A jumble sale (UK), bring and buy sale (Australia) or rummage sale (U.S and Canada) is an event at which

second hand goods Used goods mean any item of personal property offered for sale not as new, including metals in any form except coins that are legal tender, but excluding books, magazines, and postage stamps. Risks Furniture, in particular bedding or upholstere ...

are sold, usually by an

institution Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...

such as a local Boys' Brigade Company, Scout group, Girlguiding group or church, as a

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

charitable The practice of charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act, unmotivated by self-interest. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Etymology The word ''charity'' ori ...

effort. A rummage sale by a church is called a church sale or

white elephant sale A white elephant sale is a collection of used items being sold, much akin to a yard sale or garage sale, often as a fund-raiser for a cause. Etymology The term "white elephant" refers to an extravagant but burdensome gift that cannot be easily d ...

, frequently as part of a church bazaar.

Garage sale A garage sale (also known as a yard sale, tag sale, moving sale and by many other namesSome rarely used names include "attic sale," "basement sale," "rummage sale," "thrift sale," "patio sale," "lawn sale," and "jumble sale".) is an informal ...

s usually differ from rummage sales in that they are not event-related and are often organised individually (rather than collectively).

United Kingdom

Organisers will usually ask local people to donate goods, which are set out on tables in the same manner as at

car boot sale Car boot sales or boot fairs are a form of market in which private individuals come together to sell household and garden goods. They are popular in the United Kingdom, where they are often referred to simply as 'car boots'. Some scientific ...

s, and sold to members of the general public, who may have to pay a fee to enter the sale. Typically in the UK the entry fee is a few pence or pounds. Jumble sales may be becoming less popular in the UK, as car boot sales and the

World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...

enable people to sell their unwanted goods rather than donate them to charity.

United States and Canada

Rummage sales in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

as a rule do not charge any entrance fee, but sometimes charge a fee, or reserve for paid members or donors access to "preview sales" before the general public is admitted. Sometimes the sponsoring organization excludes donations of certain items, such as furniture or exercise equipment, or have a sale restricted to a single type of goods, such as

book sales Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librari ...

or sports-equipment sales. Some larger churches or charities have permanent thrift stores where donated goods are offered either daily, weekly, or monthly, etc. The

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

and

Goodwill Industries Goodwill Industries International Inc., often shortened in speech and writing to Goodwill (stylized as goodwill), is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides job training, employment placement services, and other community-bas ...

are known for their daily-operated thrift stores, frequently located in donated space in major retail locations. Other thrift stores are either for-profit, or operated by corporations which are a charity in name only, as only a small fraction of profits are used charitably. In Canada and the U.S., the term "

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

" refers to many commercial venues where informal sales are conducted, of both second-hand and new goods by different private sellers. Frequently the sellers pay a fee to participate. Churches and other groups also sponsor flea-markets where the organization collects seller fees, and may also sell food and have its own "white elephant" or "rummage" tables or booths.

References

External links

* {{dmoz, Business/Retail_Trade/Retailers/Informal_Selling/, Garage and Estate Sales Retail formats

United Kingdom

United States and Canada

See also

References

External links