Garage Sale Mobile Tips

Here are the 10 best buys I’ve had at a garage sale.

1. Clothing. If you’re built on the smaller side, you’ll often find good used clothing at garage sales that someone else has decided to get rid of because they don’t fit it any more. If you’re not a fashion slave, the garage sales of those who are can be very rewarding indeed. Some of the best finds to date was a black turtleneck pullover and a black leather driving coat.
2. Children’s toys. I might not have thought much of that pig knitted out of polyester yarn, but the children just took to it and now the very idea of getting rid of Pinky is unthinkable.
3. An old set of semi-circular enamel saucepans that can be pushed together so they use less space on the top of the stove – a very efficient way to cook several dishes at once.
4. A duvet cover with matching sheets and pillowcases. The floral pattern may not be to everyone’s taste, but it is to mine.
5. Garden tools, especially the shovel. Garage sales are always great places to pick up equipment of this sort.
6. Two wicker chairs with very faded cushions. They’re perfect for the porch in the sun – you can tell this because the cats take them over all the time. 
7. A pair of red sparkly high heeled shoes. They were outrageous “showgirl” shoes, but for 20c the pair, how could I resist, especially as they were in my size?
8. A non-electric whistling kettle. So somebody was upgrading to an electric kettle that switches itself off. This one’s great, as it can work on gas or even on an open fire/barbecue if the electricity goes out.
9. Books. I love old classic detective novels by Dorothy Sawyers and they often turn up at tag sales, as do other good deals. As the saying goes, you can’t judge a good book by its cover.
10. A guitar. The strings were missing when I got it, but they’re easily replaced.

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. 

• 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.

Here are ten reasons why buying from garage sales is better than buying on Ebay.

1. 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.
2. You may be able to haggle the price down if it’s unreasonable.
3. You have less competition – you may be the only person to spot a particular bargain.
4. With garage sales, if you see something you want, you can buy it right away without having someone outbid you at the last minute.
5. You don’t have to stay glued to your computer screen or mobile to see if you’re still winning the auction.
6. If you’re the first person to see something great, you are the one who gets it. 
7. 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.
8. You get to meet people in your local community.
9. You don’t have to have internet access to buy at a garage sale. Nor do you need to remember login details and passwords.
10. You don’t have to negotiate a good time that suits both of you to view an item.