Every year, millions of people complain about the excessive junk stored in their garages and homes. To them, the items taking up space may be utterly useless. To others, these knick knacks can be a treasure. Luckily, those discarded items often can be showcased in yard sales, giving you an opportunity to collect some new things for your home. Some yard sales are lackluster, with old equipment none of us would ever use. However, yard sales held by wealthier or elderly people can yield little gems just waiting for a new home. If you know how to spot a good yard sale, you could very well end up with something that could be quite valuable, rare, or just plain useful.
When you go to a yard sale in hopes of finding a new fishing rod or other item of convenience, don't stop there. You just might find something selling for $3 that could be re-sold for $300. Collector's items and antiques are often sold, with the seller unaware of their potential value. Children's toys from as recently as 10 years ago could have a high market value. If you see rare action figures, like those of Superman, Batman, or Spider man, in good condition, why not purchase them? Vintage toys can be re-sold to antique shops for a rather hefty price, or kept as part of your private collection.
Other common yard sales items, like ham radios, old magazines, and antique furniture can be bought and re-sold. In cases of larger items like furniture, consider reselling them yourself, because if you can buy under market value, you'll likely to realize a profit.
Perhaps you aren't looking to make a profit, and simply want to acquire some new possessions. If this is the case, there are some rules you need to know before purchasing that new dress or crib.
Children's furniture, like cribs, should never be bought at a yard sale, under any circumstances. Safety standards for cribs are changing constantly. Also, a used crib may have some defect or flaw invisible to the naked eye.
Clothing from yard sales, even if it does seem clean, should be washed before you wear it. There might be an allergen on it, or the seller may simply not have washed it. A similar rule applies to shoes. It's best not to buy used shoes, because they could be harboring some kind of dangerous foot fungus. However, many people buy them anyway, with the thin protection of socks. Regardless, you should still wash out the inside of shoes with an antibacterial cleanser before wearing them. In the case of tennis or other washable shoes, run them through the washer a couple of times.
Electronics at yard sales are responsible for thousands of lost dollars every year. If you like a VCR, DVD player, or other electronic, don't just ask the seller “does it work?” Ask to plug it in and test it out before taking it home.
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