You could have knocked me over with a feather as I stood watching thieves drive away with a flatbed trailer load of things they stole from my Dad's estate garage sale.
I had made the mistake of hosting the indoor sale alone after my sister-in-law was called away unexpectedly. The sale was busy. I had a line of customers waiting in the family room to check out when I heard a man shout from the front porch...
"Ma'am! Ma'am! The garage! They're robbing you!"
Normally I would have taken offense at being called "ma'am," but there was no time. Everything that wasn't part of the sale — things of my Dad's I wanted to keep — were stored in a detached garage.
I raced outside in time to see a little old couple, tiny people in their late 60's, heaving box after box onto a trailer they had the nerve to back up the long, narrow driveway to the garage door. I ran toward them yelling and waving my arms like a crazy person, but they kept loading as if I wasn't there.
I considered tackling the woman (she was all of 4 foot 5") but instead I stopped and stood there. Frozen. Mouth wide open. By the time the police arrived, the tiny brazen thieves were long gone and nothing ever came of it.
The Next Day
Later I remembered seeing the same little old couple at the estate sale the day before. The woman was very aggressive. She kept grabbing my sleeve and pulling me around asking a lot of unnecessary questions. I realize now that she was distracting me while her husband robbed us blind.
Apparently, I was such an easy mark they came back with a flat bed trailer.
Garage Sale Theft Happens More Often Than You Think
Had you asked me about Garage Sale theft back then, before I fell victim to it, I would have found it hard to fathom. I mean, really? Why would anyone steal from a Garage Sale? Are the prices not low enough? And what kind of person robs the bereaved of their memories?
Sadly, there are just some bad people in the world.
According to a crime analyst in San Antonio, TX, Garage Sale theft happens more than you may think.
"It happens quite a bit," Eddie Gonzales told KSAT news, "Most of it is theft of the money box, second would be theft of property and third is where they actually go into the house and take something."
Police say criminals also see garage sales as the perfect place to pass counterfeit money because things are hectic and people are trusting.
Car thieves, pick-pockets and purse snatchers also target garage sales for the very same reason.
Watch these two work the poor woman at this garage sale. One distracts her while the other steals merchandise unnoticed.
It's a common scam — one that I vowed would never happen to me again and something I would hate to see happen to you.
Here are the best ways I've found to prevent garage sale theft:
50 Things Any Host Can Do to Prevent Garage Sale Theft
1. Don't Go It Alone
The best thing you can do to deter Garage Sale Theft is to never host a sale alone. There's safety in numbers. Ask family and friends to help with your sale and be willing to return the favor.
2. Get a Sitter
Take young kids to a sitter or grandma's house. It's next to impossible to give both your sale and a little one the undivided attention they require.
3. Don't Kid Yourself
It's a mistake to assume you won’t be the target of Garage Sale theft because you live in a safe neighborhood. Thieves drive all over looking for easy pickings at garage sales.
4. Start With a Safe Set-Up
Arrange your sale so that you and your merchandise can be seen from the street. Ideally, every item you have for sale should be out in your driveway, on your lawn, or at the very least in your open garage that's visible to people passing by. Most criminals dislike an audience and the possibility of being surprised by one is enough to make some think twice.
Conducting your sale in a fish bowl will also encourage neighbors and good Samaritans in your vicinity to lend a watchful eye and possibly come to your aid if you need help.
A garage sale host in Yukon, Oklahoma told me that on one occasion neighbors actually honked and pointed as they drove past to alert her that someone was shoplifting.
5. Make it Spacious
To prevent garage sale theft, you need a clear view from one end of your sale to the other. Leave more room than you think you need between tables so you can see around shoppers. Also, try to keep a 12 foot buffer zone of empty space between your sale and the street if you have room.
6. Cover it Up
Keep anything that's not for sale out of site. If you can't move it, put a sheet or tarp over it or place a sign on it that reads, "NOT FOR SALE." Believe-it-or-not, some people can't handle their disappointment when they find out an item they want isn't for sale - so they steal it.
Grab a free, printable 'NOT FOR SALE' sign and nip Garage Sale Theft in the bud!
7. Turn it Around
I haven't tried it, but turning every other hanger the opposite direction may prevent garage sale theft. Shoplifters have to be quick so no one sees them. According to retailers, turning hangers can slow them down enough to get caught or change their minds about stealing.
8. Tag it Twice
You can definitely deter garage sale theft by double tagging your merchandise. Put one price sticker in the usual place on an item and a second one someplace unexpected. For example, on clothing, I like to hide a second sticker inside the hem or close to it. People who switch price tags with a lower price won't know to look for a second tag. Imagine their surprise when you show them the actual sticker price.
A variation of this is to write the first letter of the name of the item just below the price. That way, if someone brings you a sweater with an "M" on the tag instead of an "S" you know there's been some sticker tampering.
9. Don't Risk It
If you can't afford to lose something to Garage Sale Theft, don't put it out. Try selling it online, instead.
10. Go Big
Prevent garage sale theft by placing only large items (like furniture and appliances) at the end of your driveway — not things someone could easily drive up and grab and then speed off with.
11. Find a Good Vantage Point
Set your check-out table in a spot where the cashier can see everyone as they leave. A good vantage point may help your cashier spot trouble immediately whereas you normally wouldn't realize something was missing until later.
12. Keep Your Money Safe
Designate just one person to handle the money and act as cashier. That way no one can say they paid someone else and there's no confusion about who's watching the money at any given time.
13. Keep a Close Eye On Frequently Stolen Items
Keep jewelry and small valuables at or near the check-out table and other shoplifter favorites in the same line of sight so the cashier can help you keep a close eye on them.
| Cash | Jewelry | Phones |
| Headphones | Baby Clothes | Movies/Music |
| Laptops | Team Apparel | Swimwear/Lingerie |
| Batteries | Building Materials | Video Games |
| Perfume | Power Tools |
Shoes |
| Jeans | Sunglasses | Make up |
|
Handbags
|
Designer Clothes |
14. Don't Block Your View
Make sure hanging clothes and other tall displays don't block your view of the house, exits or other items you have for sale. Use them to build a perimeter on one side of your sale, instead.
15. Pile it On
Encourage shoppers to "make a pile." If you see a shopper carrying merchandise around, offer that person a safe place to set things down while they look. Customers will appreciate the opportunity to 'reserve' potential purchases while they shop hands-free, but shoplifters won't. They prefer to carry merchandise around until they see a good opportunity to hide it in a bag or stuff it in their pocket while no one is looking. Sometimes they simply walk away with merchandise still in their hand. So keep an eye on anyone who declines to make a pile.
16. Accept Credit
Encourage customers to pay via credit card with contactless payment. Square Card payment systems guard against illness and prevent Garage Sale theft by keeping cash safely out of reach from criminals.
17. Post Your Garage Sale Policy
Hang garage sale policy signs with rules (i.e. Cash only, All Sales Final, No large bills etc.) Clearly posting your policies can go a long way to prevent misunderstandings that could cause an unreasonable customer to become agitated, unruly or even threatening.
18. Use Mirrors
Prevent garage sale theft with strategically-placed mirrors. They'll give you eyes in the back of your head.
19. Have a Free Box
Throw some odd and ends (things you would normally donate - not trash) in a box, write "FREE" on the side in big, bold letters and place the box at the front of your sale. Not only will a free box draw more customers to your sale, but also the freebies may be enough to satisfy sticky fingers so they don't take anything else.
20. Keep Kids Busy
Thieves often bring their kids garage saling for the sole purpose of distracting you while they shoplift. Try giving every kid at your sale a coloring page and keep a bucket of crayons on a kids table where they can sit quietly and color while mom and dad shop.
Free! Download 15 fun, Garage Sale theme coloring pages in one convenient .pdf!
21. Keep Your Little Lemonade Salesmen Safe
Set up your big kids' Lemonade Stand a safe distance from the street (about two-and-a-half stroller lengths) away from stranger danger —not at the curb — and have them invite a friend over to help.
Related »
GARAGE SALE TIP: Cater to Hungry Garage Garage Salers with a Lemonade Stand
22. Secure Vehicles & Credit Cards
Lock your vehicles up tight and hide your car keys, purse and wallet some place safe inside your home. But don't lock yourself out! Put a spare key in your pocket, or wear it on a chain around your neck,
23. Lock Criminals Out
Don't allow an opportunistic thief to slip inside your home and rob you of possessions you value, while you're busy outside selling things you don't. Pull the blinds to remove temptation and close and lock every door and window, including the door going in from the garage — even if you're going in and out a lot.
24. Don't Show Items Inside Your Home
Never take people inside your home, backyard, or closed garage to show an item. This will reduce your risk of being robbed and prevent potential burglars from seeing your possessions, security system and floorplan.
A California homeowner invited a couple into her home to show them a refrigerator they said they were interested in buying. They told her they'd be back with a truck to pick it up, but instead, one distracted her while the other secretly picked up her watch, jewelry and $400 in cash.
25. Don't Allow Anyone Inside Your Home
Even better, don't let anyone you don't know really well inside your home for any reason, period. If a stranger asks to use the restroom, tell him or her it's out-of-order and offer directions to a nearby public restroom. Better still, post a sign that reads "No Public Restroom" or "Sorry! Restroom is out of order" to prevent it from coming up.
Grab a free, printable 'NO RESTROOM' sign and nip Garage Sale Theft in the bud!
26. Be Smart with Your Phone
Keep your cell phone charged and with you at all times in case you need to call for help. Just take care not to set your phone down. This woman's cell phone was stolen within minutes after she set it down at a garage sale in Rochester MI.
27. Be Equally Wary of Male & Female Strangers
Don't be too quick to trust a friendly, smiling customer just because she's a woman. There are as many, if not more, women than men who commit garage sale theft.
Kate Yvonne learned this the hard way.
When a bubbly young woman bounced up to her garage sale alone asking about costume jewelry, Kate wanted to make a sale so badly that she invited her inside to look at some. Kate told herself it was okay since she was a woman. Unfortunately the woman wasn't really alone. She stalled Kate while a male partner slipped inside and stole money from her wallet.
A Missouri woman is another good example. Lindsey Birdsong recently committed a string of garage sale thefts over a two-week period in Jefferson City before police finally caught up with her. Victims describe her as friendly and attractive, despite her ugly rap sheet. Court records show Birdsong has a history of burglary, property damage, forgery, fraudulent use of a credit device, assault and receiving stolen property.
28. Utilize Technology
If you have a security camera, set it up and start recording just to be safe. Capturing a crime on video may provide you some recourse. Don't bother trying to hide it. You want shoplifters to know you're recording to deter them. Cameras in retail stores have been shown to reduce robbery by more than 50%.
29. Set a Limit
Consider limiting the total number of shoppers allowed in your sale at one time. A limit of 10 shoppers has become standard during the pandemic, but I think six to eight is more manageable. It depends on how busy sales tend to be in your area.
30. Say Hello
Greet everyone who walks up. Look the person in the eye to make sure they know you see them.
31. Mingle and Schmooz
Walk around, mix and mingle as much as you can and pause to straighten the merchandise on tables near every shopper. Smile when you make eye contact and ask if you can help, but maintain your distance unless they wave you over.
As you walk past different shoppers, quickly comment on items they're holding. "That was my daughter's favorite." "That color will look good on you." "You can get refills for that at Wal Mart: "Those are collectible." etc.
It's hard to steal from someone who is so engaged and not be caught. Rather than take the risk, it's more likely a thief will move on to a sale where the host has her nose in a book.
32. Don't Get Too Personal
When customers ask for your help, be friendly and chit chat some, but don't share personal details like your work schedule or vacation dates.
If someone asks you when they could come back with a truck to pick up furniture or a large appliance they're interested in, be careful how you answer. It's probably a legit question, but that person could also be a criminal fishing for a good time to come back and burglarize your home.
Instead of:
"Let's see, tomorrow after church will be fine. We'll be home around 1:30. Monday's no good because no one will be here. Tuesday morning before 3 will work. But I have to pick the kids up by 3:30 and take them to practice..."
Say:
"Can you be here tomorrow at 2:00? No? How about Noon on Tuesday?"
33. Stay Put
NEVER leave your sale unattended, not even for a quick bathroom break. If you don't have full-time help, arrange for a friend or neighbor to stop by and relieve you. (No pun intended!)
34. Clean Up
Neatness counts. Prevent Garage Sale theft by keeping your sale neat and tidy. Shoplifters see a messy sale as an invitation to steal because they think no one's paying attention. Clutter also serves as cover for thieves to operate. But when you straighten up throughout the day and everything's in it's place, it's easy to notice unusual behavior or something missing.
35. Use A Calculator
Keep a calculator in your pocket and don't hesitate to use it. A thief may try to pull a fast one by pressing you for a bundle deal on a lot of items when you're busy with other customers and don't have time to think it through.
36. Hook Customers Up
Have a power cord plugged in and ready for customers to test electronics. If you have to walk in the house to get one, a thief could walk off with the item while you're gone, or worse — follow you into the house.
37. Implement a Pay to Play System
Display empty CD and DVD cases and wait until after customers pay to give them the disc. You may want to do this with expensive shoes, as well. Leave one shoe in the box and store the other elsewhere until someone pays for the pair.
38. Don't Bank on a Cash Box
Keep your money on your person in a fanny pack or in the pocket of an apron (carpenter style, cute or regular) instead of using a cash box. It's too easy to inadvertently leave a cash box unattended and thieves target them specifically.
Rebecca Anderson turned her back just long enough to give a customer change at her bi-annual garage sale in Fisher, Indiana. That was all the time it took for someone to steal her purse, cell phone and garage sale proceeds - $350 she needed to buy her daughter a new bedroom set.
39. Stash Your Cash
Keep the amount of money you have on you to a minimum. Periodically deposit your proceeds (minus $20 or so to make change) some place safe inside your home.
40. Give Bogus Bills the Boot
Don't accept checks or large bills. They could be bogus. Tell the customer you'll be happy to hold the item until they return with correct change. Or, use a counterfeit bill detection pen like this counterfeit pen on Amazon.
When Lisa Kirkley had her garage sale in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, she knew not to accept checks and to be leery of $100 bills, but she never dreamed it would be a $20 bill that was counterfeit.
"I was like, ‘Really? It's a garage sale.’ They probably bought a 50 cent item and gave me the $20 bill, I'm thinking," Kirkley told KWTV News in 2016. " What a way to make a living."
41. Make it Count
Insist on sorting items and tallying them up yourself at check out. (Some customers may try to be "helpful" by telling you what they owe, which may be incorrect.)
42. Look Inside Items
As you sort, open every lid, drawer and door and look inside. If you find an undeclared item, don't assume the worst. Simply ask the customer if they would like to buy that item, too.
43. Carefully Make Change
When customers pay, set the bill(s) they give you down on the checkout table in plain sight and put a paperweight on it while you make change. This prevents any confusion if someone says "I gave you a $20 and you only gave me change for a $10." or "I paid you already."
44. Count Aloud
Count aloud as you hand customers their change. For example, if the price of an item is $10.25 and the customer gives you $20.00, say: "$10.25 out of $20.00" and then hand them 3 quarters and say "$11.00," 4 dollar bills and say "$15.00," and 1 five dollar bill and say "$20.00."
45. Don't Get Carried Away
Never help someone carry purchases to their car — not even a woman with small children. Thieves who work in pairs will prey on your decency to distract you from a partner who's stealing.
46. Don't Allow Anyone to Distract You
Be wary, in fact, of any behavior that could distract you. Thieves commonly work in pairs and groups where one creates a distraction while another shoplifts. For example, the customer who keeps trying to negotiate after you've firmly stated that you won't go any lower may be a thief keeping you occupied while an accomplice stuffs her pockets with jewelry.
A gang of thieves employed a wide variety of distractions to steal from Garage Sales in New Carlisle, Ohio. According to mainandlake.com, two men and one woman in their early twenties hit at least five sales where they successfully distracted hosts by faking seizures; showing the host the latest funny videos on You Tube; breaking items then fussing over their clean-up; deliberately spilling drinks on other shoppers and starting arguments.
47. Watch for Red Flags.
It would be a long, dismal day if you had to worry that each and every shopper who crossed your lawn might steal from you. Fortunately, most Garage Salers are lovely people and you only need to look out for a few bad apples. Save serious scrutiny for shoppers who throw up red flags like these:
- Shoppers carrying:
- big bags
- backpacks
- shopping bags
- umbrellas
- Shoppers wearing:
- fanny packs
- big, baggy clothes
- an overcoat or poncho
- Shoppers with:
- a group of shoppers
- children in tow
- strollers
- Shoppers who are:
- nervous
- demanding
- overly chatty
- wandering aimlessly
- watching you
- loitering
- Shoppers who:
- avoid eye contact
- try to rush you
- ask to go inside
- ask a whole lot of questions
- try to pay for a small item with a big bill
- won't take no for an answer
- exhibit distracting behavior
- repeatedly leave and return
48. Check Security and Keep Your Eyes Peeled Afterward
Be aware that thieves may return the next day to take something of value they saw at your sale. Make sure your doors and windows are still locked and your security system is armed and ready after your sale. Would-be burglars will sometimes undo a lock and disable security to make it easy to come back and rob a place.
49. Take Down Your Signs
It's not over until your signs are down. You don't want to be surprised by a criminal showing up on your doorstep days later when you're home alone.
50. Call for Help
Above all, remember your safety is more important than money or stuff. If a customer at your garage sale scares you or if you catch someone stealing, don't confront that person. Call the police and let them help you.
Good luck! I hope this helps you have a safe and profitable garage sale.
— Thank you for reading
P.S. What garage sale theft prevention methods have worked for you? I'd love for you to hear what you do!
Recommended for you:
Resources:
Recent Posts:
- Show Me the Money! Have Your Best Yard Sale, Ever
- How to Buy Use Wicker Baskets as Stylish Storage and Chic Home Décor
- Garage Sale Pricing: Price Tag Size Actually Matters, After All
- Repurpose political campaign signs faster than you can unload the dishwasher
- Friday Funny: How to measure your fabric stash
