What comes closest to your feelings about garage sales?

One of my sisters makes a fortune buying at garage sales or estates sales and then reselling the merchandise in her store.
She's honest and tells the sellers the jewelry is real and their selling it too low, but they don't care. One person's trash it another's treasure.
Garage sale - worthless, but once in a store - priceless. People's idea of wealth - go figure. I wouldn't know a diamond if I held it in my hand.
 

Quite a few years go I would go with my Mom and Dad most every Saturday morning. My dad looked at the tools and lawn mowers that he would repair and sell just for a hobby. My mom collected tea cups,
I'd find a few decorative items that I liked,
Next came Ebay. I really did well l buying and selling. My mom lived with us by that time and enjoyed finding things with me and packing them up for shipping.
After that craze ended and my mom couldn't get around much anymore we stopped going.
I haven't been in years. I like the thrift shops now, I go in the back door and donate then take a peak at what they have. I think long and hard before I make a purchase. These days I'm more likely to buy a missing cover for a favorite pot, anything practical. I purged last year and I don't want to start all over again.
 
I miss going to them because of the pandemic. It's a way to snoop around someone's property without being arrested. Estate sales are usually the best if they are not run by professional liquidators since they are a middleman and need their cut so they charge too much. Some times I regret what I bought, so my rule is not to buy anything that's too big to fit in a trash bag.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
Quite a few years go I would go with my Mom and Dad most every Saturday morning. My dad looked at the tools and lawn mowers that he would repair and sell just for a hobby. My mom collected tea cups,
I'd find a few decorative items that I liked,
Next came Ebay. I really did well l buying and selling. My mom lived with us by that time and enjoyed finding things with me and packing them up for shipping.
After that craze ended and my mom couldn't get around much anymore we stopped going.
I haven't been in years. I like the thrift shops now, I go in the back door and donate then take a peak at what they have. I think long and hard before I make a purchase. These days I'm more likely to buy a missing cover for a favorite pot, anything practical. I purged last year and I don't want to start all over again.
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Almost my exact situation except for the selling on eBay.
 
We have held them when moving many times. One time we were conducting a garage sale and put a sign in the window and sold the house.
 
Deb, call The Salvation Army. They will pick up whatever you have. You have to tell them how many boxes of whatever you have. They sent a truck to my house and picked up 10 bags of clothes, 5 boxes of kitchen items etc. Did not cost me a dime and they give to folks that need it and do not sell like Goodwill does.
 
terry123 said:
Deb, call The Salvation Army. They will pick up whatever you have. You have to tell them how many boxes of whatever you have. They sent a truck to my house and picked up 10 bags of clothes, 5 boxes of kitchen items etc. Did not cost me a dime and they give to folks that need it and do not sell like Goodwill does.
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Maybe in your area they pick up - here they don't. And they do have a retail outlet where they sell donated items. This is the outlet store closest to me - about 10 miles away.

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I used to go to yard sales at least twice a week for half a day. It started out as a fun way to get exercise. I soon discovered that almost anything could be found a garage sales, estate sales, and tag sales. I rented a booth in an antique mall and turned it into a business. When the internet came along, it was practical to sell online. I finally closed the business a few years ago.
Now I never go to yard sales or thrift stores. They sell some wonderful things, but I don't need all the extra stuff.
I seriously started downsizing two years ago, since my house isn't growing larger. I don't need the temptation of adding to collections.
I've also given a number of yard sales through the years. A lot of work for very little money. Those days are behind me, too.
I donate regularly to several charity thrift store that help people in my area instead. To me that's a WINWIN.
 
Packerjohn said:
Never go to garage sales. I have all I need now. Can't understand why some senior men go to the sales at the end of the day; hoping to get something for next to nothing & then try to sell the things at their own garage sales a few weeks later. They really need an alternative lifestyle.
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I go for a few reasons:
1-It gives me something to do without spending a lot of money.
2-I get to know parts of my area I might not otherwise have reason to visit.
3-I meet people I might not otherwise meet.

When I first moved here 10 years ago, #2 & #3 were my main reasons. In my county, everyone knows most everyone else...this was one way of plugging myself into it.

Besides, I've always been a second-hand shop person.
 
In The Sticks said:
This is me.

And once I have them, I can't let them go. I still have a tile saw I bought when remodeling my bathroom. I got such a deal on it, I refuse to let go of it. I also like buying odd lots of hardware.
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I found a lot of people don't know or want to bother fixing a simple electrical problem. Usually a cord worn out and right now I'm looking for an electric lawn trimmer. Battery operated stuff is too to fix usually needing a complete new battery gif you can find it.
 
After the lockdowns it will be interesting to see how many continue to go to garage & estate along with thrift stores. The casual shopper will probably be taken out of the picture between less cash and fear of used stuff. I go thrift stores and was actually eyeballing some furniture at the local Goodwill but before I blinked the doors were closed.
 
Thirty years ago, you couldn't even stand in your driveway with the garage door open without people pulling up and asking if you were having a garage sale. Now it seems nobody is collecting anymore, people are de-cluttering and minimizing and there seems to be a trend of thinking buying other people's unwated items is socially unacceptable. I wonder how society got turned 360 in the last few decades.
 
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debodun said:
Thirty years ago, you couldn't even stand in your driveway with the garage door open without people pulling up and asking if you were haveing a garage sale. Now it seems nobody is collecting anymore, people are de-cluttering and minimizing and there seems to be a trend of thinking buying other people's unwated items is socially unacceptable. I wonder how society got turned 360 in the last few decades.
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Less space and technology. Time on the internet for example has taken people away from doing physical things that require stuff. There are also a lot delegators out there(why do it yourself if you can pay someone else to do it). And for the last decade or two many have stopped buying houses instead settling in to the rental life which includes the landlord taking care of many things a home owner would.
 
Where I live people are still buying but they only buy the best and always pay the least.

I can't complain because I'm no different! :)

Unless you have something really special to offer it is actually easier to just box it up and send it to the charity shop or set it on the curb.
 
I don't go out of my way but if I pass one I don't pass it up either.

Some of my favourite things came from garage sales. I usually look for sewing and hobby items.
 
4) I would look as I drove by, but wouldn't stop for any reason.

Don't get me wrong, I love perusing a good garage or yard sale, but I don't do it anywhere near as often as I used to when my children were younger. Weekends back in those days were all about finding a few great garage/yard sales. :)

Children's toys and books, children's clothes and things, and occasionally something for mom.
 

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