I sometimes feel guilty! Is there anyone that feels the same way?

[golfpro]

Started reading the forum on T Net about 7 years ago. Purchased my first metal detector at a garage sale and wanted to research the best places and techniques for quality finds. With a Google search, found this most informative website. In 2009 I signed up as a member. For the past five years I have enjoyed and learned information from the member posts. All this time remaining a silent witness by gaining knowledge and information. Never started a thread, never posted a response to a thread. That all changed when I read a thread posted by Beachkid23 in the Garage Sale Forum titled Does playing dumb really get you somewhere?

About 15 years ago I was invited by a friend to a storage unit auction. There was this particular locker that stood out in my mind. I think it was a 20' by 40'. It was full of a life time of memories and possessions. I remember feeling guilty seeing it auctioned for less than $3000.00. This locker contained what I presumed a household of furniture, a barn of equipment and an abundant supplies of items that would fill any tack shop it included several saddles. Remember thinking what a great opportunity this could be as a side job (hobby) to make some extra money. I also felt sympathy for the people that lost their property in the lien sale. I believe in Capitalism, which is a dog eat dog world. But I can't help feeling sorry for the less unfortunate. That locker did not come up for sale by choice. These people lost a life full of savings in an instance. However, My Capitalistic mind reminds me that if I passed on the purchase someone else will place a bid on it. It is up for sale in a public setting!! Might as well be me!!

Over the years I have purchased many storage lockers. In order to maximize profits, I must be knowledgeable in the value of the product I resale. This forum is the best resource I have found to learn that information. Thanks guys!! Turns out, loaded with all this information, I know just what to purchase at a garage sale. I have spent hundreds of hours researching items from jewelry to pottery to baskets to kitchenware. I'm a walking encyclopedia as it pertains to values on second hand items. Thanks to you!!!

The reason for this thread: Sometimes I feel guilty loaded with all this information when I pull up to a garage sale. There is no way to surmise why a seller may be conducting a sale. They may need some extra cash to pay for a funeral, mortgage, doctor bills or a lien. Most of the properties I visit are not from high income neighborhoods where their sole purpose is to make more space in their 4000 square foot home. They tend to donate their items to a thrift store benefiting a good cause. Is there anyone out there that feels guilty for purchasing an item from a seller for a price that is no where close to its true value? I will be honest, I feel a little guilty sometimes!! With that said, I am a capitalist, without fail my intention is to buy low sell high.

 

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[tamrock]

I think your being a bit codependent. Just fo-get-a-bout-it, be proud of what you become. What they don't won't hurt em. Do a good deed from time to time when you feel necessary. I will bring to the attention of those wonderful women working at the hospice thrift store the things that should have a higher price, as I may just need good folks like that at the end of it all.

 

[panchoveeya]

yes sometimes we all feel guilty, but like you said, they might be selling it because they are less fortunate and may need it to pay the bills. But that might be the exact same reason you are taking advantage of the situation and making whatever profit you can reselling just so you can get by and pay your bills : ) Some people work some people hustle.

 

[Markomyt1]

My Dad bought a shotgun from a Widow at a garage sale, and not knowing how a gas operated shotgun worked, he noticed there was a small hole in the side of the barrel and talked her down from $150 to $75. I told him that was perfectly normal for that type of shotgun... and it was in excellent condition.
My Dad went back over to the Widow's house and paid her the other $75.
Most of the time it is just someone wanting to get rid of their junk and clutter. In this instance, she was selling her husband's belongings and my Dad felt it was only fair to pay her what she was asking. Even at $150, this was a rocking deal on the shotgun.

 

[tamrock]

That's cool of your dad...If a gun dealer or pawnbroker had first shot at it they'd most likely try and buy it from that women for 50 bucks. If one ever considers in making a living at picking you won't be doing very well buying at a fair price. Buying for yourself is not the same as buying and selling. Most old widows I've ever come across know very well the value of what they have and its more then I can pay. Unless its something I want to own for myself and at that I'll pay the fair price. I would say most the folks that sold something to me for a song could care less about what they let it go for. It's just stuff to them they don't want it anymore and they could care less about taking any time to do the research. Also I've found those run down neighborhood yard sales are pro's buying and selling is what their doing. They just don't want to do any online selling and just like to have a quick turn around. As for those big box thrift store. Those GM's overseeing those operations pay themselves 6 figure incomes. that's a big time racket making millions & millions of dollars under the name of charity.

 

[austin]

Never be afraid to give, share or help. It comes back to you, many times over...

 

[trdhrdr007]

I've got a simple policy. If someone comes to me with an item for sale & asks for an offer I give the best price I can while still making enough profit to live on. If someone else sets the price I'll buy if it works for me. There's no reason to feel guilty due to someone else's unwillingness and/or inability to make the effort required to obtain the highest price for their item.

 

[Baltimore]

I guess I do feel it a little on occasion, but for the most part I feel perfectly fine. I usually frequent small, charity run thrift stores, and when I come in and spend $200 on two huge bags of stuff, it is very clear that they appreciate it a lot. I could tell them "hey, you've got a $300 hunting jacket here, I'll give you $150 for it", but ultimately I'd rather just pay the price they asked, still be benefiting a great cause, and then make significantly more profit, which will enable me to come back to the store many more times.

In terms of yard sales, I think that if someone is in their front yard with some belongings and they are prepared to sell them, you shouldn't worry about it. Ultimately they are choosing to sell these things, and you are buying them. If we felt guilty about every time we purchased something from someone at a fraction of its value, we would have pretty miserable lives.

I totally get the Storage Auction thing though. I can see how it'd be hard to just buy someone's lifelong belongings out of a big metal box.

 

[hunting deer]

My Dad bought a shotgun from a Widow at a garage sale, and not knowing how a gas operated shotgun worked, he noticed there was a small hole in the side of the barrel and talked her down from $150 to $75. I told him that was perfectly normal for that type of shotgun... and it was in excellent condition.
My Dad went back over to the Widow's house and paid her the other $75.
Most of the time it is just someone wanting to get rid of their junk and clutter. In this instance, she was selling her husband's belongings and my Dad felt it was only fair to pay her what she was asking. Even at $150, this was a rocking deal on the shotgun.

Good Karma! It's a personal choice.

 

[frankendime]

I once attended a storage unit auction where the young lady showed up at the sale to try to pay her back rent on the unit. She was apparently told it was too late and the sale went ahead. She was allowed to bid on her own stuff though and was outbid. I saw what was going on and did not participate. She lost a lot of her and her kids things. She cried and cried. It was a sad scene....

My thoughts on being a picker is that you make your money when you buy the item, not when you sell it. I guess the point is I feel no guilt handing other people my hard-earned money...

 

[Iron Patch]

Fortunately the environment I buy in there's no way to know who is selling because they are desperate. I'm not sure if it's guilt, or just being a little sad, but where it happens to me is when I break up a collection that was put together over many years, and sometimes done decades ago. The problem is breaking it up is how to make the most money, and the two examples that come to find the difference was substantial. Both collections the items were fastened to a board by old copper wire and every time I'd break another one off I'd feel like I was destroying something... but at the end of the day the bottom line was money, and I guess the bright side to it was there is now probably 50 people enjoying those items than the two who owned them.

 

[Iron Patch]

I once attended a storage unit auction where the young lady showed up at the sale to try to pay her back rent on the unit. She was apparently told it was too late and the sale went ahead. She was allowed to bid on her own stuff though and was outbid. I saw what was going on and did not participate. She lost a lot of her and her kids things. She cried and cried. It was a sad scene....

My thoughts on being a picker is that you make your money when you buy the item, not when you sell it.

Wouldn't it have been the greatest thing ever if no one would have bid and she would have won for $1.

 

[tamrock]

I've never gone to a storage unit sale, from what I've seen it just isn't my cup of tea. Yard sales are not so much my gig either, though I will take a little time to look around. I have before made offers to sell for 10% online to folks in need of money and all they have is a few things of value. I got an older women $1200 once for some military items and she did way better with me helping her over any dealer that wouldn't have allowed her to have that much of the sale. So that is a way to help those who need it. I've even sold things for just the listing fees before. I do almost 98.9% of my treasure hunting in antique stores, flea markets & thrift shops. I hardly ever find things at yard sales that is something I'd resale. The folks I buy from are mostly flea market & antique mall dealers doing all the yard sales, storage auctions & thrift store hunting. They just bring it to a place where I can view it all and chose. If I find they way under priced something at those places, well that's just what I hunt for.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

I have mixed feelings. If its at a flea market and they are not a regular and look like they need the money I'll pay the price.

I noticed the pawn shop comment and I want to say that many people experiences at pawn shops are biased. I worked at one in the infancy of ebay before prices were on line for everything.
If you buy a diamond ring at a jeweler for $10000. Take it to the pawn shop. They offer you $500. Everyone assumes the pawn shop is screwing them out of $9500.

I found more often than not the jeweler was the one who screwed them. It was just more convenient to be mad at the pawn shop. I've seen many totally garbage diamonds rings that I believed people when they said they payed $10000. And back then you could only loan half of what you thought someone would walk in the door and pay you for it out of the pawn shop case. And on the off chance it was a $10000 ring nobody comes in the pawn shop looking to buy a $9000 diamond ring. Those people go to the jewelry store. So if I thought I could price you ring at $1200 in the case and probably sell it for $1000. I would offer $500 for it. I really couldn't help it if the jewelry store thought you were a sucker and screwed you. Then we had to hold it for 90 days. Hope it didn't come up stolen in which case the police take it. And have a decent general knowledge of the value of everything before the internet. Actually if its for a loan it behoves the pawn shop to give you as much money as possible because you pay interest on that. Assuming you are coming back. But I hate those tv pawn shops as much as the next guy.

In the same vein though we had a lady who would come in once a week and buy every gemstone ring we had. Im sure she was making a killing but we were just glad someone was buying them. Because she was literally the only customer we had for those. So I think most thrift stores should be happy someone is buying what they are selling. It takes a lot of work and knowledge.

My last thought I will make is that many times my pawn shop boss loaned several times the value of a family heirloom object if he knew you definitely didn't want to lose the item and had the ability to come up with the money to pay off the loan. Where I worked the loans made the money. Not having a store full of junk guitars and guns that may be suffering from a number of ailments.

I guess what I've seen is that most people that do this professional try to give back when the opportunity arrises. And I try to do the same.

 

[Tallone]

I will feel guilty about getting a bargain on a yard sale item when my knowledge is so vast and perfect that I never pay too much for an item again. I am sure all of us here have made purchases we later found to be money losers. If I make a poor deal should the seller feel guilty? Not in my humble opinion.

 

[clovis97]

I have been to storage unit auctions, but have never bought a unit.

I have, on the other hand, bought box lots that were sold at auction barns that came from storage units.

I tell you what is sad...the pictures. Baby albums, baby pictures, photo albums, every grade school picture of each child in the family, all through school.

I have gone to great lengths to return pictures to families. But what is weird, for the most part, is that the families, who live just a few miles from me, won't even meet me at McDonald's so I can return them. I don't want a dime, and explain that to them, but they still won't show up to meet me, even at their leisure, not today, not ever.

I once had a box full of photo albums, and a guy's army pictures and mementos. That dude did meet me, but he was so freaking weird that I wished that I hadn't. Instead of thanking me, the dude was questioning me, and denied that any of the stuff was his, at least for a few minutes. He was telling lies like you wouldn't believe, that is, until his wife started sobbing and burst out "that is Jeremy and Gracie in Mom's lap before she died."

What I wanted was to return the albums to the family, shake hands, chit-chat about the weather for a minute, and leave. I've got better things to do with my life than hunt down families.

Not one time did either of them thank me, even though I could have easily tossed them into the trash can.

I've returned albums to storage unit facilities, but never once has a family returned to get their albums. Not once. And no, I am not making that up.

 

[Tallone]

Clovis's story just goes to show you can never know the mind of another. What some might see as taking advantage, the seller may see as good riddance (for reasons that are nobody else's business). Go out there and act (ethically) in your own best interest.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

I worked for an auction company a number of years...{ notice how old people hedge the actual numbers?}

I always felt like a vulture...
my job was removing any personnel identification and religious artifacts...(in a native American area of this nation)...gets personal fast when you have their name and photographs.

 

[Grundestoun]

The only time I have felt guilty was when I went to a yard sale that advertised jewelry. The lady had a lot of sterling silver and costume jewelry. While I was looking through the jewelry the lady started telling my which were her favorite pieces, and how she would wear something everyday. then told me that she was diagnosed with cancer and was doing chemotherapy. She said that she just didn't feel like putting jewelry on anymore because she was getting so tired from the chemo and that she needed money to help pay the bills. I bought a lot from her for the price she told me, which was really a good deal. I had intended to sell some of it on eBay, but after I got home i got the jewelry out and then i started think about how much she had expressed her love and joy for wearing her jewelry. I just couldn't bring myself to sell it. I decided to keep it all and wear it myself and enjoy it. Every time I wear a piece that came from her I can't help but wonder if she is still around.

 

[jerseyben]

I brought reel to reel tapes back to an estate sale once. They were marked with personal meaning and I remembered overhearing a family member saying that all the deceased personal effects were going to some museum.

I went to a sale once that was a benefot sale for a deceased kid. The people hit me with a sob story when I asked for a price. I felt so uncomfortable that I almost ran away.

In the end, I prefer anonymity because if I know the person who I bought from, I end up feeling badly if and when I turn a profit on the item.