Garage sales are a win-win in this economy

[jeffrey]

Hoping to earn some extra money to pay her mounting bills, Francesca Nichols posted an ad on Craigslist: "Giant Yard Sale -- Everything Must Go!"

So at 5:30 a.m. last Saturday morning, she and her husband filled their Valencia driveway with purchases made during better times: a wooden dresser, top-of-the-line child car seats, a hand-painted mirror and piles of expensive clothes.

Two hours later, Nichols waved a wad of bills and smiled. "Wow, honey," she said to her husband...

Garage sales are a win-win in this economy - Los Angeles Times

[snafu]

Yard sales are a powerful tool to 'get real' and give yourself a serious kick-in-the-butt as you go through the process. 1st gather up all the items you bought, thought you needed or loved only to find they have morphed into 'clutter.'

2nd clean, scrub, shine and polish. 3rd create your version of shopper's tables, shelves, clothes racks, etc. and put price stickers on your junque at 1/2 retail if...and only if the item is in showroom condition, expect to get 10 cents on the dollar for nearly everything else.

Finally, organized with batteries, extension cords, $25.in small bills & change, a heap of newspaper for wrapping, bags for stuffing, get up at 5 a.m and put up signage. By 8 a.m. the professional shoppers will be honking their horns and expect smiles and service. From 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. be prepared for people to make fun of your stuff, giggle, steal stuff and get hostile and become insulted when you don't accept their offer on your pristine whatever... apparently bargaining is a one way aisle.

I'll do it on the one day our community holds their 'miles of sales' but my friend and I trade tables, and keep our sense of humor. The best part is that at the end of the day, GW trucks pick up everything left.

[GRITSinMS]

We have good intentions of having a garage sale ourselves but are always so busy it hasn't happened. We do find the time to run by others garage sales occasionally and friends and co-workers are amazed at the things we find!

[swanson719]

I don't understand garage sales in todays web environment of ebay and craigslist. Yes, they are more convenient, but you don't do as well as if you took the time to ebay. The more important lesson from them is to not buy all the crap you didn't need in the first place.

[DFrancis]

I find lots of good deals at garage sales. I was at one this weekend, but the guy wanted top dollar for used fishing tackle, so i did not buy. I normally always find good deals on old tools and paperback books.

[My English Castle]

I love to shop at garage sales, but I HATE to hold them. People are too often jerks and it's an awful lot of work. Give me ebay any day. I once had a man in a Lexus SUV try to return a frying pan he bought for 25cents because he changed his mind 2 hours later. He's lucky he wasn't wearing it.

[creditcardfree]

It is pretty rare that I shop garage sales. It takes too long to find what I'm looking for...if I even find it. However, I do like to sell stuff at garage sales. I sell the 'good stuff' on ebay...but seem to find buyers for the larger or less than stellar stuff at the garage sale.

[rob62521]

My mom was truly a whiz at garage sales and it enabled her to make extra money. In our neck of the woods, Fridays and Saturdays were always the busiest with sales so she would do her sale on a Thursday during the summer. She would always try to do it a Thursday right after the first of the month when folks seemed to have some money. And she usually did well.

[Johansen8]

I LOVE garage sales! I find the neatest junk at them, like old picture frames. I once found a ceramic statue. I thought it was pretty so I paid the $5 she was asking. Then I found out it was a Lladro worth about $300. I like antique kitchen gadgets and childrens furniture. Not that awful bright plastic stuff, but miniature tables and chairs, desks, rockers, etc. I also like old lace. I buy old lace curtains and wedding dresses, then make things out of them. There are a lot of garage sale urban legends, like the guy whose $10 purple paper weight turned out to be an amethyst worth $3M.

[techguru]

Indeed garage sales are. And best of all, there are no taxes for the consumer. Believe it or not, that is a major (subconscious) motivator for consumers towards garage sales.