Hold a garage sale? Be prepared to pay double for the permit

Garage sales are a popular way for people to earn some quick cash while getting rid of stuff they no longer want. But some towns are hiking their fees for holding yard sales, cutting into residents' profits.

Bloomfield, N.J., more than doubled its garage sale permit fee this year to $25 from $10. So what happens if residents don't pay? They could be fined up to $100 and imprisoned for up to 10 days, according to the town's ordinance. But Glenn Domenick, Bloomfield's director of community development, told the Star-Ledger, "We try not to prosecute people for something like that."

Raising garage sale fees can bring in a little more revenue for local governments, but in most cases the increase would be pretty insignificant. In Bloomfield the $10 garage sale fee raised $2,340 last year. Even if the town saw the same number of garage sales this year, it would only generate an extra $3,510 in revenue.