← FAQ  ·  Boom or Bust: Sales & Shops

Why don’t I see sales on my map?

A smarter weekend hunt — find it, rate it, go again

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An empty-looking map isn’t always a bug. Garage, estate, popup, and curb sales are short-lived and community-reported. Time of day, where you are, how many hunters are active nearby, and how we clean old pins all shape what you see.

Time — weekends carry most of the energy

Most garage, estate, and popup activity clusters on weekend mornings. Midweek afternoons and late nights often look quiet by design — fewer sales are open, and fewer hunters are out reporting. Check again early Saturday or Sunday for the densest hunt.

Place — curb sales favor suburbs and exurbs

Dense urban cores often have fewer driveway and curb sales than suburbs and exurbs. If you’re zoomed into a downtown grid, you may see thrift and pawn from Google Places before you see community garage pins. Pan toward residential neighborhoods for more weekend sale energy.

User base — coverage grows with hunters

Community sales and drive-by sale signs exist because hunters report them. Areas with more active hunters fill in faster. When you’re early in a town, the map can look thin — every report you drop (safely) helps the next person.

Safety — don’t trade the road for a pin

We ask hunters not to trade driving safety for pin accuracy. Report a sale or drop a sale sign when you’re pulled over, parked, or riding as a passenger — not while steering. A slightly less precise pin is always better than an unsafe stop.

TTL & cleanup — short-lived on purpose

Short-lived community sales (garage, estate, popup, liquidation, curb free) and drive-by “?” sale signs typically leave the shared map after about 3 days without activity. Anyone can mark a sign Gone when it’s no longer there. We keep this window short on purpose so signs don’t linger and create a privacy worry for homeowners. See also How long do garage-sale signs stay?

Zoom, Hunt near me & Search here

Zoom in on your neighborhood, try Hunt near me, or pan and tap Search here. Community pins show where hunters reported them; shops and parks from Google Places load as you explore (cache first, then live search). A city-wide zoom can hide detail until you come closer.

Parks, Kids & markers start off

Parks, Kids / family, and Historical markers are free for everyone but off by default — Google returns a lot of them. Turn any combination on when you want them; they’re off at first so the hunt map stays focused on sales and thrift. Details: Why are Parks, Markers, and Kids off by default?

Unpublished & UNVERIFIED

Far-away reports stay unpublished until you’re within about 300 meters — you still see your own draft. Community sales can look like treasure / UNVERIFIED until they get enough confirmations (or they’re still unpublished). Sale signs publish immediately and expire quickly. Pro spy mode can show unpublished pins as UNVERIFIED; Free and Plus see published pins plus your own drafts.


Still stuck? Browse the full FAQ or email support@getboomorbust.app.