Top 5 Things to Look for at Yard Sales This Summer

Let's get the obvious out of the way first:




If you're a regular here, you already know what to expect--just about anything.  Except for dancing hippos.  I've been working with them for months and they still can't seem to get the routine down.  I may have to switch to pelicans.

However, if you're here from another blog due to Melissa's group blog thingie, you might need some easing in.  Think of this blog kind of like that odd cousin that you only see at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then only because the whole family has to gather at Grandma's for the holidays or you'll get cut out of the will and the old gal is loaded. 

In other words, things are a little different here.  I'm a yard saler and thrifter from way, way back.  For the longest time, it was just stuff for me, but in 2009, I became a re-seller by taking a booth in one of the Peddlers Malls here in Louisville.  Today, I have seven booths in the largest and busiest Peddlers Mall.  Don't go thinking that makes me some sort of an expert on this re-selling thing.  I'm not sure there really is an "expert" on something that covers so much territory.

No, I think it makes me crazy.  Totally.  Oh, and it keeps me off the streets at night, which makes the neighbors happy.  I have a tendency to howl at the moon when I get loose, and that wakes up the babies and old ladies.

Anyway, I love to share my finds and junking and selling stories at this here blog, plus rattle on about all kinds of other things like you see in the header.  If you have time, please poke around the post list and check out some of the stuff that happens here.  I hope you might find something to read and enjoy, or even disagree with.

I'll go ahead and state the obvious: I am not your typical junk blogger.  That's not just because I talk about comic books and post a lot of music videos.  It's not even because my pictures are so lousy.  (Seriously, look at them!  Ewww!)  You're just not going to find a lot of things here that you find in other blogs. What I like to do is hunt for cool stuff and sell it, so that's what I talk about here.  There are a lot of other folks who do other things incredibly well and blog about them for your enjoyment.  Many of them are also participating in this group blog.  I always hope that the weird little tidbits you can find here make up for the lack of the typical stuff.

Long story short, I'm very glad you've stopped by.  Please enjoy your visit to my odd little corner of the blogosphere.  Feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line!

And for you all that are regulars, you know I love you and am glad each and every time you stop by.

Finally, if you haven't figured it out by now, I'll go ahead and confess to being rather wordy and long-winded.  It's not for nothing that my regular Monday post is called "Monday Rambles."

Okay, now let's actually get going on the topic I'm supposed to be writing about:

TOP 5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR AT YARD SALES THIS YEAR!

I have to confess that I feel a little odd doing this.  I'm not really the type that people turn to for suggestions on such matters.  I don't know that I can say:  "You should go look for these things because I think they're great!"  Instead, I feel more like I'm saying:  "These are the things I'm going to be looking for, and here's why."  Think of this as a snapshot of the reselling life in one particular flea market in one particular part of the country, as lived by one very peculiar junker.

Making lists like this is always hard, because there's always something that you reluctantly have to leave off in order to comply with the required list length.  Those choices can be difficult.  I decided to look at the things that I am selling pretty consistently right now and let that be my guide for this list.

In no particular order:

LITTLE TIKES ANYTHING

This was a curb find.  I cleaned it up before selling.

Let's face it.  This stuff is practically indestructible.  These toys tend to last long, long after the kids have outgrown them.  They're also pretty pricey when bought new.  Since they tend to be large and bulky and take up space when they're no longer needed, Little Tikes items can often be found cheaply at yard sales, because people want to get them out of the house.  I even find quite a few sitting on the curb for free.

In the booth, they sell pretty quickly, due to all of the factors listed above.  I love it when I can find Little Tikes!

MANGA

Basically, manga are Japanese comics.  They are also really popular in this country, in English translations, of course.  The big manga boom of the early part of this century is long over, but if you go into the graphic novel section of any large bookstore, you'll still find twice as much manga as anything else.

I have an entire bookshelf dedicated to manga at my booths.  I try to keep it well-stocked at all times.  I sell several volumes every week, and, every so often, someone will come in and buy out half my stock in one fell swoop.

I'm always hoping to find someone who is getting rid of their entire collection at a yard sale!  Sometimes, it happens!

SMALL SHELVES

I love small shelves!  Everything from spice racks to nick nack racks to small wall-mounted shelves to short book shelves.  I love to use them in the booth for their versatility.  A bunch of solid, small shelves can be used to expand the storage capabilities of larger shelf units or to create visual interest.  My stock in trade is millions upon millions (I'm not kidding!) of smalls.  Anything I can find that will help me to keep them orderly is a must have.

I also have a hard and fast rule that everything in the booth is for sale.  That includes the shelving, large and small.  For the past several months, I have been selling the smaller shelves like they are going out of style!  This means I need more for my booth purposes and to keep my customers happy.

SALVAGE

Doors.  Windows.  Rusty stuff.  Painted boards.  Even air ducts.  You all know the stuff.  People are into this stuff right now, and are buying it like crazy!  That means I am selling it like crazy!  Which also means I am looking for more!

I've done really well of late, haunting junk piles and construction dumpsters, but there are always a couple of yard sales throughout the summer where folks are selling their own excess supplies because they've created more projects for themselves than they can possibly complete.  I need a couple of those this year.

CONTAINERS

It it looks like a box or a cylinder, is made out of metal, wood or cardboard, and can be used to hold or sort stuff, I'm looking for it this year.  Since the first of the year, my stock of boxes, containers, tins, etc. has been wiped out at least three times.  I'm picking up every one that I can find for a good price right now. 

And that's my list!  I'd like to thank Melissa for inviting me to be a part of this little shin dig.  I hope I didn't embarrass her too much.  What are you looking for this year?  Leave your top five in the comments!  If you'd like to see some more lists, check out the other blogs in the group:

Amy @ Brocante Treasures

Cecilia @ My Thrift Store Addiction

Diana @ Adirondack Girl at Heart

Donna @ Distressed Donna Down Home

Eddie @ Eddie-torial Comments

Jillian @ Bella Rosa Antiques

Kim @ Snug Harbor Bay

Linda @ Itsy Bits and Pieces 

Melissa @ Melissa's Antiques 

Pam @ House of Hawthornes 

Rita @ Panoply 

Shara @ Monkeybox

Sharon @ Blue Willow House

Tuula @ Thrifty Rebel Vintage

You're sure to find lots of fascinating finds and interesting reading! I'm looking forwarding to reading these lists myself.

If you're so inclined, stop back next week.  I'll have a couple of follow ups to this post.  Have a nice weekend and happy hunting!

Thanks so much for stopping by!