Garage Sales

[facetrock]

 Any of you married women that live here ever go to them? If your not you might be missing out on some fantastic deals. Its an American tradition.  Just wondering

[ML]

Most probably already have a garage; so no need to buy one.

[Lily]

Any of you married women that live here ever go to them? If your not you might be missing out on some fantastic deals. Its an American tradition.  Just wondering

Every weekend!        One of the most wonderful and exciting experiences in Northern America. 
 
At the same time, I wouldn't go to a garage or yard sale but rather a content or estate sale. There is a difference.
 
 

[Vasilisa]

Any of you married women that live here ever go to them? If your not you might be missing out on some fantastic deals. Its an American tradition.  Just wondering

Not married anymore but I have been there and organized one myself before leaving for Russia.
I can visit them but as for furniture and many other personal stuff I prefer having new unused things, even if they are cheaper than old expensive with reduced price.  Something like Feng Shui philosophy.

[Lily]

An incentive for this kind of sales in Canada would also be the state system that protects local businesses while imposing cosiderable sales taxes. This, along with big customs duties on the imported goods, has a strong sobering effect on any shopaholic.    Second hand shopping is blooming here, putting people on the search for even lower and lower prices.
 
For me, going to the content sales would be not for shopping for things, but rather to go and look on how do Canadians live, how did they lived 30 years ago when I went to school, how do they decorate their interiors, how do they arrange their daily living, etc., etc. It is like touching another lives. Many lives. The ones that introduce me to the Canadian life of which I am a part now.
 
 

[Voyager36]

Any of you married women that live here ever go to them? If your not you might be missing out on some fantastic deals. Its an American tradition.  Just wondering

Some do some don't.

 I prefer having new unused things, even if they are cheaper than old expensive with reduced price.  Something like Feng Shui philosophy.

Depends on preference I guess, my wife likes antique furniture & china etc.


Other folks would rather have even brand new paticle board furniture or modern dull items  from Ikea, rather than refinishing old stuff, for example.

[OlgaH]

I don't mind to stop if something catches my eye. Mostly my curiosity and maybe there will be something very interesting.

My husband and I had to organize our own garage sale when we moved to our new house. We have a lot of our furniture including antique. The old couple, very lovely people, left us the house totally furnished and also with antiques. Some of the furniture we had to sell. We really loved the Hitchcock chairs. I decided to keep an antique secretary desk, a bookkeeping desk, and a bench with lyre carving back by Baker furniture for my office along with some other antique armchairs with beautiful carving. The couple also left us the oil paintings and watercolor paintings including by Lester Jay Stone http://lesterjaystone.com/theartist.htm  I like so much. They also left us china by Wedwood, Coalport and Heren. When the old lady gave me the papers on Herend china and told me if I decide to sell it I should sell it for no less than  $5000 I got into some quiet shock. She looked at me and said "Olga, we are so old and became less sentimental". I also got a cast bronze inkwell in Zodiac pattern by Tiffany Studios made in early 20th century and a lot of other things like antique silver paper knife with magnifying glass, beautiful porcelain boxes, bronze candlestick and so on.

We also keep a cute wall clock the old man brought from France during the World War Two. They were travelers around the Wold. So, I even got an antique Russian samovar and the beautiful silk carpets from Greece. Whole month after we moved was like a Christmas with unexpected wonderful surprises. Yesterday I tried the old lady's sewing machine it works and I'm so glad.

We still keep the connection with the old couple  and time to time we chat on the phone. The old lady did not expect me to clean and whiten all the crochet napkins, table clothes, and the cotton blankets with embroidery. But I just could not rid of such beautiful things and they remind me of my grandmother as well. Robert also has a lot of beautiful  things from his grand mother.

[Ooooops]

Craigs list is the new garage sale.   I sold tons of stuff before leaving US for overseas few years ago.  And some of buyers are really funny in their desire to save a penny.   

[ML]

Craigs list is the new garage sale.   I sold tons of stuff before leaving US for overseas few years ago.  And some of buyers are really funny in their desire to save a penny.   

Yes . . . you put a price of 50 cents on something, and they ask if you will take 25 cents.

[Ooooops]

Yes . . . you put a price of 50 cents on something, and they ask if you will take 25 cents.

I know...   I had lots of fun, especially with Indian buyers...   

[OlgaH]

Craigs list is the new garage sale.   I sold tons of stuff before leaving US for overseas few years ago.  And some of buyers are really funny in their desire to save a penny.   

Craigs list is a useful thing. I also had some fun especielly when I gave some extra presents.

[facetrock]

  Indian buyers on craigslist

A little off topic.

When I worked in Iraq and Afghanistan we had hundreds of Indian workers. The con games these guys would play were amazing. The favorite con was to get you to order them something like a pair of shoes off  Ebay or Walmart with the promise to pay you when they arrived. When the item arrived they would claim it wouldn't fit or it was the wrong color or whatever. They would then offer you half of what you paid. Not to many expats wear a size 8 shoe. Lots of newbie workers fell for this con.

 However. I did see it backfire. One Indian guy tried it with one huge Alabama dude with only expats present in the room. The argument escalated to the point of the 5 foot 5 inch Indian dudes feet dangling a foot off the floor with his back against the wall. He coughed up the money.

[GQBlues]

Ahhh garage sales, yeah!

I once stopped by to try my luck at negotiating. I did pretty well. I got a helluva bargain but in the end I couldn't find a truck big enough to haul it, plus it had to be free from its foundation before I can load it. I also didn't realize I needed a permit for that too, as well.

Oh well, I didn't need one at the time and my crib came with an extra parking space anyway, albeit tandem.

 

[Lily]

Do you distinguish between garage or yard sales, and content or estate sales?
 
 

[Chicagoguy]

We had an estate sale last weekend. 40 years of collecting MY treasures. Others saw them as used junk  . I was not a hoarder but will admit that I had more than I needed and will keep as much stuff as I can store neatly.
Pricing is tricky unless you have considerable experience. My organizers did but I am not sure they were always right.
Not enough time or energy to have a garage sale for what is left and find myself paying $ 200 to have house completely cleaned out.
Anybody want a nice 35mm Cannon film camera or a like new movie projector ? Someone bought the screen.

[GQBlues]

We had an estate sale last weekend. 40 years of collecting MY treasures. Others saw them as used junk  . I was not a hoarder but will admit that I had more than I needed and will keep as much stuff as I can store neatly.
Pricing is tricky unless you have considerable experience. My organizers did but I am not sure they were always right...

I occasionally enjoyed watching American Pickers and Pawn Stars. These shows can be a crack-up because some the odd and old things people kept for eons that turns out to be so darn priceless. Happy, happy
 
For Pawn Stars - it's amazing how they have an 'expert' for just about everything under the sun.
 
Reminds me a lot of RWD.

[ML]

We had an estate sale last weekend.

So where are you going??

[Chicagoguy]

ML - just downsizing to a condo. 2 of us in big house with all upkeep and expenses was not worth it anymore. I wanted FL or AZ but my wife said after making such a big adjustment in moving to America she was not ready for anything more that was new to her. For her sake I agreed.
I am retired so this will make it easier to travel. Furthermore, she is crazy about my family and wants to stay close to them.

[ML]

OK, thanks for info.

Best to you and spouse in your new domicile and retired situation.