Aggressive Bargaining Part 2: When to Ask for a Price and When to State a Price

Sorry for the poor title.  I couldn't think of anything better.

I would say that the three most difficult parts of bargaining are knowing what to pay, knowing where to start your bargaining, and knowing when to ask for a price and knowing when to state a price.  Indeed, these three topics were the most difficult for me when I started garage saling but I have since learned a few general rules I am going to discuss.  Today I am going to start discussing deciding whether to ask for a price or offer a price.  I will probably follow up on this topic shortly as it's fairly complex and I'll probably think of more things to say later.

As I have discussed before, you should always make an offer if prices are marked.  It's best not to ask the seller how much a marked item is because, in my experience, he or she will just tell you that the price is marked.  I've found that you can get a lower price by pretending you didn't see the marked price and making an offer.

The above situation is the only instance in which you will not have to profile your seller to decide how to start your bargaining.  At most garage sales (and all of the best ones), prices will not be marked.  You are forced to size up your seller.

If I'm interested in an item, I always look for clues to try to see how the seller will respond to me making an offer.  One of the easiest things to do is to simply eavesdrop to see how good of deals other people at the sale are getting.  If the seller is accepting pretty much whatever anybody offers, go ahead and make a lowball offer on whatever item interests you.  You can also try to see if people are walking away with stuff as you walk up; if many people are leaving with items, the seller is most likely selling stuff for pretty cheap so lowball away.

If clues don't help you it's time to profile your seller.  If you get offended by gender/age profiling don't read this paragraph or the following paragraph as you will probably be offended.  Over my years of garage saling, I have noticed two general trends.  The first regards age: the younger someone is, the more likely it is that he or she is willing to take lowball offers.  If you have a teenager running a sale, great; they'll probably take any offer, especially if it's their parents stuff they're selling.  On the other end of the spectrum, the elderly are the least likely to accept your offers and the most likely to be offended by your lowballs.  The second trend regards gender: men are more likely to accept lowball offers than women.  Remember, these are just trends and exceptions always exist.  

To be perfectly honest, these techniques really are not exceptionally important skills because if you offer a price and the seller scoffs you can always start bargaining from whatever value the seller wants. These techniques really exist to streamline the bargaining process.  While they may save you a little bit here and there, if you're good at bargaining, you can practically get the item for the same amount just by starting the bargaining at the seller's asking price.

Aggressive Bargaining Part 1: When it Pays to Be a Dick

I'm going to introduce my more aggressive bargaining techniques one at a time in shorter posts.  Be warned: while these techniques do frequently work, there is a chance that you will offend the seller.  Try these at your own risk.

The first technique doesn't really have a name.  I used it once when a seller had been exceptionally rude and unwilling to bargain.  It doesn't always get a reduced price but it does leave the buyer with a feeling of satisfaction and a far lighter change bag.

For this technique, all you have to do is pay in pennies.  Juvenile?  Yes.  Simple?  Exceedingly so.  Effective?  Decently so.  I have seen this technique used three times and it successfully lowered the asking price twice.  

I admit I did not think of this technique; one of my friends invented it when he was buying an item for his sister.  The buyer wanted $1 for the item even though it had the original price tag on it marked at $1.  Sadly, the buyer insisted on the full price so my friend paid in pennies.  The second time my same friend tried this technique was on a $3 item.  This time, after counting out maybe $1.50, the seller gave in and gave him the item for the money he had counted out.  The one time I tried this technique I got the item for my asking price, provided I not pay in pennies.

Keep in mind this technique will probably anger your seller.  Please only try it when the seller has been rude/hostile and unwilling to bargain because it gives garage salers a bad name.  It is pretty rude to be honest.

Don't Be a Dick: More Etiquette

This ties into my first garage sale etiquette discussion.  I feel these two topics are pretty closely related.

Let's say you're garage saling with a group and there's an item two or more people want. How do you determine who gets it?

The way my friends and I resolve this issue is that the first person to either verbally state that they want the item or to simply walk up to the item and grab it gets first dibs. Verbally stating that you want it gets precedence because it's pretty rude to grab something after someone has pointed it out saying they want it and to then defend your position by stating "you got it first."

It is perfectly acceptable to tell the person who claimed it that you will buy it if they don't to establish an order of precedence.  In fact, this is probably preferable to avoid any disputes.

How to Know When You're Paying Too Much

Back in my first post, I mentioned that the first item I remember purchasing from a garage sale was the first season of the Simpsons on DVD for $2.  I also mentioned I paid too much.  This is where I discuss one of the reasons I know that.

When I bought those DVDs back in 2006, the woman who was selling them told me to make me an offer when I inquired about the price.  I offered $2 and she immediately accepted with no hesitation. This is how I know I paid too much: if sellers don't counter your offer, you offered a sum greater than their minimum and are thus overpaying.

What do you do when this happens?  You can't tell the seller you changed your mind and make a lower offer.  The only thing you can do is remember this incident and offer less for similar items in the future.

The same holds true for selling items, as I mentioned before regarding Nintendo 64 controllers and in my first post regarding my metal detector.  I've found that if you have people inquiring about your item within the first week your asking price is too low.  This proved a problem regarding those controllers I mentioned above because on Amazon, once you sell an item, you can't raise your price so I was stuck earning a few dollars less than I should have. 

On Craigslist, this isn't issue such a big deal; you can either just ask potential buyers for more money, explaining that you've reconsidered your asking price (or just lie and say it was a price mistake, people are less likely to get indignant when you say this I've found) or just not respond to them and raise the price on your ad.  I do this quite frequently with my Craigslist items now, especially textbooks.  

When reselling items, don't be afraid to ask for more money if you face unexpected demand.  Some people will get offended for reasons I cannot fathom; they, after all, are not entitled to purchase the item from you as I have had some people angrily claim (over email, luckily).  Don't make a mistake like I did selling the metal detector.  When I sold it, I had someone come and pick it up within 24 hours of my listing it.  He didn't even try to bargain me down.  In retrospect, I should have held relisted it for $100 and waited for $75 or $80 because $50 was clearly too little.

End of Year Report: 2011

Disclaimer: Google Docs ate my records sometime in late January or early February of this year.  This report includes discussion of records from March to December of 2011, as March was the first month I went garage saling after my data loss.  I could attempt to reconstruct my purchase record based on memory, and while I would remember most of my purchases, especially the major ones, I would certainly forget a few.  Therefore, to remain firmly in the realm of the documented, this report will only include data post-February.

I went garage saling fourteen times in 2011: once in March, once in July, once in August, four times in September, three times in October, twice in November, and twice in December.  In total, I spent $61.40, or approximately $4.39 per weekend.

I won't bore you with breakdowns of what I spent every weekend, but I would like to take the time to highlight some of my more impressive purchases.  Or you know, brag:

Item	Purchase Date	Cost	Resold?	Est. Resale Value
TI-84+ Silver Edition Graphing Calculator	7/30	$3	Yes, $75	$60-$80
New Kindle 3	9/3	$13	No, kept for myself	$60-$80
Sony PRS-50 Ereader	9/17	$5	No, gift	$40-$50
Thermarest Camping Pad	10/22	$1	No, kept for myself	$30-$40
Playstation 2	11/5	$3	Not yet	$30-$40
TI-92 Graphing Calculator	11/5	$1	Not yet	$35-$50
Laser Challenge Laser Tag Set	12/10	$3	Not yet	$40-$70

As I thought I mentioned before, for me, garage saling is a profitable enterprise even after accounting for gas.  This is where I prove it.  I will make a number of assumptions in my calculations, which I will mention, but I will be sure to err on the side of conservatism because (1) I am an engineer and (2) I want to make my point as convincing as possible.

As I mentioned above, I spent a total of $61.40 at garage sales this year.  After accounting for shipping costs and Amazon/eBay fees, I sold a number of purchased items for $141.75.  This leaves me at a profit of $80.35 before gas costs.

I will make the following assumptions for gas calculations: fuel price was a constant $4.25 per gallon -- the absolute maximum average price for regular in the state of California in 2011 according to the state government -- throughout the year; the vehicle will get only 15 miles to the gallon; I drove 50% of the trips (even though I have three friends with whom I typically garage sale and we rotate driving relatively evenly); and we drove forty miles per trip, an unusually high figure.  Therefore, gas costs are calculated by:

Cost = 14 trips * 0.5 * 40 miles / trip * 1 gallon / 15 miles * $4.25 / gallon = $79.33

"But wait!" you say.  "That's only $1.02 less than pre-gas profit!  That's not even significant given the uncertainties in your calculation."  Well, yes, but that is a based on a conservative calculation and it doesn't not include profits from items which I have not yet sold, such as the PS2 or the TI-92 graphing calculator.  From these items I anticipate earning an additional $100 minimum, up to $200 if I'm lucky.

Also keep in mind that this figure only includes cash payments on items which I purchased March-December 2011.  During this period, I earned an additional $99.75 on items I purchased before March and I still have a few small things from then I not yet sold.  I also sold a textbook purchased at a garage sale in September for an Amazon gift card valued at $27.51.  I didn't include this in my calculations because it is not cash.

All in all, 2011 wasn't a great year for garage sales.  With only two or three exceptions, sales were rather poor.  It wasn't all negative, though.  I managed to acquire my all-time favorite purchase: my Kindle, even if it was a little pricey.  I also had my most profitable day ever, in which I spent $7 to earn $100.  Sales were starting to look better towards the end of the year, so hopefully they'll continue to pick up in 2012

Now that garage saling season is over until January or February sometime, there won't be any posts bragging about recent purchases for a while.  I'll continue to post, starting with some more introductory bargaining techniques and then I'll get started on pricing items, especially if you intend to resell them.  This is a pretty complex topic and will probably require several weeks of posting.

12/17/11 Purchase Summary

Normally I wouldn't consider garage saling so late in the year but my college roommate was in the area and wanted to go.  Sales were better than I expected but not great; not as good as last week but better than previous years' experience with December sales.

I spent $1.25 total today: $0.50 on a welding mask -- an exceptionally good deal; $0.50 on a metal box that reads "First Aid Kit Life Raft;" and $0.25 on a book -- The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman.

As it says on my about page, this is the sixth welding mask I have purchased.  I first started buying them when they were a novelty -- meaning I had never before seen them at garage sales -- then I started collecting them.  I now have four mounted on my wall in a manner similar to trophies.  I didn't intend to purchase any more but for that price I couldn't pass them up; I usually have to pay between two and four dollars per mask.

I bought the box only because I thought it looked interesting.  As it turns out it may have actually come from a life raft because it has a rubber seal on the inside.  I'm not expert on these things so my assumption may be completely wrong.  Unfortunately, when I removed a strip of tape from the front I found the tape was used to cover up "Rm 13" written in black marker.  I'm hoping applying some ethanol will strip the marker.

The first aid kit box

I actually got trolled pretty well when buying this.  Here's an approximate transcript of the conversation:

Me: "Excuse me, how much?"

Seller: "Fifty."

I stand there for a minute and debate whether I should put it down.

Me: "I'm sorry, did you mean fifty cents or fifty dollars?"

Seller, getting offended: "What do you think, of course I meant fifty dollars!"

Me: "I didn't mean to offend you, your statement was rather ambiguous."

Seller: "I'm just messing with you, kid.  I meant fifty cents."

Me: lost for words.

The Importance of Change

Change is the single most important thing you can take garages saling.  Change greatly increases your efficiency because it makes it unnecessary for you to wait for change from the seller; you pay and go. Furthermore, some sellers are unwilling or hesitant to give change for large bills because it’s too much work for them or it puts too much strain on their change supply.  I’ve seen some buyers turned down because they were unable to pay with anything besides a twenty or even a ten.

I keep a quart-sized Ziplock bag of change in my room for garage saling.  Whenever I make a purchase at a store, any change I receive goes into my bag for Saturday.  Most days that I go garage saling I pay with nothing but my change.  It's convenient on two fronts: it makes garage saling easier and it prevents coins from accumulating.

I always do bring bills with me to garage sales in case there is something more expensive I wish to purchase.  I usually bring $30: $10 in ones, $10 in fives, and a $10 bill.  This more than covers the most I have ever spent or desired to spend at a sale.  The most I have ever spent on a single day of garage saling is $15.50 on September 3, 2011; $13 of that was spent on my Kindle.

I Just Made a Horrible Amateur's Mistake

Since I graduated college six months ago, I have undergone a major downsizing.  I had three garage sales over the summer and anything I hadn’t used recently or didn’t intend to use in the future was out for sale.  Of the stuff that didn’t sell, most went to Goodwill.  A few things I kept to try to sell on Craigslist because I knew I could get a decent bit of money for them.

Most of that stuff is gone now.  As of taking inventory Sunday, I had a 1971 Super 8 camera, some video games, two mechanical keyboards, and two Nintendo 64 controllers.  Monday afternoon I decided I’m sick of seeing the stuff and list the N64 controllers on Amazon.  Knowing that the low price for a controller is $9.25, I list one for $10.49 and the other for $10.99 (one was in slightly better condition than the other).  There were five or six controllers priced below mine.

I come back to my computer three hour later and both controllers have sold.

This is a problem because it means I am not maximizing my profit.  When selling an item, I typically price it fairly higher than the lowest cost.  If the item doesn’t sell after two weeks, I’ll lower the price.  I’ll keep lowering it until it sells or it’s the lowest priced item. This way I am, at least hopefully, selling right at the buyer’s maximum price.

In this case, I didn’t do my research.  Since selling N64 controllers on Amazon is a new market for me, I should have followed sales of N64 controllers over the course of a few days so I could see that the lowest priced controllers sell very quickly.  I forgot the most important rule of reselling: always know your market.  

I can’t complain too much, really.  These were spare controllers — in rather poor condition — I bought bundled with consoles at garage sales quite a while ago.  I had since resold the consoles without the controllers for a fair profit and I made more than $15 after shipping on the controllers.  Still, the shame burns.

Good news, everyone!

Good news, everyone!  As it turns out I was able to fix all of the laser tag system's non-working components.  It was a case of cut wires, corrosion, and I'm not sure what else.  I also did a bit of research and realized that the systems are worth more than I had assumed; sets of two vests and two guns are listed for -- and sell for -- up to $50 on eBay.  This means my initial resale value estimate of $20-$30 is off.  By how much I'm not sure; I guess I'll find out when I get sick of wasting batteries with those things.

12/10/11 Purchase Summary

I don't usually go saling this close to Christmas, but a friend called me at 7:30 this morning after he stayed up all night to see the eclipse.  Sales were surprisingly good this weekend, better than anything in the last month or two.

That said, I made two purchases today for a total of $6.  I bought ten books for $3.  Thirty cents per book is higher than my usual limit of twenty-five cents per book but they were books I had been intending to read anyway.  I guess that shows that someone as dogmatic as I will still break the rules occasionally.  My other purchase -- again for $3 -- was a kid's laser tag set (Laser Challenge for those of you who remember those).  Included were nine guns, eight targets, and a Nerf dart target -- completely unrelated to the rest of the bundle.  The Nerf target was in the box so I wasn't going to complain; I'll hold on to it and bundle it with the next lot of Nerf guns I sell.  It will add another $5 to the Nerf guns' resale value.

I bargained for the laser tag system by using the "does it work" trick.  The seller claimed it worked but, when pressed for details, admitted he hadn't used it since "like 1994."  I offered $2 to his initial $5 and we settled at $3.  In actuality, judging by the state of its batteries, the system had been used recently.

I was hoping to use the laser tag system with my friends a few times and then resell it, aiming for $35-$40.  On testing it, I found that only five of the nine guns and four of the eight target vests work.  On the bright side, the guns came with twenty new AA batteries, so I made back my investment in batteries alone.

If I troubleshoot the laser tag system I may be able to get some more, or even all, of its components working.  I'm not worried though.  I'm sure I can still resell the set as-is for at least $20.  As usual, a profitable day.

The Tie-In

The Tie-In is a good technique for when other tactics fail and the seller is unwilling to go any lower.  It’s a way to salvage a decent deal out of a poor situation.

The tie-in is one of the simplest bargaining techniques one can employ.  If the seller refuses to reduce his or her price further, stop talking to him or her and start looking around the sale for something else that interests you.  Do not put down your items lest someone else be interested in them and take them.  Never, under any circumstances, should you put down an item until you are sure you are not going to buy it; furthermore, as soon as you see something that interests you go over and pick it up.

If there isn’t anything you want, take whatever your friend has, if anything.  Then, offer your seller’s low price for your original items plus the new item(s).  Even if the new item(s) aren’t really something you want, you can give them as a gift.

The Importance of Bargaining and Manuals

Let’s say you’re at a sale and you have an item you want to buy.  You’ve bargained the seller down to $5 but it’s more than you want to pay and the seller refuses to go any lower.  What do you do?

There are numerous ways you can proceed.  The first is simple: if the manual isn’t there and you know or suspect the item came with one, ask if the owner has it.  Same goes for a software CD or some other accessory.  I would say that 95% of the time the seller is lacking one or more of these items.  Exploit that fact.  ”Well, if you don’t have the manual, I can only give you $2.  I want to be sure I can use it.”  This is a seemingly legitimate argument and sellers are almost always willing to reduce their price upon hearing it.

Protip: manuals for just about everything exist on the internet.  Just go to Google and search for the product number + “manual.”  I’ve used Google after purchasing calculators, Nerf Guns, digital cameras, home security systems, and video game consoles.  I have found the manual every time.  Don't worry if the owner doesn't have the manual, the Internet does.

A similar techniques involves Inspecting the item for any physical flaws: scratches, torn covers, scuffs, etc.  If you see any, ask for a reduced price; you’re buying damaged goods, after all.

Protip: if you purchase a severely scratched DVD or CD that has trouble playing int your player, rip it to your computer and burn it to new media.  The burnt disc will usually work better.  Don’t hesitate to buy that badly scratched movie or album if you can get it for super cheap.

The final technique works for electronics.  Simply ask the seller if the item works.  Most of the time they will tell you they are not sure, capitalize on this.  ”I don’t want to buy something for this much if I’m not sure it’s going to work.”  Get a lower price.  If they tell you it works, ask for a demonstration.  If it’s something like a video game, a movie, a CD, or any other electronic item, they either cannot or will not take the time to prove it works.  Lowball them.  Chances are the item works; if not, you invested next to nothing and you can forget about the money you spent.

An alternative to asking for a demonstration is to ask when they tested the item.  Most people don’t test items to see if they work before their sales so they’ll respond that they used it some number of weeks, months, or years ago.  When they give such a response, look at them for a second and say something like “So it’s been sitting around for that long?”  Chances are the seller will feel like an idiot and offer you a better price.

This last technique and its alternative work especially well for battery-powered items.  Try to turn the item on, if it doesn’t power on, ask the seller if it works because it’s not turning on.  If they assure you it works, try one of the other techniques discussed today.  Most of the time, in my experience, the only problem is that the batteries are dead.  Take the item home, put some new batteries in, and test it out.

Final protip: people buy broken electronics, for parts or whatever.  I have sold a broken printer (never buy a printer from a garage sale, they’re just too unreliable), broken Nerf Guns, and a broken Roomba.  Sure, you don’t make a lot, but you may make enough to cover your purchases and gas for that day.

On the Importance of Bargaining

Here’s a secret: sellers aren’t stupid.  Well, actually, they frequently are, but any seller who has any idea what he or she is doing does one thing: inflate prices.

Say you’re having a garage sale.  You have a decent, working item, say a microwave oven.  You look on Craigslist and, what do you know, the going rate is $15 (an accurate value as of September, at least for Southern California).  How do you price it so you get $15?

The wrong answer is to tell people it’s $15.  Why?  The Second Rule of Bargaining: always make an offer.  When you tell them $15, they’re going to counter with $10, $5, or even $2.  So what do you do?  Inflate your price!  Start at $30, but tell people it was $40 (“I was asking $40 but you can have it for $30″).  This way when they offer $15 you can counter with $20 or $22.  When they offer $10 you can offer $17.  Be sure to stick to your minimum.  Buyers will be much more agreeable when you are willing to bargain and if you settle for higher than your minimum, great.  Free money.

Price inflation is a simple technique used at almost every sale.  People expect you to counter and so they raise their prices accordingly.  Only incredibly naive sellers demand their initial price so always bargain.

The Golden Rule of Garage Saling

I just want to reiterate how important it is that you never try to outbid someone else for an item.  I don’t care if they’re ripping off the seller, it’s an item you desperately want, or you think it’s funny.  It’s not ok or funny.  At all.  I've seen this happen two or three times.  One time the bidder was joking; he was the only person who saw anything funny in the situation.  Every time the buyer was pissed.

Trying to outbid another buyer is just about the lowest thing you can possibly do.  If you were getting the deal of a lifetime (or the year, or whatever) would you want someone to spoil it by making a higher offer?  ”Do unto others,” right?  It’s the Golden Rule, except not really because you’re helping another buyer screw over the seller.

Seriously, don’t do it.

Bargaining Without Feeling Like a Scumbag, or, Bargaining Pt. 1 of Many

Many Americans feel uncomfortable bargaining for whatever reason.  I’m going to start introducing some beginner’s bargaining tactics that should make it easy for even the most squeamish to save some money.  Do not feel uncomfortable trying to bargain with people; always try to bargain because if you don’t you’re leaving money on the table.  Remember, there is no room for awkwardness in garage saling, just get over your issues and start bargaining.  Pretty soon it will feel natural.  

I'm going to start introducing two sets of rules: the Rules of Garage Saling and the Rules of Bargaining.  They're simply lists of techniques and etiquette you should always follow.  Tacky?  Yes.  But I feel it is an easy way to remember the fundamentals.  I'll expand the lists as needed.

The first rule I'm going to introduce is actually the Second Rule of Garage Saling: always try to bargain.  I don’t care if it’s the best deal you’ve ever seen; obey the Rule: always try to bargain.  The First Rule of Garage Saling is a matter of courtesy: never try to outbid someone on an item for which he or she is bargaining.  

The first few bargaining techniques — which will be discussed over the next few days — are mild enough for anyone to stomach.  Later on I will suggest some chosen situational tactics that may make you feel a little dirty.  These first ones, however, can and should always be employed.  They’re easy ways to save money.

The first two tactics I have for you are also the First and Second Rules of Bargaining: never make an offer twice in a row and ignore posted or stated prices.  For example, say you see a book you want.  The posted price is fifty cents, an absurd price for a book.  You offer ten cents, a fairer price.  (Offering prices are discretionary; in the future I will discuss how to choose where to start your offer.  This is actually a pretty advanced topic.)  The seller denies your offer.  How do you respond?  The incorrect response is to make another offer, say, twenty-five cents.  This allows the seller to either stick to his initial price of fifty cents or to reach a high compromise, say, forty cents.

The correct response is to either wait for the seller to make a counter-offer or, if he or she does not counter, prompt him or her to counter.  This allows you to then counter the seller’s counter.  In our hypothetical situation, for example, the seller may counter your initial offer of ten cents with an offer of thirty-five cents.  You can then counter with a quarter.  If he or she accepts, you save money.  If he or she doesn’t, you can either put the book down or pay the thirty-five cents.  Either way you’re paying less than the marked price.  This technique isn’t guaranteed to work but I would say it has a 75-90% success rate.

Remember you are setting a floor for your price when you make an offer.  Unless he or she accepts, the seller will always counter with a higher price and you cannot go back and say “Well how about $5 instead?” after you agreed on the price of  $10.  This is why never offering twice is so important.

I've heard several people unwilling to bargain against marked prices because they think the prices are set or it's rude to ask for a lower price when prices are marked.  A marked price is just what the seller hopes to get for the item.  The smart seller marks his or her prices up to counter people bargaining them down; the average seller simply has unrealistic expectations.  Always, always ignore marked prices.  Any seller who expects to receive his or her initial price is a fool.

I have an extreme example of why you shouldn’t make an offer twice in a row.  At one sale I happened upon a Nintendo 64.  As I learned later, this isn’t uncommon but it was the first one I ever saw.  I inquired as to its price, the seller told me $45, way out of my price range, a fact of which I informed him.  ”How about $35?” he asked.  No.  $30?  $25?  $20?  $10?  $5?  At $5 I was interested but I knew I had to make an offer.  ”How about $2.50?”  He immediately accepted.  I did almost no bargaining and I got the N64 for less than 6% of his initial price.  

Incidentally, I turned around and sold the N64 to a kid in my dorm a few weeks later for $45.

As a recap, here are the rules you must always follow:

• The Rules of Bargaining
• 1) Never make an offer twice in a row; always wait for a counter
• 2) Ignore posted or stated prices; always make an offer and try to bargain

• The Rules of Garage Saling
• 1) Never try to outbid another garage saler, no matter how much you want the item
• 2) Always, always try to bargain; if it gets you nowhere then it’s practice
• 3) There is no room for awkwardness in garage saling; make that offer

How to Read Garage Sale Signs, or, What Was that Person Thinking?

It is a sad fact that many garage sale signs look like they were made by someone who has never been to a garage sale.  The ideal garage sale sign would be easy to read: made of neon paper with a single large arrow and the words “YARD SALE” in bold, easily seen from one hundred yards.  Few signs live up to these standards so be prepared to have to search for signs.  This is where garage saling with a partner really pays off: having someone besides the driver to look for signs.

The best place to post signs is on light or sign posts ten to twenty yards before the intersection in areas with low speed limits and around fifty yards away in areas with higher speed limits.  Most people don’t do this and instead just put the signs at the intersection so be prepared to turn at any intersection.  Don't expect the sign to be on the sign or light pole; I've seen signs on the ground, in trees, and stuck to parked cars.  If the arrow is obscured, a good rule of thumb is that a sign on the right side of the street indicates a right turn and a sign on the left side of the street indicates a left turn.  There are, of course, many exceptions to this as many people don’t place their signs logically.

Once you have seen a seen a sign and turned into a neighborhood, it should be pretty easy to find the sale.  Do not turn until you see a sign telling you to do so; if you don’t see a sign after four or five minutes, give up and turn around because it’s probably an old sign from a previous week.

One important thing to keep in mind is that many — really, probably most — sales use a single sign style.  This means that if you see two different styles of sign on your way to one sale there are most likely two different sales down the way.  So, if one sign tells you to turn from the street you are following, it often pays off to continue down the street which you turned off of once you have found that first sale.

Finding People with Whom You Can Garage Sale

Garage saling with at least one partner is important because it makes garage saling cheaper, safer, and more entertaining.

Saling is cheaper with a group because you save gas money.  By rotating drivers, I drive approximately every three weeks.  I calculate I make enough money reselling garage sale purchases to cover both my portion of gas expenditures and my purchases.  You can also potentially make more money because a partner may be able to tell you an item’s value that you yourself may not know. 

When I say that garage saling in a group is safer I don’t mean it’s because someone is less likely to shank a member of a group over an individual.  Rather, passengers in the vehicle can serve as sign spotters so the driver has plenty of warning for when he or she has to turn for the next sale, eliminating or at least reducing the necessity for sudden lane changes or stops.  

Finally, having someone else in the car provides some entertainment between — and at — sales.

I was surprised how many people are willing/want to garage sale.  As I stated in my first post, I started in high school looking for gifts for my friends.  When I went to college, I didn’t have anyone with whom I could go to garage sales.  However, my friends at school were impressed by the amount of junk I had and were quite receptive to the idea of going garage saling when introduced to the concept.  I’ve since found that many people are interested in at least trying out garage saling.  If you’re the type of person who finds garage saling interesting then I’m sure you have at least a couple friends who find it interesting as well.  Just ask around.