How are the garage sales in your area this year?

[clovis97]

I've spent about 4 days hitting garage sales, and have yet to score anything good. I think I have spent about $26 total, mostly on some A &F and Hollister shirts that I will resell at a flea market.

The garage sales in my area are just weak...tons of worn out junk, much of it VERY overpriced. I am not finding much of anything.

I used to carry $200 to $500 to garage sales, and it would be nothing to spend $350 in a day for items I could resell. I also spent a significant amount of time wishing I would have bought other stuff, but passed on it for whatever reason.

I'm wondering if it is the economy. People don't seem to have the money to blow on items, and then dispose of them cheaply at garage sales for whatever reason. I think people are buying less, and are also using up what they have, so therefore, they will have less at yard sales...and what they do have for sale shows signs of wear.

I'm hearing this from other garage salers in my area...so I am not the only person seeing this trend.

So, what is it like in your area? What are you seeing? What do you think? Is the economy killing garage sales too?

 

[Piledriver]

Simple...its the price of gas.
People aren't traveling to yard sales as they once did.
Therefore folks are selling on Craig's list and Ebay, and get more money and a lot less haggling over price.
And because of that, only junk gets sold at yard sales.

 

[Beans]

This is what is am seeing, all common house hold items. Nothing special (except to the sellers) who are looking to get what they paid for it new. The lower income areas are cheap on price, but nothing worth buying. Higher income area for the same stuff in the lower income area think they should get a higher price. Really have to hunt for that bargin. Once the yard sale is over they give what is left over to the local charity store who really charge a lot. Even with the 50 cent sticker from the yardsale still on the item they will put thier price 5.00 right next to it. To many antique roadshow type tv programs make people they have that billion dollar ming vase. I have one from 1995 hope somebody buys it.

 

[treasurekidd]

I've noticed this here too, and I've actually scaled way back on the number of yard sales I go to. I mainly stay very local, right in my own town, only hitting a few every weekend. I've actually done much better lately picking at the flea markets and antique/junk stores than at yard sales.

 

[Customx_12]

Same here. I don't buy and resell clothes at all though so I can't comment on that. But finding valuables for cheap is almost unheard of now. Too many informational sources out there. That's why I mainly stick to estate sales now. Even when run by professionals, they usually focus on the obvious things like jewelry, art, and furniture while neglecting paperwork and photographs. I can't tell you how many autographs and confidential military photos I have picked up for a buck a bag sometimes.

If the garage sales and estate sales are changing, we just have to adapt and change with them. Try to find different items that are worth some value that most people overlook.

 

[clovis97]

I don't buy and resell clothes at all though so I can't comment on that.

I don't normally deal in clothes either, but these were a no-brainer.

Abercrombie and Hollister shirts for $1 each, and sweatshirts for $2, and a winter coat for $4. They look almost new.

I've done well on the very few clothes I've bought in the past. I bought a Baby Phat coat last year for $2, and flipped it for $25 within a week. I should have ebayed it...probably would have sold for $50+ on ebay...but I was into fast flips last year.

My wife has a better eye for clothes, and I've been encouraging her to look for clothes. She has a real talent for finding good stuff.

 

[GibH]

Once the yard sale is over they give what is left over to the local charity store who really charge a lot. Even with the 50 cent sticker from the yardsale still on the item they will put thier price 5.00 right next to it.

I bought a weather station last month at a thrift store. Sticker said $3.00 and they wanted $10.00, said the sticker was from a yard sale. Same thing with a toner cartridge. I told them I'd give them $10 for both, but that was it. They took the $10. I cleared $35 for them after fees, so it's all good.

 

[billjustbill]

.....
I'm hearing this from other garage salers in my area...so I am not the only person seeing this trend.

So, what is it like in your area? What are you seeing? What do you think? Is the economy killing garage sales too?

Garage sales in North Texas, West of Ft. Worth, show things as normal... There are always "pockets" when one or two garage sales have all the best finds, and the rest of the 80% are clothes, toys, and junk. So, it takes early timing and quite a large sampling to be able to find those things that get your heart jumping....

Ads in the paper seem to indicate "knowledge and Collector Prices" when words like "Sterling...", "Antique clothes", "Coins", or "Silver" are in them... Other than that, most ads are just Hype to get you to go see.

If the ad says the time like "7:00a.m. to 4:00", it means you'd better go see the place the afternoon before, because Dealers are out the day before and knocking on garage sale doors at 6:00 A.M., which makes for a rather prickly greeting if you get there even 15 minutes early that morning. The one saving grace is that these people do "Hit and Gone", which gives you a chance to see what was left (like jewelry with small .925 or 10kt markings) or leaves the vendor to get the rest of the stuff out that they never saw....

Lastly, the sales that are "Friday & Saturday", have a better than 50% chance of something new being put in for the early morning of the second day. Consider what you saw on the first visit to help sway your gut-feel for a second day's look.

On a second day, and around 10:00 a.m., I found two sets of Sterling tableware. The three piece candle gives a short set, or with the arms at midpoint and a center high candle, or the arms at at the top... The others were small chalices. All marked "Weighted Sterling"... I gave $8.00 for the large pair, and $4.00 for the shorter pair and the vendor fellow was happy to get it for those "dark and black things"....

 

[jerseyben]

People are getting smart and are posting the ad in advance and saying "address to be posted morning of sale". This is a good thing because ultimately it gives us all a chance to get there and fight over the good stuff. I know it has worked for me at least twice so far.

 

[bazinga]

The season started off great. I was buying 5-10 items/day. The past few weeks have been dead for me. A few pieces of broken jewelry and that has been it. Like another said, one or two sales would have the bulk of my purchases and the other 50 that day weren't worth getting out of my car for. Every sale is just junk, junk, and more junk.

Of course, 5-10 items/day which is great for me now would have been a bad day when I was in college and started selling online back in 2001/02. Back then it would be 20-100 items a weekend. And that was when I was CLUELESS and only had about $100-200 in my pocket any given weekend. I could buy anything that looked old or cool and sell it for good money.

 

[Beans]

Don't discount all the toys. I make most of my money on toys. Legos, monopoly pewter tokens. Right now I have a auction on feebay for used lego pieces for the Imperial Star Destroyer (lego), no weapons or figures. Close to 90% to be complete. Bought for 5 bucks, current bid is $44.00 with 23 watchers ends in 3 hours. Old board games, ok old for me is 1950 - 1960. Take a look and see what is selling in the toy auction. Have to keep up with it though changes a lot. What is hot today is not tomorrow, but maybe hot again in a month. My room is full of toys, just waiting for the right time.

Update: Legos sold for $85.00

 

[diggummup]

I think Customx_12 says it best.
If the garage sales and estate sales are changing, we just have to adapt and change with them. Try to find different items that are worth some value that most people overlook.

Sometimes you just have to think out of the box. Yes many sales are complete garbage and you stand there scratching your head wondering "why don't they just throw this crap away?" and others that have something "good" think it's a priceless museum piece worth much more than their asking price because they "saw it on ebay for $xxx". It's getting harder all the time but do not despair, there are still treasures to be found.
Last weekend I found 2 electramate 920's with Penn Senators and Diawa bent butt boat rods for $400.00. Sold them an hour later for double that to a friend of mine that I work (and fish) with. This was at an estate sale being held by family members. Two teenage boys were there trying to talk their dad (the one holding the sale) into charging me more, because they looked them up online and said the reels worth $560 each. Little dummies didn't check the model number of the reels I guess, because they sell for more than that, not to mention the rods that go for a couple hundred each. The kicker is, I will get to use them when we go offshore, deep dropping for tilefish and Rosies! A win, win situation!

 

[allen]

ours is like usual, weak and overpriced !

 

[clovis97]

I hit the garage sales in my area again this weekend...pretty slim pickings.