I’d like to start by thanking Karen Datko of MSN’s Smart Spending Blog for featuring my post on Top Ten Garage Sale Rules, this week, and to everyone who cruised by to examine Financial Highway.
People’s garage sale experiences have become legendary folklore. How many times have you heard someone say, “Did you see Antiques Roadshow last night? Some guy bought a table at a garage sale for $20 and they appraised it at $600. Can you believe it?!” While there are definite rules to benefit the seller that we explored, I don’t want to sell the buyers out like sheep to wolves. So without further ado, these are my helpful hints to garage sale shoppers:
#1: Wear sunscreen. Not to beat this horse to death, but if you’re out in the elements, you are as vulnerable as the individuals hosting the sales. No bargain is worth heat stroke or hypothermia so take care of yourself.
#2: Make a shopping list, divided into categories: need, want, dreaming. If you head out with a goal or a purpose, you’re less likely to get sidetracked and create a “transfer of crap.” A “transfer of crap” occurs when you spot something out of the corner of your eye that you have absolutely no place or use for, but it comes home with you anyway. It then goes out on a table at your garage sale and the transfer continues. This isn’t to say you can’t purchase anything that isn’t on the list (or maybe you’re a shopaholic and you really can’t), but it at least makes you think twice before you purchase something random.
#3: It’s okay to set a max price. If you know you can buy a desk for $10 on craigslist, is it really worth it to spend extra for something that’s right there? This is also where the list comes in helpful. A quick ebay, craigslist, and google search before you leave should give you a reasonable estimate as to value. Then you can decide that, yes, it is worth it to spend $12 on a desk so you don’t have to haul yourself across town tomorrow, but it might not be worth spending $20.
#4: Go with a friend. It’s more fun when you have a friend, and it’s nice to search other people’s list items. It’s like shopping without having to buy and it turns the day into a treasure hunt. FYI, leave the four-legged friends at home. You don’t want to be the guy who accidentally created a dog fight, and you don’t want to be the guy that caused the seller’s throat to close.
#5: Bring transportation only big enough to haul the largest item you need. If you don’t have a place to put it in the car it’s not going home with you. Simple as that. If you know you need a piece of furniture, bring a truck, but if you don’t need furniture stick with the Honda.
#6: Bring snacks (no mayo) and water. I would think the mayo thing is self-explanatory to anyone who’s let a sandwich sit in a hot car all day. The water is so you’re not subject to predatory eight-year-olds selling drinks. However, you should expect to buy a fresh bottle sometime during the day if you’re not splitting your trip.
#7: Map your sales, and be a profiler. If you map your sale areas you can make your home base a half-way point. For example, you go out to the east for the morning, come back for a snack and potty break, and then head to the west for the afternoon. Profile your areas based on the items you’re looking for. If you would like to find expensive linens and antiques, you’re not going to find them at the UNLV dorm cleanout sale, but you might find them at that multi-family sale in the gated community.
#8: Have small bills separated into different pockets. (It’s hard to haggle when someone knows your sporting a hundie.) I had a guy ask what I wanted for a mirror two weeks ago. He was lucky I had it priced and I’m an honest person because the three hundreds in his wallet could’ve given him a much different price point at a different sale. When you have small bills in your different pockets, it gives you more room for everyone to feel like they got a good deal, vs. beating a seller down to half what they wanted and pulling out a large wad of cash. You don’t want them to say, “Nevermind, I’m keeping it.” You want them to say, “Nevermind. Keep the other dollar.”
#9: Don’t be afraid to negotiate, offer less, the later it gets. Many of the items you see that you like will drop drastically in price as the day goes on. The more likely it is that they’re going to be stuck with that random “transfer of crap” or Great Aunt Phoebe’s hideous kitsch, the more likely they will take a lesser offer. Part of the fun of a garage sale is the haggle, and the worst they can say is, “No. That’s a firm price.”
#10: Look for tags on clothes. Tags= Little to no use. Self-explanatory.
#11: Ask for a senior/student discount. Seriously! As my mom says, “Don’t ask; don’t get.” The only time anyone ever asked I gave them 10%. Why not? It takes serious huevos to do that and lastly……
