Garage Sale Tips — How to Negotiate

Yes, I know getting up at 6 pm on a Saturday morning ought to really be a sin, but women, during garage sale season, it is so worth it. Solid wood furniture, designer clothes, vintage luggage and picture frames I’ve gotten it all in garage sales.

I’ve long thought that garage sales are where to go for the best prices on used items. All of my very best deals came from garage sales, while I am still obsessed with Craigslist, coupon sites and thrift stores. How, you ask? 1 simple word: negotiation.

Negotiation Tips and Tricks at Garage Sales

1. You Catch More Flies With Honey

As the old expression goes,”you catch more flies with honey,” which actually means that the nicer you are to individuals, the more inclined they are to help you out. Each time I ask for a discount on a price tag, I simply ask ,”Can you please think about $X to your item?”

If they are motivated sellers, they will say yes, so long as it’s a reasonable offer.  And if the offer is overly low and they say no, then hey, no hard feelings.

2. Negotiate at the Beginning & End

From somebody who gets a bang from haggling, the best times to do this are at the beginning and the end of a garage sale. You get first dibs if you’re the individual to a sale. The downside is that the seller is not desperate in the morning as she will be in the day. That is when your project to show them that you are their gal. Why wait until later in the afternoon when you’ve got an interested buyer there?

Conversely, at the conclusion of the sale, people are very tired and hot, and they would like to pack up and move inside. This is your best chance to lowball. I got a chandelier that was huge for $2 because the sale was over, and the vendors were ready to package up.

3. Money Is King

No one will take checks or other forms of payment in garage sales. Ensure you’re prepped with a number of smaller invoices. Asking for change is frequently a deal-killer. The buyer might have a change of heart and gets more time.

4. Don’t Provide The Seller More Work

Always visit a garage sale ready to bring home everything you may need. This implies that if you are currently looking to refinish some furniture, then you’re likely to need a truck. By asking them to provide If you lease one from a home improvement store or borrow your brother’s vehicle, do not put the burden on the seller. Telling them you may look after all of the labor is a fantastic negotiating point to ask them for a lower cost.

5. Know When To Walk

In my years of garage sale-ing, I’ve found that some people, sometimes simply do not want to budge.   If you feel even a little bit of anger (for whatever reason) out of the vendor, that’s when it is time to walk away.

Garage sales are all about you getting a good deal and the seller becoming to rid their home of surplus. You only pay what you planned and will not be glad so stay sharp, if you don’t get the deal you need and overspend.

Please discuss it in the comments below, In case you have a garage sale narrative!