Experienced garage sale shoppers know that research and volume are critical to a successful day spent bargain hunting. This article is aimed to help you with both.
- Research is beneficial if you're looking for a particular category of items – dishes, baby clothing, furniture, etc. A quick review of garage sale ads on Craigslist, Garage Sale Finder, or Yard Sale Search help you build a list of potential winners. Map out those locations and hit them first.
- Volume is most easily achieved by shopping during a neighborhood or city-wide garage sale weekend – when there will be a large number of sales to visit in one area. These "cluster sales" can increase your odds of finding a specific item or, if you're a casual shopper, they can create an environment where you can wander between sales – this is especially true with neighborhood sales.
Google can help you with research, but this post is the ONLY comprehensive list of City-Wide Garage Sales in the Greater Madison Area and City of Madison Sales by Neighborhood. Put it to good use, my friend!
April
- Mineral Point: April 10-12, 2025
- Dodgeville: April 24-26, 2025
- Lodi & Dane: April 24-26, 2025
- Mt. Horeb: April 24-26, 2025
- Footville: April 25-26, 2025
- Black Earth: April 24-26, 2025
May
- Sun Prairie 1: May 1-3, 2025
- Boscobel: May 1-3, 2025
- Madison West – Meadowood: May 2-3, 2025
- Madison West – Orchard Ridge: Help us find!
- Cross Plains: May 1-3, 2025
- Belleville: Help us find!
- Verona: May 9-10, 2025
- Waunakee: May 8-10, 2025
- Monona: M ay 8-10, 2025
- Oregon: M ay 8-10, 2025
- Deerfield: M ay 8-10, 2025
- Madison West – Hill Farms: Help us find!
- DeForest/Windsor: May 16-17, 2025
- Madison East – Heritage Heights: May 15-17, 2025
- Madison South – Arbor Hills: May 16-18, 2025
- Madison West – Nakoma: May 31, 2025
-
Oregon – Bergamont: May 29-31, 2025
June
- Madison East – Emerson East: Help us find!
- Madison East – Richmond Hill: Help us find!
- Madison West - Birchwood-Oaks: June 5-7, 2025
- McFarland: June 12-15, 2025
- Mazomanie: June 13-15, 2025
- Madison East – Elvehjem: June 19-21, 2025
- Madison East – Glendale: Help us find!
- Stoughton: June 19-22, 2025
- Madison North – Cherokee: Help us find!
August/September
- Cottage Grove: Help us find!
- Sun Prairie 2: Help us find!
- Madison West – Midvale Heights: Help us find!
- Evansville: Help us find!
- Madison West – Westmorland: August 1-2, 2025
- Madison West - Crestwood Neighborhood: Help us find!
Here are some pointers to keep in mind as you plan for garage sale shopping:
- Sales typically start during the work week, beginning on Thursday or Friday and ending on Saturday. Saturdays can be great for markdowns, but items will likely be picked over.
- Sales start early at 7, or 8 am and fizzle out an hour or two after lunch. Set the alarm!
- Carry cash and plenty of small bills. Change can be hard to come by, and most people don't want to take checks.
- Plan your route ahead of time. If you’re hitting multiple sales on the same day, plot your course. You don’t want to spend time driving all over the place.
- Always ask for a better price, especially if you're buying a large number of items from one seller.
- Bring boxes, bags and packing materials.
Good luck out there! If you know of any sales we should add, or have information on dates that are missing, please comment below or shoot me an email at [email protected].
