How to Score Big at Garage Sales

MSNBC offers 10 tips to scoring big at garage sales including the following:

1. Map out your route.
2. Know the drill.
3. Strategize about when and how to shop.
4. Remember, you’re after bargains.
5. Haggling can be good for you.
6. Take all sorts of items on a test drive.
7. Expect great deals on clothes.
8. Know when to say no.
9. Care for potential purchases.
10. See the big picture.

I've gotta agree with this list. In particular, the following are tips we find to be especially true:

• "If you go early in the day, you’ll get the best selection; if you go late in the day, you’ll get the best prices." Yep. Get there early (maybe even the night before) and you'll have a chance at all the "good stuff." Get there as they are wrapping up and you might get a whole box of stuff for 50 cents. Both strategies can work, depending on what you're trying to buy/accomplish.

• I echo the comments about going to affluent neighborhoods for sales. Even some of their "junk" can be pretty nice.

How about you? Do you have any garage sale tips that you've found especially worthwhile?

Comments

[Odnal]

I'll sometimes go to yard sales to try and find things to resell on eBay. I've learned that it can be handy to have somebody at home that you can call to do a quick search on the Internet to find its approximate value. eBay of course is good for general items, and bookscouter.com for used books (textbooks in particular).

Also, don't ask for prices on individual things. Instead, put everything that you want together and say that you'll give them $XX for everything in the pile. If you do it one item at a time, it will nearly always add up to more than they are willing to take for the whole lot.

[Becky]

I'm sure there are good deals to be had in affluent neighborhoods, but in my area of the country they seem to be the worst places to garage-sale. The houses are newer and a lot of people are "house poor", meaning they over-extended themselves on a huge house and have no money to buy other things. The other thing I have found in these neighborhoods is that their stuff is over-priced and they don't have a large selection. I've found that in the older parts of town, people have been living there for years and have years worth of stuff to sell. Just my personal expeience!

[DCS]

Becky, I think you are confusing affluent neighborhoods with McMansion neighborhood. You want the millionaire next door neighborhood filled with people with positive net worth. You'll know it by the houses clad in stone, brick, and wood, and the mature landscaping on large (but not measured in acres) lots.

The spray-on-lawn vinylburbs are not the place to go unless you're looking for a used 27" CRT television. For some reason every McMansion garage sale has a 27" CRT television.

[Me]

I think the affluent neighborhoods is a good trick. I read that there are two types of garage sales, the one where they are trying to get rid of stuff and the one where they are trying to make money. You want the first one. I have come across garage sales where the person is charging brand new prices - I don't hang out for long.

[Future Millionaire]

Another good idea is to have a specific amount of money in one pocket and back up in another so when dealing tell them I've got $x in cash and usually that will sweeten the deal.