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Garage Sale Buying Strategies

by Louise Kurzeka

Occasionally multiple households will hold a centralized super-sale. Take along a wagon, shopping cart or lightweight basket for shopping a neighborhood sale. There's a lot of walking and not much driving involved when touring a large sale. Periodically return to the car and unload newly acquired treasures.

Plan out a route for visiting multiple sales. Write down the addresses of each sale, locate each on a map and use the information to come up with a logical order to follow once on the road. This not only helps from an organizational standpoint, but it also provides a little familiarity with the areas to be visited, lessening the chances of getting lost or confused by unfamiliar street names.

Take clothing measurements of family members ahead of time. Carry a list of sleeve lengths, inseams, neck, chest and waist sizes, and pack along a cloth measuring tape to see if items are likely to fit.

Many areas have a day that is more or less a designated garage sale day. Find out if such a day is set locally and plan your shopping around that day.

Most garage sales begin at 8 a.m. Be there when they open to find the best selections, especially if the sale has been advertised in the paper. Some sales let "early birds" in, but do respect the advertised hours of the sale.

Make a game plan for the time you want to spend shopping at garage sales. Check out the garage-sale listings in the classifieds section of the newspaper, then locate one central area to hone in on.

Effective garage-sale shopping requires energy. Bring along some snacks and keep a water bottle handy.

Carry money in small bills, especially at the beginning of the day. Don't use a bill larger than $20 for a $1 purchase. You could clear the cashier out of all his or her small bills. Also carry your money in a fanny pack.

Make a few swings through the sale before making any purchases or leaving. Sometimes something desirable will go overlooked on the first pass. This also provides a little breather to think about a purchase first. Don't wait too long, though, or another shopper could snap up the treasure.

Open up board games or puzzles to make sure that either all of the pieces are included, or that there are at least enough are there to play the game.

When buying electrically powered items, ask to plug them in before purchasing. Make sure the item runs, plays music, lights up or otherwise fulfills its basic function.

Finally, don't be afraid to haggle. Be reasonable and respectful.

Copyright Louise Kurzeka

If you have any interesting stories or tips about setting up a garage sale or shopping at garage sales please e-mail us at CBHcontact@gmail.com.