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Garage Sales

Garage Sales Shopping Tips

Call it a garage sale, a yard sale, a rummage sale or a moving sale. These terms are interchangeable and pretty much mean the same thing.

Many people simply love garage sales and become passionate about them. We have a friend who will not pass up a garage sale sign and has been know to shop them all dressed up for a formal wedding she was on her way to.

Finding Good Garage Sales

This is part art and part common sense.

Check the local newspaper classified ads - they usually have a garage sale section. Some sellers will list some of what they are selling.

Also take a drive around nearby neighborhoods and look for the signs - they will supply the address, date and time of the sale.

Sales in more prosperous neighborhoods will likely yield better quality merchandise. But you might find real gems in older areas where someone might be clearing out many years of accumulated possessions some of which might be unrecognized treasures.

Some people shop at other garage sales and flea markets and have more or less steady sales at their homes.

Most garage sale sellers have no real idea of what the value of most of the things they are selling is. Many are moving and just want to get rid of stuff. Others are doing it because times are tight and they need the money. Whatever the reason, smart collectors can find many bargains at garage sales.

From my own experience I know that books don't sell. For a dollar or so, someone could haul off a box of 50 or more books. Most books will not be valuable, but there might be something worthwhile included.

Other things to look for are artwork and crafts, toys, comic books, baseball cards, china and silverware and porcelain figurines. If furniture is for sale you might be able to get amazing bargains on almost new as well as antiques.

If you don't see what you want, you can always ask the seller if he has specific items he might be willing to sell that are not included in the sale.

Shopping at Garage Sales

Most garage sales are weekend events, usually a few hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Different people have different ways of approaching garage sales. Some will check newspapers and drive around neighborhoods likely to have good stuff for sale and approach the seller hours before the sale is to begin - maybe even the night before.

They want to be the first to pick over the merchandise and see where the real bargains are.

Some want to visit when things are busy, hoping the distracted seller will part with something without really realizing what he is doing.

Others will come at closing or even a little later, when the merchandise is being stored away again. Sellers have been know to sell things at prices well below what they are worth or even give things away, just to get rid of them.

Sometimes you will see the same household having a second sale - this is an opportunity to pick up things you passed over before at even lower prices.

Bargaining

Even if there are price tags on all items, don't be afraid to bargain. For the most part, the seller is anxious to clear away the items on sale and will drastically lower the price. If he doesn't leave him your number and ask him to call if the item doesn't sell. On a multi-day sale come back the last day - the seller will be more in the mood to lower his price.

Bring cash. Most sellers will not take checks unless they know you and certainly won't accept credit cards.

If you shop at garage sales with your significant other, each one of you could approach the seller independently at different times to see if you can get prices lowered.

Some people feel that garage sales are just a way of buying other peoples' junk. But garage sale devotees know that they can find many valuable collectibles for well below their value,

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