Garage sale shopping can be an adventure. You’re never certain what you’re going to find. One sale might result in some fun toys for the kids. Another might allow you to buy a new dresser. I’ve even heard of people buying cars at estate sales. Garage sales rock!
If you’re reading this and wondering how I find great garage sale deals, you’re not alone. I know plenty of people who think that wading through the rubbish at garage sales completely ruins the experience for them. They don’t know how to find the deals that make garage sale shopping worthwhile. I can help with that, though.
Shop early. Truthfully, I’m a morning person, so it’s easy for me to say that you should get up and out of the house early. You really can find the best merchandise by being one of the first people at a sale. Your early arrival allows you to have your pick of everything available.
Know what you’re willing to pay. Finding an item at a garage sale doesn’t mean that it’s a good deal. You can try to make an offer for the item, but be willing to walk away if the seller can’t meet your needs. You can always stop by later in the day to see if the seller is more willing to make a deal.
Take a measuring tape with you. If you purchase something at a great price, bring it home to your house, and find that it doesn’t fit in the door, your purchase wasn’t a bargain. You can avoid this situation, however, by carrying a measuring tape with you when you’re garage sale shopping.
Look for multi-family sales. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a great deal at a small garage sale. The odds of finding the item you need at a price you like go up dramatically if you visit large sales with items from multiple families. Sales at churches and community centers are a wonderful place to start. Neighborhood garage sales are a strong alternative to multi-family sales, as well.
Can you guess where I will be tomorrow morning?
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3 responses so far ↓
1 ctreit // Oct 23, 2009 at 11:08 am
These are good tips, but I would like to add one more. Bring a good attitude along. – We held a garage sale not too long ago and enjoyed the experience. Not only did we get rid of some stuff that we did not need anymore and somebody else could use, but we also met some nice people. Unfortunately not all of our visitors brought along such a good attitude.
2 David@ yourfinances101 // Oct 24, 2009 at 2:39 pm
My twocents on garage sales–I hate having them, I love shopping at them.
Hate having them because even though I price all my stuff at ridiculously low proces, people still offer less. I have brand new shirts priced for 50 cents, people will ask for a quarter. Drives me nuts.
So, keep this in mind. When you shop them, you’re going to find great deals. Just don’t be stupid about it. It can really ruin it for the person having it. if its a great deal at what its priced for, pay up and move on.
3 Garage Sale // Oct 26, 2009 at 9:11 am
Garage saling is almost an art more so than a science and can be lucrative to the extreme bargain hunter who finds the early morning deals.
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