There’s something for everyone at a garage sale

Somebody’s going to get a great deal on this nice lavender soap–it’s barely been used.

Don’t laugh. As the saying sort of goes, one person’s used soap is another person’s treasure. It all depends on which side of the card table you’re standing.

It’s garage-sale season, time to declutter your basement and clear the guest room of old Happy Meal toys and retired stuffed animals, time to find a buyer for the cracked candlestick and the makeup samples you’ve been hoarding.

“My advice on garage sales is to put it all out there,” said Amy McPherson of Dayton, Ohio. “It’s no time to be proud. I mean, I wouldn’t try to sell old underwear or even a bathing suit, but it’s been my experience that there’s a buyer for just about everything if the price is right.”

McPherson laughs: “It’s been my experience that the right price is usually about 10 cents. People will talk themselves into anything if it only costs a dime.”

McPherson is a garage-sale veteran who’s already had her first sale this year and has plans for another in the early fall.

Pre-sale, her garage is an organized warehouse of labeled boxes full of neatly folded clothes, used toys, old dishes and assorted other jetsam of a life well lived.

She’s happy to take items from friends and neighbors “on consignment,” she smiles, color-coding the box labels with price tags with an inventory-control system to rival any chain store.

“I keep a cut of the things I sell for other people,” she said, “because, I mean, I’m doing the work. If they pitch in and help set up, or pack up or work during the sale, then of course that’s their payment. And I’ll store things for people during the winter as long as there’s room in my garage.”

McPherson launders the clothes and uses Clorox wipes on what she can, giving everything a cursory cleaning before it goes on display.

“There’s a little pride involved,” she admits. “I’ve seen crusty dishes and clothes at other sales, and it’s just repulsive. It’s disgusting. I don’t think people expect pristine stuff from a garage sale, and when I buy things I make sure to clean them good before I use them, but I’ve found that stuff just sells better if it looks good. I mean, this isn’t rocket science.”

It’s not Neiman-Marcus, either: Garage sales are hodgepodges of paperbacks, record albums (yes, wax albums), shoes, exercise equipment, baby clothes–lots of baby clothes–jewelry and trinkets, all used but not necessarily used up, hoping to find new homes.

Garage sales are hard work, says Laurie Manning, a Centerville, Ohio, mother of two who held her first sale last summer.

“It was exhausting, just the general collection of junk from the house, setting it up, pricing it. I had no idea. We had to beg, borrow and steal tables and boxes to hold all the stuff,” she said. “The worst part was when it was over, I had all this leftover junk that I was not under any circumstances going to bring back in the house. We ended up spending part of the measly profits on hiring a truck to take it to the dump.”

Manning will be smarter next time, she said, but next time won’t be for a long while.

“I’m not cut out for it,” she said. “All the organizing and folding and guessing at values is just beyond my expertise. I’ve been making more trips to the Salvation Army to donate stuff, rather than believing I can make a profit by selling it myself.”

When neighborhoods work together, the rewards can be tremendous. Still, someone has to take the lead, coordinating advertising and scheduling, fielding phone calls from folks who have “just a few things” to sell, “not enough to get really involved.”

“I actually heard that from a friend and neighbor in my old neighborhood when we were having our first block sale,” said Marcia Hamilton, of Kettering, Ohio. “I agreed to take care of their `few things’–the morning of the sale, they brought a truckload of junk furniture and gardening tools that had been rotting in their shed for years.

“I learned a lesson that day. When it comes to garage sales, you just never know. They bring out the weird in people.”

Used soap, anyone?

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Tips for hosting garage sale

– Plan. During the year, create a place for items you think you might want to sell. Don’t be picky: Sometimes the strangest things– crocheted toilet-paper cover?–are the first to go.

– Be prepared. Have plastic bags ready for buyers; have enough change on hand. Usually $80-$100 is a good starting amount: Two $10 bills; four $5, 25 $1, a roll of quarters and $5 in nickels and dimes.

– Be neat. The best garage sales are like the best retail stores, clean and neat, with happy help. Clean up what you can, run clothes through the washing machine and fold them neatly (they won’t stay that way, but you can try). Display clothes in themes: pants with pants, shirts with shirts, etc.

– Open on time and stick to your posted hours. If the ad says “No Early Birds,” don’t start selling at 7 a.m. when your sign says 9 a.m.

– Secure your money. The best way is to keep the cash on your person at all times, using something like a carpenter’s apron. More than one garage-seller has been ripped off by roving con artists who work in pairs. One creates a diversion (“How much? …What is this?”) while the other absconds with the box of money.

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– Get help. Enlist a friend, neighbor or a child older than 9 to work the sale with you. When it’s busy, it can get confusing and congested with just one person in charge. During down times, stroll around your sale and straighten up.

– Post an “All Sales Final” sign. Believe it or not, people may return seeking a refund.

– If it’s hot, consider selling lemonade or bottled water. One seller made $25 on a $5 investment. When the sale is over, take down your signs.

— Laura Dempsey

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Tips for shoppers

– Check the classifieds and map a route. You’ll save time by beginning with a plan, though the wise shopper always leaves room for unscheduled stops. Check grocery-store bulletin boards and church fliers too.

– Arrive on time–not early. Garage-sale veterans dread the “early birders,” who insist on browsing during set-up.

– Come prepared, with a list of certain items you’re seeking (it’s easy to get distracted) and with small bills and change. It’s easier to make a deal if you have the exact amount ready to go. Bring measurements and a tape measure if you’re looking for something for a specific purpose, such as curtains. Some shoppers bring batteries to check battery-operated electronics; the truly prepared bring some sort of all-purpose tool (such as a Swiss Army knife) for various and sundry purposes. The tiny screwdriver comes in handy when trying to open battery compartments.

– Beware baby items. Know your “recall” list. Car seats, cribs and playpens might be good deals, but they might be unsafe too. In some cases, and always when safety’s involved, it’s best to buy retail. When in doubt, check with the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 800-638-6772.

– Don’t trust boxes. It’s not that uncommon for people to upgrade equipment (cameras, scanners, printers) and use the new box for the old item. Look inside the box, take the item out and give it a good going-over.

– If you think you want it, hang onto it while shopping. Set that old radio down for a minute, and it may be gone before you turn around. If you decide you don’t want it, replace it neatly where you found it.

– Don’t be afraid to bargain, but be reasonable. If you’ve talked the seller down to 50 cents, don’t try to pay with a $50, or run out to your Porsche for more change.

– Don’t be afraid to walk away empty-handed.

— Laura Dempsey