Best Items to Search for at a Garage Sale

Every spring several homes in the neighborhood will commence household cleanup by purging those items no longer desired. These unwanted items occasionally evolve into several garage sales posted in the community. Before seeking out yard sales with cash in hand, one must consider those items that are treasures and avoid those objects that are trash. Everyone has a different order of what is considered treasure as well as those items considered junk. There are people that study the auction websites and collectible markets that know a good bargain at just about any yard sale. These individuals have the knack to turn a quick profit from a local garage sale purchase. Whether the intention to shop garage sales is for personal use or for resale, there are some great items that should be on every garage sale hunter's shop list.

Wooden Furniture

One of the best finds at a local sale is when there is furniture available. Believe it or not, many people will rotate bedroom or office sets every five to ten years. Such occurrences in the neighborhood mean there may possible be some quality furniture going out to sale and the savvy garage sale hunter better be ready for an early visit on day one. There are a number of decent used furniture offerings found every season that include dressers, bed frames, night tables, desks, and book cases. Many of these items are absolutely perfect finds for that son or daughter getting ready to furnish that college apartment. Make sure to inspect the woodwork carefully for any chips and blemishes. Marked up or scratched millwork can be good starting point to haggle with seller. Those items that have flaws of only fades in finish or paint chipping might be good candidates for sanding and re-paint if purchaser is up to the challenge.

Name Brand Kids Clothing

Children's used clothing is a red hot "used item" market. Previously worn children's clothes that includes such brand names as Heartstrings, Gymboree or Baby Gap are very stylish and of superior quality. A used garment from these higher end brands almost always outperform brand new item from Wal-Mart or target. Sometimes garage sale sellers will price these trendy brands as low as a few bucks for each item. If this product is of sound quality and wearable, consider these prices a steal as they will command between five and ten dollars on auction sites.

Bicycles

The local yard sale may just be the ticket for picking up a quality used bike for any age. When looking for bikes, pay special attention to condition of frame, gears, brakes and tires. It does not make sense to drop thirty to forty bucks on a garage sale bike that will still require a hundred dollar repair at the local bike mechanic. It is usually obvious upon inspection if the seller has treated the used bike decently. Do not let minor items such as broken chain, popped inner tube, or worn brake pads kill a potential purchase as these items are typically all relatively cheap to repair.

Sporting Equipment

Participation in sports is always painful to the check book when it comes time to purchase e high equipment. Before making that trip to the sports store, consider perusing the local garage sales. Look for the high ticket items that you know will be even high priced in a resale shop. Good examples of high value used sports equipment include golf clubs, fishing rods and tackle, skiing, baseball, and hockey equipment. Even gear for extreme sports can also be of great value for those lucky enough to find it.

Books and Compact Discs

Just about every garage sale will have large boxes or tables loaded up with reading materials. Whether there are hundreds of paperbacks priced at fifty cents or classic hard bound coffee table books for a few dollars, these titles should not be overlooked. The occasional garage sale host will also sell reference books or even used textbooks that may command a decent return for resale through eBay or used textbook purchase sites. It is occasionally worth the time and effort to sit down and go through the box of books.

With mainstream music trending towards mp3 format, there is a huge exodus of people moving away from the compact disc medium. This huge switch to purchasing music in mp3 format means many estate, yard and garage sales are selling compact discs for dirt cheap. Regardless of price listed on cds, be prepared to negotiate price downwards to a buck or two at most for music. Even though the mp3 format is catching on with just about everyone, many people still have several devices located within the home or car capable of playing the compact disc format and these should still be considered a good buy.