Today is National Garage Sale Day, 2012! To celebrate this fun day, we’re sharing some amazing finds and fun memories from garage sale enthusiasts!
“My amazing find was a new $1,700 computer projector for $20. The box was open but the projector hadn’t even been taken out of the box. I asked the owner how much and she said $75. I asked her if she would take $20 and she did.”
- John G.
“My favorite story incorporates a great lesson learned: If you don’t see what you’re looking for, ASK! I asked the woman at one sale if she had any comic books. She called out her son, who was just home from college. Ten minutes later, I walked out with a bunch of 1960s gems for $5.00 (including a SPIDER-MAN #8)!”
- Mike P.
“About 10 years ago, when my parents and I were selling all our belongings with a garage sale in Virginia because we were moving abroad, a foreign family approached us about my mom’s car. They were $500 short in cash from my mom’s calling price, so they offered her blocks of gold that were worth $1,000. At the time, my mom didn’t know what you really did with a block of gold and seeing the desperation of need for a car in the family’s eyes, she gave the car to them at a discount price of $500. However, it was a pretty unusual and funny experience for our family to be offered blocks of gold as payments.”
- Robin S.
“My best garage sale find was a vintage singer sewing machine with case. I bought it for $5 and turned around and sold it on Ebay for $90. Best find ever!”
- Jeanine B.
“My favorite garage sale experience has nothing to do with something I bought, but rather a conversation I overheard. While shopping at a garage sale in Huntington Beach, CA, I overheard two elderly ladies discussing the sex appeal of Andy Garcia. Both ladies, probably in their late 60s, agreed that his sexy days are long gone and that he has now “hit the wall.” As you can see, garage sale treasures come in all forms.”
- David W.
“One Saturday, I had a babysitter and four dollars to blow so I went on a hunt for the “Weirdest thing I could find, for a dollar.” After several stops, I happened upon this amazing sculpture that looked like it was made of old train parts. It was spectacular, but they wanted $5 for it (which was definitely a good price) so I told her my quest and she decided to sell it to me for $1. Fifteen years later, it has become a “WiSH Portal” and the pinnacle attraction of my Traveling Faery Realm Museum.”
- Valerie P.
“My best find was an impulse stop at a sale in a very small nearby town.I bought a sculpture thinking it was of a musical composer and I would give it to my son.Turns out it was made in Germany,was very rare and worth over $150.00.I paid fifty cents.”
- Jim C.
“My 30 year-old daughter and I spend Saturday mornings together looking through piles of other people’s stuff, we talk, we laugh, and most days we come home with a car full of unique and/or useful items. It’s a long Maine winter awaiting those first spring days of the yard sale season!”
- Jeanne F.
A special thanks to all those who contributed for this fun piece today! Have an awesome Garage Sale Day!
“Hi… I have a question. I attended an estate/tag sale and purchased several items. I paid and then was removing one, which was a standing mahogany jewelry armoire. I was removing drawers to take it out of the house and there was some costume jewelry in the sides. I took it home with me but have to return to pick up a desk and the rest of the armoire. The estate sale company called and said that the jewelry was not supposed to be in the armoire and asked me to return it. I asked the owner of my favorite auction house and some other seasoned buyers and they said that jewelry belongs to me now. Your thoughts?”