Finding the Best Garage Sales 2by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 07 May 2008 01:13 PM
The neighborhood can affect the price of items. In general, more affluent neighborhoods generally have nicer stuff, but I have also found that very affluent areas also have no idea what the prices for garage sale items should be. I assume that the owners never shop at garage sales, and therefore don't know pricing, or they think that the items cost more new than they really do. Osh Kosh kids clothing is nice, but I would never pay more than 50 cents or perhaps a dollar per piece at a garage sale. Yet I have seen some yard sales price this clothing at $4 or $5 a piece. I have also seen DVDs priced at $10 each, when they can be purchased used at a movie rental shop or even new at Walmart for $5 or less. In less affluent neighborhoods, prices may be cheap, but the quality and selection of items can be less than desirable. Some examples of this include VHS movies that are covered with sticky stains, broken toys, used bras, and coloring books with some pages colored. I am not saying that less affluent neighborhoods are less desirable, just that it has been my experience that the items being offered weren't what I generally look for when shopping. Of course, there is always the exception to the rule. In my experience, a nice neighborhood that is lower to upper middle class seems to have the best combination of quality and price. It is in these types of sales that I have found my best bargains, such as a thick designer brand children's sweater hardly used for 50 cents (the same sweater sold for $60 online), an entire tub of lego kits, some still in the boxes, (I estimate there was a least $150 worth of stuff, plus the tub and lid) for only $5, two large boxes of like new children's books for $4, a large quilt rack for $4, and more. I've also gotten lots of free stuff, such as a bakers rack, children's coats, toys, craft kits, clothing, books, tools etc, just because the sellers didn't want to bring the stuff back in the house. Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles: Yard Sale Frustration: Has This Happened to You? Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments  elizabeth32 (166) 07 May 2008 07:57 PMI stopped a yard sale in a very exclusive neighborhood once , they had coffee mugs priced at $5 each and everything else was very highly priced . I wonder if they sold anything that day . Meanwhile , at a sale on my working class street , on a very hot , sunny day in the early afternoon , they started giving me armloads of stuff they didn't want to put away . I also like to get on my bike and cruise around looking for the post yard sale free piles .  Mary Ann Romans (26886) 08 May 2008 03:57 AMIt is nice to hear from you! Post yard sale free piles--now that is frugal! Thanks. Community Tags bargain shopping, frugal, garage sales, tag sales, thrifty Discuss this article
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