What Is The Trick For Finding Good Stuff At Yard Sales?

Whether it was a weirdly specific period of Hollywood pirate movies or a particular bedtime story that inspired us, most of us have dreamt of finding some hidden treasure at some point or another. Part of the magic of yard sales, of course, is that finding some hidden treasure is a very real possibility every step of the way! While the hidden goodies aren’t going to be clearly marked on a map, however, finding these special items might not exactly be up to random chance, either. Here are a few tips and tricks we’d like to pass on as to how to find the good stuff at your favorite yard sales.

X Marks the Spot

Okay, so we just said that there won’t be a special map, but that’s not entirely true. What there will often be is a general idea of where and when you might find certain items. Check sites like Craigslist and, yours truly, Yard Sale Search to get an idea of what might be selling at certain yards ahead of time. This way, you can map out the route you want to take on your hunt for treasure. If these particular sales are happening during a community yard sale, then you’ll also be able to visit other sales along the way.

Checking online can also help you see if certain sales are virtual or, in particularly tech-savvy cases, hybrid. In either of these cases, you might be able to find your booty without even having to set sail!

It’s All in The Timing

Your interests might not align with everyone else’s, but this one is honestly just a bit of simple math. The longer a yard sale is open and running, the more guests will be stopping by, and the more opportunities there will be for any single item at that sale to be purchased by somebody else. This means that if you want the best possible chance of finding the hidden treasure you’re looking for, you have to be at the yard sale early! We suggest 30 minutes after it opens up, or earlier.

If, for whatever reason, you’re aware that a specific item is going to be sold at a specific yard sale, you might even be able to call ahead and see if the host will hold the item for you. This might be a useful strategy if you aren’t able to be there early.

Double Check the Pricing

In solidarity with our fellow yard sellers, we would challenge you to try to resist over-haggling whenever possible. The host did go through all of the trouble of setting up and advertising the yard sale, after all. However, if you’re dead set on a great deal, you can have eBay or other used item stores ready to go on your phone.

When we suggest ways to figure out pricing, our main suggestion is to check other local yard sales when possible. Another suggestion, however, is to check eBay and similar stores. This means that the listed eBay price can be a good indicator of whether or not you’re looking at a good steal. On the other hand, it could just mean that those particular items are awfully popular in your neck of the woods, who knows!

Ditch the Strategy

Everyone has their own reason to hunt through yard sales, and if your personal reason is to find a particularly good deal on a specific item you already have in mind, definitely follow the previous tips. However, we would posit that an enormous part of the magic of a yard sale is in the serendipity. It’s in finding an item that you fall in love with, even if it isn’t necessarily a popular or valuable one. That sort of magical find usually isn’t something you can plan for.

At the end of the day, the yard sale is all about interacting with your community, and about the magic of discovery. Strategies can be helpful, but there’s nothing quite like rummaging through a box of old books or a rack of old sweaters and finding something that strikes a chord with you and only you.
Whether your treasure hunting is carefully calculated or driven more by the spirit of discovery, these tips can help you make the most out of your search (and out of your plunder). Long live the yard sale!