Whats your strategy??

[jnkhntr]

What's your strategy??

My good friend seems to be an expert at knowing which ads in the paper will produce the best material. He combines this with being
the earliest early bird.

My strategy is to target older neighborhoods with homes who's hey days were in the 30's, 40's,and etc. I have a route that produces very good for me. I take this route and look for signs. (Florida equals year round garage sales)

I often feel like the best ads equals the most competition and make it necessary to get there very early.

Any ideas about how to interpret ads in the paper or targeting specific types of neighborhood?

 

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[diggummup]

Re: What's your strategy??

I search for ads that say "entire contents" or "estate sale" or "whole house full" or something to that extent. Then I cross check the the address with the county property appraisers website to get the name of the property owner. Then I run the name of the owner through an obituary search site to see if the sale is an actual estate sale from a person that has recently passed. It sounds morbid but these are the best sales to hit in my own personal experience. As far as regular garage sales, I can sometimes tell by the way the ad is written if it's worth going to, but not always. Older people usually mean older stuff, that's what I look for mainly. What I can't stand is a rude Haitian that comes and butts their azzes in front of you while your looking at something, that and they always want everything for a quarter. I live in a yardsale metropolis and usually have a list of 20 or so stops every Saturday to check out. I don't buy at all of them, sometimes I don't buy at any of them, then sometimes I find all kinds of good stuff. I've turned it into a profitable hobby even though I can't stand selling on Ebay and paypal is no better unless your a buyer.

 

[cyberdan]

Re: What's your strategy??

He combines this with being the earliest early bird.

If the ad says no early birds I usually observe it. Once the ad did say that and also "silver" I arrived right at opening time and the lady said somebody came by early and bought a lot. I still got some good pieces but I wonder what I missed for being a nice guy?

My strategy is to target older neighborhoods with homes who's hey days were in the 30's, 40's,and etc.

I sometimes do that too, but it depends on the town. In town "A" lots of well kept homes owned by older americans. In town "B" same type of homes, badly taken care of, lots of used clothes and not a word of English (or a valad green card either )

I often feel like the best ads equals the most competition and make it necessary to get there very early.

I agree, that is why I like to follow signs. I do make up a route of about 20-25 sales. I get that info from craigslist and pennysaver.com. But, if I see a sign and it is not advertised I think I have a better chance of getting something good. In many cases that is true.

What ticks me off (and it is my fault) I follow a sign and visit a sale then go back to my route and two stops later I pull up to the same yardsale. Most of the time I recognise the place and move on. But, if I come in from the other direction and they have added to their pile of junk I get out and start looking again.

 

[cyberdan]

Re: What's your strategy??

I search for ads that say "entire contents" or "estate sale" or "whole house full" or something to that extent. Then I cross check the the address with the county property appraisers website to get the name of the property owner. Then I run the name of the owner through an obituary search site to see if the sale is an actual estate sale from a person that has recently passed.

Now that is a lot of work, I already spend at least two hours on Friday finding the advertised sales and planning my route and packing my tools. (money, gold tester, gram scale, calculator, money, GPS and did I say money) I just don't have that extra time. (but I do like the idea)

I am leery of going to to "estate sales" they are usually full of over priced yard sale junk being sold by an estate sale company and they charge sales tax. But, in almost every case I go the the garage first. That is a separate garage sale buy the surviving spouse, better prices and no taxes. I guess the company that is hired to do the sale wants to keep the "owner" out of the way and lets them do their own sale.

 

[trdhrdr007]

Re: What's your strategy??

My area is small enough that I go to every advertised sale. I make a list Friday & plan a route based on location & starting times. I try to start with the sales that have certain key words in the ads......jewlery, antiques, etc.

I have found that no matter how bad the day is I can always score a few sterling jewelry items at a good price in the lower middle class sales. That generally makes the day worthwhile because I have a showcase in the local antique mall where I can sell those items for around twice melt value. I got the showcase a couple months ago so I could put up a large "I BUY OLD STUFF" sign. So far that hasn't panned out but the showcase more than pays for itself & the time involved over selling to the refiner.

I am leery of going to to "estate sales" they are usually full of over priced yard sale junk being sold by an estate sale company and they charge sales tax.

That goes to show it's all area specific. The people that run the estate sale companies in my area generally price their items so the dealers who shop with them can still make a profit.....& no sales tax is charged. Of course it helps to be on the list for the "invitation only" presale.

 

[jnkhntr]

Re: What's your strategy??

I am leery of going to to "estate sales" they are usually full of over priced yard sale junk being sold by an estate sale company and they charge sales tax. But, in almost every case I go the the garage first. That is a separate garage sale buy the surviving spouse, better prices and no taxes. I guess the company that is hired to do the sale wants to keep the "owner" out of the way and lets them do their own sale.

I have learned the names of the local estate sale pros and only hit them late when things go half price. My eyes light up at "estate sale" signs that are hand made by family members that are not professionals.

 

[My Precious]

Re: What's your strategy??

I have a small notebook I leave in my vehicle which is entitled "Don't Waste your Time going to these Sales". In it is written garage sale add addresses by town and street for those that seem to have sales 10 times a year trying to sell the same things over and over.

 

[cyberdan]

Re: What's your strategy??

OK here is my problem for yardsales tomorrow.

I just finished hunting for yardsale addresses and there are 73 between my house and the town of XXXXXX.

Of those, 49 are in XXXXXX
that town is usually pretty good, lots of older homes
guess I will be staying in one area tomorrow.
saves gas and driving time.

Tonight I will map out all 49 and then visit those that are clustered together.

I know wouldn't it be great if we all wad that problem every week

 

[diggummup]

Re: What's your strategy??

I search for ads that say "entire contents" or "estate sale" or "whole house full" or something to that extent. Then I cross check the the address with the county property appraisers website to get the name of the property owner. Then I run the name of the owner through an obituary search site to see if the sale is an actual estate sale from a person that has recently passed.

Now that is a lot of work, I already spend at least two hours on Friday finding the advertised sales and planning my route and packing my tools. (money, gold tester, gram scale, calculator, money, GPS and did I say money) I just don't have that extra time. (but I do like the idea)

I am leery of going to to "estate sales" they are usually full of over priced yard sale junk being sold by an estate sale company and they charge sales tax. But, in almost every case I go the the garage first. That is a separate garage sale buy the surviving spouse, better prices and no taxes. I guess the company that is hired to do the sale wants to keep the "owner" out of the way and lets them do their own sale.

It only takes a couple minutes , I just open up a couple extra windows and do my cross checking while i'm looking at the sales i'm gonna go to. I avoid estate sales that certain sellers put on. I know their names . There are two estate sale "pros" that aren't too good and "miss" alot of good stuff or maybe they just don't know what they are doing, so when they list I go. I have 2 good sounding estate sales for the morning (put on by relatives not pros) along with a list of 21 other stops, i'll list a few of my finds this week I guess. I found a bunch of old UFO publications/newsletters from different UFO groups from the 50' and 60' that I bought for 35.00 along with some old nude photos from the 1910's to the 1960's, i've been selling them on Ebay for the last 3 weeks or so. I've made over $500.00 so far and i'm not done yet. I found them at an estate sale in a box in the garage with a bunch of old magazines and junk. I always search high and low and love to dig through boxes of "junk".


I do like the idea of hitting the sales that weren't advertised though. I never thought of it the way you put it. No advertising means less people, makes perfect sense now that you mention it, thanks i'll give it a try tommorrow.

 

[goldinmypan]

Re: What's your strategy??

The only problem with being an early bird is that you can only be 1st at one place. For me thats usually the closest to home. After that you get used to being told "You should have been here earlier." The problem with looking for signs is that you may be chaseing ghosts...last weeks or last months signs. Get that a lot especially on moving sales. The good thing about hitting sales later in the day is that the sellers are more willing to bargan. They don't want to put it back in the garage. I've even had people give me everything they hadn't sold just so they wouldn't have to deal with it. P

 

[trdhrdr007]

Re: What's your strategy??

I just finished hunting for yardsale addresses and there are 73 between my house and the town of XXXXXX.

I'm jealous.....only 10 sales in my area yesterday & all I scored were a few pieces of sterling jewelry. The only up side is it took less than 1 1/2 hours & I'll sell the pieces for enough to cover gas & make about $20/hour for my time.

I have a small notebook I leave in my vehicle which is entitled "Don't Waste your Time going to these Sales". In it is written garage sale add addresses by town and street for those that seem to have sales 10 times a year trying to sell the same things over and over.

Great idea & definitely a new section for my yard sales notebook.

 

[jnkhntr]

Re: What's your strategy??

This weekend I scanned the ads, planned a route, hit a community wide sale, did my route of old neighborhoods, then followed random signs. This took about two hours and produced next to nothing. Finding myself increasingly aggravated I headed home only to see one more sign.

Last part of my strategy is being persistent, I made the stop.

Then luck came into play, just as I walked up to a table with some older items the lady having the sale put down a Whitman folder of silver Washington quarters 1946-1959 total of 36 marked at $90. I asked if she could do any better and she said $85 which I quickly agreed to.

A little luck and persistence made up for the unproductive morning.

 

[cyberdan]

Re: What's your strategy??

I'm jealous.....only 10 sales in my area yesterday & all I scored were a few pieces of sterling jewelry.

Don't be jealous this time you got more than I did.

Well, of those I picked out about 35 and I was able to go to every single address on my list.

Do you want to know why I was able to hit so many? (which is a personal record)

OVER 15 ADDRESSES DID NOT EVEN SET UP!

Some realitor put together a bunch of families to have a yard sale on that Saturday and she published all their addresses. The weather was a little misty but no rain. But that is no excuse, she obviousally did not impress on them that if they agree to have a sale to actually set up something. At one of the addresses on the realitors list someone was standing in his driveway and I got out to ask and he had no idea why his address was on her list.

Now I will tell how much I spent. 25¢ yes, that's it one quarter.
another personal record I do not want to repeat.
and it wasn't even for resale. it was for a cable to hook up a TV in my daughters dorm room.

 

[diggummup]

Re: What's your strategy??

Well I didn't get any jewelry this week but I did get a matching pair of 8 1/2 in. bowls w/lids crystal (color name) Fostoria coin glass,one with coins painted gold,one without. A 3 piece Parker pen set w/case. A copy of Zappa Mothers of Invention "Freak Out" original blue verve record. A nice little cigar box hammer marked "Royal Lancer" Havana Cigar. A 1926 cigar box from Muniemakers, a sweet little mother of pearl handled penknife (3 in.closed) blade marked "The Ideal", and a 1930's Fisher Price Pop-Up Kritter "Tailspin Tabby" in excellent condition. About a dozen WWII insignia patches, a few old postcards, a set of mint Susan B Anthony dollars (3-1979) a couple old out of print books (always a favorite of mine), 2 Jim Beam Decanters full and unopened from the 1970's and a bunch of other odds and ends. I spent 4 hours digging through boxes in that house. The estate sale was put on by the grand daughter of the homeowner. Her gramma was packed up and ready to move back to Maryland to spend the rest of her days with her family but she didn't make it. I helped her and her husband pull some of the big stuff out onto the lawn because the house was so packed. They gave me the whole lot of my stuff for $40.00. It was a good day. Pictures to follow in a couple days i'm too busy tommorrow,and too tired right now to play photographer. I did check to see who owned this property and found out she was the original owner of the house that was built in 1964 and the house had another name from a trust with a mailing address in Maryland. I checked the area code on the craigslist ad and found out that it was also from Maryland but not the same name as on the trust deed of the house. So I at least knew that the sale was being put on by a family member that came in from out of town to have this estate sale. I didn't make it to another sale on my list that day. This one was enough.

 

[jnkhntr]

Re: What's your strategy??

I have often left my number with people I ask about coins, I have never received a call back. I was thinking about having some professional looking business cards made stating what I buy : coins, US and foreign, and tokens and older nonfiction books etc.
Has anyone one had any success with call backs with the strategy of leaving business cards?

 

[billjustbill]

Re: What's your strategy??

My good friend seems to be an expert at knowing which ads in the paper will produce the best material. He combines this with being
the earliest early bird.

My strategy is to target older neighborhoods with homes who's hey days were in the 30's, 40's,and etc. I have a route that produces very good for me. I take this route and look for signs. (Florida equals year round garage sales)

I often feel like the best ads equals the most competition and make it necessary to get there very early.

Any ideas about how to interpret ads in the paper or targeting specific types of neighborhood?

Retired, my wife and I have learned to laugh at trying to "OUT GUESS" which ad has the most to offer!! There are some upsale neighborhoods that are going to have higher quality items for sale. Within the neighborhood, there are those that want almost what they paid for the item, and others that just want "Something" back as they get rid it.

What I've learned has to do with what you do WHEN YOU GET THERE... Getting there early is usually the key, but I've been to places and have seen the usual dealers already driving away. There have been times that the people having the sale just haven't had the time to put out everything, and I see them coming with things bought for $15 and I sold for $65.... So, timing is almost as important as the place.

Also, while there, I listen to what the seller is saying to their helpers or to people and friends. We were early and I was going through an older glass jewelry box that had a sign taped to it saying each piece was $2. The lady said "Some of that in there is from the early years.". As I picked up a silver band ring, I looked inside to see it was stamped 14kt!! As I paid for the things, the lady looked up at me with a distant look in her eye and smiled as she put the things in a small bag and said, "That SILVER ring was from another life, I hope you enjoy it."

The very best of my finds have been when I hear there is a divorce or moving sale. The other one was when two decided to marry and the excess is being sold.... "These are my Fiancée’s dishes at his place, and I have new ones for our new house in Ft. Worth, I wish somebody would buy the whole set." Next to the stack of his old ceramic dishes was a large box with jewelry bagged-up....

It was at this place, that the future new bride bundled up all her old jewelry in the old style of thin plastic "fold over" bags and tied them in a knot. She had marked the bags at $5, $7.50, and $12. As she passed through the room again, I asked if any had sterling in them and she said, "The ones marked $12 have the most, but some of the $7.50 ones have some."
I could see some silver rounds with Christmas themes, so I bought all six, including one that was still $12, but much smaller than the rest...

When I got home, I found a lot of sterling and 3 silver rounds marked .999, so there was something in all five of them. It was then that I thought I purchased six... so, I went back to the SUV and found that the smallest of the bunch had slid out of the console and just under my driver's seat.

In the smallest of the six baggies was a 7" long, 10kt gold diamond tennis bracelet. That and some .925 jewelry for $12....my heart did skip a beat and I went in and awoke my wife from her deep afternoon nap!! The jeweler that looked at it said the 35 diamonds were "10 point diamonds", so it's a 3-1/2 carat bracelet.

So listen to those around you as you are hunting, and ask if they have jewelry if you don't see it at first.... I asked and waited as the husband and wife went back into the house and brought out a standing floor jewelry cabinet and wanted $45 for it and the contents. I glanced at it and paid them. Carrying it to the car, I almost wanted to shout: "Start the car!!! Start the car!!!" As I lifted the rear hatch door, my wife couldn't imagine why I bought the whole thing. Ultimately I found 14kt, 10kt, and Sterling jewelry that would sell for over $400.00!! Then, when we had our own garage sale, the cabinet and remaining jewelry sold for $55.... Still make my heart beat fast when I think of it....!!

That's another profitable way I found to make the place you do choose and take the time to stop at become much more than the newspaper ad reads.

Let me know if this ever helps,
Bill

 

[jnkhntr]

Re: What's your strategy??

I printed some business cards and on the very first uses of them- BAM - instant credibility! Usually when I ask about coins I get , I have some but I don't know where they are right now or something to that effect. I then leave my number and don't get a callback. With the card she went inside and brought out a whole bag of coins that I got to cherry pick,

 

[MrBling]

Re: What's your strategy??

Let me know if this ever helps,
Bill

thanks for the great tips and stories!

 

[Nightowl 280]

Re: What's your strategy??

Down here in the tampa area the competition is tough at all levels garage sale , estate , yard sale . I run two fronts for my resales . Ebay and 5-10 times a year fleamarket booth . We also have 2 yearly community sale i open the garage and sale at . I have to keep this in mind when buying stuff .

Rules of the day for me .
1.Bulk pricing
2.Nothing bigger then a bread box .
3.Is it easy to ebay .
4.Is it junk or good stuff .
5.Will i loss it to my moms pick of stuff . (not profit so i have to keep that in mind aka she take and keeps 80-90% of all Waterford glass , silver rings to if they fit her.)

Normally I like garage sales for my picker bug . I look on craigslist and the paper for garage sales . I look for key words normally , old stuff , vintage , all for sale , moving sale , Need to sale all ,fishing , silver ,gold , jewerly . Makers . I dont limit my picking to any one type of object or generation of stuff . Ive made money on glass apples to plastic pokemon toys .

How i buy .
Jewelry - whole tables (i dont make offers i ask how much they want for it all , If the offer is to high i ask whats your best price I resale and cant pay retail and tell them i dont mind walking away from a buy .Sometimes ill leave a number. )
Lego/toys/trains - Only in bulk and cheap (anything i buy here has a limited outlet and well versed collectors )
Glass - waterford (my mom takes) , colored , old (If it doesnt fit one of these i need to be real careful in buying it since its not likely to sell)
China/plates/cups /bowls - well know makers that sell for high money in stores , old in good shape with marks (buy cheap and in bulk)
fishing gear - No rods , tackle boxes 5-20 bucks depending on the tackle , reels 1-5 (needs to be a higher end at 15-30 bucks is becomes a no margin buy )

What i have learned in the last 3 years of garage sale buying and reselling . Be open to all things even if you end up walking way . Do a piece count first Its much easier to shell out 50-500 bucks when you know your paying .50-2.00 a piece . Limit your risk with knowledge and bulk buys . Donate what doesnt sell . We are into profit deep enough that i could walk away from my overstock and not lose a dime .

The fun part for me . Im a nut for weird items ,comics . scifi books , old toys , and for the most part there are not much of this out there . But every now and then ill find something that goes into the for me bin . This week it was scifi books ,last week it was 2 stocks of a .22 rifle that i may make into a steampunk gun or two . Week before that it was a pewter Indian raven carved piece in a jewelry buy .

 

[jnkhntr]

Re: What's your strategy??

Rules of the day for me .
1.Bulk pricing
2.Nothing bigger then a bread box .
3.Is it easy to ebay .
4.Is it junk or good stuff .
5.Will i loss it to my moms pick of stuff . (not profit so i have to keep that in mind aka she take and keeps 80-90% of all Waterford glass , silver rings to if they fit her.)

Great stuff here and sound advise.
Some of my best buys have been bulk items ( Lego's, nascar decals 1/24 scale, and a token collection come to mind.)
I like to stay away from very large items as well, but if the price is right I will do the heavy lifting ( a ships binnacle. )
Bulk items and ebay are a great marriage ( easy to relist. )
I have bought some junk.
I loose a thing or two to the wife.