The Most Humorous Garage Sale I Have Ever Attended

After Friday's post, I decided to continue my theme of "things that make me laugh."  Today I will be discussing one seller's incredible naivety.

Back before I started garage saling seriously, at the height of the Beanie Baby craze, I happened to stop at a garage sale in my neighborhood with my parents.  These people were selling one item: Beanie Babies.  As in tables and tables full of them.  Apparently they had invested a fair amount of money into them (buying them on eBay, etc.) and suddenly realized they were short on money.  As in the thousands of dollars they spent on these animals.  

Even as a kid in elementary school, my mind was blown.  For adults to spend so much money on something that was clearly a fad was disturbing, especially since the demand was entirely artificial, constructed by the company to boost sales.  Really.

The worst part about this sale were the prices.  People were swarming the tables, trying to get a good deal on a "valuable" stuffed animal but they weren't buying anything.  Why?  Because the seller was pricing the Beanie Babies using the Beanie Baby collector's book she found at Borders.  She seriously expected to make, in some instances, $150 per stuffed animal.

Readers, if you have an item that you have been told has a certain value, don't try to sell it at your garage sale.  People come looking for bargains.  If you really think you have something worth money, sell it on eBay.  There you will get its fair value.