Secondhand but still lovely skirts from Zara at Rp 45,000 (US$4.99), vintage shoes from Mango for only Rp 30,000 and other amazing stuff are available at garage sales, which some are referring to as the new shopping havens.

Garage sale charm has captivated Indonesians the last few years, with the events offering not only good deals but other priceless advantages.

People usually flock to garage sales because they can get goods at prices no other places can offer. However, the events are more than just clearance sales; garage sales in Indonesia have become a new hangout for young people while sellers grab some additional income.

Where garage sales originated, individuals offer items for sale on their own property, either a garage, lawn, front yard or carport. But garage sales in Indonesia are more communal, with events being held by groups of people or organizers who use public spaces as their venues.

Further, vendors at local garage sales do not only sell secondhand items, some also sell new things, taking advantage of the crowds that swarm the events.

Some organizers are also combining the events with music and art festivals. One garage sale organizer that had the idea was Hey Folks!, a Jakarta indie music community that also runs a store selling nonmajor label products.

The initiator, Erick Tobing, explained that the idea derived from the aim to draw as many people as possible to a regular music event they held called “We Are Pop”.

“If it is only music not many visitors will come. So we tried to come up with a garage sale idea,” the 29-year-old said, adding that they also sold vintage stuff at their event titled “We Are Sale”.

The organizers did not charge vendors at first, but as attendance grew they required sellers to pay a certain amount to rent out space. But, the cost hasn’t deterred people from joining “We Are Sale”, which was held for the eleventh time last October.

Through some simple math, it becomes obvious why vendors won’t miss out on an event. They can reap a profit of up to Rp 3 million with capital of less than Rp 500,000.

One of the vendors is 29-year-old Shinta Hamdamari, who earned Rp 1.5 million from selling her old clothes and shoes at a Hey Folks! garage sale.

“That was the first time I participated in a garage sale ... It was just for additional income,” the freelance stylist said.

Shinta, like other sellers, mostly joins the events to make a profit from her secondhand or old fashioned stuff.

Sellers can gain bigger profits should they take part in garage sales that have gained popularity among the public for their quality items and good prices. One of the keys to a popular garage sale is to offer as many secondhand brand items as possible at the events.

“I have to go to my rich friends and ask them to join the event because they usually have brand name items that can be offered at the sales,” Erick said, sharing the secret behind the success of “We Are Sale”.

Yet, Cempaka Asriani of the Famous Kemang Garage Sale said timing was also important in determining the success of a sale.

The 25-year-old fashion stylist said it was more profitable to hold a sale at the beginning of the month rather than the end. “Early in the month is the time when people get their paychecks. It makes for the best time to organize a garage sale because people tend to spend,” Cempaka said.

Cempaka said people who sell their stuff at her events can make as much as Rp 3 million.

Famous Kemang Garage Sale, known for its killer brand name products, plans to reopen again in December after a two-year hiatus.

“The event stopped two years ago because some people in the management went to study abroad,” Cempaka explained.

But the event’s management has selected a date in the middle of December to restart based on the assumption that people will want to shop ahead of Christmas and New Year’s.

Apart from benefiting the vendors and the organizers, garage sales also offer good bargains for shoppers. “It’s cheap,” Miranda, 24, said of the reason why she liked to go to garage sales.

Once she bought a pair of secondhand pants from famous label FCUK for only Rp 50,000 at a garage sale in Jakarta, she said. “I know the store price can reach Rp 1 million,” she said.

The question is, how does she know they are not fake?

“The seller is my friend and I know that she only buys original stuff,” said the woman, who began garage sale shopping when she was studying in Malaysia in 2008.

Miranda’s friend Dewi Purnomo Sidhi pointed out the importance of knowing the sellers to guarantee product quality.

“You will feel more comfortable buying stuff from people who are not sloppy,” Dewi said.

The motivation to get rid of old things in the house gives garage sale organizers another motivation.

“I just did it because I wanted to throw my old stuff out,” said artist Maria Tri Sulistyani, the organizer of a Yogyakarta garage sale, p.a.s.a.r.k.u.t.u, the name taken from the Indonesia translation of flea market.

Maria and a few friends organized the event in one week and it was a success.

Garage sales have become trendy partly due to people’s craze for vintage goods, according to Maria, or Ria.

“I love old stuff because every item has its own history,” Ria said.

After the success of p.a.s.a.r.k.u.t.u, similar events have sprung up in Yogyakarta.

The same thing has happened in Jakarta, with the number of garage sales in the capital believed to be on the rise because of people’s increasing enthusiasm.

Another contributing factor is that it is quite easy to organize a garage sale. Anyone can organize their own, Ria said.

All you need are secondhand items, a space and simple marketing gimmicks through social media, and shopping maniacs will surely come to turn somebody’s trash into another’s treasure.

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