Garage Sale Tips 101

 

Aside from the awesomely cool, yet not too cold weather that spring brings, I get obnoxiously happy about flea markets and garage sales. Who else loves buying more crap they don't need? 

I like to collect and upcycle stuff for my home<3  Garage sales & flea markets are usually the best places to find the items to do it with. I do love Etsy, but finding things on my own saves money so I don't have to pay shipping prices and raised costs.

1. Figure out what you need, and what you're looking for:
I personally go through each room, and jot down things we need. Right now, I'm looking for a coffee table to turn into an ottoman table like this:

And I'm looking for frames to turn into a try like this:

 

I'm also trying to organize my boys' room, so I'd be happy to grab maybe an old bookcase, bins, etc. I also have an ongoing list of vintage items I'm collecting i.e; Pyrex Dished, Jade Tupperware, Vintage Avon bottles, kitsch-y items.
3. Stuff to Bring:
Along with your list of stuff, wear comfy shoes, bring a large bag, measuring tape, & a screw driver. You never know if a piece of furniture might not fit into your car, and screwing off a few legs on a chair could be what makes it fit!

2. Finding Garage Sales:
Garage sales listings are everywhere! The first place to look, are newspapers. The Sunday paper has tons of listed garage sales and estate sales going around. Craigslist and Yard Sale Search have a plethora of places to jot down. Find the garage sales, plug them into mapquest.com, and plan your route for the day!
3. The Early Bird Catches The Worm:
Or buys the best stuff, but you get the picture. The earlier you arrive to the sale, the more likely you are to find the things that haven't been searched through. Furniture tends to sell early. On another note, if you're looking for the best deal, its best to buy at the end of the day because people don't feel like lugging the junk back into their home. They wanted to get rid of it in the first place! (but if you see something you like, don't wait... you'll run the risk of someone else buying it. Grab it while you can.)
 4. Bigger is better:
Except when it comes to dollar increments! Most people don't have a ton of change, so smaller dollar bills (singles, fives, quarters) will be well welcomed.
 5. You catch more bees with honey:
 Being friendly & good mannerisms is the key to haggling. Don't expect more than %15 off of the price (at most) for yard sale items. If you push too much, you could offend the vendor. Ask politely if they'd "possibly consider less for their item?".

Any tips you think I'm missing? What are you favorite things to garage sale for?




2 comments:

  1. I think these are good tips! I wish I had the patience to go out like this.


    Boba + Pearls

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  2. I love these tips!!

    I feel like I should make a post on HOW to do a garage sale for Floridians. Back when I was a kid, I remember garage sales being a bargain. My community holds community garage sales at least twice a year and I feel like they are asking for way too much and at the end of the day, they barely sell anything. I thought the point of garage sales was to get rid of stuff. People here charge stupid amounts of money for crap. So sad and weird.

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