I went to a sale in my neighborhood. It was a total of two tables in a small garage with nothing but over-priced kids stuff (toys, clothes, etc.). The woman was saying how well it was priced compared to Ebay. My guess is she will still have a lot of stuff because she is too dumb to realize that Ebay prices are posted high to start but the items of course don't always sell at that price. Also, the seller prices based on other factors like the overhead from continually maintaining a store. That is a concept lost on most garage sale hosts who think that this singular event is a great way for them to make money. I always thought the main purpose of a garage sale was to empty out your house or get rid of stuff. In the end, I am guessing this stuff might end up being donated -- which in many cases should have been done in the first place.
Will I still shop at garage and estate sales? Maybe, but I am losing my appetite. Am I likely to have a garage sale any time soon? No, because it's not worth the effort. Additionally, I benefit from others who donate when I buy at a thrift, so I am willing to contribute to that and the underlying cause the store is there to support.
Are you seeing more inflated prices from private second hand sales? Is it making you as crazy as it makes me???
Well often p[people see a garage sale as a way to make money, as it is posted on every make money and money saving web site. Alas it is not, and they soon find that out and quit having them. But we suffer.
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad that there can't be a middle ground. One sale I went to a while back had new stuff. It looked as if someone bought stock to try to have a retail business and it didn't sell. So they tried selling it at a garage sale -- for the same price! There was a reason it didn't sell at that price in the first place...
DeleteThere are two types of garage sales I have noticed, the ones where people want to get rid of stuff and make a little money and then there are the ones where people want to make a lot of money. I always say it is better to sell something for a little than to donate for nothing, if you want to sell that is. People seem to have an inflated opinon of what something is worth when they want to sell it. That said, the thrift stores in my area seem to have lost all sense when it comes to pricing things. It is often cheaper to buy retail than some of our thrift stores. I shop thrift and garage sales most of the time and often hear someone say 'you can get x amount of money on e bay'. People take e-bay prices as gospel, not realizing it is just an online flea market.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that too. I only buy when there is either a tag color mark-down or a four dollar off coupon -- and I generally combine both. There is a discount chain around here that beats thrift store prices and I shop there for basics.
DeleteI think people forget that ebay has millions and millions of buyers, and probably their garage sale won't have that same number of buyers! (hah!)
DeleteGood point!
DeleteI have the same exact can opener that is in the picture. I purchased it in the US way back in 1990s when I was living there :)
ReplyDeleteI've had one in our kitchen for years and love it. So when I saw it at that deal, I had to grab one for camp. We've had cheaper ones in the trailer and none work as well.
DeleteMom and I went to several today - I did manage to buy 2 different plant stands for $5 each which is a steal - but bypassed one lady who was selling partially used laster printer labels for $9! I nearly choked! As Mom says, your garage sale junk is not worth more than my junk so why price it that way? Our thrifts are still reasonable, some more than others as they realize what you can actually sell things at. I love our 24 hr Facebook bidding site. Many people just put stuff on there to get rid of it, sometimes way cheaper than even garage sales unless there are several people who want an item then they bid it up
ReplyDeleteThe best garage sale I've found is in a church basement at camp. They call it a flea market. In the end, moving it out of the place where it currently sits should be the main objective, not recouping a loss on a poor purchase. I see computer accessories too -- and the thing is, they lose value quickly and people don't seem to realize that.
DeleteI have a similar experience with a local thrift shop. They have increased their prices markedly to the point of absurdity. When I asked why, the manager said it was because 1) They compare what similar items go for on Ebay, (sometimes even taping a listing for a similar item to it) and 2) Because people will buy things, then resell them online for a profit. (How is that their business?) As a result, merchandise in this one thrift shop sits around forever, until they have to hold a 50% off everything sale so they can take new donations. It's gotten so locals are reluctant to make a trip there to donate stuff, because more often than not they claim they are full. If I were running a thrift shop for charity, I would rather sell 100 things for $1 each day, than one thing for $100 every 10 days.
ReplyDeleteAt one store I shop, stuff stays around until it is actually damaged, then no one wants to buy it. It's really dumb!
DeleteI've noticed the same thing on Nextdoor. Can't believe that people think their junk is worth so much. And I agree that the real place for bargains is church or charity rummage sales - especially near the end of the day, because if they can't sell it they're gonna have to haul it all away.
ReplyDeleteI think that some of the stores I shop at were holding back items to sell them on Ebay and then realized how much work it was, so they decided just to mark up in the store. One store asks if you want to "round up for" their cause. I generally decline since my purchase and other donations that I make are for the cause anyway.
DeleteGoodWill is a total rip off in my area. They've doubled their prices on everything.
ReplyDelete$1 for a glass, $6.99 for a cup and saucer set. I don't bother anymore.
I see things from the Dollar Tree being sold at the thrifts for more than a dollar!
DeleteI prefer to donate my stuff too. Clothes get shared between the hospice shop and the Salvation Army dropping off point and other things go to the hospice shop. I can gift aid the charity shop donations which means they can claim back tax on anything they sell and it's a great way to donate.
ReplyDeleteI try to regularly donate to the stores I shop at the most. There was a problem with for profit shops not making that known at their donation bins. So now there is a state law where bins for the non-profits have to be marked. They should have done it the other way around, because it costs the non-profits more to operate. I try to shop mostly at the non-profits for that reason.
DeleteI agree with all the comments here. The reason I stopped reselling on ebay is because low cost items were getting harder and harder to find, which reduced my profit margin and made it not worth listing anymore. Goodwill is a rip-off now compared to what it once was. I shop often at my local thrift stores that benefit the needy in my community. I get much better "feels" from those stores and they're also now my preferred places to make donations. Church sales are generally the best for great bargains.
ReplyDeleteGoodwill is the most expensive of all the thrifts, so I shop there the least. I think they should all send their people to some of the discount stores to put their pricing in perspective. There are now many things I can get cheaper new. Things that help people that you used to be able to get inexpensively (crutches, for example)are now ridiculous too.
DeleteWe have alot of "resellers" in our area so, yeah, garage sales are by and large a joke. I want to say, "So, you bought this at your neighbors Garage Sale for a quarter but now you want $5 since you could get that on eBay?" Seriously?!?
ReplyDeleteI am the type of person who doesn't like to haggle and I think people are shocked when I tell them their stuff is too much, I don't want to go through the exercise of begging them to mark it down. I'm crotchety like that!
DeleteMy friend, Charlie has over a dozen toasters set on the area above his cabinets. I asked him why didn't he get rid of them in a yard sale. He said no one wanted to pay the $3 he wanted for each of the toasters. I told him that was too much for a toaster that was dirty inside and out. He said people would only want to give him a quarter and he might kill someone. I know he got each one for free. He owns 40 houses he rents, has over a million in savings, more in investments, and lives in a house valued at over $750K, so he does not need the money. He is totally out of touch with the yard sale market and customers.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is a wonder people like that continue to try to have yard sales! I wouldn't buy a dirty toaster either...
DeleteWe have a huge thrift store that is manned by ex addicts from a mission here. I can buy a certain Depression era glass cake plate with an indention where an aluminum cake cover originally sat. They are asking $14.
ReplyDeleteThey were so reasonable and downright cheap when they opened that antique stores shopped there for wares. Now, I suppose the thrift store figures if it is worth that much, they will get the profit.
The problem is that no one will buy these great old glass cake plates. I sure won't, but I already have six of them. I only paid a lot for one, about $6. My friend sold it to me cheaply because she knew I wanted it for me. The rest I paid $1 for those.
It would seem that some of the stores also don't get that collectibles that were hot five years ago, aren't necessarily in demand today. Plus Antique stores have more over-head because they have a different business model. From an 'experience' perspective, a thrift store generally can't compete with an antique store -- and that is part of what consumers pay for when they shop at one.
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