My Last Garage Sale?

I have this love/hate relationship with garage sales. As much as a I love going to someone else's (if it's a good one), I hate having one of my own.

I hate that I'll invest at least a week, cleaning, pricing and arranging items, knowing  I'm going to wish I had just given what I don't want directly to charity.

I hate that there's always someone trying to deal on an item that's marked a quarter. Or that someone wants to pay me in quarters, dimes and nickels.

I hate that I have to drive halfway across the county to borrow tables from a friend and then I have to drive halfway across the county to return them.

I hate the whiners that complain that my driveway is too steep when it really isn't that steep. It only seems that way if the only exercise you ever get is going from your easy chair to the refrigerator.

So, if I hate hosting garage sales so much then why do I make myself have one every year or so? Certainly it isn't for the money, because I don't make very much.

Certainly it's the guilt over accumulating too much. And I also think It must be for the entertainment value because other than a garage sale, I really don't think that I could get this cast of characters to show up on my doorstep.

First there was the early early bird who caught me in the garage the night before the sale. For about three seconds, I thought about her sending her away and then I came to my (dollars and) senses. If she was this eager then she was probably in a mood to spend. And she did -- $7.50 for three vintage Christmas items. As she paid me, I asked if she routinely showed up this early for sales. She claimed she only did it if the homeowner, like me, was visible in the garage. She said she never knocked on someone's door to ask for early entry. But later my kids told me that she did indeed knock on our door before I came home from work.

Then there was the creepy guy who didn't seem to understand the concept of what a garage sale is. He came into my garage only to silently stare at the items up on my shelves, the ones not for sale.

The most entertaining characters? It was a tossup between the trio of moms who left their van running because they wanted to hear "Brick House" blast from the radio and the guy who bought all my sewing patterns for his wife. Either he's the best husband in the world or he's making himself a Simplicity maternity dress circa 1992. 

And for the final act, there was the late late comer. She arrived just as I was cleaning up and packing the van with my discards. I explained the sale was over, but she persisted, wanting to see what I had.

So I gave in. I thought she'll look for a minute and she'll be on her merry way. Silly me. She looked for 10 minutes, wanting to peek inside this box and that box. Only after I gave her a few freebies did she finally go away.

On the bright side, I did unload several of my roadside finds, including the globe, the metal step stool and the fretwork table.

But I think it's going to be a long, long time before I have another sale. From now on, I'm going to try to buy only what I love or what I know I can resell. And considering some recent budget tightening, I think I may have to finally conquer my eBay and Etsy anxiety.

 

Comments

[Sue]

I hate them too! Now you're scaring me! I just announced a "tag sale", but it's only my vintage items, and I'm only "advertising" via my blog and email.

But you've got me quaking in my cowboy boots!

[Heidi German]

Oh, if only all garage sales had great vintage loot like yours! I will go to a million and one garage sales but I'd rather pull out my toenails than hold my own, for the exact reasons you mentioned. I see far too much bad garage sale behavior from my fellow shoppers and know I'm not willing to put up with that in my own front yard! I'd rather just dump it all at the Goodwill dropoff and take the tax receipt.

[Elizabeth Holcombe]

Hello, My Friend!~~~I just wanted to THANK YOU for the aluminum reflectors and sweet kitty cat! I was overwhelmed at your generosity and sweet spirit! Thanks so so very much for hosting such a wonderful giveaway! It was a thrill and and honor to win it!~~~XXOO, Beth

[Elizabeth]

I have only done one and had such a difficult time with it. Nothing sold, until the very-very end when a woman in a beat up car pulled up still in her work uniform. Our sale had the standard housewares, clothing, etc. My daughter (an only) had purged out a bunch of toys she no longer played with - many purchased second hand but still in very good condittion and I am a toy collector so I was thinning down my collection of modern toys. There were a lot of In Box or complete toys I was selling for cheap - nothing vintage or super valuable. This woman was really excited to see the toys though and I found out she had two young daughters at home, and as a working mom I could relate and gave her a huge discount on things. I kept imagining how happy her kids would be with her when she brought home all these lovely things. And how good it felt they were going to a home who would get some use out of them. I even helped her load her car as some of the toys were larger bulky toddler things.
Then at the very end after loading her all up, giving her a deal, she pays me, gets in her car then her personality completely changed. She rudely chewed me out saying I should never have bought my child all those things and how she was now spoiled and ruined. One child should never own so much!
I was so shocked and hurt that someone came into my home, took advantage of my generosity then felt the need to treat my sweet kid so poorly.

[barbara]

Boy, you are talking me right out of having a sale this summer ...

[laurie]

I am having a garage sale in about a month. I am one of those lucky folks who lives in a neighborhood that has an annual garage sale and attracts a constant flow of buyers. They do the advertising and it has gone on for 20 plus years. I do admit that we also get our fair share of odd ducks. I also hate the person who tries and talks my quarter price down...come on, it's a quarter!!! Have never had anyone show up the day before, altho often before our opening time. It really is a slice of human life. What isn't sold at the end of the aale (for the most part) is packed up and taken to goodwill. I do really enjoy getting rid of all that stuff and making a bit of spending money. My mom and I always do it together and is fun to hang out with her too. My kids also join in and sell goodies and water for the crowds. As garage sales go....it doesn't get much better than the neighborhood set-up. We'll see how this year goes.

[Mary]

I'm with you. We participate in the annual town wide yard sale. However, I find that the only people who buy anything are the dealers in the morning looking for antiques, which I am not selling at a yard sale. Even if I have cheap, usable household items, almost new clothes, nothing much sells and I end up dragging it to the curb or taking the clothing to charity. And every year I say this is the last time.

[Electrical Gates]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading about garage doors. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.