Ideally you will find all merchandise at garage sales marked with a price. But if it isn't, this is forgivable. After all, these probably aren't professionals. Most people who have garage sales are savvy enough to realize that everyone is looking for a bargain—a break—and they mark their items accordingly, expecting to haggle a bit. We make it a practice never to ask for anything off of an item if it's priced at three dollars or under. But for items marked above this price, one of us will usually inquire if the owner can do better. Some won't budge an inch, but most will give you a break. No matter how inflated you think a price is or how inferior the merchandise, don't belittle it to its owner. This never results in anything but hurt feelings, and instead of the price break you expected and might have received otherwise, you're going to be met with understandable resentment. If we're interested in a piece and hope for a little lower price, we generally ask, "Is this your best price?" If the answer is yes, we'll say, "It's very nice, but it's a little more than we can pay for it." With this retort and a smile, we've often ended up with the article in question at the savings we'd hoped for.
Beware of the professional garage sale! Some people have garage sales frequently—some every week, others every month. These people are really dealers and some have fine merchandise. They scout the other garage sales, flea markets, and auctions. You learn to spot them after a while. It may be from seeing the same ad run frequently, or it may be from their signs, which are either very well done or look worn and well used. There's nothing wrong with professional garage sale dealers. You may find that over all they have a better grade of merchandise than you encounter at other garage sales. But you'll probably pay more because chances are they have a much greater storehouse of knowledge than the amateur. Can you get bargains from the professional? Yes, often you can, but you're not likely to find something like a Hull tea set for one dollar.
Garage sales are a gamble. You may waste an entire morning and come up empty-handed, having spent time and used up gas for nothing. On the other hand, you may have found treasures that you can mark up a hundredfold. To us, it's worth the risk.
FLEA MARKETS
The next rung up the shopping ladder is the flea market. (Sometimes it's the next step down.) Like garage sales, flea markets come in many guises. There are absolutely huge markets that sell everything from fresh vegetables to new t-shirts and sweat socks to paintings on velvet. Occasionally, you'll find a small stand that features collectibles and antiques. But what you're more likely to find are a few tables with secondhand junk. There's not much chance that you'll spot any treasures here, but if you've already made the effort to go to the market, do take the time to look through these tables, you could turn up a bargain.
Flea markets can be indoor or outdoor affairs. A flea market may be a one-time deal held by a church or an organization, or it may be a weekly or monthly sale. Those held by organizations are often peppered with dealers who are members of that organization, and the merchandise they have to offer falls in the range of what you'll find at the average garage sale—with one exception. Since they are setting up with many dealers and some of them may be professionals, anything that's really good will be gone before the sale starts, having been picked up by another dealer with a more practiced eye.
Flea markets start at various times of the morning, some as early as 4:00 A.M. For the early ones, at which there's a real feeling of adventure, you may find yourself stumbling around in a dark field. You need a bright flashlight—one of the little pocket jobs won't do the trick—so that you can carefully inspect what's on each table. Markets that begin this early are often over with by 10:00 A.M. The dealers may even pack up their wares and go on to a later market.
The flea market is a great place to sharpen your bargaining skills. If you're the shy type—afraid to ask for a price break—you're going to have to steel yourself. You can be quite certain that the dealer you're approaching seldom pays the full asking price for anything and won't be surprised or offended if you ask, "What's your best dealer price?" Saying "dealer price" is important. While many people who run garage sales resent dealers and think they have some magical ability to cheat them, those who sell at flea markets are, for the most part, dealers themselves, and they understand the problems of the business. They know that as a dealer you can't pay retail price and turn around and make a profit.
TAG SALES
In most areas of the country, there are what are known as "tag sales." These sales are generally comprised of the entire contents of an apartment, house, or estate. The seller (usually either someone who's inherited the property, or someone who's moving and doesn't want to, or can't take the merchandise with him or her), puts the task of selling the contents into professional hands. The company that's holding the sale sends representatives to the residence. These representatives appraise and tag all of the items to be sold. Remember, these people know what they're doing or they wouldn't be in business long. There are few bargains at tag sales. However, as with any other sale, some unusual treasure may surface at an unusually low price.
As a rule, tag sale customers line up outside the appointed place well in advance of the time the sale is scheduled to begin. Each person is assigned a number, and when sale time arrives, only a few people are allowed in at a time. As someone leaves, someone else enters. At the very end of a tag sale, merchandise is often available for much less than it is tagged, since the object of these sales is to sell everything at once. So you may want to visit one late in the day. Or if you're there when the sale starts and you see something that appeals to you, ask if you can leave an offer in the event the item in question doesn't sell. We usually write the item in which we're interested and the price we're offering on the back of our business card.
SECONDHAND STORES
While it could seem that secondhand stores should have little to offer antiques and collectibles dealers, this isn't always the case. And the beauty of shopping in these emporiums of used merchandise is that while secondhand dealers may know the going price for a used dining room suite, a set of Melmac plates, or a tired-looking sofa, they are seldom conversant in your field—antiques and collectibles. As a result, combing these stores can turn up wonders at give-away prices. Joan once found an old Oriental mud figure with a price tag of two dollars. This wasn't one of the many reproductions but a grand old piece. She could hardly believe her luck and quickly paid for it, feeling almost as if she were stealing. Even a reproduction mud figure is worth far more than two dollars.
Shopping the secondhand stores usually means being willing to get your hands dirty. Much of the merchandise won't be washed, and often it is stacked on shelves or on the floor so that you have to dig for it. Secondhand dealers will usually bargain, but their prices tend to be firmer than those of flea market dealers.
ARTICLES FOR SALE
Most newspapers have an "articles for sale" column in the classified section. We look at it every morning, and if there's something we think might interest us, we call immediately. Good merchandise, priced right, sells fast. Don't assume that the price listed in the paper isn't negotiable. Most people expect to bargain. If an item is really overpriced, we wait a week or more before we call. By then the ad is probably out of the paper, and the owner of the merchandise may be quite discouraged. If we see the item and we want it, we make an offer based on what it's worth to us. Sometimes it's refused, but often it's accepted.
The trade papers are another source of inventory. They publish long lists of collectibles and antiques for sale by individuals. Buying this way can be either a success or a miserable disappointment. Assuming that the owner of an item lives some distance away from you, you're going to be purchasing that item sight unseen. You should ask to see a picture. Of course, the picture may not reveal flaws that would be appare'nt if you were able to carefully inspect the piece, but it will help. After you've received the picture, if you still want to go ahead with the purchase, you should get a guarantee of condition