Are Garage Sales Changing?

[billjustbill]

I believe garage sales are "changing".... Both last weekend and this weekend, I saw two addresses where the sellers were using Technology to pump up their prices. One place, the fellow was selling out of a semitrailer setting to the side of his house. Picture this: The few things that are price, are overpriced.... When I asked about an unmarked item, he said, "Just a minute, I haven't had time to get things priced." There, setting in lonely patio chair with some of his "drinking buddies" on each side of him, he has his laptop out, and is checking EBay and Google to see what "his things" were bringing....

Yesterday, in a nicer neighborhood, I bought a chainsaw in good shape, started easily, and with a brand new bar and chain. To one side of his driveway, the owner had a new roll of 5' tall garden wire fencing. I just simply wanted a price..... He took out his I-Phone, scanned the barcode and said, "Well, I see it sells for between $44.95-$49.99, at Tractor supply and several other stores. I'll take $38.00, so I don't have to take it back."

I paid for the 18" chainsaw and politely left......

What type of pricing or "Technology" are you seeing as you go to garage sales?

 

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[treasurekidd]

I haven't seen anything like that yet, but if I did, I wouldn't even bother to buy anything. If they want ebay prices for their stuff, let them sell it on ebay themselves.

 

[krazyace]

I have been to one sale where they had pages printed out and taped by their stuff stating what it was going for on ebay(BIN).
Hopefully it is not a trend.

 

[Ursus]

I have been to one sale where they had pages printed out and taped by their stuff stating what it was going for on ebay(BIN).
Hopefully it is not a trend.

Saw one of those two weeks ago. They printed it out with a Buy It Now, not with a completed auction. And believe me, it was on of those Buy It Nows that were looking for WELL over what it goes for on EBay! I just shook my head and prayed that this was not a sign of things to come ...

 

[CladSpends2]

I have seen it at the local flea market and at one yardsale the weekend before last. I hope it doens't become the norm. Never thought to ask if it was becoming widespread. Just more evidence to me that this site is awesome, everyone is a great help to the novices like me.

T.

 

[goldinmypan]

We all use ebay or other sites to research our items to determine what to ask. At the flea market I sell at I usually start at a little over half of the highest price I find. Leaves someone else room to make a little profit also. Of course I wouldn't buy at the ebay top price.

 

[brendan1414]

I see this a little, but not often. Another view on it though might be to the person that really WANTS the item. People that will use it forever and keep it, then it would be worth knocking the price off a little then ebay, or say tractor supply. To us treasure hunters, and resellers, its hard to appreciate a couple bucks lower then retail.

 

[diggummup]

I agree that if you actually collect something then you would pay more than someone who is looking to resell. However, I think if your gonna have a yard sale then you should expect to get yardsale prices. I have seen ebay listings printed out and attached to items before and I usually end up buying nothing from them and have a good laugh on the way to the car. I have seen this for years though, and it doesn't seem to be getting any worse, at least ot around here. Your always gonna have people who overprice their items. That just tells me that they aren't really ready to part with them yet. If they were, they would price them accordingly. If you want to attract buyers for certain collector items, then itemize your listing with said items, and a price, and a phone number for purchase beforehand. IMO- Yardsales are for getting rid of excess crap that is taking up space or maybe large items that aren't cost effective to ship. I had a sale a couple weekends ago, I sold several items that I could have sold on ebay or at a show for more, but I wanted some quick cash so I let them go at a bargain price. If someone wants top dollar for their items, they should list them on Craigslist, the local newspaper, Ebay or some other online site. Historically, yardsales are at the bottom of the monetary food chain when it comes to the resale of any item.

 

[OldSowBreath]

Here also is how garage sales are changing (at least in the 4th largest city in the US):

1. No gold, silver or decent jewelry
2. No militaria
3. No coins
4. Horribly obsolete computers, printers, fax machines
5. Company logoed koozies, tote bags, etc. for $5.00 each
6. Romance paperbacks for $2.00
7. Back issues of TV Guide (shades of Seinfeld!)
8. Broken toys
9. Clothing rejected by Goodwill
10. Workout VHS tapes with non-hot women
11. Ratty pots and pans
12 Opened and used cans of paint, perfume, shampoo, bodywashes and household cleaners
13 Those Chinese made barbeque accessories they got free when they opened a checking account
14 Skanky coffee mugs
15. Those Chinese made wine stoppers, pourer kits they got at Christmas
16 Wicker anything
17 The faux Persian rug that was under the motorcycle in the garage

Did I leave anything else out?

 

[cyberdan]

(at least in the 4th largest city in the US):

1. No gold, silver or decent jewelry
3. No coins
4. Horribly obsolete computers, printers, fax machines
11. Ratty pots and pans

Philly is a long way from me. I do OK in Orange county, out in La La land.

I look mostly for the items you listed above. I always get silver and sometimes gold. 3.6gr 14K ring last weekend covered with Citrine $50 and two gold earing posts (value $8-9) mixed in with some silver junk, 25¢.

I get coins every now and then, but less than last year.

I look for old computers and do pretty good. Most of the time they are free or I pay $1 (I also buy old cell phones, over 1000 last month)

Ratty pots and pans are cheap too. Cast aluminum and non-mag stainless.

I recycle everything.

Oh, and I get a lot of brass and copper k-rap too.

 

[Love It Twice 2009]

Dan, funny you mention recycling, scrap is up pretty decent in pa right now. I was just at the yard yesterday and got 3.00lb for copper and 1.50lb for brass. Everybody and there brother is scrapping right now. Tin is floating around 10/100 and heavy steel is sitting at 12/100 which is really high. I was scrapping steel at 8/100 last year, so I'm loving it, but getting harder to find.

 

[OldSowBreath]

Not Philly, Dan - Houston. We surpassed Philly several years ago to be the fourth largest. Still no gold, silver or coins, though.

 

[Customx_12]

Using technology to check the prices will be the norm in the next year or so. Garage sales and estate sales have been getting more and more crowded with buyers trying to find the one big find that they can go on Antiques Roadshow with or just make a killing on eBay. More and more people have smartphones to check the prices before they buy so it only makes sense that the sellers use the same technology before they sell.

Also, they are coming out with a new T.V. show about estate sales. The storage unit shows ruined the auctions out here in California and I have no doubt that the estate sale shows will do the same thing.

Of course there will always be the garage sales by the elderly who have no idea how to use technology to look things up. That will probably be the last goldmine left.

 

[diggummup]

Here also is how garage sales are changing (at least in the 4th largest city in the US):

1. No gold, silver or decent jewelry
2. No militaria
3. No coins
4. Horribly obsolete computers, printers, fax machines
5. Company logoed koozies, tote bags, etc. for $5.00 each
6. Romance paperbacks for $2.00
7. Back issues of TV Guide (shades of Seinfeld!)
8. Broken toys
9. Clothing rejected by Goodwill
10. Workout VHS tapes with non-hot women
11. Ratty pots and pans
12 Opened and used cans of paint, perfume, shampoo, bodywashes and household cleaners
13 Those Chinese made barbeque accessories they got free when they opened a checking account
14 Skanky coffee mugs
15. Those Chinese made wine stoppers, pourer kits they got at Christmas
16 Wicker anything
17 The faux Persian rug that was under the motorcycle in the garage

Did I leave anything else out?

I hear ya and I agree. Luckily, I live in an area that has so many garage sales that me and the wife do what we call "drive by's". We can usually tell if it's worth stopping for, without getting out of the car. If not, then we just drive on by. You can tell alot by the way the ad is written too, if it is advertised. I also do a little research (if time allows) as to the owners of the property (esp. with estate sales), ie- their age (or obit), how long they've lived there, house value, even civil and criminal case searches. All of this county info is available with an address and a couple clicks on the computer, all for free.

 

[Nightowl 280]

Here in florida i see a wide range of technology enhanced pricing . For the most part there are 2-4 types of garage sales .

1. The no clue garage sale - no clue on price or value of there items
2. Partial clue because a friend or the internet said some thing was worth more .
3. The part time dealer sale - everything priced off ebay bin high pricing Not alot of movement on items .

Estate sale wise its varied

For the most part i hate estate sales . Im not a big enough dealer to get really good pricing and i dont have a every day/week shop to get large mark up pricing . Other then my ebay sales im mainly a reseller to other dealers . Most of the time when i set up at the flea market all my sales happen before the market opens to other dealers . The exception to this is my $1 jewelry bin and the other bulk nick nack and craft stuff which i sell all day long .

Estate sales wont change much because the ones running it all have a set formula to there sales based on days of sales total worth of the estate . The shows and technology may change how some of it is run but at the end of the day the dealers have the money and need to have profit margins to run there biz . If the estate sale price the big guys out of the picture they wont sell off the whole estate . Having knowledge of the product and good understanding of outlets of sale will make it hard for the followers to keep up in the biz of reselling .

Garage sale wise I am very honest with ppl i deal with . If they ask questions . Ive talked to ppl about there pricing and where it is best to sell a item . Ive also talked with them about the pricing i need to get on a item to make my margins . Last week i talked with a guy on his comic book collection . We went over his option for sale and where he could get better pricing and in the end he sold to me for the price i want to pay because the other options involved alot more work and time then he was willing to put into it . In the end its about knowledge and being able to chat with ppl .

 

[diggummup]

Here in florida i see a wide range of technology enhanced pricing . For the most part there are 2-4 types of garage sales .

1. The no clue garage sale - no clue on price or value of there items
2. Partial clue because a friend or the internet said some thing was worth more .
3. The part time dealer sale - everything priced off ebay bin high pricing Not alot of movement on items .

Estate sale wise its varied

For the most part i hate estate sales . Im not a big enough dealer to get really good pricing and i dont have a every day/week shop to get large mark up pricing . Other then my ebay sales im mainly a reseller to other dealers . Most of the time when i set up at the flea market all my sales happen before the market opens to other dealers . The exception to this is my $1 jewelry bin and the other bulk nick nack and craft stuff which i sell all day long .

Estate sales wont change much because the ones running it all have a set formula to there sales based on days of sales total worth of the estate . The shows and technology may change how some of it is run but at the end of the day the dealers have the money and need to have profit margins to run there biz . If the estate sale price the big guys out of the picture they wont sell off the whole estate . Having knowledge of the product and good understanding of outlets of sale will make it hard for the followers to keep up in the biz of reselling .

Garage sale wise I am very honest with ppl i deal with . If they ask questions . Ive talked to ppl about there pricing and where it is best to sell a item . Ive also talked with them about the pricing i need to get on a item to make my margins . Last week i talked with a guy on his comic book collection . We went over his option for sale and where he could get better pricing and in the end he sold to me for the price i want to pay because the other options involved alot more work and time then he was willing to put into it . In the end its about knowledge and being able to chat with ppl .

Down here there are two kinds of estate sales. Ones held by an estate sale company (usually avoid), and ones held by family members (the good ones). I've found estate sales listed as yardsales before by doing the background research. Just last weekend as a matter of fact.

 

[bazinga]

Here also is how garage sales are changing (at least in the 4th largest city in the US):

1. No gold, silver or decent jewelry
2. No militaria
3. No coins
4. Horribly obsolete computers, printers, fax machines
5. Company logoed koozies, tote bags, etc. for $5.00 each
6. Romance paperbacks for $2.00
7. Back issues of TV Guide (shades of Seinfeld!)
8. Broken toys
9. Clothing rejected by Goodwill
10. Workout VHS tapes with non-hot women
11. Ratty pots and pans
12 Opened and used cans of paint, perfume, shampoo, bodywashes and household cleaners
13 Those Chinese made barbeque accessories they got free when they opened a checking account
14 Skanky coffee mugs
15. Those Chinese made wine stoppers, pourer kits they got at Christmas
16 Wicker anything
17 The faux Persian rug that was under the motorcycle in the garage

Did I leave anything else out?

For the most part, I agree with that list. But, I too live in a top 20 size city and have good luck with #1 and #3. Some recent examples:

Last summer I picked up a 73 oz set of sterling for $50.

So far this year: 250+ silver war nickels at 15 cents each (he wanted melt for his dimes, quarters, etc) 200+ dated buffalo nickels for 20 cents each, including some higher grade teens ones.

Set of silverplate with 5 pieces of sterling mixed in for $20

Loads more misc bills and coins for scrap.

Lots of scrap silver

Last weekend picked up a nice 14k bracelet in the rich neighborhood for $1.50.

Been picking up random waterford for $1-3 each. Picked up 4 ornaments last year for $30 and got a little over $600 for them online.

The sales you drive by, I used to drive by as well. I thought I knew it all. Now I stop at every one no matter how bad they look and those are the ones I now get the gold/silver at. There is always some tiny little box hidden away with jewelry.


---

But, as far as quality antiques and collectibles, I haven't seen those at yard sales in years. And to comment on the original post, I see ebay printouts almost every day I go out to yard sales. Some days, nearly every sale has one. And oddly enough, those are the sales where they have some unmarked piece of glass or pottery for a quarter that I steal from other their noses while they are trying to get $50 for that common piece of milk glass.

The worst sales are the ones of other dealers. Every time you think you find a great price on an item, you find a chip on it somewhere. One sale last year I bought a few items at, got home and looked them up and they had went unsold the week before, ha. But, somehow I made decent money on them since anything that he couldn't sell online he was selling for like a quarter an item.

---

But the heyday of yard sales is over, sadly. eBay killed them. When I started on ebay in 2001/2002 in college, I could go out and buy 50 good items to list on ebay each weekend. Now, I'm happy to find 2 or 3 items to list online.

 

[extractor]

Usually By 9 am in the morning, If I drive up to a sale and there is a lot of good stuff there ,,,
It has E bay pricing on the items.

 

[Nightowl 280]

Here in florida i see a wide range of technology enhanced pricing . For the most part there are 2-4 types of garage sales .

1. The no clue garage sale - no clue on price or value of there items
2. Partial clue because a friend or the internet said some thing was worth more .
3. The part time dealer sale - everything priced off ebay bin high pricing Not alot of movement on items .

Estate sale wise its varied

For the most part i hate estate sales . Im not a big enough dealer to get really good pricing and i dont have a every day/week shop to get large mark up pricing . Other then my ebay sales im mainly a reseller to other dealers . Most of the time when i set up at the flea market all my sales happen before the market opens to other dealers . The exception to this is my $1 jewelry bin and the other bulk nick nack and craft stuff which i sell all day long .

Estate sales wont change much because the ones running it all have a set formula to there sales based on days of sales total worth of the estate . The shows and technology may change how some of it is run but at the end of the day the dealers have the money and need to have profit margins to run there biz . If the estate sale price the big guys out of the picture they wont sell off the whole estate . Having knowledge of the product and good understanding of outlets of sale will make it hard for the followers to keep up in the biz of reselling .

Garage sale wise I am very honest with ppl i deal with . If they ask questions . Ive talked to ppl about there pricing and where it is best to sell a item . Ive also talked with them about the pricing i need to get on a item to make my margins . Last week i talked with a guy on his comic book collection . We went over his option for sale and where he could get better pricing and in the end he sold to me for the price i want to pay because the other options involved alot more work and time then he was willing to put into it . In the end its about knowledge and being able to chat with ppl .

Down here there are two kinds of estate sales. Ones held by an estate sale company (usually avoid), and ones held by family members (the good ones). I've found estate sales listed as yardsales before by doing the background research. Just last weekend as a matter of fact.

We have a list of good estate sale companys and bad ones price wise . For the most part the good ones will wheel and deal on the first day if you spend a good amount because in the end dealerwise you are there lifeblood. But there is always odd sales and pricing every now and then .

 

[OldSowBreath]

One thing I'm doing is keeping a database of addresses I've already been to in prior weeks. Running into a lot of never ending garage and estate sales. In one instance, I was at a garage sale and the nice old lady was telling me how her husband had died and she was cleaning out before moving. There were a few interesting things, though high-priced. Then I noticed a woman in a van bringing in stuff to add to what was already there. Then I remembered I had been there before, heard the the same spiel previously, and her friend who was merely bringing stuff from a junk shop to pawn off on us. Pros posing as an amateurs.

But a ray of sunshine every now and then. Beatles White Album, Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour, all in fair condition, but with all the original inserts (posters and photographs and lyric sheets), $1.00 each.

Canon FTb in a terribly moldy camera case - $10.00. When I finally got the case off, in beautifull condition, no evidence of water damage.

Brass Zippo lighter .50, pocketknife with spoon and fork $1.00, 10 feet of new copper tubing $1.00.

No gold or silver, of course. At lease I'm finding one of the noble metals.