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It’s starting to be the season for one of the region’s great economic “sports” — garage sales.
A lot of people pursue the sales with a passion that easily matches that of the weekend golfer: gathering the ads, mapping a route, and hitting sale after sale for the best buys. Now that the weather’s starting to warm up, so will the sales.
Of course, the recession gives the practice a little boost too, for both buyers and sellers. People might look to buy more used items at a discount these days — or they might be looking to sell off more old stuff to raise a little extra cash. If you’re in the latter camp, here’s a link to a page that rounds up a lot of advice for the garage seller:
Garage sales are work - a lot of hard work, but the returns more than justify the effort. Whether it’s advertised as Patio, Carport, Yard, Porch, or Garage-a-Rama, people will come and buy. Clean out your closets and ANYTHING that is useless to you or you don’t want - put it in the sale. Don’t throw anything away. People will buy just about anything. You’d be surprised. What is one person’s trash is another’s GOLDMINE!
A few other links regarding garage or yard sales:
YardSaleQueen.com includes tips, warnings, links — a host of information about yard sales. Link. This page offers more suggestions for hosting a sale. And here’s an LA Times article about the sales, in the context of the recession.
I’m planning a similar story here for the Everyday Economy page, and am looking for both shoppers and sellers to interview. Are you planning a garage sale — or planning to shop at one — in the near future? What’s your strategy for having a successful sale? What’s your approach to getting the best deals?
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Heather Berndt on April 14 at 7:47 a.m.
I'm a seasoned yard sale queen (over 30 years now) who has raised my family (and my self esteem) in the art of bargain hunting. Once yard sale season begins I will spend most Friday mornings out and about, and during those times will manage to find a wide range of items to fulfill my families wants and needs including clothing, building supplies, tools, camping supplies, furniture, decorations, books, games, music, electronics, and yes, collectibles. My best tactics for finding bargains are really no different than those of successful shoppers at the mall. I make a plan, try to stay focused, arrive early, and don't venture far from home. Using these basic tactics I can hit 10-12 yard sales in a morning and not waste time looking for things I don't need and not getting lost in neighborhoods I'm unfamiliar with. Trying to find a weird address is huge time waster.
Other helpful buying hints that serve me well:
Be prepared
In the summer I keep about $40 in my wallet at all times for sales. That way I don't miss a bargain because I need to write a check. I always take a big tote bag and measuring tape when I head out. That way I can fill up the bag quickly amidst the rush, and sort through it later. The tape measure comes in handy for evaluating furniture and items that have size restrictions. I also keep an updated road atlas in the car to guide me, and coffee/water/snacks so I don't get hungry.
Keep a list
I keep an ongoing list (year round) of things I want and need so I don't forget when I'm out shopping. I keep it in my purse and can maintain it throughout the summer. This way I can remember odd items (like a lemon zester) that I would probably never spend $15 on, but that I'd gladly pay .50 cents for in order to surprise my daughter, the creative cook. The list is also good for recording pants sizes, specific brands, and details like that.
Don't waste time
I pass by yard sales where the majority of items are for kids because mine are now teens. I also keep driving when I see items strewn about without care because this tells me the stuff is probably not real clean or well maintained. And finally, I never waste time looking through clothing that isn't arranged well. Digging through boxes of unclean, tangled up items will never compete for my dollars and keeps me from the next bargain down the road.
Know value
If I'm looking for a big ticket item, like a rototiller, I try to educate myself on brands, features, and prices. This way, when a hot deal is out there I can make an educated and sound decision–quickly. Most deals like this are gone within the first 30 minutes of a sale.
Be polite
I try to remind myself that bargain hunting should be enjoyable and is not an opportunity to go all “survivor” on my fellow hunters. I trust that there are enough bargains for everyone and I try to be respectful of the hard work that goes into putting on a sale. Believe it or not I've had my hand slapped before when reaching for an item, only later to see that same person working her store at the antique mall. I don't shop there now. That said, I'm not opposed to asking another shopper if they really like a certain item in their hands. If it is on my wish list they might hand it over.
I'm probably funny in that I rarely have yard sales because I find more benefit taking the tax deduction by donating to charitable organizations. And I like that more often than not I buy used and give back to used so that the cycle is complete.
I mentioned self-esteem earlier, and that's because holding off paying full price and being patient for the bargain has allowed my family to enjoy a terrific lifestyle on mostly one income. I've been home with my kids a lot, we've helped keep stuff out of the landfill, and we've saved enough money to buy lake front property. Yeah, that's pretty cool.
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AmberWiggins on April 18 at 5:45 p.m.
I have a GREAT tip…www.salehop.com, is a fantastic website for finding yard sales in your area. It will list all the websites in your area, list featured items and map a route to each of them. Saving us time and money! It doesn't get better than that.
O' and they can send you a garage sale starter packet, which will absolutely make your garage sale a success. Check it out www.salehop.com
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Perka on August 23 at 5:52 a.m.
Thanks, let's sell the universe out
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