Garage sale guide for tweens
If you are old enough to have an allowance, you are old enough to go to a garage sale. Garage sales are great places to buy cool stuff you want, and they’re better than some of the cheap places in stores, as the items tend to be old – which means that they’re built to last and won’t break after a week. They’re usually cheaper, too, which means you can buy more of them.
Here’s some cool things that you’re likely to find at garage sales. Sure, you’re not likely to find a PlayStation (but you might find some older PlayStation games) but there’s heaps more fun things.
- Jigsaws and other puzzles
- Board games such as Monopoly or chess
- Skateboards, bikes and scooters
- Old-fashioned toys like Slinky springs, marbles and kites
- Books – keep an eye out for old versions of classics like the Famous Five, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, and the Chronicles of Narnia, and also some older ones popular in the past and waiting to be rediscovered
- Junk jewellery and that sort of thing that you can use for craft materials or to make costumes
- Artwork, ornaments and mirrors
If you’re the type who likes to invent and build stuff, then garage sales are great places to look out for odds and ends. Wheels for making a go-kart? A long piece of pipe and some small mirrors for making a periscope? Just get out there and have a look!
Just one other thing – take an adult or an older responsible person with you, as you’re going into a stranger’s place. Most people holding garage sales are OK, but it’s best to be on the safe side. Plus the older person can help you carry your new finds.
Another reason to buy at garage sales during the recession
You probably already know that garage sales are a great place to pick up cheap items when times are tight. However, this isn’t the only reason to see what you can pick up at a garage sale as a sneaky way of beating the recession.
Garden tools are common items sold off at garage sales, especially estate sales, and growing your own vegetables is a way of making the money go further, as well as being a way to get fresher vegetables and some good exercise. And the really good thing about old-fashioned garden tools is that they were built to last, so even if they look a bit rusty, they’re probably still able to do the job.
Of course, like everything else at a garage sale, you should check the item carefully. If, say, a spade is really rusty and has a crack in it, don’t buy it; it will break after a month of hard use or sooner.
A quick shopping list of garden tools you’re likely to find at yard sales:
- Spades, shovels, hoes and forks: things with long handles.
- Wheelbarrows – if you’re lucky!
- Watering cans and spray packs (always wash these out carefully before use)
- Pots and tubs for plants
- Pruning shears, secateurs and hedge clippers
- Odd items, such as foam mats to kneel on while weeding, strange-shaped tools for digging dandelions and other long-rooted weeds out
In general, you are more likely to find hand-powered items for sale at garage sales rather than mechanical ones, but you never know your luck, as is always the way of the garage sale world.
How to tell if something is antique?
If you are holding a garage sale as a way of clearing up someone’s estate, you may be wondering if certain items that Grandfather used to own are antiques or not. If so, you don’t want to sell them off far too cheaply. Sure, your garage sale will make some dealer’s day, but you would probably prefer to get a fair price for the item – and your late grandfather would have preferred that too.
The only way to be really sure is to go to an independent expert and have it valued. Get several opinions if you’re unsure. While not everything old is an antique, it’s best to be on the safe side. (An antique, by the way, is something over 100 years old. Anything between 50 and 100 years is “vintage” and anything less than 50 years old but more than 10 years old is “retro.)
You should always get the following checked out and valued:
- War memorabilia such as uniforms, weapons, other paraphernalia and especially medals
- Old coins
- Jewellery – if you really want to literally sell the family silver
- Furniture, especially if it’s been old as long as you can remember. This is especially true of wooden furniture
- Fur coats or anything else made of fur. Make sure they’re not moth-eaten.
- Clothing that looks old-fashioned. The care label may give you an indication of the age, more or less – if there is a care label.
- Odd old ornaments that you suspect may be antiques. They may not be, so don’t be over-optimistic.
Buying clothes at a garage sale
Clothes are one of the items that crop up in yard sales all around the country every weekend. If you’re on the lookout for new clothing, then going garage sale hunting can be a great way to pick up some cheap threads in good condition that’s a lot of fun.
One of the really great things about buying clothes at yard sales is that while your choice is limited to what’s on offer on the sales table, you are often likely to pick up some quirky or retro pieces that are unlike anything that’s in the shops – you won’t be dressed the same as anyone else at a party again.
Estate sales are particularly good places to hunt for treasures if you are into retro or vintage clothing. While a yard sale to clear up someone’s estate is unlikely to have Great Aunt Mildred’s fur coat up for sale, you may easily find dresses and skirts – this writer managed to find a great slinky 1930s evening gown this way.
Children’s clothes are another great bargain to find at garage sales. If you’ve had children, you probably know how quickly they outgrow things, especially when they’re small. These clothes are more likely to be grown out rather than worn out (exception: trousers, which small boys always seem to wear away at the knees). Good quality brands of children’s clothes can go through several owners before becoming unfit to wear.
However, if you’re not careful, you can end up with little more than rags. These tips should help you score a good bargain when shopping for clothes at a garage sale.
- Garage sales don’t provide changing rooms for you to try on items. To make sure you buy clothes the right size, measure yourself before you go in centimetres and inches. Compare your measurements to the ones on the label – don’t just rely on the size listed in large numbers on the label. The label’s been cut off? Take a tape measure with you in your pocket and do a quick measure-up.
- Check each garment over to make sure that all the buttons are there, that the elastic in waistbands isn’t perished, and that the garment isn’t stained or full of holes. If the garment needs only minor repairs (e.g. a fallen hem or a missing button), try asking for a discount. If it has holes or perished elastic, forget it.
- If you’re handy at sewing, consider the possibilities of other items. A round table cloth can become a circle skirt, and a tent-shaped mu-mu dress has a lot of fabric that can be transformed into a new garment. Sheets also have possibilities. Another thing to remember is that greyish second-hand items can be dyed black or navy blue and given a new lease of life.
- Don’t buy second hand underwear from a garage sale. The exception is if it still has the tags on it and has never been worn.
- Wash everything as soon as you get it home! Hopefully, the seller has already done this, but you never know.
Your garage sale shopping list
If you’re a student or some other young person setting up home for the first time, then garage sales are great! You can get most of the things you need really cheaply at garage sales. Who cares if they aren’t always the most up-to-date or the most fashionable? Some things never really pass their use-by dates and garage sales are excellent places to score these.
Your setting up house shopping list to take to garage sales:
- A bed with a decent mattress – can be hard to find at garage sales, but you never know.
- Bedding to go on ditto. This is usually easier to pick up. Get pillows, sheets, pillow cases and blankets as the bare minimum, plus a cover of some sort.
- Cutlery: at least two knives, dessert spoons and forks for everybody in the household, plus four teaspoons.
- Crockery: a dinner plate, a bread-and-butter plate, two bowls and three mugs per person. Garage sales often have complete sets for sale, so keep an eye out for these.
- Glassware: two or three tumblers per person. Plastic cups are OK, but glass is classier.
- A table – and remember a tablecloth can cover a multitude of sins such as white circles, burn marks, chips, paint splashes and the like.
- Chairs – one per person, plus two more for guests. Again, garage sales often have these – usually a bit old and battered, but nothing a bit of paint won’t fix.
- Chests of drawers to put your odds and ends in.
- At least one clock.
- Mirrors
- Cooking stuff: at least three saucepans, a wooden spoon, two or three sharp knives, a salad bowl, a chopping board, a kettle, a mixing bowl and a cheese grater. Plus anything else you can think of.
- Towels and tea towels. You can never have too many!
Site review: www.yardsalers.net
YardSalers.net is an archive of newsletters related to garage sales, yard sales and EBay auctions. It is also a site that has a number of garage sale-related books (written by the site’s creator) and resources for sale, which subscribers can sell via an affiliate program. A lot of the site (and each newsletter) seems to be dedicated to those who comb through garage sales and online auctions to find items that can be re-sold at a profit, rather than those of us who go to garage sales for fun or to find household items on the cheap. Yardsalers.net seems to have a competition where subscribers can share their story about how they snaffled something really cheaply and then resold it for a huge amount.
The site takes a bit of time to navigate and get used to – the archive of old newsletters is extensive. It also takes a bit of time to work out what the site creator means by “flips” (it refers to an item bought cheaply and then resold for a higher price). The site also puts a lot of emphasis on EBay and less on the traditional yard sale.
If you take the time to read through the newsletters, you will learn a fair amount about how to spot collectibles, vintage and antique items, and get a rough idea of what these sell for.
The list of links is also very useful for directing you to other resources related to garage sales. The home page also directs users to a list of tips and hints for holding a garage sale, which seems to be excerpted from one of the books. It’s not easy to read, but it does have useful information.
Tips for new bargain hunters
So you’re new to the world of garage sales now that the economic pinch has sent you to explore new avenues for retail therapy, or finding gifts, furniture and the like. How do you go about scoring a bargain?
- Scan the lists of garage sales online and in the local newspapers. It’s best to find the ones closest to you so you don’t spend more than you save on fuel.
- Take plenty of cash with you! Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), garage sales are cash only.
- Get in early if you want bargains on really popular items. Most garage sales are over by midday. The best bargains are usually snapped up straight away.
- Dress correctly for the weather and don’t be put off by a cold wind or the like.
- You are allowed to haggle. But don’t be ridiculous about how low you can go.
- It’s only a bargain if you actually want it – the same rule that applies to retail store sales. Yes, the prices at garage sales are an absolute steal if you are used to seeing shop prices. But do you really need or want that stuffed moose head?
- If you like shopping for fun, going late can have its advantages. While most of the really good bargains have gone, sellers may be willing to drop prices on some quirky or very common items (e.g. children’s toys, crockery, books) in an attempt to get rid of the things and get things over and done with.
The handcrafter’s guide to garage sales
If you’re the arts and crafts type of person, then garage sales are great to visit to pick up raw materials for your crafts as well as a place to get inspiration for craft ideas. This is particularly true if you like sewing and the like.
Old clothes turn up in garage sales all the time – it’s almost as if it’s compulsory. If you’re good at sewing, then don’t overlook these while you’re hunting for other items such as fabric, buttons and yarn. Because many unusual items can easily be used as raw materials with a bit of imagination.
Here’s a few ideas:
- Flannelette sheets: nice fluffy material for children’s pyjamas
- Cotton sheets: easily transformed into curtains (a hint for those who need curtains and haven’t found them in garage sales)
- Satin sheets: as long as they’re not pilled, use them for making lingerie.
- Tablecloths – lace trimmed tablecloths turn very easily into circle skirts.
- Enormous clothes made of gorgeous fabric but in a terrible style: unpick them at the seams and use the fabric.
- Woolly jumpers with frayed sleeves: unravel them then re-knit the wool into something new
- Terrible old 70s disco clothes in eyesearing colours: children’s dress-up items and fancy dress costumes. The same goes for costume jewellery, bizarre hats and gloves
Garage sales selling off someone’s household effects after the funeral (estate sales) are often great places to pick up unusual old fabrics with a lot of potential for use in appliqués.
Of course, sewing isn’t the only hobby that garage sales provide for in abundance. Photographers and artists can find great frames for their masterpieces; scrapbookers can find all sorts of odds and ends; cooks can find useful gadgets and tools very cheaply. You never know what you’ll find until you look – so happy garage saling!
On the day of your garage sale
If you’re holding a garage sale, don’t think for a moment that once the great day dawns that everything will be plain sailing, think again (conversely, if you think that the day of your sale is the hardest part about having a garage sale, you will also need to think again). Well, the day of your garage sale might be plain sailing (garage sailing?) but you will need to Be Prepared, as the Boy Scout motto has it.
Don’t put everything out on the tables the night before, or you’ll run the risk of having them taken away for free. Label everything, yes. But don’t put them out in your yard yet – keep them in the garage.
You can put your signs up the night before – or even the day before.
Set your alarm clock early and start putting the tables and the items to be sold out an hour before your scheduled start time (the one that’s written on your advertisement). You will probably get eager beavers and professional dealers turning up early for the hot finds at your garage sale. It’s up to you how you deal with these people – you can either ask them very politely but firmly to go away, or you can let them choose what they want.
Make sure you’ve got a good cash float for giving change handy and ready to go. It’s best not to put this in an obvious box. Keep the cash float well separate from the sales tables or attached to your person – an old fashioned apron with pockets is ideal. Cargo pants also work a treat.
Make sure you have a reserve person for taking care of the sales. You won’t be able to run your garage sale as a solo effort. You are going to have to use the bathroom at some stage, and you don’t want people coming in and helping themselves while you’re away. Also plan what you are going to do for meals if your garage sale will run through lunchtime – or even breakfast time.
Your garage sale will have lulls rather than constant activity. You will, however, have to stay “on duty” even during the lulls – someone might turn up any minute. Keep a book handy or something of that kind to occupy yourself. But resist the temptation to start reading the old books you’re selling or sorting through your things for sale. There’s a reason you’re having this garage sale, isn’t there? And it’s probably to get rid of old odds and ends. Once it’s on the table with a sales sticker on, that’s it. Resist the temptation and consider it sold (the exception is if you find something particularly beloved that you didn’t realise was about to be sold. Prior planning will avoid this happening).
Consider what you will do if you don’t manage to sell everything within your set time. Your options are either to box the items and have another garage sale at some stage down the track, or to box it up and give it to a charity such as the Salvation Army.
Buying from garage sales is better than buying on Ebay
Here are ten reasons why buying from garage sales is better than buying on Ebay.
- You can inspect the item you want to buy for yourself. You aren’t buying a “pig in a poke” and running the risk of having an unscrupulous seller handing over something that isn’t the item they actually photographed.
- You may be able to haggle the price down if it’s unreasonable.
- You have less competition – you may be the only person to spot a particular bargain.
- With garage sales, if you see something you want, you can buy it right away without having someone outbid you at the last minute.
- You don’t have to stay glued to your computer screen or mobile to see if you’re still winning the auction.
- If you’re the first person to see something great, you are the one who gets it.
- You don’t have to pay extra for shipping costs. You pick it up and you go. And you don’t have to wait for ages while something’s shipped from the other end of the country.
- You get to meet people in your local community.
- You don’t have to have internet access to buy at a garage sale. Nor do you need to remember login details and passwords.
- You don’t have to negotiate a good time that suits both of you to view an item.
Bonus reason: As garage sales are cash only, you won’t succumb to the temptation to max out your credit card and get distracted by a hundred and one tempting offers.