Yard Sale Junkies: The New Hunter-Gatherers
65Hunting and gathering is still practiced in the foothills, but these days the objective is rarely wild game, and edible roots. Today's searchers are looking for sterling silverfish forks , claw footed piano stools and collectable turmeric tins.
Warming weather of early summer brings a secondary wave ofwildflowers as well as the prolific blooming of yard salesigns in mountain areas. Hand lettered placards, many replete with colorful balloons and directional arrows, show up along well traveled roads and point toward to smaller roads, which frequently lead to unpaved, single lane, steep, rutted, winding, boulder strewn, byways which have been specially constructed for the filming SUV commercials.Every few miles on these rough routes, just as I become convinced that I am desperately lost, another enticing arrow appears, perhaps pointing to the last remaining unexplored region on earth.I begin to wonder if the directional signs have been placed by rodent activists who are trying to lure local residents out of populated areas, get them hopelessly and permanently disoriented, in order to return their land to the squirrels.A nice yard sale display.
When I finally reach one of the sequestered sales , I'm always amazed at how much stuff the yard merchants have, and what it must have taken to get it all to this remote location in the first place. The second fact of wonder is at how many people are already here when I didn't see one other vehicle on the SUV road.
Folks are actively grubbing around in the improvised and precariously balanced accumulations of kitchenware, books and tools with an air of professional appraisership. They are holding up glassware to the light, checking the insides of containers, and telling other browsers that their mom had one just like it. Many of them are finding things they will never use at a prices they cannot resist, as the sale organizer shuffles handfuls of currency.
Small children and good natured dogs frolicking through the chaos are generally not for sale even if they have price stickers affixed. Some women will consider reasonable offers for their husbands, however.
Yard sale tags and stickers.
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Brewster Precious Planet Wall Stickers by Fisher-Price
Price: $13.99
List Price: $32.99 |
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Trend T6491 Trend Stinky Stickers Variety Pack, Fun & Fancy, 435/pack
Price: $10.53
List Price: $14.99 |
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GE 45400 SmartHome Security Yardstake with Window Stickers
Price: $9.34
List Price: $14.99 |
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Avery See-Through Removable Color Dots, 0.75-Inch Diameter, Assorted Colors, 1000 per Pack (05473)
Price: $5.08
List Price: $8.94 |
Yard sale advice and aids
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Yardsale
Price: $7.65
List Price: $19.95 |
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Yard Sale
Price: $15.00
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![Yard Sale Junkie [Game Download]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ipJQdjIQL._SL75_.jpg)
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Yard Sale Junkie [Game Download]
Price: $6.99
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Yard Sale 1000 pc Jigsaw Puzzle by White Mountain
Price: $12.26
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Summer Infant Secure Surround Play Safe Play Yard
Price: $62.99
List Price: $69.99 |
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Everything You Need to Know about Garage & Yard Sales: Be Better Organized, Have Fun, and Sell More
Price: $6.17
List Price: $10.95 |
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Hy-ko Products Yard Sale Sign W/grass
Price: $1.85
List Price: $3.55 |
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Set of 4 House For Sale Yard Sale Signs With Stakes New
Price: $6.99
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In this seasonal economic ritual, everyone tries to sell old stuff they don't want to people who do not really need it, but see the possibility of making it into birdhouses or planters. Of course, the buyers will not actually make the stuff into birdhouses and planters but will instead eventually sell it to other people in their own yard sales. It may be possible to trace individual items -- ones you always see at each sale-- from one event to another. It is rumored that The Fruitcake which circulated for years as a holiday gift, is now in the yard sale circuit as a doorstop.
A genuine yard sale is required to offer certain items. They must include several decades worth of National Geographic magazines, coffee mugs with naughty sayings on them, jigsaw puzzles with at least one piece missing , odd numbers of matching glasses and at least one piece of gently used exercise equipment.The omnipresence of exercise equipment at garage sales indicates that there is no need to produce any more stair steppers or pectoral inflection incline weight machines. Also, I don't mean to sound unkind, but the people selling the treadmills and rowers and ab-benders do not necessarily look like "after" testimonialists. Sadly, relatively few of the workout items have possibilities for conversion into bird feeders and planters.As humans we have not only the inclination to acquire stuff, we have an innate curiosity about what possessions other people have acquired. Yard sales give us all a chance to satisfy both proclivities. Foraging , acquisitive humans can never have too many books or woodworking tools. Rust on either is not a problem. Dust is expected. The faint odor of freshly-frightened skunk which may linger in barns and storage sheds is not a deterrent to those seeking treasure.Among everyday items you may also find things you have never seen before like a book of crossword puzzles in Lithuanian and volumes of Lithuanian humor which no one, not even the Lithuanians, understand.Most of us are hoping that that one special particular article of rare and exquisite value will suddenly present itself to our discerning eyes even though hundreds of prospective buyers have passed it by in the preceding hour.With dreams of finding an autographed first edition of Shakespeare's collected works, an autographed Buck Rogers Intergalactic decoding ring, or a functioning lava lamp in the shape of Shakespeare or Buck Rogers, some of us cannot drive past a yard sale poster without at least slowing.One warning: do not take personal items into the yard sale area. It is best to lock all your own stuff, except the car keys, in the car. People have actually been known to buy their own jackets and tote bags, after setting them down to look at another item.It's hard to resist buying things you have previously seen priced much higher at antique stores. You can almost convince yourself that you need a 700 lb. anvil, three chipped demitasse cups and a firkin. A firkin, for those who may not know, is a small barrel dating back to colonial times, whose primary use is undetermined. Some believe it was created to be the original yard sale item back in the 1700's, as it can be converted into either a bird house or a planter with relative ease.You know you are becoming a yard sale junkie when your thinking starts to evolve through the following steps:1. ) "Why would anyone ever buy one of those?" 2.) "Though you could never find it at a store at that price. "3.) "I'll bet it could be fixed up as a planter or a bird house." 4.) "My sister , likes odd things. Maybe if I made it into a planter or a bird house and told her it was originally a genuine firkin...." and finally, 5. ) "Is that your best price?"PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Next time you go to a yard sale (what we in the UK call boot sales or garage sales or, occasionally, garden sales) can you get me one of those Lithuanian crossoword puzzle books as I am starting a collection. Thank you.
LOL LOL LOL,,,,hello again Rochelle,
I just finished reading your 'humor' hub, and now this! I still can't stop laughing, as I am a 'true-blue' yard sale/garage sale/fleamarket junkie! I find things at these places that I just 'have to have!' Months later, I'll trip over it because I never found a place or use for it in my home, pick up the item, and ask myself what was I thinking? Therein lies the answer, I WASN'T. In fact, as I sit here now writing, I have in the back of my mind a yard sale I'm planning to have probably after Labor Day, when the weather is not so ungodly hot. It has been my experience that sales in the heat of summer do not draw hordes of people, as most sane people are doing 'normal' things, like going on vacations, enjoying the beach or whatever.
My old boyfriend and I worked the fleamarket for one whole summer, and even though there were times we came home with more than we went with, we had a lot of fun doing it. You got to see the 'regulars', people who we believed really lived in the woods next to the market. We often would arrive before the sun came up thinking, we'll find a wonderful spot, only to find out people actually had slept in the lot overnight. We saw people walking around with flashlights (who we nick-named the 'others') running to tables whose owners had started putting out their wares. My guess is they were looking for the Hope diamond or something,,
I too wrote a hub on yard sales, and I may just have to start a new one, or perk up the old one.
This was great, thanks for sharing!
PS: CJStone, too funny! :)
Trish
I just love starting my morning reading your hubs, Shell! This one also made me laugh out loud! Thanks.
The Lithuanian crossword puzzle books will be next to the fruitcake-cum-doorstop, both of which might be balanced precariously on top of the firkin. If not, then in one of those $1 Catch-all Cartons that contain a little bit of everything, none of which is worthy of being tagged separately. The $1 cartons wrapped in your best holiday paper make great Christmas gifts for whiny, ungrateful relatives. They never like anything you give them anyway, and since you only spent $1 (plus the paper and bow), you can take the rest of what you would've forked out for a regular gift and buy yourself something REALLY nice!
btw, anyone who comes across the issues of National Geographic with photos by the photographer in "The Bridges of Madison County", please email me. =)
Wow! I really dropped the ball on this one-- replying to comments. Thanks to you all-- I appreciate all the responses and suggestions.
Great Hub!
Hi, my name is Carol and I am a yard sale junkie....lol
Congratulations! That is the first step to recovery. :-)
You know, I would actually have a genuine use for a "firkin." The small barrel, right? How small we talking here?
What fun it would be to tell people, "Hey, that's a firkin."
And then MY friends would reply, "A firkin what?"
OK, I'll confess. I think I've hit bottom as a yard sale junkie.
I sent my adorable, snow-white haired, smile from ear to ear 5 year old grandson up with a piece I wanted to try and get the owner to lower the price on. Have I sunk to an all-time low? Worse, it worked!! Now, I'll probably think about using this tactic again. I think I may need professional help!
Actually, as a buyer, I think it is brillient.
As a seller, I would probably fall for it-- since I'm more interested in getting rid of something, than in making a profit.
Thank you for the laugh and the memories. I used to go with my mother every Saturday morning. So many things we bought were a few years ago in her own sale.
Thanks for the read, RGraf. This one has been sitting unread for awhile.
OH Rachelle, I am sooooooooooooooooooo a yard sale junkie. Loved your hub. Thank you.
I haven't been to one in awhile... maybe because I already have too much 'stuff'. i should havemy own. Thank you, Disturbia.
I enjoy the satire that you can extrapolate from such an ordinary tradition. This was a very fun read. I also enjoyed your "how to know you're becoming a junkie" progression. And the exercise equipment! How True! And I must agree, most often they do not look like after testimonials and I dare not ask if they're getting rid of the item because they've replaced it. I try not to incite looks of shame from the hosts :).
On a more serious note, I've seen more Salvation Army, and Goodwill stores popping up and they are always busy! This makes me smile because, while I'm apart of the newest adult generation, my parents have instilled aa thrifty quality. Many Americans feel like they are too good to be seen in this type of store. But I enjoy seeing a full parking lot, maybe the negative connotation is being rethought. I love seeing Americans return to reusing.
So much perfectly good clothing gets thrown out everyday because they are "no longer in style." I hope to see us avert from this type of waste. Thank you for the good read, it was very enjoyable.
-Debris
Debris-- glad you enjoyed it. Some years ago I found a really nice designer brand ladies shirt for a couple of dollars in one of those shops.
The fabric is exceptional in quality, it always looks great even right out of the dryer. I never would have paid what it cost originally and it is still one of my favorite things. Yes, there are bargains to be had.
Yard Sale in the News
- Jamestown seeks yard sale regulationsWBIR-TV Knoxville21 hours ago
The home of the annual "world's longest yard sale" may have too much of a good thing the remainder of the year.
- Soup & Bake Sale Nov 21stThe Capital1 second ago
Cedar Grove United Methodist Church at 5965 Deale-Churchton Rd, in Deale is having their famous veggie and bean soup, and bake sale. Plus an indoor craft/yard event, from 8 am - 1 pm on November 21st. Soup goes fast so come early. Contact 410-867-0967 for details.
- Police searching for yard-sale ring thiefDelaware County Daily Times3 days ago
CHESTER HEIGHTS — State police are looking for a man and a woman who stole approximately $13,000 worth of jewelry Saturday from a house in the 300 block of Lenni Road, whose owner who was preoccupied with a yard sale.
- Yard Sale Supports Student AchievementKHBS - KHOG Fort Smith - Fayetteville3 days ago
A yard sale at Howard Elementary will go toward supporting the school's annual 5-A student achievement program.
- 'Housewives' short sale in escrowOrange County Register1 second ago
Ladera family home of Tamra Barney of “Real Housewives of Orange County” is in escrow. It is under cntract to be sold at a price above it's listing as a “short sale” for $1.149 million.
- Yard sale helps Red Cross meet increased needs of regionNew Bern Sun Journal3 days ago
The Coastal Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross sold linens, clothing, sporting equipment, TVs and other secondhand items at a yard sale on Saturday to raise extra money to help pay for the costs of helping people in a four-county area.
JamaGenee says:
16 months ago
Thanks for a tribute to a wonderful rite of summer! Not that I'm a YS junkie...lol... but on weekend road trips, I'll stop at yard sales in small towns along the way. It's a nice break, I meet some really nice people, and more often than not, I'll buy at least one "unique" item as a souvenir of the trip, something I wouldn't find in my own area.
It's not so odd that WE love to poke around in other people's cast-offs, but that those having the sale LET us!
Personally, I wouldn't want the neighbors OR total strangers to know I'd been gullible (or dumb) enough to spend good money for certain items I've seen at yard sales. Far better to drop them off anonymously at Goodwill instead of sitting next to the cash box looking sheepish...and desperate!...while WE paw and cluck, and then leave without buying *anything*.