Finding Bargains at Garage Sales

  If you find something you need but don’t like the color or fabric, talk the seller into a lower price just for that reason. Having an item repainted, repaired or re-covered can be far less expensive than buying a new piece. Check every item you want before buying, since you can’t return it once you buy it. Do the drawers stick? Does the table wobble? Is it rusted? Does it leak? Does it work? Some items are beyond repair and some just aren’t worth the effort of fixing. Know your limitations.

  Of course, most buyers come back to a good sale at the very end of the sale (like Sunday afternoon) hoping for rock-bottom prices. However, they usually find all the good stuff gone. If you have your eye on something, ask the seller if they can lower the price. Sometimes a seller will give you a good deal if you buy more than one item. If you are lucky, the seller will give you a “buy one, get one free” deal.

  If you think an item is overpriced and the seller refuses to back down on the price, check back later. A seller will always be more flexible Sunday afternoon just before the sale ends.

  For apartment-type items, check the ads for any apartment renter having a moving sale. Usually you can get good furniture deals from these sales. Also check your local campuses for dorm room sales. What could be better than super-low prices on almost-new furniture?

What not to buy:
  Avoid buying used pots and pans that look rusted or unusable (no matter how cheap they are). Avoid certain baby items like cribs, car seats (these might have been recalled), things that go in a baby’s mouth like bottles, bedding, etc. Be sure to check the links below for tips on bargain hunting and things to avoid.

References:
Find a garage sale near you:
http://www.garagesale.nearu.com
http://www.garagesalehunter.com/index.asp
http://www.thepennysaver.com/gtrail.asp
http://www.yardsalesearch.com
http://www.rummagecrawler.com/index.cfm
http://www.netranch.com/gsg
http://www.garagesaleplanet.com/default....
http://www.garagesaledaily.com
(Arizona, US) http://www.arizonagaragesales.com
(Canada) http://www.localyardsales.com
(Singapore) http://www.coolboard.com/boardshow.cfm/m...
(Melbourne, Australia) http://melbourneonline.com.au/GarageSales
(Sydney, Australia) http://sydneyexchange.com.au/pages/4002....

Bargain stories:
http://www.newroadmap.org/money-articles...

Tips on bargain hunting:
http://www.realtytimes.com/rtnews/rtcpag...
(what to buy) http://www.roo.com/canbuy.htm
(what to bring) http://www.roo.com/take.htm
(things to avoid) http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/7678...
(things to avoid) http://www.cfc-efc.ca/docs/00000620.htm
http://www.bargainbunny.com/
(collectibles) http://collectdolls.about.com/hobbies/co...
http://www.i5ive.com/linkcategory.cfm/67...
(discussion) http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/talkback...

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