Being that it is Saturday, I thought I would do a post on how to effectively shop a yard sale. I must admit, I am not a naturally talented yard sale shopper. In fact, (although I hate to admit it because it makes me sound superficial) when I got married five years ago, my husband would often try to yard sale hop on Saturday mornings and I wanted nothing to do with what I called "other people's junk". There were a lot of times I wouldn't even get out of the car. Yes, there is a lot of junk out there, but the key is sorting through that junk and finding a little piece of treasure:)
I always hear people say "I hate yard sales" or "I never find anything at yard sales, I am not a good yard sale shopper". Since I still consider myself a newbie at yard sales, I thought I would share a few tips that I have learned on how to be successful without wasting a lot of time driving around in circles trying to follow the arrows on the flourescent signs that lead you to a dead end, literally.
1. Prepare. If you know that you want to hit the yard sales on Saturday morning, look online on Craigslist or in your classified section of your newspaper the night before. Create a list of places that you want to go and look them up online so that you can go in an order that makes sense without driving all over town. If there is a yard sale that interests you more than another, make that the first one that you go to and plan the rest of your stops around that sale. I have also found that if someone goes to the effort of listing their sale online or in the classified section, then they mean serious business and usually are well organized.
2. Search Smart. If you are just looking for items in general, you may want to do a search on Craigslist for the area that you live in - for example, I would log on to craigslist.org, go to "For Sale" then click on "Garage Sales" and in the search box type "Henderson". However, if you know you are looking for antiques or a Little Tikes Picnic Table, in that same search box, type the item that you are looking for and see if anyone has it listed for sale. If you are really eager and you find something you want on Craigslist that is going to be for sale, send an email to the lister and let them know that you are really interested in that particular item. They may sell it to you early or hold it for you to get there first thing in the morning. It never hurts to ask.
3. The Early Bird Gets the Worm. Yard sale pros seem to always show up at that perfect moment when the gates open. It pays to show up early, but don't show up so early that it's obnoxious. I would say the general rule would be 10-15 minutes. You may also want to wait in your car. Many people are usually still setting up their items and it feels a little awkward to have a group hovering around you while you are trying to get organized.
4. Bring a Box. If you are like me, occasionally I need to put the seats down in my car for that piece of furniture that is an amazing deal I can't pass up, however, the majority of the time, I find myself buying the smaller items like neat frames, antique serving trays, or toys for my kids. It may be a good idea to put a box in your back seat to put smaller items or bring a few grocery bags to organize your items so things won't be rolling around in your back seat as you sale hop.
5. Be Negotiable. If someone is wanting to get rid of things, they are usually negotiable on prices. If something is listed as ten dollars, ask if they would be willing to sell it for seven dollars. If you see two items that you love that are ten dollars each, ask if they will sell two for fifteen dollars. Most people are up to negotiation and almost expect it to happen and may be marking up their prices because they know they may be talked down on the price. When negotiating, it pays to be fair. If something is listed as ten dollars, it probably isn't the best idea to ask if you can have it for 50 cents.
6. Know Your Neighborhoods. If you are looking for baby items, it probably isn't the best idea to shop in a seniors' community or a neighborhood that you know is more mature. If you are looking for antiques, you probably won't hit the mother load in a new development that caters to young professionals and families. Again, plug this in to Craigslist if there is a specific item or area that you are pursuing.
7. Change. One of the best things about yard sales is that the items are inexpensive. This also means that the person selling the items probably won't have large bills available or much change on hand. When you head out to shop, make sure you bring cash with you with a variety of both bills and coins. By the time you run to the ATM or convenient store to break your 100 dollar bill, that cute little table you wanted for 20 dollars just might be gone.
8. Community Sales. While it might seem exciting to go to a large community sale or multi-family sale, it isn't always the best spot to start. Many community sales allow for pre-shopping the day before so it may already be picked over by the time that the sale starts. These are also sales that are good to arrive early to because they usually have quite a bit of traffic and the good stuff goes fast.
9. Kids Toys. If I have my kids with me when I go out to the sales, they usually find something that they want for 25 cents or the seller usually sees their cute little faces and throws in things for free - score! When purchasing children's toys, make sure that you clean them thoroughly when you get home (especially baby toys). Besides the fact that there may be germs on them, you never know where the toys have been stored, so it's always a good idea to take Clorox wipes to them or wash them in hot soapy water before allowing your kids to handle them too much.
10. Post Sale Special. There are always items at yard sales that don't sell, which means the seller will most likely be more willing to negotiate the price. If you know that the sale ends at noon, drive past and see what items they have left and see if you can make a deal. You can also log back on to Craigslist and look under items for sale (baby items, furniture, or sometimes still under the garage sale section) and see what items didn't sell then pick them up for a great deal.
I hope these tips help. I am off to start sanding the two end tables from the 1940's that I scored today at a yard sale for 15 dollars - stay tuned for a before and after post!
sincerely fabuless, Las Vegas.
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