I once found an actual 35mm theatre film, un-used, of "Star Wars Trilogy Remastered, Trailer version B". I thought, "Hmm. Somebody might wanna buy this off me for a lot more than $2 someday!"

It's still sitting on my bookshelf. :P

Craigslist > Yard Sale.

Find specific item in comfort of your own home vs spend hours driving round rummaging through people's crap.

Oh- I forgot to comment on the article:

This is all just common sense to me.

@Jon Mason: You're forgetting the "then hope it's not stolen" part of Craigslist.

I never go to yard / garage sales. Nothing against them, but the last thing I need is to be buying other peoples junk. I'm constantly trying to get rid of as much stuff as I can around here already. The whole premise of buying at a yard sale doesn't work for me because, you're not going there to buy something specific, which is the reason you should buy anything. It's the same reason I don't go wander around a mega mall for hours on end hoping some product will catch my eye that I previously never knew existed, but suddenly can't live without.

//Clutter (items without home) can not only be visually overwhelming but a potential fall hazard.//

Which is exactly why most people have yard sales to begin with.

Honestly, most items you buy from a yard sale aren't exactly going to break the bank.

Some times one man's trash is another man's, well, trash.

I've heard legends of people stumbling onto large firearms collections sold by grieving/desperate relatives at estate sales.

@Jakuub: If the sleeper sofa I just bought from someone on Craigslist was stolen, then I have to hand it to whoever snuck it out while nobody was looking.

@Fist-oâ„¢: Not only that, but it's a handy list of things to think about before you buy anything.

@Jon Mason: Some people enjoy the hunt.

@Fist-oâ„¢: I'll give you 10 dollars :P

With the exception of safety issue items such as car seats and cribs, I found yard sales to be the way to outfit babies and kids when they were small. Infant and toddler toys are often gently worn.

I hit a bonanza one day when a woman was selling all her daughter's smocked dresses for $2.00 each.

But now? I'm the one who thinks a trip to drop off crap at Goodwill is a most excellent adventure.

in other news people buy compulsively.... again

News at 11

I love the garage sale. LOVE. wonderful for baby and toddler clothes. And Toys! Outfitted my kid for 2T and 3T summer and winter for about $40 total. endless tshirts, jeans, and shirts. It does not pay to buy new baby and toddler clothes at all. $15 for a shirt they can wear for 3 months? FAIL.

I dispute the first tip when it comes to furniture. If I was at a yard sale and spotted a coffee table that originally retailed for $600 hell no, I wouldn't have ever paid full price for it. Part of going to yard sales is to get things you may otherwise pay full price for and in the case of furniture, I could have never spent $600 on a coffee table. Just because I don't have that kind of money doesn't mean I can't find a used one and pay less. The quality is still there, I just got it for less. I don't think saying "I would never buy that at full price" is a bad thing when you couldn't financially buy it for full price.

@pecan 3.14159265: I agree with you -- and not just about the high-end furniture.

I've found several out-of-print paperbacks at yard sales that there's no way in hell I'm going to pay $60 or more for, but will happily buy for $1. In fact, I've bought boxes of paperbacks at yard sales that probably weren't worth $6.99 each to start with, either, but in a box-o-books for $10, sure!

And I definitely agree with others that Goodwill, thrift stores, and yard sales are the only way to go for baby and toddler clothes. I didn't have anything new from a retail store until I was 6. (And even then, it was always Ann & Hope -- what we had in New England before there was Wal-Mart or Target.)

My parents have zero control when it comes to buying crap they don't need, but they buy it all new. Once a year they advertise their garage sale in the paper, and we have people that come and say, "I wait all year for this sale." Everything out there is new in package and they usually bring back $5k by the end of the weekend. God knows how much they spent on that stuff. It's really sad.

You have to enjoy the process to make yard sales or thrift stores worth it. If you're out hunting for a particular item, chances are you're not going to find it. If you're out hunting because you like hunting, and you go often enough, you're going to find lots of interesting stuff.

In my case, I keep what fits in with my house and sell the rest on ebay for more than I paid. I come out ahead every time.

@Jon Mason: CL always seems to be too expensive, especially for smaller things like DVDs and CDs.

I find plenty of great items in people's trash, also. Anything that is solid wood is a great buy because it can be refinished to look like new.

@Fist-oâ„¢:
I have a stack of those trailers. A friend used to work at a theater and he would bring them home all the time.

@B: Tell that to the soldier who paid $7 for a first-edition copy of "The Federalist" at a flea market. He sold it for $80K. [www.msnbc.msn.com]

I absolutely love thrift stores, although with the economy as it is, more people are shopping there so there are fewer treasures to be found. I did find a blueberry iMac loaded with OSX, and while it is old, it's still reasonably fast and makes a perfect internet machine for my mother. (that's all she does...check her email) Only cost me $20 b/c it wasn't tested... I found a power cord at the thrift store and it fired right up. Also found at least 1 out of print paperback worth $50 or so for 39 cents.

I'm a big fan of yard sales, but I definitely follow the above rules. I recently scored some baking pans for 10 cents each. I was looking for a bundt cake pan and another muffin pan, but wasn't in the mood to spend 10 bucks each on something I use so rarely.

I also found a cool old typewriter for a dollar, which is now an awesome showpiece on my writing desk. Estate sales and multi-family yard sales are the best, but definitely do the math. Yard sales are great for kitchen supplies, but furniture is more risky. If I wasn't already looking to buy a particular item, I'm not going to pick it up unless it's super cheap.

I had to resist buying a rocking chair this weekend because it didn't fit my qualifications. Sure, it was 10 bucks, but I already have nice chairs and I wasn't really looking for one. You have to be strict with yourself.

@pecan 3.14159265: True, true.

I think of it like, "Would I buy that at full price if I had that amount of disposable income?"

I wanted some vintage coupé glasses I coveted in an antique shop. They were about $80 in a set of 8. I didn't buy them, because I don't have a lot of disposable income. About a month later, my neighbor was having a yard sale and had almost identical glassware. He sold it to me for $5 for a set of 10. I've used them a few times already. Definitely worth it.

@temporaryerror: I like to hit the thrift stores for the rare occasion that I find a great deal. Like the Panasonic DVD recorder deck for $20 when they were going for $100 minimum new, a really good replacement bag for my trunk bag for $3, or a toddler sized wooden "school desk" for my daughter, which was EXACTLY what I wanted.

I don't hit many yard sales, since most of the ones I've been to tend to have children's stuff I no longer need, clutter items I don't want, or really worn out items that I see no value in.

The full-price argument doesn't work with me, because I'm cheap like that. If there's a chance I can get something for less, there is very little reason for me to be willing to pay full price.

@Jon Mason: I like the rummaging aspect, personally. Besides, at a yard sale I don't have to wait around for the seller to figure out how to check their e-mail before I can buy the item.

@HiPwr: I love estate sales. Old people have the coolest stuff. Plus all the jewelery that old people have is back in style and most of it is unique compared to what you get at Target today. My mom and I went to a bunch right when I got my first apartment and I was able to get some used, but nice and working appliances like an iron and a set of dishes. Estate sales are nice because they sell everything and a lot of it is good stuff. They aren't just getting rid of it because its broken junk.

Hmmm, I once found an unused chocolate fountain for $3. I still consider it the greatest yard sale find of all time. Would I ever pay full price, $50+, for a chocolate fountain? No way. Did I have a place for it? Not really. But it's hysterical. I love it and if I were to only use it once, I think I've gotten my money's worth from it.

@henrygates: My first two bicycles both came from trash heaps and yard sales. For the price of a can of paint and a replacement chain, my mom kept me zipping around the neighborhood for six years.

I've stopped going to yard sales because I wound up with too many yards and nowhere to store them.

@ninabi: Totally. Baby clothes are worn for such a short time that they are rarely worn and the stained ones don't make it to the sale table. $10-$20 cloths for $.50-$2.00 is a no brainer.

@Fist-oâ„¢: Yeah, I was thinking, "This person does not know how to do yard sales."

@BZMedia: While I know there are "garage salers" who troll the sales in search of random stuff, there are good reasons to go to them; around here, if I knew I wanted a table for my basement rec room (say), a garage sale would be a great place to find one. Ditto exercise equiptment.

But the #1 thing you buy at garage sales is children's clothes, and to a lesser extent, children's toys and books. Those are things you NEED, but they have very limited lifespans.

(And why wouldn't you go to a garage sale in search of something specific? That's the only reason I ever go to them.)

I love thrift stores and yard sales. I bought a Nat Nast shirt in perfect condition at Goodwill and paid $3.99 for it. I sold it on e-bay for $84.00. Score!

@Etoiles: "In fact, I've bought boxes of paperbacks at yard sales that probably weren't worth $6.99 each to start with, either, but in a box-o-books for $10, sure!"

I've done similar, and then often re-listed the choicer ones on half.com and made back more than I spent. Then donated the rest to a charity or the library.

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): *after reading them. I'm not going to garage sales buying books to resell on half.com. I am not that organized.

I don't like all this anti-yard sale talk. Mostly because I'm planning one at the end of the month lol.

Seriously though, I understand what is being said, but like other comments, most of the stuff you find at a yard sale will not break the bank. I mean, even with the one I'm planning, I'm selling the stuff at prices to go not to make a huge profit. And whatever doesn't sell goes to charity.

yes. everyone knows that tag sales are a complete waste of time. don't go. ever. especially to the ones in NW CT. please, leave it up to me. :)

@the_deliverator:

I am a garage sale junkie and hunt for books, boardgames, model trains, and Legos. Some people forget it's a garage sale and want retail prices for used stuff...but sometimes you'll find a gem. I bought a copy of Conquest of the Empire (old board game) for $8 after haggling down from $10. The lady had a look of "sucker" on her face as I left with the game.

I got $100 on eBay for it.

@Fist-oâ„¢: There was no mention of the fact that lots of people go to retail stores to browse. They probably end up spending a lot more than if they had checked out a yard sale.

Just use common sense when buying electronics, expensive impulse items, and stuff that takes up a lot of space.

I rarely go to yard sales, but when I do make a morning of it I tend to have good luck. Last time out's score:

Samsonite Brown Leather satchel bag $5. Insanely well built in perfect condition aside from just enough wear on the leather to give it perfect character. Pretty much exactly the style of bag I had been trying to rationalize spending $200+ on.

Two Nerf Maverick guns with darts $1 each. Working nerf guns with darts for $2? No brainer. The nerf fight on the kitchen once we got home made it worth the money spent.

Jigsaw, older model $5. Was planning to drop $50+ on one, this one is very heavy duty for less than the cost of a pack of blades (oh, had a new blade on it too!)

My girlfriend picked up a working antique singer sewing machine for $5. The cheapest junky sewing machines are going for $50-$100 on criagslist around here.

Boy- judgemental! "Everything in your home should have a home..." Obviously she's never been the parent of an 8 year old...

I disagree with the "would you pay full price for it?" argument. I really need a bookcase (books are stacked on the floor, not too convenient) but don't want to pay $30 for a crappy particle board one. At this point I'd rather have them on the floor than invest my money in crap furniture. But if I ran across a nice bookcase for $30 (even if it needed a paint job), I'd get it. It would probably be a few hundred dollars regular price, which I just can't afford right now. Just because I wouldn't pay full price for it doesn't mean I don't want it enough. It means I can't afford it.

@JulesNoctambule: Agreed.

@LadySiren: Seriously. Watch an episode of Antiques Roadshow. There's always someone with a yard sale find they bought for $2 that ends up being worth much much more.

In the authors' defense, quite a few people go to yard sales, and they can't leave without buying something, no matter how needless. My brother and his gf are like this. Much of the junk ends up in the storage shed or crammed in a closet.

If you're looking for tips for your yard sale, be sure to check out this video, [www.amazon.com] which is so bad, it's... well, it's bad.