What I Never Buy in Stores

 As an avid garage saler there are some things that I almost never buy in stores. I know that there are people out there that are grossed out by buying used things. If you are one of those people garage saleing may not be for you. Here is what I would say. Give it a try. I know that when you say the word garage sale you are thinking about peoples nasty, dirty used items but to be honest most of the time it's really not that way! There have only been a few garage sales I have been to where I have just been so grossed out I haven't wanted to touch anything. If you find one of those DON'T GO!  I have a sister-in-law that was a serious germaphobe but because of a tight budget, she was forced to start garage saleing. Let me tell you all a little secret.... she is still alive! She actually really enjoys getting out there and scoring some awesome deals! You can also find a lot of unopened products out there. There are a lot of Couponers that either get tired of storing so much stuff or decide that for whatever reason they don't like a certain product that they stocked up on. To get rid of their excess a lot of these people will sell it at their garage sale! Score for you!

I have compiled a list of the things I never and almost never buy in stores. Now some of you might think, oh my gosh, that's gross but remember if it grosses you out DON'T BUY IT! A lot of times whether I buy an item at a garage sale really depends on the atmosphere of the garage sale. Is it clean? Is it organized? Was it taken well care of? Who is the seller? These questions will make the difference of you feeling comfortable buying a certain item. Also keep in mind that you can sterilize most of the things you buy! 

What I NEVER buy in stores:

• DVD's- Kids/ Mom&Dad movies
• Kid's toys
• nail polish remover 
• little swimmer's diapers
• Pots and pans
• Dishes
• silverware 
• baby bottles- I only use Avent. When I had my oldest I bought a bunch of used ones off Ebay but I have found plenty of Avent bottles at garage sales since then.
• children's sippies
• Kid's books
• Little girl dress ups
• Baby safety outlet plugs and cabinet latches
• Pack n play
• baby swings and bouncers
• Car seats- You need to be VERY careful buying car seats at garage sales or any second hand store. Most people might actually prefer to buy new car seats but there are lots of people that buy them used. If your going to do this look for stickers that state the expiration date. If the seat is expired DON'T buy it. Also ask if the car seat has ever been in a wreck. You don't want a car seat that has been in any sort of accident.
• Strollers
• Coloring books
• Halloween costumes
• bikes
• weed eater
• lawn mower
• garden tools
• BBQ grill 
• Water hose
• camping gear
• Life vests
• Plastic storage bins
• mattresses- I will admit that our first mattress we ever had was bought at a garage sale. We were dirt poor and didn't have a few hundred dollars to spend on a mattress. We found one that looked like it had hardly been used and I went and bought a plastic cover and a fabric cover so there were more layers between me and the mattress. My daughters mattress is also from a garage sale. She was still potty training when we put her into a big girl bed and I did not want to have to go spend money on a mattress that she was going to have accidents on. Again some people are ok with this and others are not. If it grosses you out DON'T do it!

Things I almost never buy in stores:

• Kid's clothes- I shop the sales when ever I can but for the most part I stick to garage sales
• Kid's shoes- the only time I will buy kids shoes in stores is if I am looking for something really specific for a family picture or something.
• My clothes- again unless it is something very specific
• eyeshadows- you would be surprised at how many people sell unopened makeup! 
• Crafting supplies
• Cleaners
• Dish soap
• dish scrubbers
• cotton balls
• Q-tips
• Aloe Vera
• Shampoo for my kids

These last few are usually items I find unopened at a couponers garage sale.

**updated 10/4/12**
I thought I would start this list for people to see what I don't buy at garage sale

Things I NEVER buy at garage sales

• underwear
• Adult swimsuits

I will be adding to this as more thoughts come to my mind. 

Bartering at a Thrift Store

I just found these beauties at Deseret Industries, which is a thrift store similar to Goodwill. I was wandering around waiting for something to caught my eye when I saw these. Excited, I strolled over to them and looked at the price tag.

Can you see that picture? It says $35 dollars... EACH! WHAT?!?!?! No way was I about to pay that. I couldn't believe how much they were asking! Totally bugged I grabbed a worker and asked if the price tag was correct. After he confirmed it I told him that I thought the price was way to high. He was apologetic and kindly let me know that he doesn't price things but he could grab a manager to see if they would go down on the price. 

After speaking with the manager he came back and said that they could go down to $25 dollars per nightstand. I told him Thank you and that I would have to think about it. I knew $25 was still way more than I wanted to pay. I was willing to pay $15 a piece from them but didn't think they would go down anymore. I walked around looking at other things for a little while and then decided it wouldn't hurt to ask. So I found the same guy I had talked to before and he went and found the manager for me. I explained to the manager that I still wasn't willing to pay $25 and that I thought it was still a little too high. I told him I would buy them if they were $15 dollars a piece. He explained to me that they had just come in the store that day and that he was unable to go down on them anymore than 20% until they had been in the store for 24 hours. He told me that if I would come back the next day he would go down to $15 a piece if they were still there.

The next day I was at D.I. right when the doors opened. I was thrilled to see that they were still there. I found the manager and he wrote me up a ticket. $30 dollars for the both of them!!! I was so excited! They are going to go with the white tufted headboard I found last week! Click here to see it.

If you think the price of something is too high. Don't be afraid to ask if there is any wiggle room to go down on the item. Thrift stores such as D.I., and Goodwill are usually pretty good about going down on their prices. Second hand stores like Savers and Kid to Kid are a little harder. They might budge a little bit but usually they won't go down a whole lot. It's still worth a try though! Just make sure you're polite about it. The worker is less likely to go down on the item if you're rude! My total for these two night stands would have been $70 dollars but since I bartered with them I was able to get them to go down $40 dollars! I got both of them for less then the original asking of one of them! 

Buyer's Rejoice

There is an emotional reaction I get sometimes when I find an AMAZING deal. I am trying to think of how to explain it to you so you can understand what it’s like. Does this help?

ha ha ha no seriously though, to be honest it is the complete opposite of buyer's remorse, which is why I call it buyer's rejoice. It is pretty much an adrenaline rush from finding something amazing. It is the feeling of walking up to a garage sale and spotting something that you have been looking for for a long time or that you could only dream about being able to afford. Then asking how much the seller wants for the item and having it be such a crazy deal that you can't even wrap you head around the fact that they would sell it for so cheap. It is the feeling that after you hand the seller the money that you need to turn around and dart to your car, start the engine and speed off as fast as you can before they realize what they did. And finally the feeling of safety when you are far enough away that the seller couldn't even jump in their car and flag you down if they wanted. You then take your hands off the steering wheel for a brief moment and see that your hands are uncontrollably shaking and your legs feel like jello. This is a Buyer's rejoice high. Now don't laugh, I know it sounds crazy, but you will know it when you feel it and when you do think of me and how you didn't think it was possible! Enjoy that moment and the amazing deal you just found! You deserve it!

Donation Based Stores vs. Garage Sales

In case you were wondering how prices compare at D.I. and Garage sales this is a great example. This is a plate I bought at D.I. over the weekend.

The .50 cent sticker is D.I.'s price tag and the .10 cent sticker is the garage sale price tag. They are supposed to take these stickers off but apparently they missed one! This shows how D.I. and garage sale prices compare. 9 times out of 10 garage sales will always be cheaper than D.I.! This is why I rely on garage sales first and D.I. second!

What To Do With Your Garage Sale Surplus

SURPLUS

As you start garage saleing you may find that you develop a surplus of things you thought you wanted at the sale but didn't like after you brought home or used it for a few months and then found something you liked better. There are several things you can do with this surplus. You can send it to D.I. or goodwill if you don't feel like putting any work into it, you can have your own garage sale with it, you can take it to a consignment store or you can sell it on ebay or craigslist. Having your own garage sale with your surplus is nice because you get rid of it all in one day. If you are doing this try to sell things for what you bought them for that way you are not loosing any money. Taking your items to consignment stores is an option that will sometimes make you money however, in my experience, I always leave disappointed in the amount I was offered and feel like I should have gotten more. The option that will make you the most money is to try to resell it on ebay or craiglist. You wont be able to do this with all of your items but some of them could make you a good profit.

I recently took my surplus of jeans to a consignment store here in town. These three pairs of pants were included in my surplus. The camo capris are Miss Me the jeans are Holister and the brown cargo pants are Lucky Brand. I also took in a gray pair of Banana Republic pants, a pair of Aeropostale jeans and pair of my husbands MEK jeans and BKE jeans.

MEK jeans

BKE jeans

I went to two consignment stores and left completely frustrated with the offers they gave me. The first consignment store was only willing to give me $16 for my husbands MEK jeans! They were also willing to give me $6 for the Miss Me camo capris and $6 for the hollister jeans but would not take anything else. I wasn't happy with that at all so I took my pile of jeans to another consignment store. At the second store they were willing to give me 28 for the MEK jeans (more like it) and $6 dollars for my husbands BKE jeans. UGH!!! I still was not happy with that so I came home and listed my jean surplus on ebay.

A week later I am happy to say that all but one of the pants sold! My husbands MEK jeans sold for $37 dollars, his BKE's sold for $32, the Miss Me camo capris sold for 16.25, the Hollister jeans sold for 10.50, the brown cargo Lucky Brand pants sold for 4.27 and the gray Banana Republic pants sold for 4.99. The only pair of jeans that did not sell was the pair of Aeropostale jeans. My husbands two pair of jeans were not from garage sales but the other 5 pairs of pants were. I spent a total of $2.05 on the other 5 pairs of pants and made a profit of almost $35 dollars!

Here are a few other things I have sold on craigslist and made a profit on.

I bought this cradle for $15 dollars at a garage sale. Both of my babies slept in this cradle. Now 3 years later I sold it on craigslist for $45. I profited $30 dollars

I bought two of these entry way tables for $20 dollars a piece. I sold both of them on craigslist for a total of $110! I profited $70.

If you put a little work into listing some of your unwanted items you found at garage sales on craigslist and ebay you can prevent yourself from loosing money and even make money!

When it Rains

WHEN IT RAINS

When it rains there is no guarantee on what you are going to find when you get out to garage sale. There are some days that I still get up and drive around to see if I can find anything and other days that I just decide that it's not worth it. Cold and rainy is the worst combination for garage sales. Your chances of finding anything are much more slim when it's cold and wet than if it's raining on a warm summer morning. Today was one of those cold and rainy days. Because of this weather many of the garage sales were canceled. I spent a total of $1.50 today. I remember one weekend a few years ago it was so bad that I spent .25 cents the entire day! If you are having one of these days don't keep driving around and wasting your gas! Go home! This happens every once in a while. Sometimes it's just not your day. Just keep in mind that if you do get out there on a rainy day your garage sale morning may turn into a scenic drive instead of a morning full of bargain hunting.

Our scenic drive this morning.

Garage Sale Guidelines-quick version

Garage Sale Guidelines- quick version

For the extensive version of my Garage Sale Guidelines click here

Here are some guidelines to help you be more effective when garage saleing

1. Always bring Cash.

2. Don't dress nicely. You may be quoted higher prices on items if you are dressed nice.

3. Be friendly. If the seller feels like you are their friend they will be more likely to give you a better price

4. Time is essential. The more garage sales you can hit in a shorter amount of time the more treasures you will find.

5. Be prepared. Make sure gas tank is full and bring water and snacks to limit your stops.

6. Don't judge a garage sale by its sign.

7. Don't judge a garage sale by doing a "drive by." A drive by is what you do when you just look at what the seller has from the seat of your car. You may miss something amazing.

8. If there is something you like or want, pick it up and carry it around with you before someone else does. You can always put it back down if you decide you don't want to buy it.

9. If you can, always ask if the seller will go down on their marked or stated price. This will save you lots of money!

10. Ask for a group price for all the items you want. Many times, if you are buying a large amount from a garage sale, the seller doesn’t mind giving you a discounted price on your total purchase. But remember you have to ask for it!

11. Be prepared to meet some very interesting and sometimes even rude people. I have learned there is not a limit to what someone will do to get what they want.

12. Unless you have someone that knows how to work on electronics I would suggest you don't buy them. If its something that can be plugged always ask to see if it works before you buy it.

13. Understand that you are shopping at a garage sale. Things are used and may not be perfect. Be creative! Sometimes you can still make these things work to your benefit!

14. Listen to how the seller deals with other customers. By doing this, you will be able to gauge whether the seller is pretty firm on their prices or if they would be willing to let things go for cheap.

15. Try not to offend the seller. Once you have offended them, they are less inclined to give you a good deal. If you don’t want to name a lower price because you aren’t sure if it would offend them simply ask if they would go down so that they name the lower price instead of you. Then you can bargain further if you wish.

16. Remember that you have no obligation to buy anything! If you are feeling obligated use an excuse. My favorite line is "let me talk to my husband."

Garage Sale Guidelines- extensive version

Garage Sale Guidelines-extensive version

For the quick version of my Garage Sale Guidelines click here

Here are some guidelines to help you be more effective when garage saleing

1. 1. Always bring cash. Bring a variety of bills. Not everyone has the right amount of cash to break your larger bills so make sure you have a good variety of smaller bills. There is nothing I hate more than asking if the seller will go down from 10 dollars to 7 and then handing them a 10 dollar bill to pay them because I didn’t have any smaller bills.

2. 2. Do not dress nicely to go garage saleing. Just wake up, brush your teeth and throw some sweats on. Whether it is consciously or subconsciously the person having the garage sale will judge you by how you look. If you’re all dressed up with your makeup on they may quote you a higher price.

3. 3. Be friendly. For example, ask the seller how they are doing today. This gives them a good first impression of you. Since first impressions are all you have when you’re garage saleing they become very important. With a good first impression the seller feels like you are their friend and will be more likely to give you a better deal.

4. 4. Time is essential. You want to be friendly but don’t have to become best friends with someone. Get in and get out. The good stuff goes quickly so the more garage sales you can hit in a short amount of time, the more treasures you will find.

5. 5. Be prepared. Bringing water and something to munch on is a good idea. Having to stop at a gas station to buy goodies slows you down. Having to gas up the morning of is also a big hassle and wastes time so try to have your gas tank full.

6. 6. Don’t judge a garage sale by its sign. A good sign does not mean anything! Just because the sign says the garage sale is HUGE doesn’t really mean it’s huge.

7. 7. Don’t judge a garage sale by doing a “drive by.” A drive by is what you do when you just look at what the seller has from the seat of your car. C.J. is a huge fan of the drive by. There have been times that I have stopped him from driving away and found something worthwhile that I would have missed.

8. 8. If there is something you like or want, pick it up and carry it around with you. I can’t tell you how many times C.J. and I have lost out on something because we haven’t done this! You can always put it back down if you decide not to buy it

· If the item you are interested in is too big to pick up, skim the rest of the items at the garage sale while standing next to your item to make sure there is nothing you are more interested in.

· If there are a lot of people at the sale or you notice someone else is interested in your item, stand guard! The second you leave the item it becomes fair game for them. If the item is not marked stand by your item and speak loud enough asking the seller how much they want for it.

· If the sale is one of those HUGE ones they have in a parking lot, try to find a helper to give you a price on the item. If you are positive you want to buy it, go straight to the payment station and ask the price before you continue shopping. While you are there pay for it and ask them to put a sold sign on your item.

· If it is a really good garage sale, your hands are full and there is still more you want to buy, ask the seller if you can start a little pile close to them and away from the other items they are selling. This will help ensure that no one starts digging through your pile. Keep an eye out though because I have had to tell people those are the items I am buying.

9. 9. If you can, always ask if the seller will go down on their marked or stated price. A lot of first timers are afraid to ask if the seller will go down on a price. In fact, my husband still makes me ask for him! Don’t be scared. This is totally normal. Every once in a while, you will find those individuals who haven’t had a garage sale before and say they are “firm on their prices” or you get those people who think their used items are worth a fortune. Then at the end of the day they wonder why they are left with almost everything they began the day with. In most of your situations, bargaining will be completely acceptable. If you remember to ask every time you buy something you could save yourself a lot of money!

10. 10. Ask for a group price for all the items you want. Many times, if you are buying a large amount from a garage sale, the seller doesn’t mind giving you a discounted price on your total purchase. For example. If you have 10 pieces of clothing you want at .50 cents a piece your total would be 5 dollars. Ask the seller if they would do 3 dollars for all of it. You are more likely to get a better deal if you do lot prices for multiple items than if you bargain out each item individually. The seller will get tired of the same person asking if they will go down. If you do a lot price of everything, you only have to ask once.

11. 11. Be prepared to meet some very interesting and sometimes even rude people. I have learned there is not a limit to what someone will do to get what they want.

12. 12. Personally, I don’t normally buy electronics from garage sales. This may also be due to the lack of someone in my home that knows how to work with these items. If you or your husband can work on these things go ahead! If you have a good feeling about the item and want to buy it anyway, ask them if they will plug it in so that you can see it works.

13. 13. Understand that you are shopping at a garage sale. Things are used and may not be perfect. Be creative! Sometimes you can still make these things work to your benefit!

14. 14. Listen to how the seller deals with other customers. By doing this, you will be able to gauge whether the seller is pretty firm on their prices or if they would be willing to let things go for cheap.

15. 15. Try not to offend the seller. Once you have offended them, they are less inclined to give you a good deal. If you don’t want to name a lower price because you aren’t sure if it would offend them simply ask if they would go down so that they name the lower price instead of you. Then you can bargain further if you wish.

16. 16. Remember that you have no obligation to buy anything! There are times when I feel bad about walking away without buying anything or have felt obligated to buy something. In these situations, it’s best to make an excuse. Tell them you have to see what your spouse thinks or that it’s for a friend and that you will call them and tell them about it. I have even blamed it on my husband and told the seller that I would be in trouble with my husband if I bought it.

Getting Started in the Garage Sale World

GETTING STARTED IN THE GARAGE SALE WORLD

As it is with everything else in this life, getting started is the hardest part. Many of us are simply intimidated by the unknown and the fact that we may not be sure how to do something. I am here to tell you that there is no right way to garage sale! You can do it however you want! For myself, I have found a few different ways that are effective that just might work for you too!

The first way is to simply get out and start driving. Go down popular roads and neighborhoods looking for signs. When you see those garage sale signs, follow them! Simple, right? Pretty soon, you will be able to establish a route that fits you. When establishing your route, an important thing to keep in mind is economic status; wealthy people tend to have nice things. Therefore it makes sense to hit the areas of higher economic status first. Those are the places where you want to begin your search. But, be careful not to count out areas just because they’re not the Ritz. I have found some pretty interesting things in unsuspecting areas. However, you should prioritize your garage sales by affluence. Pay attention to areas that are of greater economic status that have the largest concentration of garage sales. These are the areas you want to hit first. If there are a few areas you like that are close to each other this is a golden area because there will be a good concentration of sales and you will limit your gas expense.

The second way to garage sale is to take a look on Craig’s List, the newspaper, and other websites such as http://www.atgaragesale.com/ to determine your route. These are great tools to find lists of the garage sales in your area. I especially like to do this on Friday mornings or in the winter months when garage sales aren’t as abundant. Because many people give a description or even pictures of what they are selling, this is a great way to garage sale if you’re looking for something in particular. There are also some websites you can find that will allow you to enter in the addresses of yard sales and will map out a route for you! I have not found one yet that I am in love with because many of them can be hard to use. Your GPS can be helpful but can sometimes take you to the wrong place. I will let you know when I find one I like though!

I personally suggest you do a combination of both of these. Take a look at these websites that list garage sales. Are there any community sales or major fundraising sales that provide a large concentration in a small area? Are there any that interest you and list what you are looking for? These would be good to head to first thing on your garage sale morning. Garage sales are all about first come first serve so if there is something you think you might want or it just sounds like an awesome garage sale you want to be there first! Remember the good stuff goes fast!

So there you have it! Now get out and get started! If this was at all over whelming then just get out and start driving. See what you can find! The possibilities are endless!