Welcome to your irregularly scheduled Fifth Friday Five, hosted by will smama and Songbird!
Since will smama is preparing for a joint garage sale with her parents, and Songbird's church had a Yard and Plant Sale last Saturday, we have five enormously important questions we hope you will answer:
1) Are you a garage saler?
No, but I have a neighbor, Painter (aptly named for his painterly eye) who brings me the most wonderful treasures from his travels.
No, but I have a neighbor, Painter (aptly named for his painterly eye) who brings me the most wonderful treasures from his travels.
2) If so, are you an immediate buyer or a risk taker who comes back later when prices are lower?
See above.
3) Seriously, if you're not a garage saler, you are probably not going to want to play this one.
(That wasn't really #3.)
Yep, that would be me.
3) This is the real #3: What's the best treasure you've found at a yard or garage sale?
Well, Painter has found some beautiful pottery for us if that counts.
4)If you've done one yourself, at church or at home, was it worth the effort?
A church I once belonged to had an annual auction. I waved at a friend and found myself the owner of a 3 foot X 50 foot (yes, 50 is correct -- it was for a dock) length of outdoor carpet. So no, it's not worth it for me -- I'd rather visit than bid.
5) Can you bring yourself to haggle?
No, but Garden Girl grew up on a horse farm and she's amazing. A few weeks ago, I watched her go head to head with a carpet dealer. Really -- horse trader vs. carpet dealer. He was impressed! (and we got a great deal.) My bargaining style goes something like this, "Oh, that's the price? Awesome. I love it. So how much for the commission and the delivery charge? Is it OK to tip the driver?" Not so effective for saving money.
BONUS: For the true aficionado: Please discuss the impact of Ebay, Craig's List, Freecycle, etc... on the church or home yard/garage sale.
Oddly, for a garage sale avoider, I love Ebay and Craigslist. Much of the furniture in our house that didn't come from someone's attic came from Ebay. And I've had great luck getting sold-out concert tickets on Craigslist -- that's how we got four great seats for k.d. lang. And if she comes to your town, run, don't walk to see her show.
4 comments:
how do i get painter to send me pottery. I can't get the hang of craig's list... I get tired of searching on the computer. I'd rather be moving. I spend too much time at the computer at work.
Heehee, my approach to haggling is just like yours. Could it have something to do with the way we were raised?
Mid-life rookie, you've discovered the sad truth -- the only time I have to meander around is late at night on the computer.
And Songbird, you are so right. We got no haggler training in Jane Austen's Village.
Thanks for the shout-out on the bargaining, Ruby. My dad was the best, of course. I'm just a horse dealer's daughter. And proud of it.
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