We’ve all heard the yard sale terms “barter” and “haggle” but knowing when and how to negotiate a price with a seller is key in getting a deal. Typically the best time to visit a yard sale is when it first starts, you know the saying, “the early bird catches the worm!” In this case, hopefully you’ll have a good find and a good deal. Sellers tend to be less flexible in pricing early on during the sale. Many of the more desirable items such as antiques, collectibles or electronics may sell at prices they’re listed at. The early birds know that they’ll have to pull a little more green paper from their pockets if they want to beat the competition and walk away with something they’re really excited about.
Smart sellers may organize their sales so there are tables with similar prices set on those items, such as the $1 table, $5 table, etc. Here’s where you can haggle a bit and try to negotiate a better price, but be realistic. If a seller has appropriately priced an item that looks and works perfectly fine, don’t insult them by asking for 3/4 off the price. However, towards the end of the day of the sale, sellers can be much more inclined to accept discounted prices to avoid leftovers.
The bartering game basically comes down to common sense. If the seller has fairly priced their items, they’re generally not going to have problems selling their items or negotiating with buyers for a small percentage off the asking price. Buyers know when they see a good deal and when there are lots of shoppers they’ll want to be sure they make the right move by offering a fair price for what they’re willing to pay and not to draw attention to their new found treasures… especially if they know it’s secretly very valuable.