5 iPhone Apps for Finding Great Garage Sales

Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:00 AM PDT

One of the best ways to find a good deal is to check garage/yard sales. Not only can yard saling save you money, but it can also be fun. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s often fun to simply look around. If you are looking for something specific, a garage sale might have just the thing — for much less than you would pay for something new.

If you want to map out a route to different garage sales, you can find what you are looking for with the help of your smart phone. There are iPhone apps meant to help you locate garage sales, and then find them. Here are 5 iPhone apps worth considering in your quest for the perfect deal:

1. Garage Sale Tracker

One of the most popular iPhone apps for locating garages sales is Garage Sale Tracker. Not only can you look for garage sales, but you can also locate flea markets and consignment shops. It’s a great place to find second-hand items. In some cases, you can contact the seller right from the application. A bookmarking feature allows you to choose specific garage sales and map your route. Cost: Free

2. iGarageSale

Get information about garage sales and yard sales in your local area with the help of iGarageSale. You can map out a route that lets you use your day most efficiently. There are a number of features when you choose the Pro version of this iPhone application. One of the coolest things you can do is search for specific categories of items, such as “sports equipment” or “baby clothes.” This can help you narrow your search to items of particular interest to you. Cost: $1.99 for the Pro version; the Lite version is free

3. Find Tag Sales

Looking for different sales? Find Tag Sales gathers information about different opportunities, including garage/yard sales, estate sales and tag sales. You can also find information on local flea markets. The idea is to show you where you can find different types of sales, and map out how to get there. There is also an extensive web site designed to further help you in your efforts. Cost: Free

4. gsalr.com

Gsalr.com comes with the ability to filter your results by items for sale, or by other keywords. You can also filter by day of the week: No more waiting for the weekend only! This iPhone app takes information from aggregate sites to create a picture of what garage sales are going on in your area. Get turn by turn directions to sales, as well as enjoy the ability to bookmark your most promising prospects. Cost: $2.99

5. Yard Sale Mapper

Get help finding yard sales and garage sales in your area with Yard Sale Mapper. Read details about the sale, and get directions to the yard sale. You can even tap into a street view of the yard sale location, if you are interested. Search yard sale options by day, and you can link directly to the source if you are concerned about learning more about the sale. Cost: Free