Is There A Difference Between A Yard Sale And A Garage Sale?

Everyone loves a good yard sale, and everyone loves a good garage sale—but are we repeating ourselves? Admittedly, terminology isn’t the most important part of this community-driven event, but if this is something you’ve been dying to know, fear not! As the first and foremost authority on the subject matter, we’re here to bring you peace of mind on all things yard sale. So, is there a difference between a yard sale and a garage sale?

The short answer:

No, not really.

The long answer:

There’s not a hard distinction, you can definitely use the two terms interchangeably without racking up any lawsuits, but some people might be sticklers with the language. A yard sale, usually, takes place in your yard. A garage sale, on the other hand, might take place in the actual garage or in the driveway.

The difference usually comes down to whether or not you have a personal garage, and whether or not setting up in the yard is feasible. Depending on where you live, the yard (if you have one) might not be exactly flat and stable enough to set up tables and displays, and the driveway and the garage are just safer options. The garage also helps guard against unpleasant weather, including particularly harsh sunshine. The driveway is both stable and open, and makes for a bit easier of a transfer into the garage should the weather dictate so.

Yards also tend to be larger than garages and driveways, which make them an attractive choice if there are a lot of items on sale. This makes yards a fairly popular option, too, when the items sold are coming from a community. In other words, if the sale is selling multiple neighbors’ items, many people opt to set up in the yard. A garage sale, on the other hand, tends to just be items coming from one household.

Again, however, these aren’t hard set rules, just trends we’ve observed. If you want to set up in your garage or driveway and call it a yard sale, go for it! If you want to set up in your yard and call it a garage sale, who are we to judge? Yard sales are all about surprises, after all. We say set up where you can, call it what you want, and long live the yard sale!