Tales from the Pavement

As last week's sidewalk sale fades into happy memory and preparations start for the next one (July 12 if anyone happens to be in the area), the time has come to share the stories from the sale.  Anything that involves people, money, and bargains will inevitably create stories.  Stories, by their very nature, were meant to be shared, so pull up a seat, grab your favorite beverage and read along, as I recount these "Tales from the Pavement" for June 21, 2014.  (A sidewalk is a pavement.  Get it?)  I'll be telling these Clamco style, with headers and dividers.

I know that every good tale is enhanced by pictures, but I was so busy all day long that I had no chance to take any.  It's hard to run the whole show by yourself and photo document everything all at the same time.

IF YOU HAD A HAT LIKE THAT ON

Very early on, I had an attempted shoplifting--of a very ugly straw hat.  A hat so tacky that I had not even priced it.  I would not even let it sit on the tables with the other goods.  It was that bad.  I laid it underneath one of the tables, intending to move it up to the top if something else sold and made room for it.

I was helping a couple of ladies when another woman came along, scooped up the hat, put it on, and started walking off with it.  I didn't even notice, but one of the ladies I was helping did.  She started yelling.  "You better get over here and pay that man for his hat!"  She was really loud, to boot.

Since she'd been caught, the woman kind of sheepishly sidled over to me and gave me fifty cents, which was honestly 25 cents more than I would have charged for the ugly thing.  Seriously, that's what you want to steal?

SO THAT'S WHAT IT IS

Another woman and her daughter were going through a stack of enamelware pot lids.  She ended up buying all I had, but when she got to one that was in really rough shape, her daughter said:  "Mama. That one's all beat up!"  Her reply?  "Baby, that's what makes it primitive!"

ALONG FOR THE RIDE

There was this older couple who kept coming back to my tables over and over again.  She'd pick up a couple of items, and we would negotiate a price.  She'd pay me, then hand them to him, and he would start walking off to the car to put them away.  After about the fourth or fifth round of this, he looked at me and said:  "She's in charge.  I'm just along for the ride."  I could tell they had been following that same routine for many years together.

OF COURSE THERE WERE KIDS

By now, you should know what a kick I get out of kids at sales.  (Well, not the ones that make messes and break things, but we didn't have any of those this time around.)  This little boy and his mom picked up a toy off the table that was marked a dollar.  They talked back and forth for a minute, then he came and asked me, with a very serious look on his face, if I would take 90 cents for it.  I don't know if that was all the money he had or if that was all he could get from his mother, but it kind of tickled me a little.  I mean he was so serious about it!  Then he opens his palm and shows me his 90 cents.  I took two quarters out of his hand and told him I would make him a really good deal on it.

SOMETIMES I AM NOT A GOOD PERSON

I got one of those types through in the afternoon.  You know.  Someone who is always right about everything and knows everything and is going to tell everyone all about it.  For the most part, I ignored him.  He kept passing through my area, but showing no interest in anything other than himself and his own opinions about stuff.  How he'd do this.  How he'd do that. Blah. Blah.  Blah.  (by the way, he'd never just sit around on a Saturday trying to sell stuff.  He said so.)

Finally, he picked up an item out of a box that was marked "$2 for all" and offered me $3 for it.

I took the three dollars without a word.  Who am I to correct someone who knows how everything is supposed to be?

Plus, it made him go away!

I can be evil when you annoy me too much.

Monday Rambles

Call this one the "Oh Boy!" Monday Rambles!  Go pour yourself another cup of coffee before you start this one. You are gonna need it, for sure.

I had to get X-rays on Friday for my next cancer follow up, which is tomorrow.  After  I was done, I hit a nearby thrift.  Hadn't been in a while due to lack of time, so it was nice to get in there.  I got a few things, incuding this cobalt blue (I know it looks black in the pic) Bybee coffee mug.  It's one of the older ones too.  I love Bybee and grab it whenever I can!

I spent some time talking to the cashier, who is getting ready to retire and move to the Southwest.  I shared some stories of my time in El Paso as a kid.  She's looking forward to her next big adventure, and I hope she finds it!

Since my summer hours started last week, which means that I'm free every day after noon, I spent most of the week at the Peddlers Mall working.  My goal was to get a bunch of stuff priced and out of storage, then work on my booth arrangement and layout.  Some of my recent small furniture purchases aren't quite fitting in the way I want them to.  For me, the only thing to do is pull all of it out of the booth and carefully reintroduce it one piece at a time, until I get it right.

I did get a lot priced and out:  five carts worth.  I did not get to the other issue, so that will be this week's booth agenda, along with getting all my stock in order in the booth.  I kind of emptied the aforementioned five carts by just putting stuff anywhere it would fit, without much planning.  I kind of ran out of time.  At least, there were new items out there.

It was kind of important that I get some storage space cleared out, because Saturday was one of the biggest sales of the year for me:  A huge church sale with literally rooms of stuff and the nearby neighborhood.  I always have to make 3-4 passes through the church sale, filling at least one box every time.  I knew I would be coming in with stuff to drop off, so I knew I needed to make room for it.

As you can tell from yesterday's Mazda post, I did have quite a lot.  Sadly, I was not able to get shots of most of the things as they were coming out of the van.  I'll explain why in a minute.  In the meantime, here are some (but only some) of the larger items that were in Mazda on Saturday.

A round bamboo basket with attached lid

A Spider-Man pinball game

A purple Christmas tree

  That is supposed to be my "smugly holding a purple Christmas tree" face.  It came off more like my "I'm holding in a bodily function" face.  Maybe I shouldn't try to make faces?

The tree is kind of smushed, because I needed to fold up the branches in order to make more room in the van.  It doesn't have a stand, although there were pieces of a stand with it.  The lady in tahe room at the church told me that stand didn't work for that tree, but I think I can either get it to work or can jerry-rig something passable or thrift a small stand.  Either way, purple tree will walk again!  THIS I DO SWEAR!

Sorry about that.  Marvel Comics moment again.

That pinball game also has legs, but we had to take them off to get it into the van.  We decided that our new rule is that the van is not full until I have to hold something in my lap.  I didn't have to do that this time, so we didn't totally fill it up!

When we got to the Peddlers Mall, we started to unload, but it got pretty chaotic there.  See for yourself. Keith and I ended up helping the staff deal with the situation.  We didn't really do that much, but we were glad to be able to help a little.  I watched the register area while the staff were busy and Keith managed traffic at the front door as the store was closing.  It was a scary situation, and I felt really sorry for both the woman involved and the manager having to handle the crisis, which I felt she did very well.  Anyway, that's why I didn't have time to get many more pics of what was in Mazda.  I'll make that up later in the week.

Sunday, I went to the library book sale for box day.  My intentions were to get one box, maybe two, depending on what was there.  I was focused on three areas:  manga/graphic novels, religious books/Bibles, and media/CD/DVD.  There ended up being very little of the first category and none of the last, so I ended up branching out a little.  I did get some nice religious books and Bibles, though.

We then went to my uncle's to get his yard sale leftovers, which gave me another Mazda load to deal with this weekend!  Since there's no room in my storage at the mall until later in the week, we ended up bringing it home.  I went through everything and set about 2/3 of it back for the Peddlers Mall outdoor sale in two weeks.  I'll have a nice full area with lots of awesome stuff cheap!  The other third went back in the van to go over to the Peddlers Mall tomorrow.

I forgot to take a full van pic, but here's some of it all spread out:

Held back bunch

Going to the booth bunch

Those two boxes on the lower right are from the book sale.

To top everything off, it's also junk set out in our neighborhood, and we've had no time to really go hunting!  It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I guess we'll be out of luck.  You win some, you miss some, I guess.

Of course, junk on the curbs means pickers in the 'hood.  I had some tables set up out back as I was unloading the van and going through stuff this afternoon.  These two doofuses gentlemen pulled up and hollered out the truck window:

"You havin' a yard sale?"  (At six-thirty on a Sunday?  For real?)  I gave them my most annoyed eyeroll and said:  "No."  Then they said:  "Is that junk?"  I gave them my driest, most withering "Don't be an idiot" stare and said: "No."  Then they said:  "Can we have those Coke bottles?"  I finally pulled out my "Stop fucking with me.  Can't you see I'm busy?" tone and said:  "NO!"  And they finally got the message and left.

Then came the woman who slowed her car like she was about to hop out and start grabbing stuff, until she saw me standing there and drove off.  Really people!  No one sets out curb junk on tables!  Get real!  No wonder junkers and pickers get such a bad rap.

Well, it's time to start my week.  I'll have more to share later.

What the Hell?

The air is not on at the Peddlers Mall just yet.  The property management folks won't be cutting it on for a couple of weeks yet.  It's a good sized building, with pretty poor air circulation, so it's really warm in there, even though it hasn't gotten that hot here yet.

I would break out into a sweat while standing still in a snowstorm, so I was pretty drippy on Sinday while I was working, even though I was mainly sitting down and pricing things.

And then I look up and see this across the mall:

And I think to myself:

"Am I having heat stroke related visions 

or did someone really bring in a 

midget Santa during Derby?"

Yard Sale Wrap Up

So I owe you all a wrap up of my yard sale experience.  You might want to get a cup of coffee or beverage of choice for this one. I think it will be a little long.  I'm going to steal a trick from the always awesome We Are Clamco and separate this into sections with titles.  I think that will make it a little more bearable.

GENERAL STUFF

Thunder over Louisville day is not the best day for having a sale.  I knew that going in, but I didn't want to wait any further into the season, after getting stymied so much by the weather in previous weeks.  Since people don't tend to head out until the afternoon for Thunder, I thought that if I just ended early, I would have a decent sale and get lots of people by.

I did get lots of people by, but nowhere near what I'm used to.  There was no steady flow, only spurts and ebbs.  Believe it or not, I had no early birds, which kind of freaked me out.  I did have a fair share of dealers coming buy.  Most of them bought the best of Mom's books, but little else.  There were also those people who just like going to yard sales, and I was happy about that.

I kept my expectations modest, like I said in my prep post.  I was mainly looking to make some space in the shed and get rid of stuff.  The lowest amount I would have been happy with was a hundred bucks and I made about 120, including dropping off the last of the books to Half-Price Books.

On another day, I probably would have at least doubled that, but I got some extra cash for junk hunting (always nice), cleared out some room, took several large items to the booth (a couple of which have already sold) and made a small donation to Goodwill.  I also held the last of the anime and Batman stuff to take to the booth at another time.  I'm really happy with all that.

There was less stuff at the end than there was at the beginning.  That's what matters.  There will be more time to do it again and bring in some more cash in the future.

CONFUSION REIGNS

Since I do my sales in back of the house and not in the front, describing where they are is a bit challenging.  Our house faces one street and backs on another, but of course, there is no number for the street in the rear.  I have taken to advertising sales using the block number and street name in the back:  #### block of BLANK street.  I also throw in the intersecting street across from our backyard and the convenience store as landmarks.  Usually, there's no problem, but this time around I had a couple of doozies pass through.

The mildest was the grumpy lady who told me she thought this was supposed to be a block sale, even though nothing I wrote or posted said anything remotely close, except for the use of the word "block."  At least she bought something.

The real winner was the guy who actually asked me how to find my own sale!  "I've seen the signs, but I cannot find it."  I told him he was at the sale, and he told me that "couldn't be right."  Since the #### block of BLANK street starts down a little hill from us, he told me that the top of the hill couldn't still be that same block.  This was after I showed him the street sign across from my sale, which clearly indicates what block we were in.  He actually proceeded to try and argue with me about where my own house is located!  He kept telling me "It didn't make sense" for this to be that block.  I finally told him to take it up with the city.  He also didn't buy anything.

I FELL FOR IT!

So as the annoying guy above was leaving, I turned to sit down in my chair.  The chair in question was a lawn chair that we had bought at a recent yard sale for a buck.  We figured that for a buck, even if we got a little use out of it, it would be okay.  Earlier in the day, I had already sat in one of the chairs we got at the sale and the bottom gave way.

When I sat back down in this one, everything gave way.  Totally.  As in each leg went a different direction.  As in I went flat down to the ground.  As in pratfall.  As in this.  I wasn't hurt, but I was extremely embarrassed.  Seriously, two chairs in one day???  Diet starts right now!

That's not even the worst part.  After I got up, I took a look at my coffee cup, which had been behind the chair.  It seemed to be okay and intact, with just some coffee splashed out, so I picked it up and took a drink, only to have it dribble all over my shirt.  The damn cup was riddled with cracks, yet somehow holding it's shape.  I've had that cup for nearly 20 years!  It's been my morning companion all that time, and now it's gone, felled by the rickety yard sale lawn chair.  Curse you, rickety yard sale lawn chair!

I guess you get what you pay for sometimes.  Caveat emptor, and all that. 

SHE IS THE ONE NAMED SAILOR MOON

I sold a batch of my Sailor Moon stuff to one young couple who came specifically for it.  They told me that her six year old sister is autistic and is really, really into Sailor Moon.  She knows all the songs and all the characters and makes up stories about them and draws them and stuff.  I was kind of amazed about all of that, given that, at six years old, she wasn't even born in the 90's when the show was on TV.  They said they look for stuff for her all the time and hopped in the car when they saw my CL ad.  They bought a big batch of stuff, and then I threw in some extra for her because...well....you know me.  I'm all about the kids, especially when they're fans.  I honestly have never seen anyone more excited about a yard sale purchase than these two were.  They were debating whether to give it to the little girl right away or wait until her birthday. Nearly made me cry.

KIDS R US

Speaking of kids, one little boy bought three clocks from me.  One was a wind up alarm and I had to show him how it worked.  He had been going in the convenience store across the street, and ran across the street when he saw my sale.  He told me he was going to have a yard sale of his own and sell his old toys and books, as soon as his grandmother said it was warm enough.  He also said he was coming back with more money, because I had some other things he wanted.  I wasn't surprised when he didn't make it back.  I'm guessing his grandmother confined him to the house when he came home with three clocks.  Not everyone appreciates a junker.

I gave a little gourd to another boy who was walking his dog, because he was kind of fascinated with them.  Why not?  After all, I am trying to get rid of them.  One way is as good as another some times.

I'VE GOTTA HAVE IT!

I found a really big purse made out of a burlap-type of material with some fun stitching on it when I was going through my mother's last bits of stuff.  It was big enough that she would use it as an overnight bag when she came to visit. It went with her to the hospital a couple of times as well.  I don't really need it, so I priced it for a couple of bucks and threw it in the sale.

People kind of walked past it all day, until this one guy saw it, picked it up, clutched it to his chest like Shara with a Redmon basket, and literally dashed over to me to pay for it.  It's really odd to see some stranger do that to some totally ordinary something that used to belong to my mother.  Are burlappy bags the new Coach?  Who knew?

Afterwards, I pondered if that's the way I look to some people running sales.  If it is, then at least I'm entertaining.

GETTING IT OFF MY CHEST

The chest I had sold later in the day to a guy who just fell in love with it, despite the loose hinge.  He kept walking around it and looking at it, going away and coming back, but would not open it and look.  Finally, I opened it for him and that got him.  It was a love connection for sure.  I offered to help him get it into his truck, he just hefted it up and he was gone!  I like it when I can bring something together with someone who appreciates it.  I hope that I look that way to at least a few people running sales.

DRIVE BY STARING

There was a lot of traffic passing by, especially later in the day.  We had the usual "slow down and gawk, then speed away" type of people who drive me nuts at yard sales.  We also had one case of the "almost cause an accident by stopping in the street to decide if you want to get out or keep going" type. Annoying as these types are, every sale has them.

I discovered a new type during my sale:  "Drive right by because you are going to Thunder and not looking for yard sales at all, but slow down and gawk with an open mouth like you've never seen a yard sale before."   Seriously, car after car drifting by with everyone staring with their mouths hanging open.  I felt like I had two heads or something.  Uncouth, to say the least.

ALL IN ALL

I'm really glad I did the sale. I got rid of stuff and had a good time.  People are so fascinating, even when they're being annoying.  I think I'm going to do a book sale towards September, with one last yard sale in October.  Louisville lets you have three per year, so I'm going for it.  Still got a shedful!  There are a couple of community sales I'm thinking about setting up at too.  That way, I can sell and still shop!

Quandries!

The yard sale post scheduled for today has been delayed due to circumstances which I will now explain.  I need to vent/ponder a bit, so I'm doing it here.  Please feel free to chime in if you have any words of wisdom to offer.

I got an email yesterday from the owner of the store where my second booth is.  He has decided to retire and is closing the store at the end of the month!  As in two weeks from now!  I've got until May 5 to get all my crap out of there, but the last day of business is April 30.  I'm really peeved about the totally unprofessional short notice, but I guess that's junking for you.

Rumors have been circulating for a couple of weeks that this was coming.  Supposedly, he's sold the building.  I don't know.  Junkers are a gossipy bunch.  A lot of things you have to let go in one ear and out the other.  Some of the same folks have been saying that the Peddlers Mall is also closing, and I know that ain't happening.

Already the rush has begun for space in the Peddlers Mall.  The two stores are only a couple of miles apart and have always been rivals.  Ironically, some of the vendors who have dissed PM for years and said they'd never rent there may find themselves in the position of calling for space.  I don't know.  Like I said, junkers are a gossipy bunch.  They're also pretty cantankerous.  I try to stay out of all that.  Still, vendors from the closing store started calling PM as soon as they got the email.  The next few days are going to be really chaotic.

As far as the closing goes, I really have no feelings one way or another, except for the short notice.  I have not done well there and won't be financially impacted that much.  I was giving it until the end of June to turn around and was planning to leave if I couldn't make it work by then.  This just moves my plan up a few weeks.

I do have some thinking to do, and it has to be done quickly.  Since I closed out of another store last fall, I've had too much extra stuff sitting around.  That was the whole point of this second store.  I'm not sure whether to just wait it out and run stuff through my current booth set-up (however long it may take) or grab another space in the Peddlers Mall, even if only for a short time.  I really don't need to sit on this much inventory.

April is a bad time to be expanding.  I could be looking at increased expenses with decreased revenue through the summer.  I don't know what to do.  On the other hand, having more stock out during those slow months may help increase the income.

What would you do?  If I don't put in a claim on some space in the next couple of days, I won't have the chance.

One thing is for sure.  The Peddlers Mall is going to be fuller with vendors than it has been in a while.  Hopefully the existing customer base will transfer too.

Give me your thoughts, please.  I'd appreciate it.

Monday Rambles

All right.  Time to face another week, while we lay last week to rest.  Or something like that.  This is going to be an interminable week for me, since next week is Spring Break and I cannot wait for a little time off.  I will have a couple of sessions throughout the week, but I will have next Thursday and Friday totally off, which I am looking forward too.  I think I might even take in a matinee one of those days.

In the meantime, I have to get through this week, which includes deciding whether or not to have a yard sale this coming Saturday or not.  If I decide to have it, then I'll have to spend the week getting ready for it.  I don't mind doing that, but the long-range forecast is for rain on Saturday.  I guess I could do all the prep work and then just postpone it until the nest weekend, but I'm still on the fence.  What would you do?

Speaking of yard sales, Saturday was a real mixed bag.  I ended up with a vanload, but it was sure looking doubtful for a while.  A church sale that's been pretty good in the past simply wasn't.  It was held in a big, non-crowded basement that smelled like the previous night's fish fry.  (Blech!)  THere really weren't that many people there, so I oculd not for the life of me figure out why I got bumped into several times.  Really people?  The selection stinks.  The basement stinks.  And now you want to run into me?

I also had one of the oddest conversations I've ever had with a fellow shopper.  I was looking at a figure from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame when this woman says:  "Are you a toy collector or do you just like the Hunchback?"  What?  I'm not one for small talk with strangers under the best of conditions, but that was just plain weird.  At least she wasn't bumping into me.

Then at checkout, the cashier mis-totalled my items and then shorted me on change!  I was never more glad to get out of a sale in my life.

We went to another church sale that has always been lame in the past, but flush from last week's experience, I went in determined to give it a chance.  I found three things and a line to check out that was stretching all the way down the length of the gym.  I could not figure out why the line was so long, since there were three cashiers, then I realized that all three of them were involved in checking out each seller!  Since when does it take three people to check out a person with two or three items?  No wonder it was taking so long.  I think they needed all the extra fingers and toes to add up the totals!   I looked at that line and my three so-so items and left them lying on a table.

Time was kind of tight, since Kosh had a vet appointment at noon, but with two loser sales in a row, all of a sudden  I had time to spare for the second day estate sale in a picked over house, a sale with a box of Beanie Babies for $150 (really!), and another second day estate sale where all of the furniture was still in the house because it was priced so high. (And they were entertaining no offers or thoughts of markdowns.)

I was really discouraged by the time we got to the sale I had saved for last because it was near the house and we could scoop Kosh up and head to his appointment when we were finished.  Thankfully, It was awesome.  I should have gone there first.  (I would have planned on going there first if we hadn't had the vet appointment.  I hate backtracking, so I try to plan kind of smooth routes.)

We picked up a ton of stuff there, including this custom built bookshelf with a drawer in it.

I love the use of the beadboard in the back!

Totally solid wood--no pressboard here.

And this cute little table.  Another custom piece.  The artisan's label is stuck on the underside.

The apron is off-kilter on all sides.  It's a fun look!

Not the best image, but I love this flower detail!

I also snagged an awesome piece at another sale that I'll save for a later post, since I don't have a pic yet and it's at the booth.

Kosh checked out okay at the vet.  He was a little cranky and hissed a couple of times, but overall he behaved fairly well.  He's my sweet grumpy old man!

Booth sales are strong this month.  I've sold everything from my curb picking except for two chairs.  I sold the school desk I bought from the Deliverance people on my birthday.  I've already sold the school desk I bought last week and the fringey party umbrella from a couple of weeks ago.  I went through my sales emails last night and 30% of my total sales this month is coming from furniture!  I've never been a big fan of selling furniture, but now I need to rethink that.  Having the space to sell it right helps and having the van to haul it helps keep the supply coming in.  In the past, I've had to pass great pieces up because I had no way to haul them.  Now, I'm finding and bringing stuff in every weekend and that keeps the flow going.  I'm still not a fan of selling furniture, but at least now it's because of bad experiences with other furniture sellers and not because of furniture itself.

I plan to spend this week catching up on my blog reading and commenting. I owe quite a few of you all comments, so don't be surprised if a big bunch of comment from me start popping up on your blogs.  Also, thanks for all the kind words on my biopsy results.  I appreciate each of you. 

Friday Rambles

This has been one crazy-ass week, let me tell you!  I left some space in my blogging schedule for some writing, including my normal Monday Rambles post, and then watched it all fall away from me.

My head is kind of spinning from everything going on, so let me put a few points out there for you all to bring you up to date and confirm that I do, indeed, still exist and that I can do something besides post about religious booklets.

First and foremost, the biopsy came back negative!  They'll keep monitoring that spot, but it is not cancerous.  I cannot tell you what a relief that is for me!  I'm back on the regular cycle of three month scans and follow ups.  Thanks so much for all the kinds notes and thoughts.  I really appreciated it.  After we got the news, Keith made me waffles for supper to celebrate!

Last weekend's sales were pretty good.  The van continues to prove its usefulness by hauling lots of stuff.   We're still very early in the season, which means that I can get by with less than fifty bucks, because there aren't that many sales.

I had a rare and mystifying experience on Saturday:

I found myself waiting in line to get into a church sale.  I'm not one for lines to get into sales, especially when I can tell that there are several other dealers also in the line.  For one, I just don't have the patience for it.  You'll never catch me signing up for a number at an estate sale, unless that estate sale features an Emmylou Harris concert in the living room (and they're selling good comic books).

For another, I hate with the passion of a thousand white hot suns the shoving and grabbing games that some dealers like to play.  I know that one of these days I'm going to end up telling one of these assholes off for trying to push past me, and I'll be the one that gets booted from the sale.  There are a lot less frustrating ways to get stuff.

Besides that, I hit this sale every year, but it's never really that good.  I only put it on my list because it happens at the time of year where there aren't that many sales available to choose from. (Got another one of those coming up tomorrow.)  So I found myself kind of baffled that this particular sale had a line.  Really?

Then it dawned on me that I had never been to this sale as it opened.  I always get there after it's been going a while.  Maybe it's a little better come opening time.  So, I bade my time and waited in line and pondered which one of these dudes was going to be the one to piss me off.

The sale finally opened and I went right to the stuff I was looking for, which is furniture these days.  They had the most adorable kids' school desk for a couple bucks.  I could feel the other guys lining up behind me to stare at it, so I took my time going over it.  Then, while a couple of them were glaring at me, I took out my dollars and paid for it.  I got dirty looks for the rest of the sale and a couple of comments about what a steal I got as I was leaving with it.  You can't always judge a sale by the past, I guess.

Buying a cute school desk:  wonderful.  Pissing off a bunch of obnoxious dealers in the proces:  PRICELESS!

Sorry no pics.  I rushed everything to the booth last Saturday and totally forgot to snap any.  And i also picked up the most awesome set of wicker chairs to boot. They're purple!

I've got more to babble about, but I've got to head out the doo to grab a bus for work.  I'll throw it all into Monday's Rambles.  Have a good weekend and happy yard sales!

Monday Rambles

Some of the stuff I read about my chemo drug, DTIC, indicated that the effects would be at their most intense about three or so weeks after the infusion.  Well, that was last week, and I was definitely feeling it!  It's also pretty obvious that I'm not on steroids any more.  In other words, my sizable ass is dragging!  I cannot imagine being any more tired than this, but I am sure that it is possible.

Tuesday, I woke up at about 9-ish and at about 9:05-ish felt like I was ready to call it a day.  My get up and go definitely got up and went.  Wednesday was about the same.  I came home from work and was in bed by 5.  I didn't wake up until 7 on Thursday.  Thursday was a good day, and Friday was for about half the day, until I crashed and burned at 2:30 for a three hour nap.

I think it's going to be good days and bad days from here on out.  I think I've figured out that I need to limit myself to the essentials on the bad days and rest as much as I can, then work the good days for all they're worth. 

I get my next chemo treatment next Tuesday.  Hopefully, I'll still be able to have some good days with two rounds in me.

Sales last week just about dried up for a few days, after being awesome all month.  I hate to lose momentum like that.  Bummer.  They did pick up towards the end of the week.  Hopefully I can still bounce back some more  I am still ahead of last month at both spots.

We hit a few estate sales on Saturday, plus one church sale.  The church sale was pretty unremarkable, but the estate sales were fun.  One was so crowded that I almost gave up.  The people giving the sale said the house had been closed up for three years!  There was tons of stuff, and the prices were pretty good.  The basement was mainly unpriced.  As I was coming down there, a man was buying three small 48 star flags for a dollar each!  Ack!  I died.

 At another sale, I watched a guy take the lid off a sewing kit, set it aside, and proceed to pull the best stuff out of it.  He walked out of the closet with two old tins of buttons and some old darning tools, leaving the rest behind.  I poked my head in once he left and saw that the lid he removed was priced.  In other words, he was cherry-picking something that had a lot price.  This is what is known in the business as an "asshole move."

In the basement of the house, I ran into him again.  I was looking at a bunch of tools when he came in the room, so I grabbed the level and walked away.  Keith was like, "That's what you are getting?"  I told him:  "I don't want him to get it."  So, I carried it with me until he left the area.  Then, I decided I really liked it, so I bought it!

I waited around until the guy checked out, because I wanted to see what would happen.  I was also fully prepared to narc on the guy.  Crap like this makes it harder for honest dealers and collectors to get things at fair prices.  Seriously, the whole sewing box was only six bucks, which was an excellent price.  Fortunately, the people running the sale recognized the stuff and told him that it was an all or nothing deal for the kit.  He tried to protest that he "hadn't seen the price because the lid was sitting to one side."  (Yeah, because he put it there.)  Then he tried the "But I don't want this other stuff" line.  The sale runners told him it was all or nothing and he could donate or re-sell what he didn't want.

 After he left, I finished my shopping.  When I was checking out, I told the folks running the show what I had seen.  They were really annoyed at the whole deal, especially because the overall price was so good.  Hell, I've bought lots of box lots just to get one or two really good items.  It's part of the game!

That last sale, by the way, was super cool.  The basement of the place had been converted into a replica of a Mexican cantina.

Pics nicked from the Craigslist ad for the sale.

I'm going to be doing a post later in the week with some pics of my finds.  Most of them went right to a booth, so I've got to go back and get pics when I go to straighten up.  (I forgot when I was putting everything out.)  I got a couple of really fab things.

Well, I gotta run.  Hope everyone has a good day and week.  I'm going to try to keep the blog up this week, so check back and see if I do.

Monday Rambles

I'm finishing this up on Sunday, as I usually do, but I may or may not be able to get it posted.  We've already had a brief power outage, which was preceded by several flickers, due to strong winds.  We'll just have to see.  It's kind of like Spring usually is around here.

There's only one thing worse than getting a sales email that says you only sold 59 cents at your booth. That would be not receiving one at all the next night.  Typically, that means that there was an email glitch, but coming after such a low night, you just can't say that for sure.  Happily, I got one (for 36 bucks) the night after the missing mail, and some quick math revealed I really did have sales, so it was just a glitch.

As you can guess from the 59 cent thing, it was kind of a low sales week, although I had a couple of good days at the Peddlers Mall.  Still no skull sales.  What do people have against skulls??

We need a new home!

 We set out Saturday on a yard sale journey that we expected would last until about 1:00.  That's pretty typical.  Why were we dragging back home at 7:00 that night??  We are still wondering where the day went.  We did make some good finds for all that time out.  I also had a couple of strange life flashbacks that I'll be writing about later on.

Things to never, ever believe when a junker says them:  "I'm not really going to buy any more today.  I think we have enough and the car is getting full."  This is typically followed by emerging from a Goodwill with a vintage padded bench! It was six bucks. I couldn't leave it!  Keith just rolls his eyes at me any more.

Last week's Love Match has been made.  I have no idea how the happy couple is doing, but it left me with a good feeling in my heart and a nice jump in my sales report.

If you've been following my bargaining tips, I have a new one to add to the list of things not to do.  At a church sale on Saturday, a gentleman was trying to buy several pairs of socks and a pair of shoes.  I had a huge box of stuff that I was paying for at the same time.  When he was told that the socks were 50 cents a pair, he loudly exclaimed:  "I'd rather pay 25 cents!"  My immediate thought was that I would "rather" walk out with all this shit without paying for it, but it ain't gonna happen!  Needless to say, the women running the sale were not impressed.

I've got a lot to do this week.  Several irons that I've had in the fire are due to come out, and my work hours pick up just a tad.  Better to be busy than bored, I guess.  I should have posts every day, though.

The Stories I Tell

Like most of us I was raised to tell the truth and be honest.  This can present a minor dilemma for re-sellers.  Now, I'm not meaning to imply that selling goods secondhand requires dishonesty or that re-sellers are immoral liars (well, most of them aren't), but we do suffer from a couple of commonly held public misconceptions that can make being totally honest in certain situations difficult.

First off, there's the idea that we're all jerks.  This is, of course, due to the minority of dealers that really are jerks.  All it takes is one or two assholes showing up too early to yard sales, bullying sellers for bargains, and generally not going away when they've overstayed their welcome and, suddenly, all of us are believed to be like this.  This is why I go to great extremes to distance myself from a lot of dealers.  I don't like to be around people like that and I certainly don't want to be associated with them.

Then, there's the perception that we're all making money hand over fist.  A few overly-publicized eBay auctions, plus shows like American Pickers and Antiques Roadshow have created this impression.  What they don't show is how hard you have to work for that big score.  How many small sales and busts you have to wade through.  How many great finds that don't pan out into scores.  It takes a lot of searching, traveling, cleaning, picture-taking, listing, packing, mailing, stocking, tracking, etc etc etc to find and sell this stuff.  It ain't easy and it ain't glamorous.  No matter how much fun it looks like on TV.

So, when the first misconception meets the second one, it leads to a third:  the idea that we are out to rip people off!  We know we can make a killing on that flim-faddler.  That's why we're trying to bargain with you on it.  Of course, it's bullshit.  We may know we can make a few bucks on the flim faddler, but we need you to come down a hair to make that more likely.  And, if there were a ton of money to be made on it, then it's available to you as well--if you're willing to do all the extra work, pay the fees, do the research, do the packing and shipping, etc. etc. etc.  But, of course, you're not, which is why the flim faddler's in the front yard with a price tag on it to begin with.  So, how exactly am I trying to rip you off by offering four bucks instead of five again?

With all this rolling around in the ether, sometimes sellers will treat you differently if they think you are a re-seller.  Folks having yard sales will get snippy or sarcastic or refuse to deal with you.  Staff at thrifts will be less courteous.  Some thrifts even try to bar folks who re-sell from shopping there.  I've not had anything like that happen to me, but it does make me cautious.  As I shared above and in the past, though, I really have no desire to be seen in the same light as some of those other vendors, and that desire is also a reason for caution when I'm out searching for merch.

Honestly, for a lot of re-sellers this isn't a problem.  And for most of the sellers we buy from it isn't either.  We are offering money for stuff after all, and money is good.  Right?  But, there are a minority of seem to take some sort of umbrage at what we do, usually due to one of the misconceptions above.  Most of my desire to be cautious stems from a desire to avoid them.  After all, the hunt for stuff to sell is stressful enough as it is.  Why make it worse?

Usually, it's no problem.  You find something.  You pay for it.  You act a politely as you can to everyone involved.  And you go on your merry little way to look for something else.  No need to worry about exposure and certainly no need for self-disclosure.  Until....they ask you a question.


It happens from time to time.  You'll get an overly chatty cashier at a thrift.  (And the more often you're in there, the more likely it is to happen.  People start to act a little more familiarly with regulars.)  The person running the yard sale will make a random inquiry as an attempt at small talk.  Some sellers have this burning need to know that their stuff is going to a "good home."  (Which I guess is somewhat understandable, given all those stories about flim faddler abuse you see on the news.)

Now, here's the quandry.  I don't want to out and out lie.  But, neither do I want to just come out and say "Oh, I'm going to sell it."  Why ruin what to this point has been a good transaction?  Why invite conflict?  Besides that, does a doctor or a lawyer feel obligated to disclose their profession at a yard sale? (Barring, of course, someone having a heart attack on the premises?)  So, I try to play the political card of being truthful without telling everything.

Seller:  "Wow!  That's a lot of toys.  Do you have kids?

Me:  No, but I have a niece and a nephew.  (Totally true. I didn't say I was going to be giving them the toys.)

Seller:  "Are you going to give it a good home?"

Me:  "I'll try my best."  (And, indeed I will.  With a brand new price tag on it, it should attract someone who likes it.)

Seller:  "Why are you buying so many of these?  Do you like them?"

Me:  "I think they're kind of cool."  (Which is usually the truth.  I tend to buy stuff I think is cool.)

Seller:  "Are you a Cowboys fan?"  (Got this when I bought a Dallas Cowboys glass.)

Me:  No.  It's for someone else.  (Totally true.  I just don't exactly know the person that it is for.)

Seller:  "You must like comics.  Do you collect them?"

Me:  Yes.  (Anyone who knows me at all knows that this is true.  But that doesn't mean I'm keeping this batch.)

Seller:  "Are you a priest or are you in seminary?"  (Got this one when I was buying a bunch of religious books and crucifixes.)

Me:  "No.  Believe it or not, I collect them."  (Again, if you know me, it's true.  I just sell a lot more than I keep these days.  Actually, I probably could have gotten a discount if I had been able to lie about this one.  Maybe I should have said, "I'd like to be, but you all won't ordain gays.")

Seller:  "That's a lot of stuff do you have a booth somewhere?"

Me:  "You got me."

Now that last one is the only instance where I don't dance around the topic.  The only way to not tell the whole truth here is to flat out lie.  And I won't do that.  However, this has only happened once, and it was at my favorite thrift, and it was my favorite cashier who did it.  And, thankfully, it hasn't had any repercussions, other than her saying:  "You're so much nicer than the other dealers we see in here."    So, at least part of my concern and strategy is justified.

I know this approach is not for everyone.  I know this whole thing may not even matter to most re-sellers, but I do know folks who have found themselves in uncomfortable situations for admitting they were going to re-sell what they were buying.  I'd rather just avoid the hassle.

One thing I will not do is tell what I might get for something.  That's an invitation to trouble.  I just tell them I'm not sure, because I have to research the item a little, which is usually true.  Another thing I won't do, which less scrupulous dealers will do without a problem, is concoct stories to get a lower price on something.  If I ever tell an anecdote about an item, it's always true.

Weaving your way through potential minefields to get what you need is tricky.  Doing it and retaining a sense of personal ethics is even trickier.  I don't feel that I violate that sense or do anything wrong.  I'm not out to rip people off at all.  Dealers who resort to lying or outright stealing disgust me.  I'm just a guy looking to pay his mortgage.

Sometimes, though, it can lead to some odd situations.  Not too long ago, I was in one of my favorite thrifts at the same time as a very loud, very intoxicated woman.  She was one of those drunks who gets overly friendly with everyone and was popping around the store asking other customers all kinds of questions about stuff she wanted to buy and stuff they wanted to buy.  Just driving everyone NUTS, in other words.

When I went to check out, she was hanging out at the register, drunkenly flirting with the cashier, who was desperately trying to get rid of her.  As he was ringing up my stuff, I saw a couple of AnnaLee dolls behind the counter and asked about them.  (They were part of the great AnnaLee flood I talked about last week.)  Well that got her involved.

She wanted to know what they were.  She wanted to know why I was interested in them.  She wanted to know how I knew about them.  She wanted to know what they were worth.  Above all, she wanted to know what I would do with them.  In short, she was getting on my last damn nerve!  And, in true drunken fashion, she was totally oblivious to that fact.

I chose a couple and she really got pushy about what I was going to do with them.  After ignoring her for a few minutes, I finally said that I didn't know for sure, but I would probably pass them on to someone else.  In my mind, that's all the information about me that a drunken, obnoxious stranger needs to have.  She kept asking and I kept giving the same answer.

Finally, she got upset and said "Why are you being this way?  I don't know you!"  Which is kind of exactly my point.  Why are you so interested in my affairs?  Then she said "They're probably for a woman.  You're going to get some nooky tonight."  And she left the store.

So after finally getting to pay for my stuff, I went out and got in the car and told Keith:  "Apparently you've got to give me some nooky tonight."

Happy Hunting Grounds!

"Where do you find all this stuff?" 

I get that a lot.  Sometimes, it's from customers.  Sometimes, it's from other vendors.  I actually take it as a compliment, since I work kind of hard at keeping a wide variety of interesting stuff and at trying to have things that not everyone else does. 

It makes you stand out when you're in a mall that has space for up to 300 other vendors.  It also helps build a regular customer base.  I hear from customers and mall staff a lot that I have lots of people who come in regularly to shop my booth.  In fact, I will definitely hear from them if I haven't done a big restock in a while.  It's a lot of work to keep your fans happy.

Back to the question at hand, though.  I'm not one of these that will out and out share his sources with folks.  For one thing, there's too much competition for stuff.  For another, so many other dealers act like jerks when they're out getting junk that I really don't ever want to be associated with that in a source's mind.  One of my most unfavorite things to do is go to a dealer's night at a sale.  There's always someone there trying to out-grab and shove everyone else.  I just hate that kind of behavior.  Besides, at some of my sources, I've worked hard to build a relationship, and I don't want that spoiled by some jerky dealer.

On the other hand, if we don't share information that can help other people, what good are we?  That's just being selfish, and I don't like selfishness.  So, here's my answer to the question:

"Everywhere."

I'm not being facetious.  To quote a pair of my favorite philosophers, "There's treasure everywhere!"

Pic from here.

You just have to know how to spot it. 

Here are some examples of places I get stuff to sell:

Yard Sales-Moving Sales-Estate Sales-Garage Sales-Rummage Sales.  It kind of goes without saying, but I'd be remiss to not include them.  I don't have much to add here that I haven't already said (or that others haven't already said much better than I).

Auctions.  I don't do real, honest-to-god live auctions that much.  There's often a lot of grubby, grabby dealers there with deeper pockets than me fighting over the good stuff.  But, when I do go, I  tend to follow one simple line of attack:  Let them do as they will. I don't care.  

I'll let them slug it out over the big ticket items and be done with it.  Instead, I'll focus on the mixed lots and boxed lots of all kinds of stuff.  There's always a good variety and it's usually cheap.  Sometimes, the auctioneer even has to pile things up together to get even one bid.  I went to the auction when the local Salvation Army closed its thrifts and hauled off two truckloads of stuff (including some small furniture) for less than a hundred bucks.  And it sold and sold and sold and sold.  

Truth be told, there's always going to be a few clunker items in a mixed lot like that.  Just take them to Goodwill for the tax deduction and focus on the stuff you know you can sell.  When you get the whole lot for a couple of bucks, it's pretty easy to make money, and no great loss if you have to ditch a few items.

Sitting on a Curb.  It's no secret that I love junk set out week, and I'm not the only one.  But, if you're observant, there's lots of stuff available at other times as well.  Just pay attention when you're out, check it out really good, and you're bound to score.  Except during set out periods, it's not a source that's worth setting out on a deliberate trip for.  Rather it's one to be surprised by when you find it.  Tip:  Sometimes, if you pass through an area several hours after a neighborhood sale has ended, you can find houses where they've just hauled their leftovers to the curb.  Remember to be neat!  Another tip:  Check out college campuses around the end of the semester.

Other Sellers.  We buy off each other.  Yes, we do.  A few weeks ago, I bought a bunch of vintage priest's stoles from a vendor at the Peddlers Mall and took 'em straight to YesterNook.  Sold 'em the next day.  It's hard sometimes to keep your eyes open for a good buy when you're also supposed to be working.  It's easy for the other booths in your mall to become just part of the background, but it pays to keep your eyes open.  Rest assured that other dealers are doing it to you as well.  It's all a part of the loop.

Other Junk Stores.  I'm a vendor in two very different establishments in Louisville.  There are close to a dozen other vendor's malls in or near town, and another three or four that fall into the YesterNook category.  You bet I shop at 'em.  Particularly in the winter, when there aren't many yard sales.  There are a couple that I really like to it.  One because it is so well stocked and organized, and a couple because they're not.  Sometimes when you have to dig, you turn up all kinds of things!  It's that whole loop thing rearing it's cute little head again.

Something I'm really wanting to get into are the more "mom and pop" junk/hoarder stores.  There are a bunch in the west end of town.  Some folks I know swear by them.  Price-wise, they can be hit or miss though.  One in town is called "It Takes 2 Dollars or More."  Every time I pass that one, I think that someone's not really clear on the concept.  One day, I'll have to check it out.

Thrifts. This is another area where there's not too much to say, because it's all been covered, but should be mentioned anyway. There's not a week that goes by that I don't hit at least one thrift.  I know some dealers who are really down on the thrift, but the truth is that you can pretty reliably find decent stuff at a price you can re-sell from without much problem at most thrifts.

There are some thrifts in town that aren't worth regular visits, but every thrift is worth an occasional visit.  There are some I only pop into once or twice a year, if only to check and see if they've improved at all.  One of the things we lack here in town are smaller thrifts that aren't affiliated with the "big guys."  You know what I mean, community thrifts, church thrifts, and the like.  We have a couple, but not many.  Those are the ones where the good stuff is usually found.

Thrifts are especially useful in the winter when there just aren't any yard sales.

Regular Retail Outlets.  On those rare occasions when I do go into a regular retail store, I make a beeline for one particular area:  the clearance aisle!  Now, clearance sections are not what they used to be, but you can still find somethings that you can re-sell and make money from.  If you can get a new item at 75-90% off retail, you can always sell it for under retail and still turn a profit.  Post-holiday clearances are the best!  And not just Christmas, but also Halloween and Easter.

Friends, Neighbors, and Loved Ones.  Once people around you find out that you re-sell, they'll often save things for you or pass stuff on to you.  Sometimes, helping a friend move can get you dibs on the stuff they don't want to mess with.  This is kind of a tricky area to work with, but it can yield some awesome stuff.  Everybody has an item or two that they don't want/need, but is not enough to have a yard sale over or make a trip to Goodwill. 

What you have to do is determine exactly what they are offering.  Are they giving it?  Do they want you to buy it form them?  Do they want you to sell it for them?  I try to avoid selling for someone else as much as  I can.  It's just too much of a hassle, especially if the item takes a while to sell.

I do offer money when someone offers me an item, but you have to be careful there, too.  You want to be fair, but you also have to make money in the end.  If someone doesn't understand this and thinks you're low-balling them, you could harm your relationship, so tread carefully.  A lot of times, though, they're just looking to get rid of a couple of items and just want to help you out.

Friends of Friends, Neighbors, and Loved Ones.  The one true American Pickers style "pick" I've ever done was set up by a friend who helped me get into a relative's basement clean out. It was one of the coolest afternoons I've ever had.  Your interpersonal connections are one of the greatest resources that you've got.

Trash Cans and Dumpsters. Okay, I've never actually climbed into a dumpster and I don't go around randomly opening trash cans.  I'm just not that agile/bold.  But, when I see something on top or within reach--I GO FOR IT!

The other day, I was waiting at a light, when a guy got out of his SUV and threw something into a corner trash can.  It was either a large candle stick or a table leg.  I had to find out, so when the light changed, I stopped at the trash can and pulled it out.  It was a nice ceramic candle holder.  SCORE!


People Cleaning out Offices or Storerooms.  "What are you doing?"  "Cleaning out this room."  "What are you going to do with this stuff?"  "Pitch it."  "Mind if I take some of it?"  "Help yourself."  See how easy that was?  Among things I've gotten this way are flower vases and lots of the labels I use for pricing. 

And this list is by no means exhaustive.  I know dealers who work in construction and renovation and are given furniture and other items by their clients who are getting rid of it.  I'm a little old to be learning how to paint and hammer, so that's a closed route to me, but it seems to be a viable option for others.  I know others who have helped someone clean out a house and were given their choice of what was being tossed.  There are no hard and fast rules about sources.

In the end, what it takes to be a good junk-hunter is a willingness to always be on the prowl.  Always.  Stuff pops up where (and when) you least expect it.  Be willing to pull the car over on a whim and check something out.  You never know when it will pay off. 

After that, you have to have vision.  Can you see someone paying you for this item?  It doesn't matter if the people with you can't.  Creativity and a willingness to go so far outside the box that you end up selling the box will help, too.  If you stay in a rut, you're likely to miss many wonderful opportunities.

Finally, you have to be willing to fail.  Striking out is part of the game.  That awesome end table on the curb will turn out to have a missing leg.  The thrift will have noting but chipped polyresin fairy statues.  Everything at the yard sale will be overpriced.  Don't get discouraged.   Something wonderful could be around the corner.  The junking gods can be cruel sometimes, but they can also be very generous.

Give it a try and see what happens.  Happy hunting!

Monday Rambles

You know, it's amazing how much faster you can go on a bike when the tires are all aired up and the seat is at the right height.  I've been riding for years with my seat too low because I couldn't deal with not having my feet flat on the ground when I was stopped.  I was also afraid of having to ride way hunched over and hurting my back.  A couple of weeks ago, though, I let myself get talked into raising the seat and it makes such a difference.  And I have less knee pain too.  Plus, all the things I was afraid of turned out to be non-issues.

The agency I teach for screwed up last week and advertised my morning class as a four day class, instead of a five, which meant that I ended up with a free morning on Friday.  It was nice, because it gave me time to do some other things around the house.

It's junk set out week in the neighborhood!  A couple of times a year, residents can set out large objects that are too much for regular trash pick up to handle.  It's a good time to be a junker, as long as you're persistent!  More curb-shopping goes on during these times than one can easily imagine.

You are actually supposed to set out the Friday-Saturday-Sunday before your week.  We had some broken down planters and yard stuff that I really wanted GONE.  And now they are sitting at the curb, waiting for Public Works, the pickers or the scrappers, whoever gets there first.  All the metal stuff has already been grabbed by the scrappers.  There wasn't really that much.  Of the rest, I can't imagine we'll get picked too heavily, but you never know.

It's good to have that job done, because I missed the set out in May.  It's kind of like making an offering at the curb, so the junking gods will treat you kindly.  They've been good to me recently, so I wanted to be good back.

Now, even though you're not supposed to start setting out until 5 p.m. on Friday the weekend before your pick up week, the reality is that people jump the gun all over the place.  Piles have been popping up here and there all week, and I've been digging through them.  It's been mostly real crap.  The early stuff never yields too much.

But, on Friday morning, we did find a nice dresser and a cute end table.  The end table needs some finishing work, but I can sell it as a project-in-the-making.  It's still really sweet and has some great tiles on it.  And free is always good, huh?

The dresser had a paint smear on it that came right off, but was in otherwise great shape and went right to YesterNook.  I'm still nervous about dealing with anything that big, so we'll see what happens.

The coolest part of the whole deal had to be the guy who was hauling stuff out of the house to the curb, who first told us to "take all we wanted."  And then started coming out and offering us stuff.  We got a wireless router tossed into the deal.  Quite a change from my last round of curb picking!

I also found a 1953 copy of Morals and Dogma, a bunch of vintage booklets and pamphlets, plus some fun smalls and a few other books.

No matter how long you do it, there's just no way to get ready for the highs and lows of the junk business.  I'd been having a killer week at both spots--sold a desk on Monday at the Peddlers Mall, a coffee table on Tuesday at YesterNook, plus more large items at PM--when, BLAM!  It hits!  The lull.  The low.  The crash. The burn.  Wednesday brought no sales at YN and only .59 at PM.  Oh the humanity!  And then the rest of the week at PM was killer!  You just never know.  On the one hand,  it makes me totally nuts.  On the other hand, it's one of the things I love about the whole crazy business!

I updated my profile, if you hadn't noticed.  Nothing drastic.  I just adjusted the age thing so I don't have to update every year.  I still have some time to be a "late-forty-something!"  And I finally changed the cats from two to three.  It's been a year now.  Sigh.  (Every time I go back to look for the link to that post, I start crying. I may never get over this one.)

This is the last week for one of the part-time gigs.  I won't have any work from them until probably February.  On the one hand, that's a long period without one of my regular sources of income.  On the other hands, that's also a long period of time to work on some projects that I've got going on.  More word on these later.

How did it get to be so late in November already?  Wasn't it just my birthday, which comes at the beginning of the month?  Sheesh!  I've still got holiday stuff to dig out for both booths, plus outerwear to consign and sell.  And, next week--as in the week that comes right after this one--is Thanksgiving!

I'd better get rolling, so have a video of a big cat yawning in slo-mo.  Seems appropriate for a Monday, no?



Later!

The Art of the Deal

While it has been a largely score-less summer, I have had a couple of decent buys.  At one church sale, I got a stack of 16 DVD's for 8 dollars, or 50 cents each.  I like to sell DVD's but I use them as a draw to get people into the booth, kind of like a loss leader, except that I don't actually lose money on them.  I can't afford to do that, so I sell my DVD's at the bargain bottom price of .99 each.  This acts as a draw to encourage people to look around and shop more in my booth.  It also serves as a way to help people remember my booth and shop with me again.

While I don't have any real data to support this conclusion, I do think it works.  It seems like on days when I sell several DVD's, I also sell lots of other items.  Of course, I don't have anyway to know who is buying what, but my gut tells me I'm on the right path.

Since I refuse to actually sell anything at a loss, I have to get my DVD's at the right price in order to sell them this cheaply.  For me, that means 50 cents or less.  I know that seems like a tall order, but it happens more than you'd think.  These are yard sales after all.  I've seen them for as low as a dime or a quarter before.  And when they aren't that low, then sometimes I can bargain to get them down.

Take the batch of sixteen mentioned above.  The original price on them was 3 for five bucks, which is not a bad deal at all, but wouldn't work for me.  It was a good batch of movies, too.  Lots of Oscar winners and other accolades.  I decided to take a chance and see if I could get the price down.

First, I counted them out at their original price.  16 movies at 3 for 5 bucks = 5 batches of 3 movies and one left over = 25 bucks and maybe the last one thrown in for free.  Then I did it at my desired price of .50 each.  !6 movies at .50 each = 8 dollars.  Quite a drop.  Over two-thirds, in fact.  In other words, my chances to get them at that price looked pretty slim.  Still, I decided to go for it.  Nothing ventured; nothing gained, after all.

The next step was to devise a strategy.  I figured I wouldn't get anywhere by offering .50 each.  That has worked for me in the past, but the DVD's have to already be a buck each.  Then, an innocent "If I buy all your DVD's, can I get them for fifty cents each?" will usually work.  I thought these were a little too much for the direct approach, so I decided to go another route.

I figured that if I asked the seller what kind of deal they would make me for all the DVD's, then we'd have a new platform from which to work.  After all, they were naming the price, which would leave me free to make a counter-offer.  I was thinking they would either say 12 bucks, which would be half-off, or 10, which would be the best case scenario.  It's no problem to counter a 10 dollar offer with 8 and get what you're going for.  12 is a little iffier, but it can be done.  Of course, there's always the chance I'm guessing wrong and they'll say 20, but that's the chance I'm taking.

So, I ask, and they say 12, which is better than 20, but not as good as 10.  It's not always easy to get from 12 to 8.  They can counter with 10, which would lead me to counter at 9, which, while acceptable, is not as good a deal for me.  So, I offer my 8, and they accept.  I pay and collect my DVD's.  They got money.  I got DVD's.  We all won.

A little later on that same day, we were at another sale, where I saw two adorable child-sized chairs with the cutest paint job on them.  They were marked four each, which is a little steep for me. It was getting late in the day, so I offered four for both.  The seller had announced that she was taking offers when I walked up, and she was making deals for other people, so I decided to give it a shot.  And got shot down.  I was rather brusquely informed that she had "paid more than that" for the chairs.  I resisted the urge to remind her that this was a yard sale and she had "paid more than that" for everything in her yard! 

I could have countered with six and probably gotten the chairs, but the way she responded to my first inquiry really put me off.  I decided I didn't want to deal with her any more and left.  She didn't get money. I didn't get chairs.  We both lost.

So, what made the difference in the two deals?  I think that with the first one, the combination of the right approach and the right seller attitude made the deal happen.  In the second case, I misread the seller and the situation.  If I had started with a six-dollar offer, I probably would have gotten the chairs, but I tried instead to maximize my bargain based on the lateness of the hour and the perceived willingness of the seller to bargain.  She wasn't as willing as she seemed to be, so I struck out. 

On the other hand, the way she responded to me threw up a wall that I wasn't willing to try and climb.  If she had countered with a five or six dollar offer, I would have jumped on it.  Instead, I moved on.  She effectively shut down the negotiation and I decided to head on down the street.  After all, it's easier for me to find more stuff than it is for her to find another buyer.  Bad approach plus bad seller attitude means no deal.

I've been yard saling for years, way before I ever had a booth.  So, I've been bargaining and dealing for a long time.  At first it was to get a good price and stretch my spending power.  Now, it's to maximize my potential profit.  Regardless of the reason, here are some of the things I have learned over the years.

Timing is everything.  If you come into a sale making offers right after it opens, you're more likely to get shot down than if you try later in the day.  I tend not to try and bargain until at least after 9.

Bulk buys get you better bargains.  Offering to buy all of a certain item, say books or movies, will often get you a better price.  Buying many different items also work, especially if you're not trying to get a discount on everything.  I started the DVD negotiation as I was paying for several other items that I paid the asking price for.  This gave the seller a better impression of me and made them more willing to deal.


Don't ask for a discount on everything you pick up.  You'll only get on the seller's nerves and appear greedy and obnoxious.  Pick and choose your requests.  If something is already a good deal, buy it without haggling.

Be reasonable in your offer.  Offering a dollar or two on something marked ten dollars is only going to irritate the seller.  Sometimes, even a half price offer, like mine on the chairs, will have the same effect.  Bargaining is one thing.  Tacky lowballing is something else.

Be polite.  Ask.  Don't demand.  Don't tell them what you're going to give them.  If they turn down your offer, don't get rude.  It's not going to change their mind.  Last Friday, I saw a man tell a seller that he "really didn't want the item anyway" after the seller made a sensible counter to his ridiculous low-ball offer.  In the meantime, I got a dollar off something at the same seller just by being polite and reasonable.

Be prepared.  You may get a counter-offer.  Be ready for it. Know how high you are willing to go.  Remember, this is a negotiation, not an ultimatum.  If you need to do any math, do it before you make your first offer.  I nearly lost a deal on a bunch of vintage travel guides one time when I started to count them out to see if the offer a guy made me was a deal or not.  It was embarrassing.


Let them make the first step.  Asking what they're willing to take for something opens the door and gives the seller a little more control in the negotiations.  This is sometimes helpful when you are dealing with big ticket items.  It also helps you get a feel for the seller's willingness to barter. 

Know when to move on. I've heard horror stories of sellers being hounded by persistent buyers to the point that it ruined the whole selling experience for them.  If it's obviously not going to work, head on to your next stop.  Remember, there's stuff everywhere.  For everyone who won't deal with you, there are several who will. Why waste your time and energy generating bad yard sale karma?


Expect to fail sometimes.  It's always worth a shot, but you won't always succeed.  Don't take it personally, even if the seller gets rude.  It's not worth getting into arguments with strangers over their stuff.  I had a blow up with a seller who got smart with me one time over the price of a comic book.  I thought he was high, given the condition, so I put it back.  He then informed that I ought to know that was a good price, so I informed him he should have noticed it looked like an elephant gored it, ate it, then coughed it up.  It didn't help things and really didn't win either of us any points.

Remember, the goal is not ultimate victory.  It's to come to a result that both sides are happy with.  You have to be willing to give a little sometimes to get what you want.

Picking, Grinning and Bearing It

A few weeks ago, it was junk set out in our neighborhood.  In Louisville, residents can set out large items twice a year, and Solid Waste will pick them up and haul them off for free.  They used to do it once a quarter, but that got cut back due to budget deficits.  I miss the quarterly schedule because I never can seem to get it together for the twice-yearly set outs.  If I had two more chances a year, maybe I could hit one of them.

Anyway, different parts of town have different set out schedules.  You can start setting out the weekend before your pick up week and have to have everything out by Monday.  Some time during the next week, the trucks will be by to haul off your stuff.

Of course, with the setting out of junk, out come the pickers and the scrappers, looking for junk to sell and scrap to take to the recycling center.  They start roaming the 'hoods in their pick up trucks start during the weekend set out and, by Tuesday, they'll have everything picked clean.  All that's left will be disheveled piles of busted furniture and the scattered contents of opened boxes and ripped bags, which will sit in moldering heaps until Solid Waste comes through.

I usally try to get out at least once during the set out period to hunt for stuff.  People will set out some really great stuff, sometimes in new condition, to be hauled away.  It blows my mind when they could be selling some of the stuff in a yard sale or Craigslist, or at least donating it somewhere.

These are my finds for this go around. It's a small batch, because I just stayed in my immediate area and prowled around on foot.  Space is getting kind of tight in my house, so I wanted to keep from getting too greedy.  Sorry for the lack of pics, but I mislaid my camera and many of these items have gone through the booth on to new homes.

One good-sized box of Happy Meal and other small toys.  (I sell these in bagged sets, concentrating on the most recognizable characters and toys.  I culled out about half the box to donate on to Goodwill and kept what will be the best sellers for me.

An enameled stew pot, with the words "Soups and Stews" painted on it,  surrounded by small images of assorted meats and veggies.  It even had the lid.  It cleaned up really nice and sold the week I out it out.

An old pic of a ship, which sold quicker than I thought it would.

A stash of old cans and bottles, many with labels and lids.  Nothing super, super old, but everything was glass and pre-bar code.  The coolest was a glass Windex bottle.

A stack of vintage women's magazines.

An old religious magazine.

Some old health pamphlets.

A paddle for a canoe. It was weathered and chippy, so I thought it would make a good wall hanging for the right person, who apparently was out looking for one, because it sold already.

The top to a trophy.  It's solid metal and really heavy.  Very cool.

Like I said, a small haul. but it was enough to slake my junk-thirst, yet keep me from getting into trouble at home.

The bottles and cans and magazines were all at one house.  There was a huge pile of stuff at the curb.  It looked like a basement that had not been touched in decades had been cleaned out and dumped in a pile.  Apparently, the person saved everything, because I took two bags of cans and bottles, but only scratched the surface of what was there.  (I debated going back the next day, but it started raining, which pretty much spells the end of junking.  You don't want stuff once it gets wet.)

I ended up having to make two trips to this particular pile, because I reached the limit as to what I could carry.  I had to run home, grab another bag and go back.  When I got back, there was an old man, who had not been there before, sitting on the porch of the house next door.  When I walked over to the pile, he started yelling at me.

Old Man:  "There ain't nothing there for you."

Me:  You never know.  I like old stuff.

Old Man:  "I said there ain't nothing there for you."

Me:  (To myself, having decided that discretion was the better part of valor):  "Crazy coot."

Old Man:  "Get out of there.  I don't want you spreading that mess out all over the place.  Stupid people looking for shit."

At this point, I just decided to ignore him.  It wasn't his stuff and it wasn't in front of his house.  There really wasn't anything he could do, other than sit and cuss, which he continued to do.  He did have a point about the mess, but I pride myself on picking neatly.  I never leave the place in a mess and return everything I move to as close to its proper place as possible.  Just because you're trying to make living off someone else's junk that doesn't mean you have an excuse to be a slob.

Actually, it's the way that so many pickers and scrappers go about collecting that causes so many people to resent them.  I've got some guidelines I follow to try and set a new example.  Maybe they can help some newby pickers.

1.  Be neat.  See above.  Other people have to live and, especially, park on that street until the junk gets picked up.  Have a modicum of consideration for the residents.

2.  Be polite.  It does no good to get into arguments with people who live there, which is why I chose not to engage the old dude.  If he had chosen to get off the porch and get in my face, I probably would have backed down and moved on.  It's not worth the risk of escalation for a bunch of junk. There's always more on the next corner.  Besides, you can come back later.

3.  Be discreet.  Don't pick in the middle of the night and make a bunch of noise.  Don't pick when the home owners are sitting on the porch staring at you.  That's a personal preference of mine, but I think it feels really tacky to do that when they're watching you.  Maybe I just need to get over it.

4.  Don't get greedy.  There's more than enough to go around.  You don't have to have it all, especially if it makes you grabby around other pickers.  Really, how much are you going to make on all this stuff anyway?

5.  Know the law.  Yes, it seems like everybody curb-picks, but in some cities, it might be against the law.  Know the risks you might be running.  This is another argument for being neat and polite.  People tend to complain and call for penalties when they perceive a nuisance.  If there's no nuisance, they've got no grounds to complain.

6.  Be decent.  Don't pick when it's pretty obvious someone has been set out or evicted.  It's one thing to deal with items people are declaring they don't want.  It's another to rifle through and take someone's worldly possessions.  Remember, an eviction means that a person has forfeited the right to reside in a particular dwelling.  It doesn't mean they've forfeited the right to their stuff.

7.  Be careful.  Watch where you stick your hands or step.  Anything can hide in a junk pile.  Go in pairs if possible.

That's my take on things, at least.  Your mileage, of course, may vary.  I just think that there are better ways to do this picking thing than I've seen some others do.  Maybe if we all try a little harder to be more conscientious, it'll make a difference.