Yard Sale Saturday: Sale variety bodes well

Despite a quick, early shower sending a few loosely-fastened signs to the ground, we came upon several excellent sales this weekend. The pleasant surprise was an annual book sale at a local Episcopal church, with the standard 50 cent paperback, $1 hardcover prices. I found at least two I’ll read before selling online, which is a plus.

It proved a little warm, so a stop over at Deb’s lemonade on Brambelton Ave hit the spot and gave us enough fuel to continue on Saturday. We found a few sales that had low or no prices, but were operating to raise money for someone in need - usually due to medical bills. This is a great idea for raising money, as most people will feel better about buying something they might have been teetering over.

Too, having low prices encourages charitable gifts so that yard salers can feel both that they got a good deal and helped someone out. At such events, if the books are priced low, I always overpay. Had they been priced high to begin with - even for a good cause - I would have been more hesitant.

We also ran across an estate sale or two. Alas, these seldom have anything I’m looking for, since it’s largely a home full of brikabrak with slightly higher prices than a conventional yard sale. Sometimes, you can find an appliance or knickknack at such sales, but only if you fancy that sort of thing. Since such sales are conducted by third-party vendors, anything worth much is either picked over or priced accordingly.

All in all an excellent yard sale-ing weekend. In the meantime, keep your signs big and your pockets full of change!

Yard Sale Saturday: Too Soggy

Well, you can't win 'em all, and this weekend's sales proved that. I began at about 8am, since many sales don't set up or post signs 'til around then - expected heat or not. Well, Saturday didn't turn out too hot, but just a little soggy. I'd made it to three sales before the rains came, and bought perhaps a handful of books and had no luck finding an extension cord.

Even venturing out later, I came across as many signs either flopped over from the rain or simply sopping on the ground - like florescent patches of grass. I figured this would not bode well for Sunday, either.

Ah well, I did get to trade some stories with one seller, who lit up when I asked about books, even though her sale (which she was working for an elderly neighbor) had none.

I'd guess most packed it in Saturday, perhaps accepting that they'll have to have it again next weekend, since Sunday sales generate far less traffic. Didn't really have time to find anything terribly interesting this week, but I'll be geared up and ready to hit the sales running this coming Saturday. And I'm certainly not praying for any rain in the mean time.

Yard Sale Saturday: Great for parents

This weekend's yard sales were as common as you'd like, with a few clusters here and there despite some late starters. With the heat, most began early and ended about midday, which means good things for buyers. It means most sellers are apt to make bargains, just so it means moving stuff.

Saturday I found a slew of kids' accoutrement at most sales: kids books, clothes, and equipment. Not necessarily my cuppa, but undeniably abundant. I'd guess most parents have already purchased the back to school gear and are looking to lightening the load of last year's stuff.

Alas, young mothers aren't known for their low pricing, as they are not far removed enough from the high prices they just recently paid. So haggling at these sales - while wholly acceptable - didn't always produce effective results.

I suspect the sales must have formed an oligopoly on books - my personal fav - because nearly all defaulted the "fifty cents for softcovers, one dollar for hardbacks" price structure. This is fine, though I'm far more prone to buy paperbacks, where I'll cherry pick the hardcovers for extraordinary buys.

This week's most interesting find: A book on the battle of Thermopylae. I'd just finished Frank Miller's graphic novel 300, so just as I'm interested in learning more, this book shows up in pristine condition. Score!

Hopefully the multitude of sales won't slow down with school getting back in session. I'll keep you posted.

Yard Sale Sunday: Hot, but abundant

This Saturday marked my return to hitting up local yard sales after an unavoidable hiatus. A few weekends out of town had me eager for more yard sale adventures, and this weekend did not disappoint.

Saturday morning we started early to avoid the heat, and before the sun really began to beat down, an occasional cool breeze made the weather ideal.

Apparently, this wasn’t lost on sellers, as sales were so abundant in Roanoke and Salem that standing at one sale, you could often spot the next sign down the road. Many times we were able to park and walk to multiple sales, which also helped sellers to keep prices low and turnover high.

This week's surprise find was a pristine copy of Clan of the Cave Bear for 25 cents. Not entirely interesting, except that I'd sold a worn out copy at my last yard sale for the same price. Now I have another new copy to wear out and sell in a few years.

This week's big event, however, was the All State yard sale/flea market in the Salem Civic Center parking lot. With everything from kids' clothes to comic books to hand-painted wind chimes made from soup cans, there were wares for any taste.

I loaded up on books - as usual - but found a movie or two, as VHS tapes are now the fodder of many sales. A little Deb's Lemonade kept us fueled and going 'til around noon, when the heat had grown too much for us and many sellers.

All in all, the number of sales were trumped only by the amount of buyers out there, so it was a good weekend for picking up whatever pleases.