Buying, Bargaining, and Bypassing

This blog is a continuation of the previous yard sale tip blog.

The trickiest part of garage sale-ing is the Bartering. When do you buy? When do you Bargain and when do you simply bypass? This is my favorite part of garage sale-ing. Whether stated or not, there is a certain degree of garage sale etiquette.

For the Sellers:
On the seller's side, a seller needs to ask a fair market value for the used belonging. For example, since clothing is the most common good sold at a garage sale it is the easiest to define. The seller needs to take into account the quality of the item and the wear and tear. For children's clothing that has been gently used and show very minimal signs of wear the going price at a yard sale is roughly around a dollar a piece. If the item is in brand new condition then a seller could possibly fetch 2-3 dollars a piece. However, in most cases for worn articles of children's clothing the average rate is 50 cents a piece down to 25 cents a piece. You are probably wondering how you find out what the going rate for an item would be. Simple, if you plan on having your own garage sale, spend a few Saturdays stopping at local garage sales and then you will have a rough idea of what you should price your goods. After viewing 5-10 garage sales it will be apparent to you who is asking too much and who is asking too little. Old Summerill Proverb says: A seller who desires to gain too much will be a seller who ends up earning too little.

For the Buyer:
Just as sure as there is a clear Seller's etiquette, there is equally a buyers etiquette. Everyone out there wants to get a good deal. Whether the buyer or the seller, both want to walk away feeling that they "did good." As a buyer, it is your choice to decide whether the seller is selling the item for too much or just right. If you feel the item is a good deal, pay the money; however, if you feel that the seller is asking a little too high, ask the seller to lower the price. If you are non-confrontational, an easy way of having the seller lower the price is to ask, "Is there any way you would lower the price a little?" Most of the time this question will allow the seller the freedom of feeling they could lower the price and still get what they want out of the item. If you don't mind a hard barter, ask a more aggressive question by pinning down a price. "Will you take 2 dollars for these items?" Most often the seller will either agree or meet the buyer somewhere in the middle of the two prices. I have found that the second method almost always fetches me a lower price, but it definitely takes a little bit more moxie out of the buyer.

For those Shut Down:
In your quest to bargain for a lower price, if you have been shut down, either walk away from the item reckoning that you could find it at another yard sale for cheaper or just pay the cash. Feeling that you got what you wanted and you would probably not find it anywhere else for cheaper.

Garage Sale-ing is like exercising, the more you go, the easier it gets. For more tips and info on garage sale-ing, see my previous post or e-mail me directly.