Things You'll Need:
- Lots of small bills
- A good map of the area
- Drinking water
- Magnifying glass
- Tape measure
- Magnet
- Patience
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Step 1
Yard sale shopping can be very time consuming if you're not organized. Do your research ahead of time. Check out the local papers, including the weeklies.
You can also now use the internet. There are whole websites now devoted to finding sales in your area. -
Step 2
Look for community / neighborhood yard sales. If you can find a bunch of sales in one area you'll save a lot of driving. Don't be fooled by "multi-family" sales - they're usually just one sale with some of the kids' stuff included.
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Step 3
Figure out what you're looking for. Newer communities generally have a LOT of baby and kid stuff. Great if that's what you're looking for, but lousy if you're looking for antiques.
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Step 4
Arrive early. Even those who advertise "no earlybirds" will generally give you a bit of leeway. Aim for arriving about 15 to 30 minutes early for a single sale and 30 to 45 minutes early for a community / neighborhood sale. There will already be some folks shopping no matter how early you arrive.
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Step 5
Traffic can get very tight at a community or neighborhood yard sales. Folks don't always watch where they're going because they're too busy looking at the sales. DON'T EXPECT DRIVERS TO SEE YOU.
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Step 6
If possible, try to park and walk to several sales. Find a parking spot central to several sales and do a small loop.
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Step 7
If you see something you want, or something you want to think about, hold onto it. If you put it back on the table it's fair game for other buyers.
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Step 8
Examine everything CLOSELY. Items rarely look as good at home as they did at the market. Cracks seem to appear out of nowhere. Suddenly you notice that a piece is missing. Don't hurry the examination.
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Step 9
BEWARE OF REPRODUCTIONS. Many antique items are now being reproduced. Look for wear, particularly on the base. If it looks too good to be true it may well be.
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Step 10
Bargaining can be a bit different at a yard sale vs a flea market. The seller at a yard sale often has some sort of emotional attachment to the items they're selling. Don't talk the item down - better to compliment it and talk to the seller about it. They're more likely to make a deal with you if they like you.
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Step 11
Make a fair offer - but not your best offer. Leave a little wiggle room for the seller to feel like they've set the price. For example, if you see something for $10 and you're willing to pay $8, offer $7 for it. The seller may say ok, or they may come back with a counter-offer of $8.
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Step 12
If you do fall in love with it, don't get cheap. Is it really worth passing something up for a couple of dollars? Chances are you'll regret it later
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Step 13
Sellers are usually more willing to negotiate if you purchase more than one item from them. Get prices on individual items, then make a pile and try to do better with the whole lot.
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Step 14
Don't buy something just because it's cheap. If you don't need it, it's not a deal.
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Step 15
If the price is just too high, make your best offer. If the seller declines it be polite and start walking away. That doesn't mean you won't be back to try again in 15 minutes or so, but sometimes you can get the seller to take your price if he sees your money walking away.
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Step 16
Have fun.
