posted on June 7, 2001 03:38:51 PM new
I cannot bring myself to go to someone's house early for a yard sale. I feel it is very rude and inconsiderate.
I tend to avoid sales that have placed ads because some dealers try for presales. I usually just drive around.
Now that my thrift store connection for clothes for my boys has dried up, I need to score some surf oriented men's clothing. I am shocked that some yard sellers want $5.00 for a pair of bleached and ripped jeans with a broken zipper.
posted on June 7, 2001 04:01:03 PM new
Yes! Ignore all advertised sales. Go out Friday evening- before dark - and write down all the sales for Sat that are NOT advertised in your local paper! Go out again Sat am at 7 am and do the same. Hit only those sales that DO NOT advertise. My route for success for over 20 years and I hope you are NOT in my area of the country!
However, if you have to depend on garage sales for your stock, you are in trouble!
Glass
posted on June 7, 2001 04:09:09 PM new
I agree with glass I have done it both ways and now we just have a route we run every sat takes us tru major streets in the sections of town where we have done the best
we just look for signs and go rarely read ads
buy as much for personel use as resale as glass says if you have to depend on g-sales soley for re-sale stock good luck
some saturdays we spend 10 some a couple hundred (most on the low end)
posted on June 7, 2001 04:11:36 PM new
There are people here with tons more experience than I, but I'll tell you what makes me happy and what works for me.
I'm in a small town, so I pretty much have to go to the ones that are advertised. The ones I go to last are the ones that advertise "antiques and collectibles." That phrase translates to "overpriced crap," almost everytime.
You're right, some dealers are going to show up at 6 in the morning and some goobers are going to let them in, so why try to be the first one there?
Don't let people intimidate you. If you feel something is too high and the person won't budge on the price, just smile, say thank you, and move on.
I like to start with the out of the way sales. I like driving the back roads, seeing the sights, etc. Often, these are the sales other people leave for last to see if they can fill up the trunk not driving very far. While a few of these turn out to be driveway retailers, mostly they're not - they're having a good old fashioned yard sale with good prices. And some interesting stuff also.
Never pay more than $5 for an espresso maker - but at that price you'll do ok. (I surprisingly find these a lot.)
Clothing doesn't do well at yard sales, so if you're looking for that, you might want to try going the second day of the sale - maybe those folks asking $5 on day one will sell for $1 on day two just not to have to pack it up and put it all in the house again. Personally, I admire folks who sell clothes a lot online. I've sold a few clothing items, and have found that getting a good pic, and all the measuring is (for me) a total pain.
Dress down. There's a single mom around here who everyone knows shops for her kids and not for resale - everyone gives her deals, and everyone is glad they do. I know it's not fair, but if someone sees you get out of your Mercedes dressed well, they're much less likely to come down in price.
Don't get desperate. If you're shopping for eBay and you're starting to think your inventory is low, you might buy too high. That only results in lots of work with little profit.
I hope a lot of folks post here, I could use some advice also.
posted on June 7, 2001 04:24:22 PM new
I quit selling real estate because I was not willing to lie and cheat people to make a buck, and if I had to do the same for eBay I would also - so no I won't beat on doors at sunrise and drag people out if that's what it takes.
posted on June 7, 2001 04:35:52 PM new
I agree with Sadie999 as far as the country sales go.
I also go to the sales that advertise kids clothes and toys at the top of the list. Most dealers stay away from these sales until later. I pick up a lot of good buys from young couples who think grandmas stuff is just junk.
You will sometimes be surprised if you ask for specific items you don't see. I collect costume jewelry and have had people go into the house to get a box of old "junk" that they didn't think anyone would want.
posted on June 7, 2001 04:37:12 PM new
Yes, going to sales that advertise antiques is like going to a flea market where the dealers have big ticket items for their daily take.
It does not matter if you are in the country or not, I wish I had "country"!...and here is a tip: always go to church rummage sales as nobody can get in beforehand! I always Pay an extra $5 - $10 donation to the church for this! They deserve it.
There is nothing like driving around on a sunny Saturday in the old part of town as the sun comes up, just picking up garage sale signs! But maybe have to hit 50 or so before you find 1-2 great things! This has kept me going for many years!
Good luck this weekend.
Glass
posted on June 7, 2001 04:40:06 PM new
We have yard sales year 'round but generally only on Saturday morning. With the overpriced stuff, they usually won't give you a deal early, so I have on occasion found some deals at 10:00 am.
Where I live, yard sales close down by 10 or 11 am.
posted on June 7, 2001 05:16:18 PM new
The dealers may be there early but what are they really looking for? Weller, Red Wing, pottery? Antique furniture? Pristine glassware? I've seen these "dealers" run in and out of a sale and I've purchased quite a few items at the same sale. I don't collect or sell antiques although I enjoy them. But I usually find quite a few "collectibles". Porcelain figurines (vintage early 80's) do really well depending on the maker or series (Enesco, etc) I've found a pewter angel ornament that I did really well with. Wilton character cake pans with original paperwork. A sealed Hallmark Springbok puzzle. Collectibles! Not "antiques". In all my years, I've found very few really true quality antiques at garage sales. I'm making the same mark up that some who buy books for .50 and sell for $10 to $50 do. I just don't have the knowledge on books right now (I'm trying!) One of the posts many months ago said "find a book for .50 and sell for $10 and do that 1000 times". Would never happen for me, I don't think. But I've done it many a times on 60's, 70's 80's collectibles. Something to think about.
posted on June 7, 2001 05:18:47 PM new
1. If you spot something you want, look at 2 or 3 other things first. If you let a piece draw you like a magnet, a savvy seller will know you want it bad.
2. If you are offered a great deal, don't try to talk them down.
3. You get better deals if you take several things. Use "price averaging". (In other words if $25.00 is a good price for 5 items you want, don't let it bother you that one of them was "over priced"
4. Practice your "poker face". Body language says alot, and it goes back to #1.
posted on June 7, 2001 05:26:30 PM new
I find that I can get some great deals hitting the garage sales later in the day, especially later on Saturday. In my area, the sales are usually friday and saturday, and usually end around 1:00. Very seldom do I hit the sales before 10:00 (unless my husband is going with me, then we hit them around 8:00!) I buy some collectibles but mostly kids clothes and toys. The good deals are not out there, like they were several years ago. There is a kids second hand clothing store chain that has hit our city, and ebay. Now, the deals are just not as good as they used to be!
posted on June 7, 2001 05:27:35 PM new
I agree ~ I never get up early, just around 8:30 or so, and take my time. I figure, no-one can know everything about everything LOL! So there are just going to be those awesome garage sale finds that I find because I know what I'm looking for, and all the other guys don't.
posted on June 7, 2001 06:56:24 PM new
Mini derail... toybuyer you just reminded me, when you posted, "I've seen these "dealers" run in and out of a sale and I've purchased quite a few items at the same sale."
Last summer I went to my first estate sale - a gruesome learning experience into human behavior. I decided to just wander around and look for "kitsch." I saw this ceramic figure, a woman with a big skirt and slits in it. Now the dealers had ransacked the place. I picked it up - $1.85. I even asked two older ladies what it was, and they hadn't a clue.
I held onto it until my ceramics guru came back from vacation. A napkin lady. Don't know how they're doing on eBay right now, but I got $60 for her.
So, yes, there's stuff to be had after the dealers are done.
posted on June 7, 2001 07:58:36 PM new
sadie: Good Job! Getting the extra $$ is great but sometimes I think it's just as fun knowing you found something and didn't have to look or act like an idiot while "hunting". Our on the job training pays off every once in a while, doesn't it?
posted on June 7, 2001 09:04:40 PM new
I normally go out later in the day - the prices are down and I still have plenty of finds
For example, 6 baggies with one set in each of Home Interiors teddy bears. I paid $1 for each baggie. Average price on eBay is $10 a set. One set is worth $17. Cleaning up later I ran the sweeper and accidentally hit the bag, breaking one set. Wanna guess which one
posted on June 8, 2001 01:24:00 AM new
Look at everything.....sometimes something that isn't apparent could be a gold mine. Case in point, I got a little house in its original box. It looked collectible, but I wasn't familiar with the name Lilliput Lane on the bottom. Bought it for a $1.00, went home, did some ebay homework on it, and ended up selling it for $138.00!! Another time, a person had 8 decks of playing cards up for sale, just piled up on their table they had their cash box on. They were various airline, railroad and drugstore promotional playing cards. They were 10 cents a box, and I sold them for a total of $170.00. You just have to be open to anything... Turn items over, and familiarize yourself with names like Royal Doulton, Longaberger, Homer Laughlin...etc, etc. You'll be surprised what you can find if you look!
posted on June 8, 2001 06:11:00 AM new
I work off the classified ads. The night before, I work out a "plan of attack" using the classifieds and a county street atlas. I start out in the areas where the sales are most densely packed (which is usually the county seat), then work my way out. This also helps me to avoid the traffic in the urban areas as it starts to pick up later in the morning. Others who only hit unadvertised sales have a point, but it's just unrealistic in my area - probably 90% of the sales here are advertised.
I never make it a point to start at a sale that advertises "antiques." As others have pointed out, these are usually overpriced. They do make a nice early morning diversion, as all the antique dealers will spend their opening sale there, while I'm zipping around other sales, picking up bargains with little or no competition. I will hit them, but later in the day, after the dealers have gone - you'd be surprised what nice, more recent collectibles they overlook for cheap (both the dealers and the sellers).
Also, keep plugging along late into the afternoon. It makes for a long day, but believe me, all the bargains are not had in the wee hours of the morning. Most of the professional dealers bug out of the yard sale scene by about 9:00 AM so they can check out the local auctions. That means, especially at the peak of the yard sale season, there's a lot of sales visited by few antique dealers. During the dog days of summer, competition dissipates very quickly - if you can endure the heat, you have a nearly open field. I've picked up many $50-$100 items in the afternoon.
But the most important thing is to constantly research - read up on these message boards to see what's selling for people, check out closed auctions. My best research is always done on gut instinct - buy an item that looks like it has potential. Get home and check the ebay prices - even if you have a dud, you'll learn a lesson - and lessons are better remembered when there's a little bit of money spent (even if only a quarter). There are so many dealers out there who can't look past the obvious collectibles - you know, like the people who look only for Beatles and Elvis records, while completely disregarding the more valuable early blues recordings in the same stack.
posted on June 8, 2001 07:16:55 AM new
Thanks for the great post and the equally great replies,everyone.
Another quick tip is to scan the goods and look for stuff "IN THE BOX" You may have seen it before,but say to yourself "how many people would have NOT played with/used that item?I've never seen one of those in the box!"
The value can double,even triple.And,sometime THE BOX can be worth more than its contents.
My niche/obsession is old beer stuff-look for the words "INTERNAL REVENUE TAX PAID" on signs,bottles,cases,etc.
These items were made before 1951,and are great stuff.Look for any signs that contain glass and metal,everything now is plastic.
Anything with MOTION in it is great.Moving water,bubbling glasses-BUY IT!
Old neon signs are thrown away or sold when they don't work.If the glass is clear,usually they are old.Small breaks can be repaired,and people want them BROKEN even.
If a sign has neon trim,like a border,around it,snap it up!
And,old cans that took an opener to drink are hot.Either sealed with a bottlecap or took a churchkey to open.Cans without tops,used to store nails,etc are sleepers.
Also,if they have opening instructions on the side,showing the public how to puncture the top and drink it,grab them.
And if you find yourself saying "I have one of those!" email me,I'll pay you too much for this stuff..
