Garage sale etiquette.

goodolpg

Just an old fart trying to help.
Subscriber
I'll try to make this short.
Saw an ad for a garage sale that included "vintage stereos", a couple mid fi brands (but that have "taxes" added due to their desirablity) and a couple other brands listed as well.
I show up about 15 minutes after start of sale, one low end receiver and a small pair of speakers is all I see.
Mentioned I came about "the stereos listed", seller stated they had sold earlier in the week.
Now me, being an old fashioned guy, *I* didn't think it was "proper" to contact before the sale, maybe because of all the "no early sales" I've seen in other ads. I did not mention this to the seller.
Anyways, seller was happy to have gotten rid of his stash. I was disappointed.

SO-is it proper etiquette to contact a seller before a garage sale starts?
I'm guessing it is and I'm just an old fogey and I'll know better next time.

Being a good AK'er I did ask if there was any other stereo stuff available.
Who knows, records, cd's, cables, etc might be available "inside" or elsewhere.
Fourth time I've gone to a garage sale with "stereo stuff" listed in the last 4 or 5 years. Two trips were well worth it, 2 were not.
 
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I was nice, the seller was nice, no bad feelings.
About 12 miles round trip for me (seller was from the city so much longer trip for him), I played hookey from work for an hour (but I'm self employed so it's ok I guess).
Seller knew about recapping and the like, heck may even be an AK member.
Just wondering about next time (and sales with stereo stuff listed are few and far between in my neck of the woods) and if I should be "that guy" who tries to buy stuff early.
 
Well, 15min after start is too late anyway. If you're truly an old fogey you should have been hovering around at 6am, just after you've had lunch. ;)

If there's contact information, assume it's okay to contact them and do so immediately as someone else will be doing the same. This instance is case in point. But yes, they should have edited their ad to say it's sold.
 
I would say at least they listed what they had and photos. Lately in my area they just post a garage sale, no photos, nothing stating what they have, just a address. I wonder if anyone shows up for these and it's about 50% of the postings doing it.

I don't bother with them personally, if their that lazy i don't need to put the effort out.
 
Some weeks ago, my wife and I stopped at a sale just in time to see a fellow carrying out a pair of Marantz Imperial speakers. Had we arrived a few minutes earlier, we could have snagged the speakers AND the Marantz receiver. No worries, I did some good horse-trading with him later, and came out with a really nice Denon CDP and power amp. As a result, my main system is now pushing almost 300 wpc.
 
I don't see what's wrong with pinging somebody before a sale to see if they're open to having somebody come by early. If they say no, then so be it. But if they've got something specifically listed and sell it beforehand, they really should update the ad.

I've dragged boxes of stuff to swap meets and dragged it all home more times than I care to remember. At this point I'd much rather err on the side of cash in hand.

bs
 
I know several market dealers that go door knocking during the week to any Garage sales advertised early.
I've been in the same boat many times having turned up an hour early only to b told " it's already gone"
 
So......... everyone wants to get that "great buy", and perhaps thats what lends itself to the early shopper : )

I'm not sure though if its proper to "prod" yet I do recall "the early bird gets the worm".
 
I'll email and ask some details. If they tell me what I want to hear I've got no problem making and offer right there.
I also try to show up a few minutes before opening so I can swoop in and get out.
 
Well, 15min after start is too late anyway. If you're truly an old fogey you should have been hovering around at 6am, just after you've had lunch. ;)


I use to get to estate sales early and try to be first thought the door. Didn't show any aggression, just wanted to be first. After getting pushed and shoved a few times by some of the a-holes that get aggressive I decided it wasn't worth the aggravation. Now I show up around 30 minutes after the sales start and casually walk in. I know that most of the good stuff may be gone but I still usually find things to buy and use my self or to sell on line. Lately stereo equipment even the low end stuff is being sold for more than it is worth or I am willing to pay. In the past 2 years I have only seen one thing someone was buying at an estate sale that I would have liked to purchase myself. It was a Thorens TD 124. No tone arm and it sold for $500 as it was.
 
Hardly any stereo gear listed in my area anymore and if it is it isn't worth the stop. Must be people are keeping and hoarding their stuff.
 
I have a problem with being overly aggressive at yard sales. I do usually go earlier than the stated time and see if they are open yet. If there are people already shopping, I join them. If not, I wait in the car until someone else tries.
 
Well, 15min after start is too late anyway. If you're truly an old fogey you should have been hovering around at 6am, just after you've had lunch. ;)

If there's contact information, assume it's okay to contact them and do so immediately as someone else will be doing the same. This instance is case in point. But yes, they should have edited their ad to say it's sold.


I understand your point about 15 minutes too late, but since it's a small market and the sale location was not too far from the middle of nowhere I figured I was ok arriving then.
If I had missed the gear by 15 minutes I would have blamed myself and I would not have started this thread. Missing the gear by days prompted me ask about it here.
 
Always email and ask if available early. Doesn't hurt to ask and is a lot less intrusive than a knock on the door. If they want to sell early, they will. In my opinion, there is no such thing as yard sale etiquette. With the amount of people pushing and shoving, I rarely go to them anymore.
 
Lately in my area they just post a garage sale, no photos, nothing stating what they have, just a address.

Ok after reading this thread I can now see why at least 50% of garage sale listings say nothing in my area.

They don't want people sending them messages all week long trying to swoop in on things. Getting their hustle on prior to the day of.

I can see that being a drag if I posted a garage sale, can't come home though the week without someone waiting for me or knocking on my door. No thanks, and for the ones doing this type of behavior, maybe you should ask yourself if you would like what your doing in return.
 
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I saw the sale listing first on CL 2 days before the sale and the stereo stuff ( vintage stereos, Mar...z and Pio..r were named along with a couple other brands) was mentioned, along with pictures of other stuff but none of the actual stereo gear.
Day before the sale there was an ad in the local paper. No mention of the stereo gear in the newspaper, maybe because it was gone, or word cost limitations.

FWIW...I'm not going to be "that guy" who tries to buy early even though it does not seem mine was an isolated instance.
Just wanted to hear what fellow AK'ers thought about the general situation.
 
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I have had garage sales, used to shop at them all the time, gone to many estate sales, and even actually had one of my own last spring. It is very competitive. When I had my living estate sale, I only posted the ad 2 days before the sale (it took a full week to get the sale ready because I moved most of the smaller stuff I was keeping into the basement), and I had people begging to come by the night before! They had many excuses, and I ended up letting a couple who were very persuasive come by the night before. Same with when I held garage sales. I don't bother anymore because people expect to get stuff for next to nothing at garage sales. I will sometimes stop by a local garage sale if I'm in the area though, but rarely find anything interesting. Estate sales though, I do go to still. I don't go as often anymore because more than once I was first in line only to find the item that brought me there was gone. It pissed me off, because I only get up that early on a Saturday because I want to get those special items. I even told the seller what I thought, and I know I'm not the only one. Hopefully those who hold estate sales regularly will read this and see that they are losing regular repeat customers by letting stuff go early. The particular one I am thinking of, often has stuff left and extends the sale one or even two days! This is partly because he's lost some of his loyal customer base, but also because his prices have been rising substantially over the years. I get a chuckle every time I see that the sale has been extended. Karma baby!
 
I agree with everyone here but mostly I'm pretty happy with my aquisitions over the last 10-12 yrs of saleing. I've found enough super bargains that the occasional disappoints don't compare.
 
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