PayPal partners with Garage Sale Trail for two weekends of contactless secondhand shopping

If you’ve been missing your op shopping fix during lockdown, then the Garage Sale Trail will revive your sustainable shopping spirit.

This annual event began in 2010 as a grassroots Eastern Sydney suburbs community affair, and now runs nation-wide with around 25,000 Australians participating in more than 10,000 garage sales. 

How does it work? Whether you’re a household, school or community group you can register your sale for free and it’ll appear on a map of other sales in your area. Then, shoppers can bounce between garages or virtual sales racks (so buyers and sellers under lockdown restrictions can still participate) for the two Garage Sale Trail weekends, which will run on 13-14 and 20-21 November this year.

Also new in 2021 is the Trail’s partnership with PayPal. To make physical sales that bit more convenient and contactless, sellers can download the PayPal app and use QR code payments (or send simple PayPal links for online purchases). All buyers and sellers need to make the transaction is a smartphone and the app, and customers can choose their preferred payment method, be it debit card, credit card or PayPal balance.

“We’re excited to partner with Garage Sale Trail and their amazing festival of pre-loved stuff,” PayPal Australia chief executive, Eric Lassen said. “By enabling touch-free in-person payments using QR codes, we’re helping keep the circular economy turning during the pandemic, saving pre-loved goods from landfill.”  

Last year, the Garage Sale Trail diverted more than 1.5 million kilograms of various items from landfill. So, whether you’re looking to pass on sequined outfits, a cupboard-full of Tupperware or a rashly purchased karaoke machine, send it all to someone who’ll fully appreciate it (while you make a few dollars) rather than giving it the chuck.

Then, do a sustainable spring clean of your finances by researching these ethical banking options.