Tips for Garage and Yard Sale Shopping

We're finally experiencing real summer weather here in Chicago, and garage sale season is in full swing. If you're a bargain hunter, garage and yard sales are a great way to spend a Saturday, particularly if you plan ahead...

HOW TO PLAN

Check craigslist for garage sale dates/times/addresses and map out your path.

If you don't own a car, borrow one or book an I-Go or Zip car to haul large purchases.

Go early. The best deals are usually gone an hour into the sale.

Start the day understanding that many sales won't have anything you want. To increase your odds of finding treasure, plan to visit as many sales as you can manage.

WHAT TO BRING

Bring a list of what you need: furniture, tools, etc. If it's not on the list, you probably don't need to buy it.

Include the measurements of furniture you're looking for and carry a tape measure with you.

Carry a Phillips head and flat head (or combo) screwdriver in case you need to take apart a piece of furniture to fit it into your car.

Bring along a stack of dollar bills, as well as a few larger bills for bigger purchases.

HOW TO BARGAIN

Most people are willing to negotiate the cost of items. Be polite and tell them what you're willing to spend. They may offer a lower price, or they may not.

To learn the "going rate" for items, compare prices at various yard sales. This will give you more confidence when negotiating.

If you don't see what you're looking for, ask the homeowner. They may have something stored in the basement that they're willing to sell.

Do you have tips for garage sale shopping? Let us know in the comments below.

(Photo: Flickr member D'arcy Norman licensed via Creative Commons)

Comments (12)

Great post! gsalr.com is also a great resource to track garage and estate sales in a lot of cities. While it mostly aggregates from Craigslist, it has a super-handy trip planner synced with google maps, and a keyword search to weed through sales worth skipping

my wife has 2 tips (1) if the yard is 1/2 full of baby-stuff, keep on driving (unless you're looking for baby stuff -- but those folks are pretty divided and we're not among them) -- and (2) look for "estate" sales (c-list search) instead (if you're looking for vintage stuff) -- if it's a true estate sale, more stuff will be for sale, not just last season's cast-offs...

I don't go yard sale-ing if I don't need anything. Other wise you end up with a bunch of crap that you will want to give away or yard sale yourself. Also people love to be early birds when they go to yard sales, but in truth people having yard sales like to set up around 7-8 and though the sales may be a bit picked through by 10, the people are often giving stuff away by 11:30 or noon.

But don't plan too heavily. A big part of the fun in yard sales is stumbling upon them when you weren't expecting to do so....

agree with Paul, treat it like an adventure.

I've also gotten great stuff by going late, esp. furniture that people don't want to drag back in the house.

I find that church sales are usually the best. I just bought a terrific chair/ottoman combo in perfect condition for 15 bucks at one Sat.

I have huge garage sales twice a year. Just a word of advice on negotiations. Be polite and don't offend the seller. I have been offered 10 bucks on a 60 dollar table. Not only did they not get the discount they wanted, they got NO discount. Do not be rude- it rarely ever works. On the other hand, I have discounted stuff by 75% to people who are nice- who I think really need the stuff I am selling and obviously don't have the means to buy it any other way.
Don't dress up or flash a lot of money at a garage sale. You won't get the greatest deals.
Also, if you have kids, make sure that you watch them closely. No one wants other peoples kids running around or destroying what they are trying to sell.

A request from the other side--the seller's side:
When I've had sales, I start at 10; earlier than that is just a bear. So pls don't come knocking at the door at 8 just to see if it's ready or, as someone asked, "Can I help you set up?"

I second the comment on searching for estate sales vs. yard/garage sales, if looking for vintage stuff. In addition, you get to see the interiors of some odd/amazing/weird/ugly or occasionally, just plain dirty houses. Also, bring a tape measure and the know max/min dimensions of any large items you may need.

Also, if you are going to offer 15 for a something that is marked 20, for example, pay in with exact change. Don't hand them a 20 after offering less.

It's just poor garage sale-ing etiquette.

I draw the line at bargaining for anything being sold for $1 or less. Do you really need to buy the teddy bear at $.75 instead of $1. Really? I've seen it happen.

Don't put all your cash in one pocket. If you negotiate a lower price and then peel the five bucks off a wad of twenties, you will not make friends, and the deal you want to make for the other thing you just spotted probably won't happen. People don't mind giving in on prices if they think you only have so much to spend, but if you obviously have plenty, they tend to resent not sticking to their original price.

Wear comfortable shoes.

Don't buy something you can't transport, at least without a solid plan.

Dont think "I might come back for that later." It won't be there. If you really kinda want it, either buy it now or at least try to negotiate a better bargain now. Or plan to let it go.