How do you make Garage Sales work for you?

[Toolhorder]

I go a step further than most on here and I'll actually mow over the garage sale ads on CL the night before (friday around here) and fire off emails to every ad stating they have tools. I'll just ask if they have automotive type tools or construction type tools and I'll get maybe a 20-40% response rate. It saves me some time chasing G-sales that ****. Once in awhile you get a great deal from an email lead. Once a guy emailed back yes on automotive so I asked what type/brand tools and he replied SO and MAC. I was there first thing in the AM and as I walked up on the sale he sold a SO motorcycle tool kit for Harley's for like $30.
I bought a couple things that day,
OTC Genesys scan tool for $40 (working with OBD2 generic software and cable)
Full set of Orange handled Snappy screwdriver's for $25

Later found out to update the scan tool I'd be out $1200 then I'd need to buy the cable adapter's and cards as well. Decided to sell and went up on Ebay. Got $300+ for the scan tool.

Of course I kept the screwdriver's.

Another time I found an ad for tools and they replied yes to automotive tools and stated they were all C-man. I fished out several SK long flat blade screwdriver's, Mac and snappy sockets, brand new rubber Cman mallet, couple vaghn hammers, cordless dremel all for $4.

It pays to research, I also have a phone app on my Droid called garage rover or something. It actually will search my CL area and then using the phone's position list the nearest G-sales while I'm out and about.

 

[fflintstone]

Your best deals are ones where someone is selling “grandpa’s stuff” you may get a deal or not. Some women think if it is old and rusty it must be worth a ton, some just the opposite. Do not bother with estate sales (esp. ones run by a service) in general, prices tend to be high and there is no correlation between the quality of items and the price. You have to be willing to look at a lot of **** to find a gem. It helps to be looking for other stuff as well. I have a 4 year old so I need kids clothes & toys. I look for clothes for my self and my wife; it is rare to find them in our sizes. I look for anything that is a good value that I can use. I rarely buy anything for resale unless I can make good money for no effort. Best deal I found recently was a new unopened box (1,000 feet) of cat5 computer networking wire for $5.
Older neighborhoods are better; I did well in the spring at a “retirement trailer park sale”
I filled my car.
A lot of times tools are overpriced at garage sales. Getting gems are rare, you have to do a lot of them and enjoy doing them to make it worthwhile.

 

[Danglerb]

Keep it fun, if its not fun if you don't get a great deal that day, you will burn out fast.

Last few hours of a pro estate sale usually has serious negotiation, but downside is that everything has been picked over, difference in price can still make it worthwhile.

Help people anytime you can, its good karma at the worst.

Divide up your money, no freakin way am I going to walk around with a grand in my pocket, and its embarrassing to haggle over some $3 item and then pull out a roll.

Wow I need a good swap meet. I went to Cypress College last week, walked in within minutes of it opening, and tool sellers had already bought every non junk tool the non tool sellers had.

 

[mrholeshot]

My wife and I make a day of it when we go. We get away for the computer, the TV and even cut off our cell phones while we are out. Lots of laughs and funny stuff to find. Don't be afraid to dig and try to lump all your purchaces at a yard sale into one pile. Peole normally give you a better deal when you buy more. Don't be afraid the negociate.

 

[ecotec]

i bought an armstrong armaloy H-20A sliding tee breaker bar and a couple sockets by Wright today. at an estate sale.

 

[Farma11]

Lots of good advise here. I would like to add. If going to an indooor estate sale. Get there early. Be prepared to stand in line. A professional estate sale will start at a set time (no early birds). When the door opens head STRAIGHT to the garage. The old timers know this trick. Look on the floor first they won't waste table space with a toolbox . The antique dealers will be looking for the anitques up on the shelves.

If you make a big purchase TAKE IT WITH YOU... I had a box emptied out after I left it to get my truck.

 

[glenmore]

I hit the garage sales just about every Saturday morning. Great way to get a jump on the day as they typically start at 7am. Getting around Los Angeles at any other hour is a bear, but you can cover a lot of ground early AM Saturday.

I start checking craigslist on Monday and note anything that looks interesting. I later plot them on google maps and hit the areas surrounding the most promising ones. As mentioned by many others, even with much preparation, it is still pretty much a hit and miss affair. The most promising ones turn out to be duds and you are pleasantly surprised by others. In any area you will always run up against the pros that do it for a living. They generally have a bead on garages that are full of tools.

When searching craigslist, I start with a cursory search under garage sales for "tools". There are usually too many returns with this search (you pick up all the garden tools for sale) but I glance at the headings for the holy grail : "garage full of tools". Then I do a more thorough search with "estate" . Whether or not I find tools, I have more fun at true estate sales. The best phrase to see is "garage full of tools" but of course everybody else sees it too. As early as I might get to a sale, I am always behind the pros. They probably get there 1 to 1.5 hours before AND they have assistants to stand in line. One trick I learned from a pro, even though there was a huge line at the front door to get into the house, when the gun sounded, he just walked up the driveway directly to the garage. If there are a lot of pros in your area, your only hope is that there is more than one big sale and you go to the one that they didn't go to. The pros miss plenty of times also. I have been behind them 3-4 times where after tearing into the garage, there wasn't but a handful of tools to be had. And then there was that time when they got the whole Snap-On box.

After you hit the garage, always take a look in the kitchen. In every kitchen there is almost ALWAYS a "junky drawer" where the homeowner's favorite tools are kept. These would be tools he/she would use all the time. Won't find any Snap-On here, but there will be cool Plomb pliers, screwdrivers, Channel locks, etc.

My approach to garage sales is a bit different than most. I ALWAYS load up on all sorts of stuff that most people skip over. I take:

Towels for rags
Auto chemicals: car wax,wash,wd40,chrome polish, protectant, 3/1 oil, white gas, mineral spirits, neatsfoot oil, etc.
Household chemicals: bug sprays, dish soap, laundry supplies, drain cleaner, jet dry, silver polish, furniture polish, etc.
Shop supplies: steel wool, emery paper, sandpaper, wire brushes, flashlights, batteries, etc.
Kitchen supplies: aluminum foil, plastic wrap, freezer bags, pyrex, etc.

Of course, I will only buy the stuff when they are basically giving it away, which is most the time. I usually carry two 5-gal buckets with me and pay no more than $10 for a bucket full of stuff, tools and all.