Safety Tips

Garage Sale connects you with people nearby to swap items in person. A few habits go a long way toward a safe trade.

Meet in public

Choose a busy, well-lit public place for the exchange — a coffee shop, a shopping centre parking lot, or a police station's designated "safe exchange" zone if your area has one. Avoid inviting a stranger to your home, or going to theirs, for a first trade.

Bring a friend

If you can, bring someone with you, or at least tell a friend or family member where you're going, who you're meeting, and when you expect to be back.

Inspect the item before you swap

Check that the item matches its listing description and photos, and is in the condition described, before you hand over your own item. Test anything with moving parts or a power cord if you can.

Trust your instincts

If a conversation feels off, a meeting spot feels unsafe, or someone pressures you to rush or change the agreed terms, you're free to back out. You can cancel a proposal at any time before it's confirmed complete, and you can report or block another trader directly from a trade thread.

Keep the conversation on-platform

Use Garage Sale's in-app messaging to arrange the swap. It keeps a record of what was agreed and makes it easy to report a problem if one comes up.

Remember: trades happen at your own risk

Garage Sale provides the platform, trust signals (ratings and the Untrusted flag), and a place to report bad actors — but we're not present at the exchange and can't guarantee the outcome of any trade. See our Terms of Service for details.