Yard Sale - pet peeves

I am sure you all have a few pet peeves about the yard sales you visit.
Here are a few of mine. Please add you own.   

NUMBER 1 is signs.
* so small you can't tell what they are for
* the ">" on the arrow is so small you can't tell if it is for turn left or right.
* when they write in pencil on cardboard, can't even read
* when they write on thin cardboard and it sags down in the early morning moisture
* when they let kid's do the signs, looks more like a Picasso than an ad

NUMBER 2 is my own problem
I will go to a yard sale based on following a sign, then later when I am going to another sale in the same area I see signs and start following them and end up at the same yardsale but coming in from the other direction. 

Going 6 miles one way to find plastic cups, baby clothes & knick knacks.


Getting there and they say "Oh someone came last night & bought that"

Getting there & they say it doesn't start yet until tomorrow (That leads us back to your pet peeve about not being able to read the signs)

Hearing them say  "My friend is an antique dealer & she helped me price everything"

When there are no prices at all on anything.


You know, my day was going pretty good up until I seen this, now I'm getting mad just thinking about all my pet peeves on yard sales!


 

how about signs that doesnt have a date on them .....you spend valuable time chasing down a yard sale that took place 3 weeks ago

Old signs,  advertised sale that ends up being a sale I've been to the year before and the year before that,  this one happened Saturday... advertised for Saturday only, large moving sale, 8-4 pm. got their at 2:30 and no one was there, the sign was down but still on the porch, no answer at the door. AARgh!!

None.

Just enjoy getting out and seeing what type
of merchandise is around.

Happy me.                                                        

all have a good un.............
SHERMANVILLE

1. Yard sale where no one speaks english
2. One that the people own an import business
3. Nothing but baby clothes
4. We don't open for another hour (put the time on your damn sign)
5. "I looked it up on Ebay"
6. "sorry I don't have any change"
7. One sign garage sale (Every one knows where we live)
8. Same garage sale every week for a month or more
9. Garage sale stuff that I sold in my garage sale 
10. We started selling Thursday (it's now Saturday)

Just a few of my top one's
J-G

Haven't had number 1 happen yet, but the rest all look too familar!

Sign that says garage sale
then you walk up to pay and the Ahole running it pulls out a antique price book 

1. Yard sale where no one speaks english

That doesn't bother me too much, I guess I am used to that.

repeat after me QUANTO QUESTA? (how much money)

or DONDE ESTA EO ORO Y LA PLATA? (where is the gold and silver)

I once got fed up with some lady that had trouble with the simplest English so I asked.

ME: Quanto anos en los Estados Unidos? (how many years in the U.S.)
SHE: viente (twenty)
ME: vients anos y no ingles (twenty years and no english)
SHE: (just quiet embarrassment)

and I do not speak spanish

You know, my day was going pretty good up until I seen this, now I'm getting mad just thinking about all my pet peeves on yard sales!

So sorry, cheer up  only two more days to more yardsales. 

This week I hope you find a pound of silver for $2

Ever notice how the really great sounding ones in the newspaper are always the lamest! lol The more they are bragged up the worse they are!

1. Yard sale where no one speaks english

That doesn't bother me too much, I guess I am used to that.

repeat after me QUANTO QUESTA? (how much money)

or DONDE ESTA EO ORO Y LA PLATA? (where is the gold and silver)

I once got fed up with some lady that had trouble with the simplest English so I asked.

ME: Quanto anos en los Estados Unidos? (how many years in the U.S.)
SHE: viente (twenty)
ME: vients anos y no ingles (twenty years and no english)
SHE: (just quiet embarrassment)

and I do not speak spanish

When I run into the spanish only people, I ask them in German if they speak German. Show a little money and interest in an item and then all of a sudden they ask if I speak English. Happens all the time. But then I'm not in a big Hispanic area so they speak English when they want to.   

i cant believe it no one mentioned the dreaded .INCORRECT OPENING TIME. IF UR GONNA HAVE A SALE THEN PLEASE DONT START IT AN HOUR EARLY. THATS WHY I LOVE SALES WHERE THEY HAVE IT THE EVENING PREVIOUS PLUS THE NEXT DAY. CUT OUT THE EARLY BIRDS.

all sound familiar to me also..
i`ve been to the sales where they have a print-out of an e-bay auction next to most items telling what they cost on e-bay! I JUST TURN AROUND AND GO BACK TO THE TRUCK!
If you`re having a sale the last thing you want to do is mention e-bay. You want the buyer to think they found a "GEM" - that they`ll get home and sell on e-bay themselves...only to find out when they get home it is worthless because you already looked it up.  - Most sales I go to I can usually tell that they are "e-bayers" by what they are selling.
I usually end up buying (suckered in)and i hold my own sale a couple times a year to try and re-coop my money back. I get asked where i get all my stuff and i just say from friends and relatives...never mention e-bay. I just had  a yard sale and my grandmother stopped by and yells out in front of people " mike did you look this up on e-bay? "  i was embarrassed! of course I did g`ma... later miket

When I run into the spanish only people, I ask them in German if they speak German. Show a little money and interest in an item and then all of a sudden they ask if I speak English.

I will have to try that.

I was in Paris once and got tired of the rude Parisians as soon as they knew I was American so I would go into a shop and say sprechen de Deutsch? Usually I got a "no, do you speak english" with a big smile.

INTERESTING.

all sound familiar to me also..
i`ve been to the sales where they have a print-out of an e-bay auction next to most items telling what they cost on e-bay! I JUST TURN AROUND AND GO BACK TO THE TRUCK!
If you`re having a sale the last thing you want to do is mention e-bay. You want the buyer to think they found a "GEM" - that they`ll get home and sell on e-bay themselves...only to find out when they get home it is worthless because you already looked it up.  - Most sales I go to I can usually tell that they are "e-bayers" by what they are selling.
I usually end up buying (suckered in)and i hold my own sale a couple times a year to try and re-coop my money back. I get asked where i get all my stuff and i just say from friends and relatives...never mention e-bay. I just had  a yard sale and my grandmother stopped by and yells out in front of people " mike did you look this up on e-bay? "  i was embarrassed! of course I did g`ma... later miket

mostly this comes from what i call STARGAZING. people see on the net how much something sold for and then put ebay price. using the highest price they can find.hoping to get at least a good portion of that price. main thing i find is the net item was guarnteed excellent and the garage sale item has major condition problems.portions missing etc. havent tried the LANGUAGE THING. GOOD TIP.I KNOW MANY SPANISH TRY TO PRETEND THEY DONT KNOW ENGLISH WHEN IT SUITS THEM.

 you people would hate one of my yard sales.
have an auction next weekend...so week after...maybe start on thursday...no signs...no time...no prices marked...make stuff up as i go along...fprice is dependent upon attitude...lol...

Good one pippin

* 'Estate sales' that wouldn't even qualify as yard sales.
* All the good stuff is out of bounds, waiting for Ebay.
* Clearly labelled prices mysteriously doubling when you show any interest.
* No prices, and asking starts a 15 minute discussion of how valuable an item is.
* The punk kid who takes your money is upping prices (for his college fund?)
* Accessories are sold separately (vacuums with no hoses; pans with no lids, etc.)
* Sentimental value reflected in the sale price of stuff we throw in the trash every day.
* Sellers saying 'Oh, my friend wanted that' while snatching an item out of your hand.

Am I close?

* 'Estate sales' that wouldn't even qualify as yard sales.
* All the good stuff is out of bounds, waiting for Ebay.
* Clearly labelled prices mysteriously doubling when you show any interest.
* No prices, and asking starts a 15 minute discussion of how valuable an item is.
* The punk kid who takes your money is upping prices (for his college fund?)
* Accessories are sold separately (vacuums with no hoses; pans with no lids, etc.)
* Sentimental value reflected in the sale price of stuff we throw in the trash every day.
* Sellers saying 'Oh, my friend wanted that' while snatching an item out of your hand.

Am I close?

you sure are. 
i like garage sale-ing the area where it looks like they never heard of computers and where the older folks live... so there aren`t any kids (which i don`t stop when i see a yard full of baby stuff).....when i worked in a seafood  retail store the old folks always came in saying" i remember when i got those for 15 cents a pound " .well i hope they price their yard sale stuff with that attitude!

The garage sale season hasn't started here yet, still to cold.  When sales are on, my husband and I go to the ones that are neighborhood sales.  Our biggest pet pev is when in the paper it's listed as neighborhood sale or several houses, we get to the area and only find one family having a sale ...

people that don"t take their old signs down and signs on a dirt road that doesn"t say how far the sale is.

I found a detector at a yard sale. I turned it on and the guy said it needs batteries. He told me I need to go get batteries and come back and buy it for fifty dollars. Ofcourse I told him there is no such way that I would help him sell his stuff by buying batteries for him, since he was that lazy. I don't respond well to being told what I need to do, when it's someone elses junk.

Sign that says garage sale
then you walk up to pay and the Ahole running it pulls out a antique price book 

This has happened to me with Baseball Cards.....alot!!!  I just tell them to sell it to their price guide.  I can't tell you what I'm usually called, too graphic.

DM

I had a yard sale a few years ago. Probably one of my biggest pet peeves is when the people show up about an hour early and just gather outside. Plus, they like to go inside my garage and ask how much for things that aren't even for sale. 

1. Yard sale where no one speaks english
2. One that the people own an import business
3. Nothing but baby clothes
4. We don't open for another hour (put the time on your damn sign)
5. "I looked it up on Ebay"
6. "sorry I don't have any change"
7. One sign garage sale (Every one knows where we live)
8. Same garage sale every week for a month or more
9. Garage sale stuff that I sold in my garage sale 
10. We started selling Thursday (it's now Saturday)

Just a few of my top one's
J-G

Haven't had number 1 happen yet, but the rest all look too familar!

Move to Houston,English is a "second" language
J-G

Boy do you have that right...............

I just tell them to sell it to their price guide.  I can't tell you what I'm usually called, too graphic.

Good one I have to remember that.

I have a new pet peeve, happened to me a few days ago. Junky front yards.

I see a yard sale. Lots of stuff out front, kids playing on a spread out tarp, lady sitting in a chair on the driveway. I get out of my car and start walking up the driveway and get a dirty look from her. Ask about old coins and jewelry. I leave in a hurry.

ITS NOT A GARAGE SALE - JUST A BUNCH OF K-RAP THAT BELONGS TO ALL THE KIDS

[No Early Sales.]

My biggest one is No Early Sales.

So I get there about 5-10 minutes early to wait out at the road and some guy is walking down the driveway carrying the item that I was so interested in going to the G-Sale for. Why put No Early Sales if you're gonna open early. That sale was just around the corner from my house. Arrrrgh!!!!

People who are still sleeping when I follow their signs. Or they shut down and leave their signs up. Or they just aren't there at all. The worse thing is one I overlook the date in an ad for a sale that's for another weekend, past or future, or for sunday, not saturday. 'Course, I'm peeved with myself in those cases.

I followed one guy's signs for 2 miles, and he told me, in an unequivocal way, that he wasn't ready and would not sell me anything yet. He was putting stuff out. He suggested I come back in 20 minutes. I mentioned, politely, that it would make sense to put up the signs after he was ready for customers. He answered, that this was not an issue he was concerned about. I then stated more pointedly that it was inconsiderate to induce people to drive all the way out to his house from the main road, and then expect them to wait 20 minutes while he finished setting up. He answered that he was just fine with being inconsiderate. I said, "OK, good luck with your sale." On my way out I pulled his sign out on the main road.

Then there are folks who just lie about their stuff. The number one lie is "it's new." That's fairly innocent, except when they put an old item in a new box that looks like it's got the original sealing tape on it. The trickiest guy put an older model, that looked just like the new one, in the new model box, wrapped in the original plastic with the new model's cards and manuals. That guy got me.

Fortunately, that's been pretty rare. Most folks are great, and many of them sell me valuable stuff for next to nothing. Sometimes they know it, and sometimes they don't care, and sometimes they have no clue. Sometimes somebody knowingly lets me steal something for a few bucks, and they seem almost as happy about it as I am. I have no complaints with any of them, on the contrary, I'm quite grateful to all of them.

Which brings me to my final point...I feel pretty certain that the most reliable way to find treasure week in and week out, without investing any real resources, while meeting a lot of nice people, is at yard and estate sales. Would y'all agree with me?

On my way out I pulled his sign out on the main road.

 

 

so, if someone has a yard sale...they must post signs only you can interperte...be there when you show up, sell you premarked and packaged items...and have tidy lawns and bags so you don't have to carry the things you bought...

or you tear the down the signs and insult them in their own yard.

so, if someone has a yard sale...they must post signs only you can interperte...be there when you show up, sell you premarked and packaged items...and have tidy lawns and bags so you don't have to carry the things you bought...or you tear the down the signs and insult them in their own yard.

You hit the nail on the head, That bout sums it up. 

In the last year I know I have hit over 1000 yard sales. I have seen it all, most were good experiences. But there were a few that were worth mentioning on this string for all your amusement.

On my way out I pulled his sign out on the main road.

 
Now that's a wonderful idea if they give a hard time I wonder how many sales they got, LOL!!!!!

or when you get there and its been canceled....

1 - I am very selective about what I buy...I want to resell things or keep for my own collection....I see two or three common old coins in very good condition. How much? $40 Good luck with that.
2 - We ask any old books? Get shown an incomplete set of encyclopedias that look like they have been sitting on the floor of leaky garage for 35 years.
3 - broken items or item missing key features that can't be repaired/replaced or used for parts. What am I supposed to do with your trash? Pay you to throw it out for you.
4 - I love to look through stacks of records for high value collectables. I am amazed how many copies of Sergio Mendez and the Brazil '66 i find. Why do people keep all those albums nobody wants? No one buys classical/church music from the fifties on LPs....If I do see a Beatles or other collectable record the cover is completely separated from the back cover, has mold all over it and reeks of cat piss, the record looks like it was used for a Frisbee, the price is written with a magic marker right across the whole front and it mine for only $50....
4 - people who look through everything and just toss it any where like no one else wants to look through it too.
5 - sellers who don't have change for a five dollar bill.
6 - this is for buyers - Gather up all the good stuff in one giant pile and ask how much and get mad when i tell them my fare price and offer me five bucks for $300 worth of stuff. Get lost @$$hole

1 - I am very selective about what I buy...I want to resell things or keep for my own collection....I see two or three common old coins in very good condition. How much? $40 Good luck with that.
2 - We ask any old books? Get shown an incomplete set of encyclopedias that look like they have been sitting on the floor of leaky garage for 35 years.
3 - broken items or item missing key features that can't be repaired/replaced or used for parts. What am I supposed to do with your trash? Pay you to throw it out for you.
4 - I love to look through stacks of records for high value collectables. I am amazed how many copies of Sergio Mendez and the Brazil '66 i find. Why do people keep all those albums nobody wants? No one buys classical/church music from the fifties on LPs....If I do see a Beatles or other collectable record the cover is completely separated from the back cover, has mold all over it and reeks of cat piss, the record looks like it was used for a Frisbee, the price is written with a magic marker right across the whole front and it mine for only $50....
4 - people who look through everything and just toss it any where like no one else wants to look through it too.
5 - sellers who don't have change for a five dollar bill.
6 - this is for buyers - Gather up all the good stuff in one giant pile and ask how much and get mad when i tell them my fare price and offer me five bucks for $300 worth of stuff. Get lost @$$hole

Missed one related to #6. That same buyer may try to hide a valuable piece inside a box of other items, had that happen not to long ago. Had a box of misc. plumbing fittings/cutoffs and this old codger hid a rather pricey cigar cutter in the box, he said not a word as I removed it without breaking eye contact with him.

(still got that cutter.  )

Sell it to your price guide...........NOW THAT IS FUNNY..........I just can't help it, I am addicted to yard sales.

I hate TOO much info on a sign, so much it's hard to read.


She never listens but I keep telling my wife the right way to do it when we seldom have one ourselves. So, for those who are reading this are are offensive offfenders, listen up:

Use Store bought G-sale signs
Use a large, single distinguishing shape/color combo (i.e. Blue diamond)
Use an arrow, for directions
and write the days in three letter combos and the time in single digit numbers
Use LOTS of these signs.
Take them all down when you're done!

Why do this you say?

When you're truckin' along in a car at 45 mph, you can't read all the crap folks try to squeeze on a sign. You need a color/shape combo because it's easily recognizable and memorable for your brain. Folks just need to know WHEN you open, on WHAT day and WHERE you are.

Place an add in the paper detailing all the junk you want to sell and in large letters at the end write "BLUE DIAMOND" so folks know what sale they're going to.

I hate arriving at a sale and asking for something, and getting the reply that someone just walked out of here with that thing I was looking for! grrrr...

Just my 2 cents.

I saw an ad on Craigs list for a yard sale the other day and it said "4 family giant yard sale, turn on highway 61 and it's one minute out the road" Well, it was about 5 minutes out the road and they had nothing but junk for sale. Also, if it was 4 families selling stuff the other 3 must have not showed up. I felt like saying something but it wasn't worth it.

DANGLANGLEY

I saw a sign today that said yard sale, with an arrow pointing the way, and the name of the street.  I drove that way but no such street!   And no other signs around.   I hate wild goose chases!

Was at an "Estate" sale yesterday.  Actually the woman was cleaning out her mothers storage shed.  I witnessed at least 3 different people asking the price on different things (that were laid out), only to be told that "no, I think I am keeping that" or something to that effect...grrr

biggest peave well having a pile of jewerly or what ever in hand  and having some oen try to yank it out of my hand  and saying I BOUGHT THAT! when they did not . ???I even had one woman push me and then she made a fist all because she wanted me to get out so she could take all the stuff I had.  :help:MAN can they be visious  lol

biggest peave well having a pile of jewerly or what ever in hand  and having some oen try to yank it out of my hand  and saying I BOUGHT THAT! when they did not . ???I even had one woman push me and then she made a fist all because she wanted me to get out so she could take all the stuff I had.  :help:MAN can they be visious  lol

do NOT get between a woman and jewelry...especially if she is a dealer

An add in the local newspaper stated a large moving/estate  sale 9am - 4pm.  I get there at 11 am, it's 20 miles away from my house,  and don't see a sign at the address.  No items outside, no people, no action.  I'm just about to drive away when a couple of teens start coming out of the house... I ask if this is the place that's having a moving sale and the kid says...ahh well mom's went inside to take a nap right now.  Very impressive!!

dont forget ....leaving at daylight to beat the other scavangers only to find out at 11:00 that your next door neighbor set up a yard sale after you left

The seller asking you to guess the price of an item because they don't know how to price their own junk. Then they act insulted when you quote a price that is similar to other yard sales.

I generally walk away from yard sales that can't tell me what they want for an item.

I generally walk away from yard sales that can't tell me what they want for an item.

I like to make an offer even if it is marked. I don't call mysef dollardan for nothin

driving all over having to back track to read just one more crappy sign to finaly get there to find clothes that goodwill wouldnt take an a set of mag wheels for $800 an nothing else

My biggest pet peeve


All you people complain that there is no prices marked on an items....
Let me ask you if you had between 1000 and 1500 items to sell would you mark them all  " I doubt it "

Open your mouth and ask? It's not that hard to do......
You just might find out that it's so cheap that you buy it.....

THE WORST IS OLD SIGNS .. follow them to address and no sale.. I love to take the signs to the address and throw them on their lawn with a post it note saying next time I inform the authorities (here it is illegal to leave signs up after the dates)

how about signs that doesnt have a date on them .....you spend valuable time chasing down a yard sale that took place 3 weeks ago

They do that around here
You see signs From years gone by at times.
Of course most of them you can tell by Condition,
But wood Placards seem to last Forever
Even though the Yard sales don't.

THE WORST IS OLD SIGNS .. follow them to address and no sale.. I love to take the signs to the address and throw them on their lawn with a post it note

Can't do that here the lazy bums are one step ahead of you.

They put up a lot of arrow-yardsale signs (no addresses) When the sale is over they just pull down the last signs to their block and no way to know where the sale was.

[Coin Collecting is the only hobby in the world where you can spend money and always have money left over.]

I pretty much gave up going to yard sales in my general area. Im probably the only person that can find the same items people are selling at yard sales CHEAPER on ebay! Out here its tough to find anything older then 40 years at yard sales...and thats if you're lucky! People go crazy when they have something that's older...its like they automatically think its extremely valuable just because its old!

I live in an area where most neighborhoods are less then 20 years old, so many people here view an item from the 1960's  or 70's as an antique! Its actually upsetting. Ugly lamps with huge stained shades and people want $300.00 for a pair!! I actually saw the same ugly lamps on ebay for $45.00 which was still overpriced IMO! end rant/ 

Mt newest pet peeves:
I research my yardsales friday afternoon for the saturday morning trip. This happened six times last friday. Someone will list their sale with just two cross streets. No address at all and a couple of times they did not even say the city they are in. I ignored four sales because I do not want to waste my time and gas hunting for them. But two sales listed silver for sale. So I tracked down where they were and added them to my route.

One I could never find, I got to the intersection and NO SIGNS anywhere the other one also had no signs but I had to go thru the intersection and about half a block down there were signs.

I have a GPS and I make a route and just plug in the addresses and go to each in order. Saves a lot of time and gas.

One community yard sale is put on by a local real estate company and they gave two streets as a starting point. Both run north and south and never intersect. That is a fad out here now. Many realtors are doing this.

The seller asking you to guess the price of an item because they don't know how to price their own junk. Then they act insulted when you quote a price that is similar to other yard sales.

I generally walk away from yard sales that can't tell me what they want for an item.

I generally walk away from yard sales that can't tell me what they want for an item.

I like to make an offer even if it is marked. I don't call mysef dollardan for nothin

I did make offer and he got huffy. That's why I walked away.

Here's something I do when people don't take their signs down,I write on the signs and say please ring door bell for more viewing.