Start Times, How Early Do You Show Up?

[diggummup]

I gotta vent a little after this mornings escapade.

I try to give sellers some respect to the start times they list for their sale. However depending upon the distance from my home to the first sale, sometimes I will show up an hour early and just sit in my car until they are ready, or until some other schmuck shows up and starts digging or knocking on doors (in the case of an estate sale). Usually though, I will show up no more than a half hour early to my first stop. That's about to stop.

Here's my story from today...

So today I more or less got rained out. Made it to a couple garage sales and 1 privately held estate sale but the WW1 items I went there for were already sold. The part that sucks is, I corresponded with the seller days in advance to let them know I was coming and would buy the items they said they had for the agreed price. However, because I showed up only 30 minutes early, instead of an hour or more before the advertised start time, they already sold the stuff. That's what I get for being civilized by showing a little respect for the start time listed.

I'm gonna join the uncouth, inbred, 3rd world savage, ingrates around here and just go no holds barred from now on and start knocking on doors the day they post their listing. Why not, it seems to be the norm, can't beat'em, join 'em. I've always agreed, the early bird gets the worm, and from now on I will be the very earliest bird.

I guess i'm just po'd about not getting the WW1 memorabilia today, but I will not be paying attention to start times anymore. No one else does around here.

Find for the day- a box of 70-80 Albums for $5.

 

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[bazinga]

Since I just hit yard sales willy nilly, I can't complain too much about start times. I couldn't even tell you where people advertise their yard sales around here except for the signs on the side of the road.

But I do have a story that relates to yours in regards to estate sales. There was a major glass collection being sold at an estate sale almost 4 hours from me. I was planning on getting a hotel the night before and being there extra early to wait in line. They had some fantastic / rare pieces advertised. I called up a few days before just to confirm everything and ask about condition of some of the pieces. To my amazement, every single valuable piece had already been sold. There was nothing left of value over about $100 or so. No longer worth the ride at all. I was pissed!

And to add some frustration to it, I asked what she sold a couple of the pieces for. One piece I was prepared to go up to about $1,000 on it as I knew I could get $1,500 for it. She sold it for $200 and you could hear the excitement in her voice for getting that price. *puke*

 

[diggummup]

It's become very cutthroat down here. I'm telling you, people pounce on these things the moment they are listed. The better the ad sounds in regards to the items mentioned, the more competition there's gonna be. Besides the regular dealers who show up before the sun comes up, and the Haitians (which actually haven't been bothering me in terms of what they buy, it's more the technique they use when buying), you got these fly by night newbies who've been watching too much TV and think they are gonna make a fortune buying and reselling antiques and collectibles.

Many of these people grab stuff at sales and run around holding it while researching it on their phone, or their partner watches their pile while researching whether they "actually" want it or not. Bunch of friggin amateurs, don't even know what they are looking for, or at, much less what it's worth or what to pay for it.

 

[Rodbuster209]

I agree with you, I use to get there say 15 minutes early and almost everything of value is gone,now If it sounds good I will at least roll by between 45 minutes to an hour early to hopefully get a shot at something good. Some of the real aggressive dealers here will go by the day before and catch the people while there are getting ready! Last weekend here where I live they had a city wide yard sales, where the paper ran free ads for everyone, So what does the paper do, run a feature story on how to go at least half an hour early, how to check ebay, what you should look for to resell, how you should plot your course, so today there was a massive amount of people at all the sales. Gl..........Scott.

 

[oldgoat]

Its not just American Pickers, diggum....there are at least 3 shows in my area where everything is a treasure, spike tv and any other channel that is about leisure time has them. they have a new one coming on soon bout buying unclaimed baggage from the airlines....Reality tv has screwed a bunch of us folks just trying to make a living....goat

 

[diggummup]

Its not just American Pickers, diggum....there are at least 3 shows in my area where everything is a treasure, spike tv and any other channel that is about leisure time has them. they have a new one coming on soon bout buying unclaimed baggage from the airlines....Reality tv has screwed a bunch of us folks just trying to make a living....goat

LOL, Yeah I caught an episode of the "unclaimed airline baggage" show just the other day. As it happened it was being held at MIA down here. I can tell you firsthand that it's not reality, those people on the show are actors and their finds are planted for entertainment purposes.

I actually like watching American Pickers even if their selling prices are a little much, at least they really pick for a living. Well... they used to, the show probably makes them most of their dough nowadays.

 

[jerseyben]

American Pickers is actually a good show and I enjoy it very much.
Anyway, Diggum: I have personally gone to sales the night before only to find out that I am not even the first person there! It really is true that the early bird gets the worm. Thankfully, NOONE is so good that they completely pick a place clean. It hurts a little to think of the things I might have missed but at least getting there 2nd or 3rd I can typically walk away with some goodies nonetheless.

 

[crankyolman22]

I gave up on estate sales when I showed up to one 4 hours early only to be told that someone started giving out "street numbers" 3 days early and there were 50 people ahead of me. Now I just show up whenever I get around to it. I don't care for the pushy radical competition when I can do better at an auction.

 

[Randyd]

The best time show up for estate sales is the day before.

 

[2screwed]

Reminds me of a yard sale the wife, her two daughters and I went to one beautiful Saturday morning. There was a pretty nice crowd there picking their treasures from amongst the usual tables of yard sale items when a black SUV speeds up the driveway and comes to an abrupt stop. Out jumps a woman who hurry's from table to table. She pushes one daughter aside and grabs an item out of our younger daughters hands that my wife had given her to hold. Now, my wife is Apache and Irish so I don't think I need to describe the commotion that followed. That was 15 years ago and that dealer still leaves when she see's my wife.