by Pamela Siegel
There’s nothing like enjoying a nicely manicured yard and a beautiful garden during the warmer months of the year. Whether you’re a first-time homeowner or a seasoned vet needing to restock your garden shed after a long winter, making a trip to the home improvement store can result in a hefty tab. Want to ease your budget while still finding all the things you need for the best yard on the block? Try shopping estate sales instead!
Almost everything you can find stocked at big box retailers – from lawn mowers to garden art – can be scored at estate sales on the cheap. Many times, you’ll discover items brand new and still in the box; others are obviously secondhand but have lots of useful life ahead of them. Need more proof? All the items shown here were found through online estate sale listings, and often for less than what you’d pay for comparable items in retail stores.
While there are many more useful lawn and garden items you'll discover shopping estate sales online, these nine different categories are a great place to start:
1. Garden Art and Statuary
If you're a fan of garden art to make your outdoor spaces interesting, estate sales are a great resource. Looking for some Zen among your greenery? Search for Asian-inspired decorative planters and statues to add a calming effect. Just want to have some fun? You can find everything from smiling sun wall hangings to greet your guests to whimsical concrete frogs sure to bring a grin to anyone wandering your garden. Metal birds for staking in flower beds also make great estate sale finds.
Cement Garden Sculpture of Three Frogs Embracing sold by Culper’s via AuctionNinja
2. Decorative Urns and Planters
If you like your garden spaces or front entrance to your home a bit more on the formal side, there’s nothing like a plant-filled decorative urn to up the look. If you prefer to keep it more casual, colorful decorative planters in a plethora of patterns can fit the bill. Whether they’re made of concrete, metal, glazed pottery, or lightweight plastics for portability, you’ll find every type of urn and planter imaginable when perusing online estate sale listings.
Stoneware Blue/Orange Pottery Planter sold by Clearing House Estate Sales - NC via AuctionNinja
3. Gardening Supplies
While you might prefer to spend money on plants instead, all good gardeners know basic supplies have to be replenished or replaced from time to time. What can you find at estate sales? Hedge clippers and shears, watering cans, gloves, spades, rakes, and dozens of other useful items that can cost you way less than buying them new. You can also find more unusual items you might not associate with estate sales like fruit pickers, bird-blocking netting, and tomato cages. Sometimes these types of things are grouped into lots sure to please bargain-hunting gardeners.
Brookstone Garden Tote with Tools sold by Clearing House Estate Sales via AuctionNinja
4. Lawn Care Equipment
Should you think about buying a lawn mower, edger, or leaf blower at an estate sale? Absolutely! Name brand lawn mowers like John Deere, Toro, and Craftsman, along with others, show up frequently in estate sale offerings. Since these types of mowers can easily sell in the $200-500 new, there’s a ton of bargain potential when shopping secondhand. You can also buy things for future use like fertilizer spreaders, tree trimmers, and chainsaws to do it yourself instead of paying a lawn or tree service to get those jobs done.
John Deere JE75 Self-propelled Lawnmower sold by AAW Enterprise LLC via AuctionNinja
5. Bird Houses, Feeders, and Baths
One of the best aspects of having a yard is the potential for attracting a bevy of beautiful birds. Estate sales offer a wide array of items that will encourage winged visitors to frequent your yard. From martin houses to hummingbird feeders, you never know what will turn up to help you entice and care for a wide variety of your feathered friends. It’s not unheard of to pick up a nice bird bath, too.
Handmade Solid Wood Birdhouses sold by Clearing House Estate Sales – NC via AuctionNinja
6. Garden Lighting
Gardens can be charming in the evening when you set the stage with lighting ambiance. From solar-powered LED path lights to tiki torches and garden lanterns, you can find lots of choices for mood lighting at estate sales. There are even times when you can score new items still in the box for prices lower than what you might find at a local discount store.
Lot Of New LED Solar Path Lights sold by Excess Estate Sales via AuctionNinja
7. Pest Deterrents
From dining al fresco to playing a rousing round of cornhole, yards and gardens are certainly enjoyable spots for warm weather activities. That doesn’t mean you won’t have to deal with a few pests, though. Annoying flies, mosquitoes, wasps and the like can turn the plan for a fun day into a downer in no time flat. Ever thought of buying a bug zapper? How about trying some citronella candles? You can find both perusing online estate sales, and they can sometimes be snagged at bargain prices.
Stinger Electronic Bug Zapper Model UV-801 sold by Clearing House Estate Sales via AuctionNinja
8. Hoses and Sprinklers
Trusty sprinklers keep lawns looking green and lush even in the hottest weather. And even if you have an irrigation system installed, you’ll need a hose or two for everything from filling watering cans to topping off the kiddie pool. Don’t forget the hose caddies and spray nozzles for hand watering, too. All these water-related necessities can be picked up picked up for a song at estate sales.
Zero G 100 Foot Garden Hose New in Box sold by Clearing House Estate Sales via AuctionNinja
9. Wheelbarrows and Garden Carts
Have you shopped for a wheelbarrow or garden cart lately? You’d be hard-pressed to find a good-sized model for less than $100 at most home improvement warehouses. That’s not the case at estate sales, however. You can snap up a handy items like these for far less when frequently perusing estate sale listings.
True Temper Wheelbarrow sold by Privet Estate Sales via AuctionNinja
Ready to join the hunt for great lawn and garden items online? Browse all our lawn and garden auctions on AuctionNinja.com.
Written by:
May 22, 2023 Updated 01:06 PM
As a freelance writer, Pamela Siegel covers lifestyle topics ranging from antiques and collectibles to interior design and everything around the home. Her work appears on The Spruce where she shared tips and research as the site’s antiques expert for many years. She also writes for House Digest, Kovels Antique Trader, Worthpoint, and Mashed. In addition to penning thousands of articles for online resources and print-based pubs, Siegel authored several books including “Warman’s Costume Jewelry” and “Buying & Seling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay.” She also shares her expertise with other magazine writers along with doing television, radio and podcast interviews. As often as possible, Siegel loves shopping flea markets and estate sales for her next great find, home decorating, foodie pursuits, and exploring the world on cruise ships.
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