Local garage sales are the best way to find great deals on useful items. That whole "One man's trash is another man's treasure" idiom is actually true sometimes. But how do you go about finding one in your area if you don't see a physical yard sign advertising it?

Well nowadays, you can actually find online garage sale apps. One app on our list acts as a virtual garage sale, while the others can help you find local in-person sales and even estate sales in your area.

1. VarageSale

VarageSale helps you connect with local sellers trying to get rid of their "garage sale" items without actually having a garage sale. A lot of items will be listed individually on VarageSale so you can find exactly what you're looking for, connect with the seller, and snag your item.

However, you can find local garage sales as well by simply searching for the term in the app. This will show times and dates of garage sales near you that you can physically show up to and shop at.

And what's unique about VarageSale is that everyone who joins the app goes through a manual review process before they're ever allowed to buy or sell an item. This ensures maximum safety on both the seller's end and the buyer's end.

Download: VarageSale for Android | iOS (Free)

2. CPlus for Craigslist

Craigslist has always been a great way to find garage sales online. While the Craigslist website has always been easy to navigate, it's also been home to a few sketchy or just plain weird postings.

The CPlus app makes Craigslist even easier to use and navigate classified ads. If you want to look for garage sales in only your city, you can; but you can also look for garage sales in multiple cities nearby and then save this search to your home page.

Related: Top Tips for Selling More on eBay

Then, whenever you're feeling the need to hit up a garage sale, you can just open the app and instantly see search results for garage sales or yard sales near you. And if your goal is to set up a virtual garage sale posting, you can easily do that through CPlus too!

Download: CPlus for Craigslist for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Nextdoor

If you live in a housing development, you've surely heard of the Nextdoor app. Nextdoor allows you to connect with your neighbors and find out who's having a garage sale or just selling one or two items.

You can browse through the home page to see what your neighbors are up to or just get right to it and search for garage sales. With each posting, you'll usually find details about what sort of items will be included as well as, of course, the address of the garage sale.

Download: Nextdoor for Android | iOS (Free)

4. Facebook Marketplace

Facebook's Marketplace section is a great way to find garage sales online. Similar to the other apps, all you need to do is search up the term garage sale or yard sale and you'll find a lot of options nearby. Or, if you're looking for a particular item, you can search specifically for that item and not have to go sorting through a ton of garage sale items.

If you do end up meeting someone for a sale of a particular item, make sure you take the proper precautions. Unlike members of VarageSale, Facebook members are not manually reviewed. So be cautious of where you meet someone for an in-person sale and maybe consider taking someone else with you, whether you're buying or selling.

Download: Facebook for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. Estate Sales

While estate sales are generally a lot larger than your traditional neighborhood garage sale, it's still a great way to find awesome products at a lower price. And if you've never shopped at an estate sale, you're missing out. It's so easy to find a beautiful piece of furniture or home décor; sometimes even easier than at a traditional yard sale.

You can look at a map view of your area and see all scheduled estate sales. When you click on one, it'll give you a ton of information. You'll often see a picture for every item being sold as well as necessary info like the date, time, and place the estate sale will take place. Some estate sales are even fully online.

Download: Estate Sales for Android | iOS (Free)

Score Some Awesome Online Garage Sale Deals

Now that you know the best ways to find garage sales online in your area, it's time to get out there.

With estate sales, you'll often see pictures of the exact items for sale; if this is more up your alley, try out the Estate Sales app. With a garage sale or yard sale app, you may get a brief description of categories for the sale, but you won't know what's there until you get there. There's always a nice air of mystery when going to garage sales.

And if you need to sell your items, you can host a garage sale yourself and promote it on one of these apps. Or, you can also sell your items online through a few different website.