Entertainment, Part Six: Junk vs. Treasure

One woman's junk is another woman's treasure.

Or something like that.

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I have to admit I was trained at an early age to partake in garage, yard, estate, rummage or moving sales and swap meets. My dad used to wake us up early on the weekend, "Grab the toys you don't want, we are getting ourselves a booth at the swap meet!" We were expected to sell our junk and bargain like our lives depended on it. My dad was a pro at sales. He'd have the swap meet loud-speaker announcers advertise gimmicks like half price hours for red heads (in my honor) and he was a master at bargaining. He made it an art form. It did have its disadvantages: I took off my sandals at the swap meet because my feet were hot, got distracted for a moment, and my dad sold them! We also frequented neighborhood junk sales and even had our own from time to time. Finding ways to make money from junk was my dad's hobby.

The great thing about junk shopping and selling for someone who is chemically sensitive is it's often outside and outside means air circulation. Being able to breathe is a requirement for any form of entertainment. Although my entertainment venues are limited these days, this is one I can still enjoy even with my health restrictions.

Buying or selling?

Buying  The advantages of shopping junk sales:

Seeing what people have for sale. I find it fascinating to see what people have amassed in their lifetimes. Collections, unusual or one-of-a-kind items, and personal art I find intriguing and it is an opportunity to know someone in a different way. I even enjoy seeing the garbage people have collected, the state of their homes and their level of organization.  It's a study in the human experience.

Getting bargains. Especially with yard or garage sales, people are trying to get rid of things so at times it's as if they are making it cheap so you will take it away. With this economic depression, finding inexpensive items you need (or don't need) is a gift. And then there are the dream-deal purchases. I heard about a woman who bought a can of old buttons at a yard sale in my area about a year ago. She found these odd little discs, discolored brown. After cleaning them up and getting them appraised, they were gold coins worth $10,000! Whoa! I bought a metal frame at a yard sale from a neighbor for 25 cents. I quite like ornate, metal frames. I noticed a symbol embossed into the back and thought I'd get online to find out what it meant. There was an antique dealer in England trying to sell the same frame for $150! I've seen several like it on eBay for about $25.00. Still, this was a 25 cent purchase!

Meeting interesting people. I stood in line at an estate sale over the weekend conversing with two women who collect antique pottery. At another sale a woman near me said, "Can you feel it? This house has spirits. I can sense them."

Seeing the insides of houses normally off limits. I find architecture fascinating. Some of the estate sales I go to are in old homes I've always seen from the outside and never from the inside. There have been two houses in my town, both build in the late 1800s, three stories plus a basement and an attic. One had a split staircase that went from between the first and second floor to the kitchen, the back way. The other had all kinds of hidden rooms and levels with stained glass work and ornate detailing. I go to the sales just to see the architecture or the layout of the house.

Bargaining practice. Many people don't like to bargain, but I really think this is the tradition of junk sales and this is the opportunity to practice your skills. And it definitely is a skill! It's expected the prices are just a little higher than what they want to leave a little room for negotiation. I especially like gathering a lot of stuff and offering a flat rate.

My collection of yellow bowls. I don't get it either.

Collections development. I see a lot of shoppers at junk sales searching for specific pieces for their collection. And it can be anything from turtles to antique jewelry to beer cans. For some odd reason, I started collecting bowls. Yeah, leave it to me to collect something NOT of value. I have a weird passion for large yellow Pyrex bowls and large pottery bowls with blue to match my kitchen.

Freedom of movement. It's a movement activity so if you need to leave fast, you are able. Any detection of perfume or scents and I am gone!

Warnings for Buyers:

Like any other situation, beware of poisonous stink on people and products. Learn to sample the air safely and have an exit plan.

Take multiple small bills so you are able to bargain.

Spending too much money! All those little, inexpensive items can add up quickly!

Take care not to get ripped off. Know what you are buying, how much it's worth, and if it works

Acquiring too much junk. Oops...time to have your own sale!

Selling  The advantages to having your own junk sale:

Getting rid of stuff.  It creates space and more air circulation which is always healthy. Clearing away old stuff feels like a release and renewal is always regenerating.

People. Have a garage/yard sale and you'll meet people you would have never otherwise encountered. Some people frequent sales as their primary form of social interaction. They will sit and talk to you for hours about their collections and their experiences. It's a sharing experience. This is part of the tradition.

Money! Hooray for the green!

Warnings for Sellers:

Every time I drove by this sign it was blown over.
Kids were running this yard sale. Cool.

Stinky shoppers. It helps to partner up with another person so if you come face to face with stinky people, you may exit quickly. Still, don't let doing it alone dissuade you. My last garage sale I did alone, and encountered few who were stinky. I don't know if junk shoppers are inclined to get all fancy with perfumes. Those who were stinky, I stepped outside the garage in the air, but not too far away so I could still watch. My garage doors were open to provide air flow as well.

Sticky fingers. When times are tough, people become desperate. Yard/garage sales are prime targets for easy shoplifting if there is enough distraction. Besides the merchandise being pocketed, watch your placement of cell phones and money. I usually wear a little fanny pack around me so these tempting items are on me at all times.

Bargaining professionals. Some people are really good at bargaining and will wheel-and-deal you until your head spins. If you aren't on your toes, you won't know what hit you until it's too late. If you've ever been to Mexico, you may have encountered the sales people on the street. Bargaining is a tradition and a fine art. At my last garage sale I had a Mexican family shopping. The woman kept offering me $1. Didn't matter what it was. Her son eventually found something he wanted and he asked me how much. I met him with, "How much do you want to pay?" His mother immediately said, $1. I could tell he hadn't been trained in the family bargaining tradition so I resisted the counteroffer $10 to get her up to $5. He ignored her. He offered me $10! She scowled and walked away. I said, "I'll take $5.00."

Work and preparation. It's not easy to look over all your belongings trying to decide what stays and what you are willing to give up. Then figure out where to have it, yard or garage with worry about the weather. Organizing and even cleaning your junk takes time, too. If you don't have signs you'll need to make or buy them.

Public humiliation. Putting your junk out for everyone to see can feel very invasive and embarrassing. I had an African American friend who heard about my impending yard sale and he said, "What? Why do you white people want to display all your junk on the lawn for everyone to see? Aren't you embarrassed? You don't see black people doing that kind of thing!" I'll never forget that. At the time I thought he was teasing me, even though he kept saying he was dead serious. There is something very vulnerable about displaying your junk. Especially if it's ugly junk. People who seek treasures don't care!

Bargain backfires. Selling something worth much more than you accepted, but finding out about it later! It's the opposite of finding a dream-deal bargain. You may under price an item and live to regret it. I sold a collector Marilyn Monroe doll for $5 only to find out later it was worth $150. I didn't know! I'm still haunted by the Elton John concert program  from one of his first concert tours I let go for free when the shopper bought one of my Elton John albums and found it tucked inside the cover. I was surprise the buyer was so honest, but have no idea what I was thinking. Win and lose. It all evens out in the end.

Overselling.  With every garage sale I have, a week later I'm looking for something and can't find it. Oops. I sold it.

Advice for Sellers:

Day. Have it the first weekend after the first of the month. Lots of people are paid at the beginning of the month and feel like they have money to burn. End of the month, people feel poor.

This sign is ten years old and borrowed by many.

Signs. Make great signs and make enough so the route is easy to follow. I always see neon signs with fancy printing and lots of information: address, time, date and even what is for sale. For optimum distance and legibility, go with sturdy, white illustration board with black, block print. No tiny print extras. Your shoppers will be in cars driving. Most won't have time to read the tiny print. If they aren't familiar with your neighborhood, they will have no idea where the address is. Shoppers will see plain, bold, black and white miles away. Make enough to guide your shoppers so your sale is easy to find. There is nothing more frustrating than following a sign and the signs stop with no sale in sight. I don't have enough patience to search and wonder.

Nice sign, but I drove
up the road for blocks and
never encountered another!?

Stock. Have enough merchandise to attract and stop the drive-bys. Get some friends to join and make it a multi-family sale. If you have few items and no furniture, you'll get a lot of drive-bys who don't think it's worth the effort to stop.

Neighborhood sale. Organize a neighborhood yard sale for camaraderie and support. My last garage sale was timed with my neighbor's estate sale. The whole neighborhood found out about it and nearly every house on my block had their own sale. One of my neighbors didn't want to participate but they wanted to get rid of junk so they put a pile out in front with a sign "FREE". All of it was gone by 8am! It was like an outdoor mall...people walking from house to house. Huge sales. Lots of fun.

Marketing and presentation. Clean, organize and display your junk in a desirable space so it's inviting and saleable. This is basic Marketing 101. Junk sells better if it's pretty and presentable and you'll make more money.

Cashier supplies. Have lots of coinage so you can give change. If you don't have change for the big bills, the bargaining pros will come back with, but I only have a $5 - will you take a $5? Not enough change can put you at a bargaining disadvantage.

Pricing. Price your junk a little higher than you expect so you can allow the shopper to bargain and feel like they are getting a good price. If you are comfortable bargaining, don't use price tags. Instead, fix the price in your head and when they ask how much it is constantly ask, "What would you like to pay." You'd be surprised what people are willing to pay especially for little junk. Those little stick-on price tags are a whole lot of extra work.

My new treasures.
See my new bowl? It's big!

Junk sales are great entertainment, whether buying or selling. They provide a much needed alternative to stinky stores or malls and promote recycle, reuse, and reduce.

Have you ever gotten a great deal at a junk sale?

*Photos courtesy of all the junk entrepreneurs in business yesterday!