stealing at garage sales

[snowdogg70]

i goto alot of garage sales and i have seen or heard of people stealing at garage sales and never understood why, just give the person a buck or two and now you own that item.
a couple weeks ago a lady put her purse on a table while she rummaged through a box on the ground and when she got up her purse was gone which had her money, id ,keys to her car and phone, i thought that was pretty disgusting.these people better watch out cause if they do this at my garage sale,,,,lets just say you're gonna wish you didnt.
do you guys see thieves as well at your sales?

 

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[BigWaveDave]

Down here, the Hatians steal your garage sale signs if they can't get a bag full of clothes for a quarter.

 

[buzzhead]

Just had a $125.00 silver round stolen from mine this morning.


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[snowdogg70]

Just had a $125.00 silver round stolen from mine this morning.

that sucks

 

[Drmad7]

I gave a lady a good deal after bargaining hard with her. As she walked to the end of the driveway, she got in the passenger side of the car the driver pulled forward, then she jumps out, grabs some bookends off the nearest table and jumps back in the car! As they drive off, my 13 year old son say "Did that lady just steal that...". I just said "Don't worry about it. I'll remember her next time." I went to a garage sale last weekend and the ladies left their garage and went into the backyard and left me and their autistic son. I walked around to see if they had anything worth buying. Nothing. But they did have their stack of cash sitting on the table by itself. I walked away quickly because I didn't want to be seen even close to it!

 

[cb73]

We have so much stealing here that it's routine to ask friends to sit around as "spotters." My last yard sale I wavered on what to accept for a jade pendant--didn't matter, they stole it anyway.

 

[2Minnesota]

These stories are sad! Just wrong. I wonder why people feel entitled to do this stuff. Disgusting.

 

[Rodbuster209]

Here in the town I live in there is a mother daughter team, the daughter, in her thirties, would ask questions and distract the person running the sale, while the mother would steal the item-s usually at the jewelry table.They did it to me once so when I seen them at another sale a couple months later I told the owner to be careful and watch them! Pieces of sh-t!

 

[cyberdan]

I was at a sale a year ago and I heard the wife ask her husband if a lady paid him for what she was putting in her car.

NOPE, the lady was stuffing a crib mattress in her car. (or trying to) This is CA, cb73 is right.

 

[Beachkid23]

Been to several yard sales where people stole jewelry. Recent one was a watch. The guy was sick. He threw the watch box in the trash, which i gave him $5 for. Felt bad but it seems to happen a lot.

 

[billjustbill]

Just had a $125.00 silver round stolen from mine this morning.


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An out of town vendor was setup at the local flea market with his antique tools. He had shown me a Rosewood Handle tack hammer. Later on in the day, I asked him if he'd sold it. He said, "NO, somebody stole it!!"

So sorry to hear that happened to you, Buzz! How do you think they did it?

Bill

 

[captain flintlock]

These stories are sad! Just wrong. I wonder why people feel entitled to do this stuff. Disgusting.

Couldn't agree more!! Rotten bastids I say! I've held many yard sales over the years and I'm sure someone has walked off with something. I'm aware of the distraction method so if I think someone is trying that , I have no problem positioning myself so I can clearly scan my setup. But I've never seen anyone actually try to take something. Here in CT, I hear about it more at flea markets rather than yard sales.

 

[HuntinDog]

They don't care that it's yours and you are trying to make a few bucks back.
They only think they want it.
I have cameras on my front parking area where we sell and monitor who is who...
If I catch them they WILL be sorry.
We work hard for what we have and so should they!

 

[flinthunter]

Had two Mexican women with a bunch of kids at our sale. The kids distracted us by getting into everything while the women switched the tags from the cheap blue jeans to the name brand blue jeans. We now use tag guns with the plastic inserts that go through the cloth.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Back in 2004, a lady stole a computer game that I may have had priced for 50 cents or a dollar.

 

[DFW_THer]

I'm just going to say this and deal with the repercussions: 50% of yard sale shoppers are scum. Ok, phew, glad that's off my chest. Haha

I had a bust half dollar stolen from me back in July on a table I watch like a hawk. Or, thought I watched like a hawk.

I'm not racist, I just hate everyone!

Happy hunting guys.

 

[OldSowBreath]

I am constantly telling garage sellers, especially the young, trusting, kumbaya couples, to move their more expensive stuff, jewelry and such, to the table they're working from, otherwise it will walk off. At one sale, a woman was frantically going around offering a $100.00 reward if anyone could find her cash bag. A bank bag that had $300.00 in it that had walked off.

Too many times to mention I've picked up an i-phone from a far table and given it back to the owner, saying, "Never let that leave your sight."

They run the distraction team method here in Texas a lot, also.

 

[ivan salis]

the old con game partner tag team approach is alive and well when it comes to stealing ...one to keep you busy the other to rob you blind --they often take "turns" --and if the stealer gets caught --the distractor will later on show up to bail them out at the jail ...nothing new about the old con game..

 

[diggummup]

I'm just going to say this and deal with the repercussions: 50% of yard sale shoppers are scum. Ok, phew, glad that's off my chest. Haha

I had a bust half dollar stolen from me back in July on a table I watch like a hawk. Or, thought I watched like a hawk.

I'm not racist, I just hate everyone!

Happy hunting guys.

That last line of yours is very close my personal line of "I'm not prejudiced, I hate everyone in general!"
Also... 50% of yard sale shoppers are "a basket of deplorables" and the rest are voting for Hillary!
mods- I know, it's political, you can delete it, but I couldn't resist saying it!

I always have at least 3 sets of eyes working with me when I have a sale. A few things still get stolen. I don't put out anything that is worth too much though, especially if it can fit into your pocket. You will never see good jewelry or coins at any of my yard sales. Once bitten, twice shy.

I've seen everything mentioned on here and then some. From teams of Haitians to little, old, smartly dressed, white women stealing. I always take the opportunity to tell people to protect their goods when the situation presents itself. I found and handed back a zippered bank bag full of cash once. I've found purses and cell phones on counter tops (inside) and tables (outside) before. I've even found sellers purses hanging in closets before at estate sales, more than once. I was at an estate sale once and had to tell the people to close their garage door because people were just walking out with things and not paying for them. Some people aren't too street wise (or are just too trusting in general) I guess.

One of my favorite scenes was when I pulled up to a seemingly unattended yard sale where there was a guy walking from the yard with an old school 19" tv in his arms heading towards a car parked across the street. He looked very guilty when I spied him as I was driving up (not profiling, just stating from past experience) I walked up towards the house and a man walked out the front door. I asked him if that guy that was putting the tv in his trunk had paid for it. He said hell no. The guy then ran across the street before the thief had a chance to drive off completely. The tv was sticking out of his trunk. As he attempted to drive away, the homeowner snatched the tv out and threw it at the guy's car, hitting it and smashing the tv in the street in the process. He laughed about it afterwards. It was classic! He said he only wanted $5 for the thing and probably would have given it to him had he asked. Stupid people!

 

[buzzhead]

An out of town vendor was setup at the local flea market with his antique tools. He had shown me a Rosewood Handle tack hammer. Later on in the day, I asked him if he'd sold it. He said, "NO, somebody stole it!!"

So sorry to hear that happened to you, Buzz! How do you think they did it?

Bill

I ducked into the house for 3 seconds to test Christmas lights. That's when it happened.... Next one there will be an extension cord at my seat.


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