Pick the Right Sale Type for What You're Running
FindA.Sale supports six sale types. Pick the one that matches what you're actually doing.
Yard Sale
The idea: You're selling stuff from your property (house, garage, yard). Shoppers visit your home or driveway to browse.
Who uses it: Homeowners doing spring cleaning, downsizing, or moving.
What shows to shoppers: A simple listing with your items and address. Shoppers can filter by category, price, and distance.
Example: "Garage Sale — Household items, toys, tools. Saturday 8am–2pm, 1234 Oak Street."
Estate Sale
The idea: You're liquidating a property — typically after a death or major life change. Often multi-day, larger inventory, more organized than a yard sale.
Who uses it: Estate liquidators, families settling an estate, property managers.
What shows to shoppers: More prominent listing with high-quality photos encouraged. Listings stay visible for longer (usually 1–2 weeks). Shoppers often travel farther for estate sales.
Example: "Estate of Margaret Thompson — Furniture, glassware, antiques, collectibles. Friday–Sunday, 10am–5pm, 5678 Maple Drive."
Auction
The idea: Shoppers bid on items. You set opening prices and let bids run. You can run timed auctions (bids close at a specific time) or live auctions (you announce results in real time).
Who uses it: Auction houses, dealers, consignment sellers, anyone who wants competitive bidding.
What shows to shoppers: Each item shows as an auction with a countdown timer, current bid, and bid history. Shoppers bid directly on items.
Example: "Weekly Auction — Tools, collectibles, furniture. Bidding ends Friday 7pm."
Note: You'll need to set reserve prices (minimum acceptable bid) and manage bid notifications and payment collection separately.
Flea Market
The idea: You're a vendor at a market, show, or fair. Many vendors in one location, all selling at the same time.
Who uses it: Market vendors, fair exhibitors, antique dealers, craft sellers.
What shows to shoppers: Your individual vendor booth or booth number. Often bundled with the market event listing so shoppers can filter by market and then see all vendors.
Example: "Downtown Antique Fair — Booth 42. Vintage home goods, linens, collectibles."
Note: You'll work with the market operator or fair organizer to coordinate. They may set the location and event date; you focus on your items.
Consignment
The idea: You're a shop or resale store accepting items from other people. They bring stuff to you; you sell it and split the proceeds.
Who uses it: Consignment stores, thrift shops, resale boutiques, online resellers.
What shows to shoppers: Items appear in your shop's listing. Unlike time-limited sales, consignment inventory is usually ongoing — items cycle through as they sell and new items arrive.
Example: "StyleCycle Consignment — Women's fashion, home goods, shoes. Mon–Sat 10am–6pm."
Note: You'll manage consignor payouts and inventory turnover separately. Items can stay listed for 30, 60, 90+ days depending on your policy.
Other
The idea: Your sale doesn't fit the above categories.
Who uses it: Pop-up shops, craft fairs, benefit sales, multi-family sales, garage sales at an unusual location.
What shows to shoppers: A simple listing without the specific framing of the other types. Use the description field to clarify what you're doing.
Example: "Multi-family Yard Sale — Three neighborhoods, five properties. Saturday 9am–3pm."
How to choose
Ask yourself:
- **Are people coming to me, or am I at a specific event?**
- Coming to me → Yard Sale, Estate Sale, or Consignment - At an event → Flea Market or Auction
- **Is this a one-time event or ongoing?**
- One-time → Yard Sale, Estate Sale, or Auction - Ongoing → Consignment, Flea Market
- **Is anyone bidding or just browsing and buying?**
- Just browsing/buying → Yard Sale, Estate Sale, Consignment - Bidding → Auction
- **How long will this sale last?**
- Hours or days → Yard Sale, Estate Sale, Auction - Weeks or ongoing → Consignment, Flea Market
What each type unlocks
Visibility features:
- Yard Sales and Estate Sales appear in neighborhood and distance-based searches
- Auctions appear in "ending soon" filters and bid-tracking feeds
- Flea Markets often link to the market event page
- Consignment listings can stay live indefinitely
Shopper behavior:
- Yard Sale shoppers typically browse last-minute (day before or morning of)
- Estate Sale shoppers plan trips and travel farther
- Auction bidders are repeat visitors who watch items
- Flea Market shoppers come for the event; browsing is secondary
- Consignment shoppers are looking for ongoing inventory
Pricing:
- Yard Sales and Estate Sales: fixed prices
- Auctions: opening bid + reserve price
- Flea Market: fixed prices set by you
- Consignment: cost + your margin (negotiable with consignor)
Common questions
Can I change the sale type after creating it?
Yes. Go to "Edit sale" and pick a different type. Existing items stay; the listing presentation changes.
What if I'm running a fundraiser?
Use "Other" and explain in the description that it's a fundraiser. Or use "Auction" if you're accepting bids to raise money.
Can I run multiple types at the same location on the same day?
You'd need separate sales. One listing can't be both a yard sale and an auction. Create two sales with different names.
Does the sale type affect my plan or pricing?
No. All types work on all plans (Simple, Pro, Teams). Sale type only changes how the listing appears to shoppers.
What if I'm selling at my shop but accepting consignment items?
Use "Consignment." The type tells shoppers you're a shop with inventory that changes over time.
Can I run a pop-up auction at a flea market?
You'd need to decide: is it primarily a flea market booth or an auction? Use the type that best describes the main draw. Use "Other" and describe both in the sale description if neither fits perfectly.
Ready to put this into practice? Your next sale starts here.