Gararage sale location tips

[senor fozz]

I would like to get some tips on what area of towns or cities are usually the best for picking up tools. Rich, poor, middle class? People who post on craigs with pics? Just would like to save some gas the next time I go out.

Teach a guy how to fish here.

 

[ihatelaramie]

Middle class neighborhoods, in my experience, seem to have the best stuff, but the upper class folks will give stuff away. Low income = baby clothes and ****. Just my experience. As for ones who post on craigslist, can be a waste of time unless you get there early. If they post pics, whatever you saw, so did 10 other guys that want the same thing.

Just my.02

 

[ihatelaramie]

Forgot.. older middle class neighborhoods can yield some really good scores. Newer developments, not so much.

 

[Filson]

More rural areas tend to have more used tools, though they are more likely to be 'heavily' used tools and old/cheap. Higher end neighborhoods are hit and miss, you'll see higher end stuff but they may be asking a lot for them, remembering what it cost. On the flip side, they can look at some of the used higher end tools they have, and go 'well, it's beat to hell, I'll put a $5 tag on it and see if it sells.'

I live in a pretty affluent neighborhood and picked up a 50+ lb Craftsman/Rock Island vise from the 40's for $15 bucks. It was "old and used" by the sellers viewpoint so I got it cheap.

It really depends on what your looking for. We yard sale pretty much every weekend and re-sell a lot of stuff on ebay. I would say if your just looking for used hand tools, skills saws, etc a more rural place will be the ticket and I'd bet you could build yourself a little starter-type kit of tools in a single weekend. Higher end neighborhoods I see a lot less tools for sale, but have the odd chance of striking a really good deal.

 

[Davefr]

I like older homes/neighborhoods, older people and areas that are more blue collar. Semi rural can also be pretty good.

Estate sales run by the family can be great. Estate sales run by professionals are usually way overpriced until half price day.

I do like CL because you can target specific sales with the highest probability of success. Pick what you think is the best off CL and be there first thing and then branch out and work the rest of your plan while hitting random G-sales along the way.

Try and start sailing on Fridays. If not then try and pick only the Sat. sales that actually start on Sat.

There are no guarantees unless you want baby toys, jigsaw puzzles, VHS tapes, Christmas decorations or outgrown clothing.

 

[senor fozz]

I think i'm just going to go to the swap meet to check it out, there was just so much junk today, and I hit over 40 today. I went to the fake rich, well off, middle class, andretiree neighborhoods, didn't make it to the working class because the drives can be far. Barely saw anything, the best was a dead dad's hvac garage setup. I went to three estate sales but there was no tools to be found. I'm just beginning to think this is more fishing than catching endeavor, I'll bring a friend along so we can split the gas bill next time.

Thanks for the tips, would like some more if anyone has a strategy that works well for them.

 

[toolstools]

Read a paper. Garage sale with tools will say tools. Even though tools is usually the best description you'll get because of advertising cost its a start. But could vary from garden shears to snap on galore. People who advertise GS in the paper usually make it a point to say tools if they have any.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

OLD neighborhoods that are middle class for us. New neighborhoods are usually younger generation. High End neighborhoods seem to remember what they paid, and still think it's worth that much.(They are penny wise and good for them)....just my 2c.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Read a paper. Garage sale with tools will say tools. Even though tools is usually the best description you'll get because of advertising cost its a start. But could vary from garden shears to snap on galore. People who advertise GS in the paper usually make it a point to say tools if they have any.

I think fools around here realized if they put TOOLS in the ad, a ton of people show. Even if they have one shovel....

 

[Kracin]

go where the city used to be big. where development was big 30-40 years ago and people are retiring or close to it, they will have all the great old stuff and will want to just get rid of it.

 

[Craptain]

Old neighborhoods are where I do best. Although I have had a couple of good deals from the lesser affluent areas, where I think ignorance about the quality may have had an influence. Estate sales managed by family rather than plain garage sales are also a distinction. Often people don't really know what Grandpa's tools are worth. Estate sales managed by professionals are rarely as good.

 

[Shortbed350]

Here is what I do:
During the week check craigs and the paper I search for the word TOOLS. Then I'll get all of the addresses and hit up mapquest to try and make a planned out trip so I'm not driving back and forth all over town(saves gas) I'll cruz by any I see on the way.

As for me I seem to have been having the most luck in either the real wealthier areas or the not so great part of town. Old rich guys have nice quality tools and in the not so nice parts they are desperate for money they will sell for so cheap.

 

[cowboy73]

I tend to do better in town at yard sales located in older neighborhoods. Housing additions from the 1960s and earlier. Older neighborhoods tend to yield better stuff. Sales out in the country tend to have better stuff than ones in town. Yes, there is more driving but the GPS and the newspaper are awesome tools for finding the good stuff. Having a pretty good knowledge of the roads in your area makes the hunt a bit more successful.

 

[Rickster]

Working class area's are the best. Stay away from the rich part of town and the poor section. Check the Craig's List garage sales and the Tools section. Also the local papers like the Observer here will have a classifieds section on-line. Also estatesales.net, they list by state & city and have pics.

Read the ad carefully. If TOOLS are in caps or at the front of the list it generally means they have a lot, also look for "Lots of tools". Arrange them by opening time.

 

[Chuck Farley]

Also remember that, in many places, the "upper class" folks think it is beneath their dignity to admit that they even HAVE tools - it implies that they are a "tradesman" (said with a sneer), so the wealthy areas may not yield much at all! Its a crapshoot

 

[woody 73]

In my area the people are very savvy because they know if they use the golden word...TOOLS they can get more to walk in and 9 out of ten times all they will have is one or two tools for sale.

I tend to avoid new homes and the very expensive neighborhoods, for safety I stay away from the high crime areas. My better deals come from the more rural areas and the working class areas. Just this week I bought a box of used drill bits and that old-timer beat the **** out of every tool he owned; I paid a small fortune for his drill bits but some of the better ones were toast, I wonder what the heck that guy was drilling???

 

[Kracin]

Also remember that, in many places, the "upper class" folks think it is beneath their dignity to admit that they even HAVE tools - it implies that they are a "tradesman" (said with a sneer), so the wealthy areas may not yield much at all! Its a crapshoot

seriously? i know a few nearly millionaires that love to work on their cars and have tools to spare...

sounds more like something against well off people than a good idea of where to look to me.

 

[chris142]

If you pull up to a yard sale and see baby clothes on Racks or 350lb mexican women that look like weebles don't bother to get out of the car.

All they have is baby clothes, Spanish movies on vhs and portraits of jesus on the cross.

 

[admactanium]

Also remember that, in many places, the "upper class" folks think it is beneath their dignity to admit that they even HAVE tools - it implies that they are a "tradesman" (said with a sneer), so the wealthy areas may not yield much at all! Its a crapshoot

Yeah. I don't know about that. Most often affluent Husbands/Dads are either ambivalent or slightly embarrassed that they can't do manly stuff around the house. I live in a pretty affluent neighborhood and I see plenty of folks wrenching on cars and doing home improvement projects. I've never seen anyone sneer at the mention of tools.

 

[Twisted Sid]

If you pull up to a yard sale and see baby clothes on Racks or 350lb mexican women that look like weebles don't bother to get out of the car.

All they have is baby clothes, Spanish movies on vhs and portraits of jesus on the cross.

lol, WAY to common here. and Ive only really been going to garage sales for a few weeks.

 

[gjz30075]

I really thnk estate sales are the best 'bang for the buck' professional or not. Go to www.estatesales.net and browse to your city. I find private sales to be higher prices than the pro run ones. They're just proud of their stuff. The pro, on the other hand, has one objective: Get the most $$ they can for their client and to do that, they have to sell everything in a few days, so the prices usually, but not always, are very fair.

 

[Kevin54]

Around here, middle class has about the best deals and the most stuff, along with a large variety of stuff.

The upper class....mostly junk stuff. Hardly ever any tools because they hire things done. Lots of used clothes though if one is into that.

Sometimes you can get great deals from sales in the lower class neighborhoods. It seems that they always need some money, so they will sell whatever they have and you can usually negotiate a way lower price on an little more of an expensive item. But, what I have also found is that some of the stuff in the lower class 'hoods is that some of it may be a little warm to the touch. Don't get me wrong, I'm not stereotyping, but am going on just what I have witnessed from where I grew up and some of the ones I have known from school and later. If you don't have a job, haven't worked in years, and are on welfare, you won't be selling brand new, brand name tools, or any brand new garage items for that matter.

If your town has yearly cleanup days, you can get some good stuff there. My hometown used to have one week to get anything they wanted to get rid of, and set it out to the curb to be picked up. They didn't care what it was as long as there were no paints, or chemicals of any type. No car batteries, but you could toss tires. People from everywhere would be driving around and loading up. Almost every house on the street the wife and I lives on, had basically what amounted to a single axle dumptruck load piles in the front of almost every house. We got some nice folding chairs for outdoors one year, a few shelves, some lights. The doctor that lived a few houses down from us, his wife drove a Mercedes 450SL, and we saw her go by, had the top down and stuffed piled in tight where she was out curbside shopping The city stopped doing it a few years ago due to the economy. The town we live in now was doing it, but all they were doing was dropping off a large rolloff container for a complete city block No fun shopping that way.

 

[NHBandit]

Don't bother with North East Tennessee. On average out of 20 yard sales we drive past 19 of them will be kids toys and clothes. The 20th will be stuff that's overpriced and when you try to make a reasonable offer they will tell you that they saw one just like it sell on Ebay for more than they are asking... There are alot of folks here who are dirt poor and any good tools or anything of the sort that guys on here might like have already been taken to the pawn shop the last time the light bill was overdue. Estate auctions are your best bet around here but the competition is tough. Guys who do have money to spend like tools just as much as we do so "you ****" type deals are not easy to find.

 

[Rickster]

seriously? i know a few nearly millionaires that love to work on their cars and have tools to spare...

sounds more like something against well off people than a good idea of where to look to me.

No, nothing against anyone. Speaking in terms of generalities and from years of experience. Every morning you have limited time to be early at maybe 6 garage sales. To minimize your investment in gas for the car and maximize your rewards you need to focus on the area's that will consistently bring you good tools for a good price. Have I scored big in the wealthy and poor parts of town?.... sometimes. But over time it's the working class neighborhoods that produce the quality tools for a fair price more often.

 

[byoungblood]

I really thnk estate sales are the best 'bang for the buck' professional or not. Go to www.estatesales.net and browse to your city. I find private sales to be higher prices than the pro run ones. They're just proud of their stuff. The pro, on the other hand, has one objective: Get the most $$ they can for their client and to do that, they have to sell everything in a few days, so the prices usually, but not always, are very fair.

I've actually noticed the exact opposite with professionally run estate sales.

Usually unless you show up on the half off day, the prices ****. I went to one last summer that was professionally run, and they were asking retail prices for most of their tools. On the other hand, I went to a private one where I bought my drill press, walked away with the drill press for $65, and a whole box full of drill bits (including a decent amount of Forstner bits), tap and die set, and a couple of other things for $100 total.

Usually at the private ones that are a little high, they're just slapping prices on things and will generally haggle down to something more reasonable. The professional ones, if they're high, usually they're not going to haggle at all, particularly if it is early in the sale. Their main interest is their commission, and finding suckers to pay top dollar for used items. They're the ones you show up to and someone has a laptop with eBay, and are putting the highest price they can find on an item, regardless if it has sold or not. If the estate sale company mentions anywhere that they have "professional appraisers", run like hell.

That said, most of the yard sales I find good stuff at (as in tools) are usually in rural or semi rural areas, the burbs are hit and miss. Generally in high density, small home subdivision, if an ad mentions "tools" it is usually a couple of screwdrivers, a made in China socket set, and a couple of yard tools. Most of the better sales will typically at least bother to categorize what they have (ie., hand tools, power tools. yard tools, etc.), and the best will list specific items. However, those are also the ones you have to show up early for too, because by about 8:30-9am, the horde will have descended on the place and have picked over everything.

 

[gjz30075]

Must be a location thing. The professional ones here seem to deal with antiques and collectibles and don't really know $hit about 'guy hardware'. They just want it out of the house.

That said, I know a few estate dealers here who do price hardware high, but not retail high, and I avoid them. But there's probably a half dozen or so other estate'ers who have knowledge only in antiques and collectibles.

 

[Craptain]

The "Pro" Estate sales treat tools as just another marketable commodity, along with the regular collectibles. The same people often have booths, or even own the antique malls. They don't often give good deals. Having said that, I have picked up (rarely) occasional deals at said malls.

 

[bigcaddy]

The second hand tool gods are quite fickle and you never know when a good sale will hit. I've spent every friday night, for the past 2+ years, plotting a course or a few stops for my Saturday junk safari.

Sometimes the promising ones are absolute junk and the so-so ones have the goods.

For example, i didn't go out a few weeks ago because there was nothing good looking or way too far and missed out on this.

A friend of mine was struggling with the same decision that weekend and decided to hit a sale not far from his house. It was a brand new development and more then once he texted me to say, "why am i still sitting here, its too new, the tools will be expensive or junky" but waited it out and walked out with a large box of Snap-on tools for 35.00!!! That included over a dozen wrenches and 7 ratchets

If you keep enough lines in the water, sooner or later you will land a trophy fish. The real trick is to learn enough to at least be able to always make a few bucks on whatever you buy, no matter where you go. I've spent my whole life learning from my family of serious antique collectors/dealers so i was raised to spot quality and know the value, even if its not something you normally collect or deal.

 

[byoungblood]

Must be a location thing. The professional ones here seem to deal with antiques and collectibles and don't really know $hit about 'guy hardware'. They just want it out of the house.

That said, I know a few estate dealers here who do price hardware high, but not retail high, and I avoid them. But there's probably a half dozen or so other estate'ers who have knowledge only in antiques and collectibles.

I think most of the professional estate sale companies treat old tools more for their "antique" value than their usefulness as a tool many times, hence the higher price.

Most of the run of the mill stuff is usually pretty cheap for a professional sale (screwdrivers, loose sockets and wrenches) but usually anything big is far more than what I'd be willing to spend.

 

[Danglerb]

If there was a way to predict which ones are good the full time yard sale buyers would have it down pat.

Death or moving seem like the best tool buying opportunities, and getting there first is usually required.

Estate sales of the 1% can be pretty good, but its amazing how rich people can be and still have tools from HF, Walmart, etc. Typically the kids take all the premium brand stuff anyway, or swap their own junk items for them.

 

[glenmore]

If you live in a big town, estatesales.net will keep you plenty busy.

These sales are truly estate sales so the sellers need to clear out the house but you can't skip the every day yard sale either. One time I was coming home after long series of far off estate sales and passed this small unadvertised sale. They were young people having a combination sale/hang with the neighbors type of event. They had free donuts and coffee too! I picked up this leather briefcase a moment before another guy started to reach for it. Just from the handle I could tell this was a very expensive hand made leather case. Inside was brand new, stamped with Smythson Bond Street. Outside wear was just from being shuffled around in a closet. This case probably retailed for over $1000. They were asking $5 for it and when I asked if they happened to have the keys, they said "No, how about $3 then?".

Plenty of good tips offered already. The above website usually will have dozens of photos so you have an idea what will be there.

If at all possible try and get out Friday for a Fri-Sat-Sun sale.

There will be plenty that you go to where you strike out, but that's part of the game. Every once in a while you'll come across something like the briefcase or a NOS Buck hatchet+sheath for $1! that will keep you going.

I search CL with "estate tools" in the garage sale section for additional sales.

Always be polite and don't be rude when haggling, particularly with the services because they WILL remember you. If there are services that handle estate sales in your area, they'll soon recognize you as a regular, and they'll be more reasonable with pricing.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

If you live in a big town, estatesales.net will keep you plenty busy.

Always be polite and don't be rude when haggling, particularly with the services because they WILL remember you. If there are services that handle estate sales in your area, they'll soon recognize you as a regular, and they'll be more reasonable with pricing.

Truth. I go to estatesales.net, on the email list etc, and they remember you. They like me and they hook me up.