Garage Sales ‘Non-Essential’, Forced to Stay Online in Central New York

If being stuck at home for months has given you the urge to declutter, you'll have to sell your stuff online, because in-person garage sales are still not allowed in Central New York.

Governor Cuomo says garage sales are not considered essential under the region's reopening plan. Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente says in his call with government leaders recently, garage sales "were not allowed, were not essential right now. So they are not in phase one, I don't even know if they're in phase two."

Spring and summer are usually when you can expect to see town-wide garage sales throughout Central New York. Now, those may need to be put on hold.

On Facebook, commenters reacting to the news were divided, with many drawing comparisons between the number of shoppers at Walmart and Home Depot, and the numbers likely to be at a garage sale. Under the PAUSE executive order, groceries and shopping for home repairs are considered essential, while garage sales are not.

Facebook offers several community garage sale pages, which have remained active throughout the shutdown.