Yard sales - gross or good?

chic

chic

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U.S.
I sort of enjoy going to yard sales on Saturdays and Sundays. Since it's too cold for them 7 months of the year where I live, it's especially enjoyable for the few months we have of it.

I do find good and useful things that other people no longer want and it's helpful to me to buy something I want/need for cheap and take it off someone else's hands at the same time. It's recyclied that way, so I'm lessening my carbon footprint in this world. I do find the occasional treasure too which is the most fun of all.

How do you feel about yard sales?? Love 'em? Hate 'em. Indifferent to 'em? Did you ever find anything really great at a yard sale?
 

I used to go occasionally to ''Boot'' sales (mostly they're held in a field and people sell straight from the boot(trunk) of their car onto trestle tables) and I've even held a few of my own in the past with good results, but I hadn't been to one for about 10 years and last summer we went over to the one that has always been the biggest and most popular of all and the stuff was absolutely rubbish. It seems that since the onset of Ebay et al, the stuff that gets sold at Boot sales are not worth going out for!

Yard sales (sales of household items from your front lawn) are rare here..
 
hollydolly said:
I used to go occasionally to ''Boot'' sales (mostly they're held in a field and people sell straight from the boot(trunk) of their car onto trestle tables) and I've even held a few of my own in the past with good results, but I hadn't been to one for about 10 years and last summer we went over to the one that has always been the biggest and most popular of all and the stuff was absolutely rubbish. It seems that since the onset of Ebay et al, the stuff that gets sold at Boot sales are not worth going out for!

Yard sales (sales of household items from your front lawn) are rare here..
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They are called "Flea Markets" in the states..
 

Here in Pennsylvania, we have yard sales, garage sales, patio sales, carport sales, neighborhood sales and the list is endless. we also have flea markets, which here in PA they are held in parking lots or on the fairgrounds or any large open (mostly) area. My wife is a "treasure hunter," so occasionally we have to stop and rummage through the stuff for sale. She doesn't like it when I sit in the car, so I have to tag along. When I get back in the car, the first thing that I do is get out the hand sanitizer and rub it into my hands.

I had a neighbor years back that would go to yard sales on Fridays and Saturdays one week and then the next weekend, he would sell the stuff he bought from the previous weekend. He also put some of his treasures on Ebay and the rest would either go to auction or in the garbage. He ran it as a business. I think that he made out OK, but his complaint was always about how much time he spent doing these things.
 
In Connecticut, we call them "tag sales". I don't know why, I doubt there are many tags for sale. Anyway, I like to visit them oh, once or twice every few years, but only if we're going out to lunch, too.

It's mostly junk and stale clothing, if the truth be told; the good things are in the consignment shops or have been sold privately so the dregs are put out into the yard, but every now and then something nice shows up.
 
Yard sales/garage sales are held outside on peoples property here, estate sales usually inside the house, while flea markets are usually located in a large halls and rummage sales in church basements. I used to love them too, especially the china and glass, and vintage fabrics, but don't see them happening where I live any more, and I certainly don't need any more 'stuff'.
 
Garage, yard, patio, flea, rummage sales are still a rose. I used to like going to flea markets, sometimes I would find things I couldn't live without and then upon retirement, downsizing and relocating I discovered I had a fine collection of other people's cast off's to stock up for my own sale. My wife and 2 daughters conducted a joint effort over two weekends. We made $1,100 the 1st and $300 on the second. I found myself haggling over a $2.50 sale which I'm sure I paid $10 for 3 years before, we even sold a couple of the tables used for display.

After the 2nd weekend we loaded my truck and trailer with everything that didn't sell and donated that to the local 2nd hand store. What I didn't want to haul such as mattresses and book cases was stacked at our corner curb with a 'free' sign, everything was hauled away by other treasure hunters within 12 hours. My wife still goes to 'Estate Sales' and has a fetish for chairs and unique tables that we have given away. My previous next door neighbor was a hoarder so over the years anything I didn't want was placed in our driveway with a 'free' sign and within 2 hours I'd see him hauling it home. We had a great recycling system.
 
The yard sales, garage sales, patio sales, carport sales are always fun, and sometimes you can get a good deal on tools or fishing equipment.

However, the majority of stuff on display could just go to the county dump.....
 
I never had one, and I rarely go to one, unless I need something in particular and can see it from the street. Once I bought a couple of kitchen chairs that served the purpose, but as Thomas said, most of the stuff is junk. Every now and then I have something that I put a Free sign on, and it's usually gone in hours.
 
I've found some real treasures...a bag of Boyd's Bears for under $5, a moon pitcher, many unusual things. the first things I look for are dog or cat themed and/or books.
 
Ever since a friend of mine imported bed bugs into her home with something she bought at a yard sale, my enthusiasm has seriously waned. They can be hiding in anything, and you don't know you've got 'em until you are all covered with red itchy spots. Once they are in your home, they are extremely hard (and expensive) to get rid of.
 
fureverywhere said:
I've found some real treasures...a bag of Boyd's Bears for under $5, a moon pitcher, many unusual things. the first things I look for are dog or cat themed and/or books.
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Good finds Fur. I buy cat themed stuff for my mother. She has quite a collection of china kitties now.
 
tnthomas said:
The yard sales, garage sales, patio sales, carport sales are always fun, and sometimes you can get a good deal on tools or fishing equipment.

However, the majority of stuff on display could just go to the county dump.....
Click to expand...

I get tools from yard sales too. They're very expensive in hardware and craft supply stores and yard sales are always full of them.
 
Son_of_Perdition said:
Garage, yard, patio, flea, rummage sales are still a rose. I used to like going to flea markets, sometimes I would find things I couldn't live without and then upon retirement, downsizing and relocating I discovered I had a fine collection of other people's cast off's to stock up for my own sale. My wife and 2 daughters conducted a joint effort over two weekends. We made $1,100 the 1st and $300 on the second. I found myself haggling over a $2.50 sale which I'm sure I paid $10 for 3 years before, we even sold a couple of the tables used for display.

After the 2nd weekend we loaded my truck and trailer with everything that didn't sell and donated that to the local 2nd hand store. What I didn't want to haul such as mattresses and book cases was stacked at our corner curb with a 'free' sign, everything was hauled away by other treasure hunters within 12 hours. My wife still goes to 'Estate Sales' and has a fetish for chairs and unique tables that we have given away. My previous next door neighbor was a hoarder so over the years anything I didn't want was placed in our driveway with a 'free' sign and within 2 hours I'd see him hauling it home. We had a great recycling system.
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Good job SonOP! ;)
 
Old Flea Market Maxwell St. Chicago
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Modern Flea Market
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Yard Sale.
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