A prime reason as to why garage sales are blooming is due to the many websites that allow for them to be advertised.

“I have been to some really cool garage sales that I found on the net. It’s a shame I didn’t have time to post mine,” Miss Sandhu says with clear dissapointment in her voice, “but there’s always a next time”.

There is a wide range of these websites that is accessible to the public. The sites provide search engines to locate any upcoming garage sales in your local area and also give you the opportunity to advertise your own sale. Sights such as www.whatgaragesale.com.au and www.egaragesales.com.au also offer some valuable tips on how to ensure that your garage sale runs smoothly. These sources add credibility and ease when running a garage sale, an option that was not provided in earlier years.

“Web sites such as egaragesales.com.au allow the seller to really detail what they've got. Also buyers have a lot longer to search for sales compared with other media as ads can be placed weeks ahead.” Says Rob Polman, who works for the website www.egaragesales.com.au, described to be Australia’s largest garage sale website.

On the comparison, a worker from www.whatgaragesales.com.au, Heidi Schramm states that various mediums are needed when advertising for a sale, “You need a mix. Your audience is varied and many people visit a garage sale because they drove past. Some because they picked up the Saturday paper. Others because they trawl the net. You need a mix of advertising mediums, but the internet does open you up to a wider audience.” she says.

Looking back the many, many years ago when garage sales were first introduced. The excitement and bizarreness of someone selling their things in their garage attracted a lot of attention bringing all types of people together. In certain ways sales used to be seen as taking on a meaning to community and being an event of local significance. In the United States in particular, people recognise sales as a chance for neighbours to get together. The ‘Highway 127 Corridor Sale’ is promoted as the world’s largest sale which spans out across five US states.

Although this seems a bit far fetched in today’s era when everyone leads such busy lives Mr. Polman says, “We have many customers who have arranged garage sales with neighbours to present multiple households in the one sale. Some enterprising organizers have also managed to have a whole-of-street garage sale. This would certainly have neighbours communicating.”

While Brian King from another popular garage sales website (www.streetgaragesales.com.au ) says that people attending sales to interact with the neighbourhood is highly unlikely, “While it’s a nice concept, one that we in fact try and promote, but I believe its simply about people selling their unwanted items. If a neighbor does turn up, it’s a bonus but we have also noticed a reluctance from close neighbours to purchase anything.”

In one instance King tells “Our web site was launched to promote our first ‘street’ sale which attracted 40 households and an amazing 8,000 visitors on the day, largely because we got to spruke it on ABC radio promoting the ‘street’ and ‘community’ aspects. At the end of the sale, unsold items from the 40 sales were donated to Diabetes Australia. They rang me a few weeks later to say thank you for the estimated $2K donation of goods.”

“About a year later, we were shocked to discover neighbours at one end of the street (who had participated in our sale) had organized another sale but had not invited neighbours from the other end. It felt like a real kick in the guts for the so-called ‘community’.”

So why is this latest craze into going out and finding the best previously owned items suddenly blooming? While Mr. Polman suggests “In these time-poor times, garage sales are a quick way to move stuff on in a short time frame. People are also lumbered with "old" technologies as new electronics are purchased.”

It really has become more than just getting a good bargain, as the ‘vintage look’ has now become an obsession with young adolescents in particular.

It almost seems incredibly ironic how in modern times people are have become more than acceptable of purchasing second hand goods. Stepping aside from garage sales, thrift stores, vintage boutiques, op shopping have become increasingly popular. Often friends of mine will be complaining about how all the opp shops have been raided of the good stuff. On the positive side they won’t fail to mention an entire new outfit they bought from a second hand store such as ‘savers’ for an insane price. Although you can save some extra money by shopping like this there are many second hand stores in the city in particular in which buying a top would cost the same if you bought a brand new one from a clothing store. Fashion magazines are promoting this vintage ‘hand me downs’ look as a lot of their pages are being filled with the retro and and vintage look replacing the elegant, formal clothing.

In an article ‘Turn Your Wardrobe Into Cash’, it notes that women are realising they don’t need to go to shopping centers to find the big brands when you can buy them pre loved for a fraction of the retailed price.

In this way garage sales can also contribute to finding these unique designs. Schramm says, “People are realizing that they can make their money extend further by going second hand. Garage sales present an opportunity to haggle to get the best price, and you can find designer goods, retro, and antique items for a fraction of the price. It allows you to clean out your garage and make some money back!”

These latest fashion trends have been accepted and recognized by Penny Flanders, creator of fashion website www.missmoneypenny.com.au The website is a popular online shopping sight that allows the trade of second hand clothing. Penny states, “Once upon a time it was only for the treasure hunter and the enthusiast”, she says when asked about the huge attention being given towards second hand shopping. “Of course now it is much more mainstream, fashionable, acceptable and environmentally responsible to shop for used items – be it fashion, baby gear, furniture or whatever.” Comparing it to garage sales Penny strongly believes that her site and garage sales have a lot in common and that both are widely accepted in the modern era.

“I think it is now far more socially acceptable – even ‘smart and cool’ to shop and sell at garage sales.”

“ I bet if you looked at the number of newspaper ads for garage sales they would have gone through the roof in the last few years as buyers are more comfortable purchasing this way and sellers accrue too many items to lug to a market.”

Garage Sales progression has continued to develop over the years with the aid of technology in terms of advertisement and publicity, with ever changing technology its safe to say that this hype may even get bigger than what it is. As Heidi Schramm reassuringly comments as long as there is “Second hand goods, there will always be a place for garage sales in some shape or form”. It certainly proves that the phrase still lives on, ‘one mans trash is another persons treasure’.

Written By Danielle Mc Farland