Comments on: Yard Sale Deals – 7/6/13

By: Derek Chamberlain

Derek Chamberlain — Wed, 20 May 2015 16:36:37 +0000

Suzanne,

I think you may just be afraid of rejection. If I did the math correct, I paid $18.75 vs. the $30.25 asked. So, I really received a ~38% discount, not a 3% one.

I have probably been to 500+ yard sales. The motivation for 80%+ of folks is just to get rid of their stuff. Most are happy to get rid of it at nearly any price. It is a true win-win. If you look at most cultures around the world, it is perfectly normal to negotiate on price. This is extremely common for any used stuff – eBay, Craigslist, and yard sales are all basically negotiated prices.

I used to be the same way as you, but eventually got over the fear of rejection and was able to ask for discounts when it makes sense. I have had many cases where I ask how much something is and then don’t want to pay the price asked. I don’t even try to haggle because the price is too high. More than half the time, if I am uninterested in that price folks will ASK me to make an offer of what I’d like to pay. They want to get rid of it 🙂 In some extreme cases, folks will actually give me the stuff for free just to get rid of it!!!

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Tue, 19 May 2015 05:03:24 +0000

You are a little too hard core. You saved $11.50 by haggling. 3%. I do not think that is respectful to the seller or to yourself.This is not Mexico where back and forth about the price is an expected part of a transaction. I acknowledge that I am not a good garage-saler, am having my first ever in a few weeks because I’d rather donate to a charity, but I don’t respect myself when I ask someone to do me a favor at their expense, and I hope they do not try that on me at my garage sale.
I went to a garage sale recently (I don’t go frequently, so maybe I don’t get the culture) and the husband of the lady in charge suggested to me that I try bundling some of my purchases and making an offer. I declined. I prefer to honor the price someone has determined an object is worth to them and not buying it if I am not OK with the price. Or perhaps coming back at the end of the sale to see if the price has been reduced. (Or perhaps I’m just afraid of rejection.)

By: Derek Chamberlain

Derek Chamberlain — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 18:12:01 +0000

We’re kinda hard-core compared to most folks. I wouldn’t shy away from it, but definitely expect people to try to haggle you lower.

By: Daisy @ Prairie Eco Thrifter

Daisy @ Prairie Eco Thrifter — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 14:40:24 +0000

Wow, you got some great deals! This actually kind of scares me away from having my own garage sale, because I don’t know if I’d want to sell my stuff for that cheap!