Garage Sale Shopping 101
School is out for the summer! The weather is warming up and it's time to get outside and enjoy the sun. On top of swimming, riding bikes, days at the park and everything else, let’s not forget that garage sale season is back.
Garage sales are a great way to save money finding useful everyday items and items that you can’t find anywhere else, like that vintage necklace or a baseball signed by one of the all-time greats.
- The hardest part is finding them. My favorite way to do it is through Facebook. The town I live in has a Facebook page dedicated to garage sales in the area. Often, the neighborhood or town you live in will have a dedicated Saturday a few times a year for garage sales, so check out your city website or talk to your neighbors.
- Bring cash. This is a big one. If you’re like me, you’re constantly assuming that because it’s 2020, everyone will take your credit/debit card or have Venmo available for an easy transaction. Unfortunately, we’re not quite there yet. Until then, make sure you have a good amount of cash on hand broken up into smaller bills so you can negotiate easier. That brings us to our next tip.
- Negotiate and start low. This isn’t the grocery store. You’re allowed to barter at garage sales, and it’s expected. There’s no shame in starting low so that there’s room for both of you to meet in the middle. Be confident! If you want to learn more about successful negotiation tactics, visit SimplyStacie.
- Disinfect your items. The only downside about purchasing second-hand items is that we don’t exactly know where they’ve been. If you purchase a smaller item, throw it in the HomeSoap before using it so you can kill 99.99% of lingering germs.*
If you’re planning on holding your own garage sale:
- Advertise on Facebook. You could also go old-school and put up flyers around town.
- When holding your own sale, find a way to take cards. Venmo accounts are totally safe and easy to set up. You could also set up a Square account and buy a Square reader if you prefer to take cards that way. Taking cards will ensure that you don’t miss out on any possible money.
- As far as negotiation goes, be prepared for the low-ballers. Decide ahead of time how low you’ll go for each item so you don’t feel bullied or pressured into giving someone something for a lower price than it’s worth.
Happy hunting!
*HomeSoap has been tested by an independent, third-party laboratory to be 99.9% effective against Salmonella, E. coli, MRSA, Staphylococcus, Coronavirus 229Ein. It has been tested on headphones, jewelry and baby bottles. HomeSoap has also been tested to be 99.9% effective against salmonella using ASTM 3535 for efficacy of UV light on hard non-porous surfaces such as glass, metals, and plastics.
