How To Make The Most Of Your Shopping Trips To Garage Sales

You’ve heard of those women that wake up early and find the treasure of all treasures at a garage sale and wonder how you can be such an excellent shopper. Here are a few hints in how to become the professional garage sale shopper.

Waking up early for those sales is a great way to get the best variety of deals. Most sellers just want to get rid of as much “junk” as possible, so they have everything out there at the crack of dawn. If you are one of the first to get to the sale, then you have the first choice in the things you want and need.

Of course, sometimes, sellers aren’t willing to bargain so early in the morning, but at least, you have everything laid out in front of you. Some sellers only bring thing out as other items are sold. At this sale, you will have to come back later for future deals, so don’t go to these as early as the sun rises.

Carry lots of small bills and a few large bills for larger items. Most sellers just want cash and don’t carry a lot of change. If you have the exact change, sellers will be very happy to accept your money.

Make a list of things that you need and want for your home. This will help you figure out if a garage sale is worth stopping at when you drive by. For example, if you are looking for baby clothes, but the garage sale is only selling couches and tables, then keep driving on to the next garage sale as you will only be wasting your time looking at things you don’t need.

Consider calling a garage sale ad if you aren’t sure what they are selling. For example, if an ad has “coffee table”, first call the seller and asks what kind of table is it, how large is it, and what color it is. If the coffee table is not what you are looking for, then you’ve saved a trip.

Consider the neighborhood wide garage sale. Sometimes, neighborhoods get together once a year and have garage sales at each house. This garage sale saves you from driving all over town looking for whatever you want. You can just park your car at one corner and walk down the street, looking for items to buy. Glance at each garage sale and decide where you’ll be buying most of your goods.

If you know that you will be buying a lot of items at one particular garage sale, ask the sellers if they are willing to give you a discount. Most sellers just want to see their stuff sold, so savvy sellers will offer you a great discount, but only if you ask.

If you are just having fun at garage sales and aren’t looking for anything particular, you can go at the end of the sale and get discounts because the sellers are usually pretty anxious get rid of as many things as possible before they close up. Just ask the sellers if they are willing to go down for you to buy their items. Most will say “sure.”

If you are buying appliances, make sure that you can at least test them out. You don’t want to have to load an old stove home only to discover that it was broken. The seller will just say “as is” and you will have to get rid of the stove on your own. Most sellers are willing to plug in an appliance and give you the user manuals for you if you want to buy their appliances.