SCANNING YARD SALES FAST FOR THE BEST BARGAINS TAKES EXPERIENCE, PRECISION AND NEGOTIATING SKILLS.
Yard sales are starting to pop up around our community which means opportunity seeking frugal minded buyers will be out in full-force.
Most often you’ll find two types of people who visit yard sales;
- Those looking to get a deal and save money on items they would typically buy or need to buy
- Those looking to buy items worth money to resell to make even more money
We sort of fall into both categories because we are a frugal family and earning extra money on the side is what we do.
Just about once a week we visit the second-hand shops in town souring the shelves for deals that we can re-sell online to make a profit.
The idea is to earn a profit so we can pay for the items we do need so it cancels that purchase out for us or makes it free.
Make sense?
For example, we’ve bought a wood art easel from Melissa and Doug for $5 from the Goodwill and sold it online for $30. The list goes on and on but you have to know what you are looking for.
Buying and selling is not for everyone but there is lots of money to be made if you’re in for the financial ride.
As everyone knows thrift store prices have been on the rise lately for whatever reason, greed sounds about right but we won’t go there.
We’ve found ourselves leaning more towards the Thrift Store, Bibles for Missions and the Goodwill because it is tax-free and the prices are far less than Value Village.
Although we take advantage of 50% off days or promotional days at local thrift stores our big money-maker is community yard sales.
I wish we could get out to more garage sales throughout the summer but we have to limit ourselves right now as our son is only 4 years old.
Trying to wake a 4-year-old up at 7am to be ready to hunt for deals at garage sales can be tricky but most often he’s up anyways.
Are Yard Sales Worth it?
I’d say if you are hosting a yard sale I’d of course it is.
If you donate the items you get no money if you sell the items you make money.
The financial part of garage sales are common sense but depending on yard sale prices you can either make a little or make far more than you anticipated.
Savvy buyers will even negotiate, bargain and fight for an item especially if they know it’s worth money at your yard sales.
The last thing you want to do as a buyer is waste time at yard sales so the name of the game is to get in and get out as fast as possible.
Time is money for some people who have other things they’d rather or need to be doing.
Even hosting yard sales throughout the summer is hit or miss based on time spent hosting them and money earned.
If you have nothing better to do that particular day and then go for it but if not hold off until you can run a yard sale without wasting valuable time.
What sells well at Yard Sales?
As buyers and re-sellers of yard sales there are certain items that we look for specifically as we know how to sell them and for the most part know their worth.
If we don’t we Google the item to see the current sale price and that will help us to decide whether or not to negotiate for a yard sale item.
Let’s have a look at some of the most popular items that buyers come looking for at yard sales in no particular order.
These are some of the best items to sell that will net you the most money hosting or buying at yard sales.
If you want to bring in even more money you can have the kids host a yard sale bake sale or offer bottles of water, pop or sell cups of juice to your potential buyers for a profitable price.
For the most part anything in-store or online selling with high price tags and brand name items will sell to the right buyer for the right price.
- Brand New Wrapped Products
- Brand Name Baby and Kids Products
- Indoor and Outdoor Furniture
- Toys, vintage toys, Old games
- Televisions, Stereo equipment
- Yard/Home Maintenance/Tools
- Music/Vinyl
- Jewellery and Costume Jewellery
- Art work/Home decor
- Large and Small appliances
- Camping and Sports Equipment
- Brand Name Clothing/Shoes/Handbags/Wallets
- Books
- Vintage Signs
- Workout Gear and Equipment
- Brand Name Cookware
Our eyes are always on new products, household items, toys especially vintage or new items.
Basically anything that falls under the baby and kids products or toys category is our big seller for profit in the CBB home.
The worst for profit is books for resale however if you want to buy books a yard sale is the perfect place to snag a deal next to local library blow-out sales or online sellers.
Obviously if you don’t want to own a book then taking them from the library is the best option since they are free.
What to look for when buying for resale at yard sales
I’m no vintage professional but if you see something that is in great shape that you know is old or no longer produced and or in medium to high demand you might want to Google it.
Most buyers already know what they are looking for and don’t waste their time looking at anything else.
When we visit yard sales for items we can resell for profit there are a few things that are MUST before any negotiation takes place.
- What shape is the item in?
- Does it come with a box?
- Can it sell without a box?
- Are all the parts present?
- How much is the original or current sales price at the stores?
- Is the item in demand?
- How old is the item?
- Can we profit from the item?
Expectations before purchasing at yard sales
- If the item is damaged- No
- If there is no box- yes and no depending on the product
- If there are missing parts-No unless I can find them elsewhere for cheap or free and it’s worth it to us.
- We have to be able to make at least a $5 profit or it’s a no.
- Are there buyers for the item online?
- Will it save us money?
Depending on what your goals are for visiting yard sales the questions above may or may not apply.
Overall I believe yard sales are a superb opportunity for people to save money, make money and earn even more money reselling items online.
Whatever your game plan is you can’t go wrong with buying used unless what you buy is broken, missing parts or ends up collecting dust.
Discussion: What other items do you think are worth looking at for profit when going to yard sales?
Leave me a comment below as I enjoy reading your feedback.
Other awesome Garage Sale Posts on CBB to read!
- Do you have your garage sale permit?
- How to sell used children’s clothes at your next garage sale
- The Ultimate Guide to avoid garage sale theft
- Should there be a garage sale return policy?
- How to stop wasting valuable time at garage sales
- 20 Garage Sale Tools you need to attract buyers
- How to host a community garage sale this summer
- 5 Garage Sale Staging Secrets to help you sell your stuff
- Should you negotiate prices at a garage sale?
- How to price garage sale items?
- Watch what you sell at your next garage sale in Canada
- Garage sale tips for buying and selling stuff
CBB Home and Blog Update
Hi there everyone,
The past two weeks I’ve been swamped at work so I haven’t had much time for anything above my family duties as soon as I get home.
The good news is before you know it I’ll have some free time where I can start building the new deck and hopefully finish up at least one of the bathrooms this summer.
With our son starting baseball and soccer at the end of May and then swimming lessons we have a busy summer which is fine with us.
The idea is to keep him busy doing things he enjoys so he’s not bored around the house.
We like to balance our chores with his independence and fun which we find works best for all of us.
This past week I was able to sneak in some time to get our herb garden on the go.
We’ve got lots of basil as usual, parsley, chives, tomatoes, garlic and dill so far.
I just picked up 3 bags of ProMix from Canadian Tire yesterday after work so I’ll try to finish up planting this weekend, weather permitting.
That’s all for now.
Pictures of the herb garden will be coming soon and the deck!
Mr.CBB
CBB Posts You May Have Missed
These are the blog posts I’ve written the past two weeks that you can catch up on if you’ve missed them. If you don’t already please subscribe to the blog and you will get my posts come straight to your email. Ta-da…CBB in an Instant.
- How we became a host family for 8 International students in Canada
- 6 Retirement concerns that we are thinking about today (Our February and March Net Worth Update)
- Copy-Cat Keto Hostess Cream-Filled Cupcakes
- Ontario Electricity Support Program lowers electricity bills for lower income consumers
- How much does the Ketogenic Diet Cost in Canada?
Finance Read Of the Week
I’ve written LOTS of grocery and food related posts because food is a huge part of any budget since we all need to eat. I found this great article via Twitter that shares 22 Bad Cooking Habits That You Need To Stop Now.
I went through them all and yes they are all bad and if you are doing them, stop. Not only can you make yourself or other sick but try to consider food waste and the extra costs involved with it.
I’m bad for the stir and poke too often when cooking. I need to work on that!
What else would you add to the list of Bad Habits in the Kitchen?
Frugal Recipe Find
When I asked Mrs. CBB what an Eat-More chocolate bar was she told me it was one of those chocolate bars that you either hated or loved. Barry over at Rock Recipes Canada created this simple copy-cat Eat-More chocolate bar recipe that I think any fan of the bar will enjoy.
Eat-More is a chocolate bar made by Hershey. It consists of dark toffee, peanuts, oatmeal and chocolate, and its slogan is “Dive into the unique taste of chewy dark toffee, peanut and chocolate.”[1] It was created in Canada by the Lowney company, which was acquired by Hershey Canada on July 1, 1987 from Nabisco Ltd. An early 1930s contest to name the chocolate bar was won by Angus B. MacDonald of New Waterford, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia; his prize was an prize was an art deco-style clock fashioned to look like a measuring tape.
It is chewy and comes in a yellow wrapper. It is also rectangular and flat, and “stretches” when you eat it.
A caramel version was also launched in 1995 which replaced the dark toffee of the original with caramel of similar consistency. It was the same size and shape as the original Eat-More, but it came in a copper coloured wrapper. The caramel version has since been discontinued. Source: Wikipedia Eat-More
It was a chewy chocolate nougat type bar loaded with peanuts from what she recalls and as described above. Her mother was a huge fan of the Eat-More chocolate bar but only if there was no Aero bar in sight.
I’ve never had the Eat-More bar before but I thought I would share this nostalgic Eat-More chocolate bar copycat recipe for any die-hard fans out there. Personally, I’d eat a few if I had a dish of them in front of me.
If you don’t want to make them but want to give them a try you can still buy them for around a dollar each or $4.12 for a 4-pack on Amazon Canada.
Mr. CBB’s Motivational Corner
Gardening 101
If you’ve thought about growing a garden this Spring and Summer but don’t have the space I found this cool post that shares step-by-step how to build an elevated planter box with legs.
Not only is a project like this simple to do it’s inexpensive especially if you can get the wood on offer or when it is a no-tax day at one of the big box stores in Canada. Upkeep of the box is simple and it should last you a long time.
Have you used planter boxes before?
Saturday Search Term Giggles
Every week I get tens of thousands of people who visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog. (SIC) means I’ve copied the text exactly and it has spelling errors.
Most times funny, sometimes serious.
- Facebook group auction app– I see someone got sidetracked by Canadian Budget Binder and just had to visit. Ha!
- Hard-boiled egg parmesan cookies– I’m no expert but that cookie sounds a bit…savoury.
- Life is full of mistakes– It sure is.
- Call me old-fashioned but I value things that are not taken into account anymore– Hey, do what you need to do.
Don’t forget to Follow me on Social Media and Subscribe to my blog.
Leave a Reply