With the weather getting nicer, we are seeing more and more of those yard sale signs popping up on street corners and notifications of them on community social media pages. I already have my list ready and am definitely looking forward to finding some great deals.
My in-laws are known to frequent yard sales and have found great items for rock bottom prices so I consulted with my mother-in-law recently and asked for a couple of her best tips to follow through on during a day of yard sale shopping to go along with what I have learned from my personal experience as a seller and as a buyer.
If you want to spend a fun day out hitting the yard sales, I say have at it! If you are ready to make your day also a successful one, you can do that, too!
Here are 9 tips for a successful yard sale shopping day:
- Plan ahead. Check out the yard sale announcements the night before. Try to plan to visit the upscale neighborhoods for extremely discounted high-end secondhand clothing and furniture. I do not suggest limiting your shopping in only those areas because I have found lots of great items all over town.
- Start early. Grab that morning caffeine and get started! The early bird gets the worm as they say. Getting there early will give you the first chance at the best stuff because no one has been there yet. You may just find that the seller is so happy to get their first customer, that they give you an extra good deal. I’m not a morning person so you may not see me out until around noon or so, but enjoy those early deals!
- Prepare to stay late. If a steep discount is what your goal is, plan to stay out shopping longer. You will find most discounts happening at yard sales when it gets later in the day. People are ready to close up shop, so they are more likely to offer stuff at super low prices. Or, prepare to come back the next day… Oftentimes, you will find items half priced during day two of a yard sale.
- Have lots of small bills on hand. When bargaining, it is best to be prepared with small bills. For example, let’s say you are trying to talk someone down on a $10 item. You offer them $5, but you only have a $20 bill and ask for change. Not only would it be a little awkward, but sellers may have trouble making change. It’s better to be prepared in advance. This leads to my next tip…
- Prepare to negotiate. Yard sale shopping is for the absolute best deal you can find, right? It’s not always going to be as easy as just walking up to a sale and picking up an item. Sometimes you have to work for it (unless it makes you uncomfortable). You need to prepare yourself for the negotiation. Here are a couple of negotiation tips as explained by the king of negotiations, my husband:
- It’s fun! OK, so that isn’t a tip, so much as a reason to do it. That being said, maybe if you look at it as fun, it will become less intimidating.
- Stick to 50% or more of the asking price. You don’t want to insult the seller. When starting your negotiation, don’t go below half price. Trust me on this.
- Buy multiple items. The BEST way I have found so far to negotiate is to buy multiple things and offer a set price for it all. The seller will be excited about getting rid of more stuff and often more likely to make a deal.
- Have your phone handy. Open up Ebay, or OfferUp on your phone and be ready to search for the items you are preparing to buy to make sure it is actually a good deal.
- Don’t buy it just because it’s a “deal.” There are certain things you should never buy from a yard sale such as most baby furniture, car seats, etc. Also, be sure to check recalls.gov in case the item you are considering happens to be on the recall list.
- Clean out your car. Are you carrying around a ton of stuff in the trunk of your car like I’m known to do? Clean it out and make room for those deals you are going to find!
- Don’t bring the kids. Imagine… restless kids whining and complaining after a while, asking them not to touch things and saying “no, I’m not buying that” 1,001 times. If you shall take on this daring feat and decide to bring your child(ren) along, I suggest you bring lots of snacks, cold drinks, a wagon with a small pillow or stroller, and small devices or toys to occupy them. You could also go home for a napping break and go out again later. Depending on the age, you could even give them a few dollars to make their own small purchases.
Bonus tip: My mother-in-law suggested taking a look at items displayed at smaller yard sales. More often than not, we assume we won’t find anything useful because we don’t see anything that piques our interest from the sidewalk or street. If you take a few minutes to walk through, you may come across one of your best finds as my mother-in-law has! Take the advice I give my kids from time to time, “you don’t know until you go.”
Do you enjoy going yard sale shopping? Have you been to any yet? What are your favorite yard sale shopping tips?
