This map, provided by the Ecco neighborhood yard sale was a delight to use. The actual image is very clear.
There were some 50 yard sales and we hit every one of them. We also went to the Bloomington citywide sale the previous day, and some of these images came from there.
Find of the week
Saver's storewide Memorial Day sale
50% off everything
sold - 59 warm shirts
We got the 59 shirts for a total of $100.50 - there is little interest in these in the city. We haul them to a rural, mountainous area where they are received with glee. I also applaud Savers for holding their sale on a day when everyone who can afford to has fled the city - off to the lake cabin. This left the store wide open for the people who really could use a bargain.
No-thank-you of the week
Come see Donald Trump live
price: $47
no sale
(This weekly feature is about what Janie and I did and did not buy during the week. Since that is not limited to garage sales, I will start mixing in a few other things.) This "event' is on billboards, in the newspaper, on flyers at the coffee shop. I don't care. I really want to research this guy more before I vent in full, but I'll say just this. If his ventures were not forgiven their debts every time they went bankrupt, he wouldn't have a penny. If we want bankruptcy reform to mean something, it should apply to Donald Trump. It should apply to all corporations. Investors would still take risks; the risks would just be real.
Other things we saw
Anti-smoking ashtray
price - $1
sold
I have a weakness for odd pottery pieces, and I recommend clicking over to the images to see the great attention to detail.
Pocket encyclopedias
price - $2
sold
The print is a bit small, but we don't have any room for a real encyclopedia. It's nice to check facts before writing something, and this will help me considerably.
Old records in great shape
price - $1 each
sold
The Al Green was the best, followed by Peggy Lee. I like Bill Haley only because he had a lot to do with bringing a Texas Swing influence into Rock & Roll; it's interesting but not my kind of music. Percy Faith is sooooo bad. I think I knew that, but I was in a hurry.
Kid's drum set
price - $10
no sale
It wasn't my size, I don't have anywhere to put it. Other than that, this was a real drum set, about the right size for a 6th grader. Real drums. I kid you not. This sale was selling amazing stuff for dirt cheap.
Trailer
not for sale
I wanted it so bad. It's so funky and utilitarian. It's home-made and my compliments to the manufacturer.
Bottles of debatable antiquity
price - $2 each
no sale
There were about six I would have paid 25 cents each for.
Large glow-in-the-dark frisbees
price - 1 each
sold
I asked if she'd take less if I took all 14. She said $12. Wonderful. These are all in the original wrapping, and come with a display box. Perfect for my mom's shop.
Kenwood cassette deck
price - $5
sold
I didn't try it out. I've been at this house before and these guys appear to be quite wealthy. It works like a charm and goes well with the Technics tuner I found in the dumpster a couple years ago. As I took this, they were cranking out "Man in a Suitcase" and the fidelity was pretty incredible.
Spanish-made classical guitar
price - $5
solt
This was from the sale that had the drum set. It's the size for a kid, and not a top-shelf brand, but I'm building up some inventory so I can go dicker for that hollow body Taylor guitar I want sooooo bad.
Office 2000 (unopened)
price - $2
sold
All I need is the Excel and Word, but by my standards $2 is a fair price.
Bag of various grinders, bits and buffers
price - 50 cents
sold
Oh, guy stuff delight. I would have paid the 50 cents just for the spare chuck key (I misplace them and I hate to look for things). It also offers me a half dozen new ways to lose a finger, so I'll have to be careful.
price - $1
sold
I'm tired of using a wine bottle filled with ice water. This was from the drum set sale also. The huge chopping block this rests on was free - all I had to do was notch it so it would lock into place and cover the counter top.
Medicine and milk bottles
price - 50 cents each
The medicine is a classic shape and one I've never seen before. I'm not big into milk bottles, but one with the dairy embossed on it and saying "dial 3821" - that's a keeper. It will give some variety to the batch of bottles I'm hauling to my mom's shop next month.
Sign
not for sale
worthy of a photo anyway
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To Buy or Not to Buy has a focus on yard sales this time of year, but as we go on a road trip, or as winter brings sales to an end, it will focus more and more on consumer items offered at the full retail price, whether or not we bought them, and why.
Click here for links to other episodes of To Buy or Not to Buy.
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Comments: 16
in fact I'm sitting here on a Sunday afternoon throwing books and tapes at eBay..
L.
You got some great resale shirts and frisbee's... Hope you make some good profits!
Thank you Melissa. This week's post sat there for a few hours before anyone noticed. I have to realize it's a beautiful summer day out there, and not let that discourage me. As long as people keep showing interest I'll keep it up. Come to think of it, I committed myself too a year's worth, as part of the Weekly Press on Gather Group. It's a magazine of sorts.
great items! my god. your house must be getting crowded. put it on the balcony??
My mom makes a good profit per item. Gift shops don't have a lot of turnover on inventory though - not like gas or groceries, so we have to make sure whatever we have to make sure whatever we get to her has a really low wholesale cost.
Our house is most crowded. Yup.
I'm teasing, sort of! I'm off this morning to three of my favorite second-hand shops to see what I can find for the guest room/office I'm creating and for my son's "new" bedroom. We switched rooms yesterday. Now his room is above ours-I think I may live to regret it! Thanks for the great article!!
But how could you skip The Donald?? ;-)
I really want to write about the Donald, but research is in order, and I'd just as soon research d__ ___t : )