“Treasures of the Hunt”

While some people walk around with their head held high, I walk around with my head held low, looking for loose change in parking lots, store floors, and vending machines!

I guess you can say some people are just born treasure hunters!

Very few things get my heart beating faster than finding a "treasure", especially at a garage sale. Now, some may think this is taking advantage of people, but in reality, it’s the seller who generally sets the prices — prices they’re comfortable selling the items for. But many people don’t know, or don’t have the desire and/or time to research an item’s value. Undoubtedly, these are the people "treasure hunters" love to find. We’re like vultures! We zero-in on the prize and swoop in to retrieve it.

Now many people ask, “Should I always try to get an item at a price lower than the asking price at a garage sale?”

In my opinion, the definitive answer is, "Absolutely!" Am I a frugal person? "Absolutely!"  If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be shopping garage sales! But most people selling their goods at a garage sale, usually price the items a little higher than what they’re prepared to take. That’s because they know there are people out there like me, who will always try to bargain the price down.

I thought I was the “cheapest” person on Earth, until I went shopping with my best friend. At a garage sale, she saw a tiny “tooting” toy that she really wanted. It was priced at — a nickel. Incredibly, she asked if she could have it for —  three cents! OY! Believe it or not, the seller did NOT punch her out, and pleasantly took my friend’s three pennies. Now, that’s chutzpah!

You hear the stories every day….someone paid a dollar for an ugly, framed, paint-by-number clown picture. When changing out the frame, the buyer finds an original copy of the Declaration of Independence behind the clown picture. Hundreds of thousands of dollars later, the buyer has sold the family trailer, moved in to a new $800,000 mansion, hops in her new Mercedes convertible, and heads to the first in a series of garage sales for the day.

It could happen!

There are "Treasures in the Hunt". You just have to have elements of luck and a keen eye to find them.

I am a bonafide expert on the subject of "Garage and Estate Sales". I’ve been frequenting them for over 35 years. And yes, I have “fish tales” of my own that I will be sharing with you in my forthcoming articles. I will offer tips on “Finding”, “Buying”, and “Selling” at Garage and Estate Sales. If you have any great stories to share, I’d love to hear them. If you have any questions on the subject, I will try to answer them.

Thank-you for your time and interest. I look forward to meeting and hearing from some of you in the near future. Until then……Happy Treasure Hunting!