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4 Tips for Savvy Yard Sale Shopping

Written by Mechel Glass on September 15, 2011 in Credit  |   5 comments

Did you read yesterday’s post with advice for hosting a successful and profitable yard sale experience? This week we have some tips for how to be a savvy yard sale shopper. Tips for yard sale shoppers For the careful shopper, yard sales offer a great…

Did you read yesterday’s post with advice for hosting a successful and profitable yard sale experience? This week we have some tips for how to be a savvy yard sale shopper.

Tips for yard sale shoppers

For the careful shopper, yard sales offer a great way to get things you need at a fraction of the cost.

  • Plan your shopping strategy. Using the newspaper or an online resource (such as Craigslist.org), plan your shopping strategy. You might do this based on location of the sale or based on who seems to have items you are looking for. While you might want to arrive a little early, many sellers stick to a “no early bird” policy.
  • Be prepared. If you are looking for furniture, bring a truck, or have access to one quickly. Sellers are not interested in holding an item for you while you figure out how to move it. Have cash, and carry smaller bills so you are prepared to make offers and conduct transactions quickly.
  • Know what you are looking for. While you might stumble across an item that you just have to have, it’s a better financial strategy to know what you are shopping for before you leave your house. If you need clothes for your children, yard sales can offer great bargains—clothes are typically harder to sell and there may be opportunities to bundle many items for a single price. Resist the urge to buy something you don’t need just because it is a bargain. You won’t use it—and it will end up in your next yard sale.
  • Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Most prices are negotiable, so if you see an item you like, but you think the price is too high, talk to the seller about it. On the other hand, if you know you are getting a bargain, don’t haggle on price over every item. Sellers may be more willing to lower prices late in the day or on the last day of a sale. If you see something that is priced out of your range, consider giving the seller your number and asking for a call if the item hasn’t sold.

Good luck with your bargain hunting, and please leave comments with your suggestions for fellow yard sale shoppers.

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Mechel Glass is the Director of Education for CredAbility. In this position, she is responsible for developing the curriculum and educational materials for online classes including webinars, podcasts, videos and listen-on-demand classes. She is responsible for managing the agency’s community outreach programs and staff, including financial education specialists in a 14-county area throughout metro Atlanta and north Georgia. She also manages the development and reporting of education partnerships online for the agency.

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