Man tried to gyp me at my own garage sale

[debodun]

Last year a man stopped at my garage sale and was looking at some Depression glass plates. I had three saucers marked $3 and 6 plates of the same pattern marked $40. The saucers were separate from the plates and priced separately with obvious price tags. I watched as he took the saucers and placed them on top of the stack of plates. He then walked up to me and indicated the $3 tag on the saucers and held out $3. I told him that the plates were not included with the saucers, but if he wanted both the plates and saucers, I would let him have them all for $40. He scowled and put everything back. Did he think I didn't know the prices I had on my own items or think he could get 9 pieces of collectible glass for $3?

 

[jnos]

Don't you hate it? I've had that happen.
I've had a lot of garage sales over the years. Most people are honest and friendly. There's typically one every year who try that type scam. Some will "make an offer," to get something for less, which is fine with me. I think it really depends on the town/area. When I lived in a bigger city, it happened more often.

 

[debodun]

A few years ago, I had a set of wooden steps my dad hand-made to get in the loft of the garage. They were about 10 feet long. I saved them when the garage was demolished, but they took up a lot of room and I had no use for them, so I decided to sell them. I advertised them for $50. A man stopped and asked if I'd sell them for $20. Anxious to be rid of them I agreed. Then he asked if I'd sell them for $10. At this I refused, so he agreed and pressed a crumpled up bill in my hand and walked away with the stairs. When I went back inside and unfolded the bill, it was a $5!

Another time, an elderly man stopped and was looking at some framed pictures. He picked out 2 of them and asked if I would wrap them up for him. He was very particular about how he wanted them wrapped and what kind of paper and twine to use. I had to hunt for the paper and twine, taking me away from the sale. Then when I had finished wrapping them, I stood up and turned to him to collect the money we agreed on. He then said, "Oh, I guess I don't want them after all." and walked away. You could just kick some people!

 

[jujube]

At garage sales, you can always identify the dealers by how they act. They show up at the crack of dawn, insult what you have for sale and low-ball you intensely. They'll tell you that what you have is a reproduction or is worthless, but they'll "take it off your hands".

I had a razor-strop handle that had belonged to my great-grandfather. It was made of bone with silver trim. This dealer tried to tell me it was celluloid with a base-metal trim. I knew better as I had had another dealer at a shop look at it who offered me $75 for it. She said she'd take it for $5 even though she "didn't know what she'd do with it". I ended up selling it to the first dealer for $100, but I probably could have got more for it if I wanted to work harder at it. I know that not all dealers are unscrupulous, but I sure have run into a few who are. Make a profit, sure, but don't tell big lies to people to do so.

 

[Redd]

You have to watch where you keep your money box, I learned that the hard way. Gone in the blink of an eye. I think one person distracted me while the other stole kit and kaboodle

 

[Pinky]

I had an older couple tell me the Franklin Mint carousel horse and animal set I had would be such a nice birthday gift for their daughter's upcoming 30th birthday. They offered something like $40.00. Of course, I turned them down.
Here's the exact set which I donated to the hospital garage sale. For all I know, it could be mine! Well, not anymore.



.. and then they offered a pittance for my custom oak dining room table and six chairs and custom pine cupboard. Finally, they left with an unusual miniature Coca-Cola crate/wall shelf, mini Coke bottles in a carry case, and a crystal Mickey Mouse from Disney World, begrudging paying me $20. I had to laugh afterward about the story of their daughter's birthday.

 

[debodun]

You have to watch where you keep your money box, I learned that the hard way. Gone in the blink of an eye. I think one person distracted me while the other stole kit and kaboodle

I wear a scrub shirt with large deep pockets and keep my money with me. When I'm talking to a customer, I keep my hands in my pockets, clenched on the money. I have to carry a lot of change and small bills because most people will pick out a 10¢ item and hand you a $100 bill. You'd think if they knew they were going to garage sales, they get small bills and change. I've seen people, mostly women, dig and fish in purses or pockets pulling out dimes and quarters and dollar bills. They make quite a production out of it - almost seems they are subliminally sending a message "Look you're making me look so hard and I have so little money."

 

[Debby]

A few years ago, I had a set of wooden steps my dad hand-made to get in the loft of the garage. They were about 10 feet long. I saved them when the garage was demolished, but they took up a lot of room and I had no use for them, so I decided to sell them. I advertised them for $50. A man stopped and asked if I'd sell them for $20. Anxious to be rid of them I agreed. Then he asked if I'd sell them for $10. At this I refused, so he agreed and pressed a crumpled up bill in my hand and walked away with the stairs. When I went back inside and unfolded the bill, it was a $5!

....

Right there is a good example of why our Canadian 'funny money' is a better way to go than the old 'green back'! You can tell without uncrumpling the bills, exactly what you have. Mind you, now we have our polymer money and it doesn't even crumple very well, but it's still all the colours of the rainbow!

We just had a garage sale a few weeks ago and I organized and laid it all out and then left Don to manage it. He's a born salesman and I absolutely hate garage sales (won't even stop at them) so it's an even division of labour in my opinion.

 

[Debby]

I wear a scrub shirt with large deep pockets and keep my money with me. When I'm talking to a customer, I keep my hands in my pockets, clenched on the money. I have to carry a lot of change and small bills because most people will pick out a 10¢ item and hand you a $100 bill. You'd think if they knew they were going to garage sales, they get small bills and change. I've seen people, mostly women, dig and fish in purses or pockets pulling out dimes and quarters and dollar bills. They make quite a production out of it - almost seems they are subliminally sending a message "Look you're making me look so hard and I have so little money."

I think it's more likely that we women have so much on our minds and so many errands to run most of the time, that if we do still use 'cash', the change get's dropped in the purse often so that we can grab the bag and rush off to the next errand! Or because we carry purses instead of just stuffing change in our pockets like men do, the wallet gets lost in the depths of the bag and particularly if we are carrying all the crap that our our kids/husbands hand to us saying, 'can you carry this for me please'. No subliminal messages from most.

 

[Kitties]

People really do have nerve. And they rip people off. How terrible. A friend of my mothers had a money box stolen during her garage sale. It was the one distracts while one takes and she didn't notice until after they were gone. I wonder how people like that live with themselves. But I think a lot of them are out there walking around.

 

[grannyjo]

We had a family of people who would regularly attend garage sales. There were five of them.

They'd use the "distraction" method and steal small stuff.

After a while, they'd hold their own garage sales with the stuff they had stolen.

The word soon passed around about them, and people became more wary when they arrived. They were quite a noticeable group - quite overweight and in a smallish sort of car. Some people would even walk straight up to them and tell them they weren't welcome.

Haven't seen them around at the garage sales lately - maybe they've been banned from too many.