do you have rummage/garage sales?

[mykidsand_i]

I am just curious as to how many of you have rummage/garage sales. Not talking just about who GOES to them...but who actually has one at their home.

We had ours this weekend. Thurs. Fri and this morning. On Thursday there was a mad rush of people who came right when we started. We'd been informed by the paper when we submitted our ad last week that there are people going around our area and working in groups of two or three and STEALING things from rummage/garage sales.

So, we kept our eyes open. WELL, what do you know...RIGHT away when we opened there were about 20-30 people here. They almost all came for 5 different big ticket kid items and tv's that we had posted. One lady in her 40's (maybe) asked me about a car seat...Same time a guy asked my hubby about a TV and that's when it happened...we had 10 Wii games stolen. AND, neither one of those people bought what they asked about. Hubby noticed the Wii games were gone as soon as he turned around and saw two people with large purse/bags walking back to their car. Neither one of them bought anything. AND they were with the two that asked questions. We got their license plate number and called the police station. There car was found by an officer down town parked at a pawn shop! The officer went inside to find these 2 people with large bags/purses of things- selling Wii games, DVD's, Many small electronics, cameras a TON of stuff.
ALL of this stuff has now been traced back to theft at RUMMAGE SALES!!! AND, the stupid thing is that- until these people are charged and they GO TO COURT, all of the stuff that was stollen is sitting in a stupid evidence room and we may not even get it back. Only 2 people can be linked to these crimes, because They were the only ones holding/selling the stollen goods AND they are the only ones that have actually received money for those goods when they sold them. We KNOW that there were a group of AT LEAST 4 of them at our house!

These people stole so much stuff. They were REGULARS EVERY SAT. at the local Pawn shops...They made over 7,000 on their stollen goods! The only reason why they finally got caught was because my quick thinking hubby got their license plate! Thank goodness for him!

One of the ladies who works for the news paper called our home and asked my hubby for a short interview just a few minutes ago.

We were happy they got caught. I'd bet that a lot of the people who've had things stollen, haven't reported them, didn't know that their stuff was missing, or reported it with NO HOPE that they'd ever get a dime back from it!

We were told by the police officer to file an insurance claim, because we'd probably not be getting our stuff back anytime soon. Each game was marked for $20 or $25 because they were GOOD games. The court case will be a ways out and all of this stuff needs to stay in the evidence room OR some other people will NEVER get their stuff back, because it had already been sold at the pawn shop and it's LONG GONE...

SO, the lesson from this story is this! WATCH YOUR STUFF when you have a sale. We ALWAYS watch our sales really well and were even more 'on guard' this year! AND, it still happened!!! People are idiots!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Yes, we watch our stuff like a hawk. We have had garage sales and have been stolen from, however nothing like your robbery...geesh.

Glad your dh had quick thinking!

 

[OceanAnnie]

We did have a large garage sale. A group of family members went in together to have it. It was too big. One of the things stolen was a set of antique golf clubs. We were so mad! It unfolded a lot like what happened to you guys. We saw the guy walking away with the set, but we were talking with people interested in other items and thought they were paid for. No one has wanted to do another garage sale after that, including me.

Good thinking on your DH's part! I hope all the people involved get the book thrown at them, and that you get your stuff back.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Absolutely not, no thank you.

Everything a)is given to Goodwill b)if it's valuable enough, is sold on eBay.

 

[Robinrs]

I had one last week! I live DEEP in a cul de sac and we only got a few at a time so we didn't have to watch them.

I went to a girlfriend's yard sale last year and caught a group of people stealing her children's clothing. They were stooped behind a table shoving them into a stroller. I told her husband and he caught them. Half of their group had surrounded my friend asking for prices, keeping her busy while these crooks tried to rob her blind...

 

[ChristmasElf]

I used to have a good time having a yard sale. Sure it was a lot of work, but it was always so nice to get rid of stuff we no longer used.

Then DH mentioned that if I had donated the stuff to Goodwill, he could write it off on our tax return.

I was surprised that a childs dresser that I would have maybe sold for $25 at a yard sale was worth $135 as a deduction!


So, no more yard sales for me...

 

[spacemermaid]

No yard sales anymore for me...unwanted/unused stuff goes to Goodwill, or to Ebay. In fact, I funded my holiday trip to the Park last year solely on Ebay sales

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

many years ago we tried one, and we spent more time trying to price stuff and all that, it didn't seem worth our time.

we finally just gave it to Amvets, and the deduction is more than worth it.

(I use the turbotax deduct it program)

now we have a pickup three or four times a year. all I have to do is keep an inventory of what we put in the boxes. when one or two get full, we schedule a pick up!

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

No yard sales anymore for me...unwanted/unused stuff goes to Goodwill, or to Ebay. In fact, I funded my holiday trip to the Park last year solely on Ebay sales

Yep, lots of ski trips and trips to Seattle have been funded by buyers of eBay.

 

[KandD]

We had one two years ago when we moved into our house and I did think it was a lot of hassle (no thefts thank goodness!). But we were setting up and I had to call my mom to come and watch everything because we were running in and out of the house and people kept coming! The haggeling does drive me crazy and it is just not my thing.

When I was young my mom had a tag sale and I had my own little table with kids books, toys, etc. and I had all of my money in a little fanny pack that was behind my table. I was a typical kid, got distracted, walked away and someone stole it. Lesson learned.

 

[LilyLake]

No way in heaven! We had a family garage sale at my SIL's house a few years ago. I had some kids clothes in it. I had some barely worn Levi's priced at $4 or $5. A lady came and informed me that my prices were too high. Well, I'm not going to give the things away just because you walked up our driveway. We donate all of our stuff to Goodwill. In fact, I just dropped off about 100 clothing items earlier today.

I'm sorry that you were robbed. It's great that at least a couple of these people may be brought to justice. At least it probably put a good scare into the whole group. (Am I being too much of a Pollyanna about that?)

 

[Colleen27]

Our area has a big "yard sale trail" that is as much block party as garage sale, and we do participate in that. I don't really do it to make money so much as to unload some of my junk and have an occasion to chat with neighbors and folks from around the area. Anything we have leftover goes to a local organization that provides clothing, baby gear, and household goods to low-income families and others in need. Frankly, I probably wouldn't notice if someone was stealing, and for the kind of stuff we put out (baby/kid clothes, toys, books, etc.), there'd be so little gain in it that I can't imagine why anyone would.

 

[mykidsand_i]

For us, it was TOTALLY worth it. We made $1,400 (not including the insurance we'll get from stollen goods) and for the 9 1/2 hours ours was open, it was good! That also doesn't include the cookies and Lemonade my girls sold. They MADE over $130! That was the most they've ever brought in (we counted their earnings AFTER we took our cut for what we bought all the supplies for!)

We do one EVERY SINGLE YEAR and we actually like doing it. We ALWAYS do it with two of our neighbors, everyone does it at their own home- more of a cul-de-sac sale. It goes well...and it all depends on what area of the country people live in too! Because there are areas that sales don't go over well. In our town, they are a huge hit in the spring and early summer. What ever we don't sell gets donated to good will.

We price everything with stickers and 90% of people pay the sticker price, because we mark everything low. PLUS, there's NO WAY I could sell any furniture on ebay, because we live in a small community, not a big city- where it would be easier for people in your area to buy it from you AND come and pick it up. I do sell on ebay (made $300 since December) but it's mostly clothing, cards and collectable items.

 

[TiggerTails57]

I used to have a good time having a yard sale. Sure it was a lot of work, but it was always so nice to get rid of stuff we no longer used.

Then DH mentioned that if I had donated the stuff to Goodwill, he could write it off on our tax return.

I was surprised that a childs dresser that I would have maybe sold for $25 at a yard sale was worth $135 as a deduction!


So, no more yard sales for me...

We do the write off also......

 

[susykt4]

I used to go in on my grandma's garage sale every year and made several hundred dollars each year. I pretty much did it just because Grandma loved having the sales so much. When I went back to work fulltime, my free time was MUCH more valuable than any money made at a sale. Now everything goes to Goodwill or to my kids' school annual fundraiser sale.

My mom used to save EVERYTHING for garage sales and then what she didn't sell she saved for "next year." With 3 kids each 5 years apart, it was insane how much stuff accumulated in the garage and basement. It got to the point it was too overwhelming to mark it all and put it all out for sale. She finally swore off garage sales and now gives to Goodwill. For me it's just not worth keeping extra stuff around waiting for a sale. If I'm in the mood to purge, I purge and take the stuff to Goodwill that day. Get it out of my house and out of my life!

 

[Pikester]

Just had a yard sale today as a matter of fact. Haven't counted my earnings yet so I don't know what I made.

Where I live there are 3 deadend streets next to each other. Just imagine an "E" shape and I live on the middle line. I let all the neighbors know that I'm placing an ad an if they want to participate they let me know. Had 6 houses today and I had friends bring their stuff to my house!

I price everthing cheap! I plan on getting rid of it anyways so I figure making a couple of dollars on it is fine with me. I don't think we had anything today over $5. Of course we didn't have any really big ticket items this year either. I figure if you want big money for your items at a yard sale then maybe you should take them to a second hand shop or sell the stuff on ebay.

I can't imagine people going to yard sales and just stealing stuff. That is just awful!

Kudos to DH for his quick thinking.

 

[DVC-Don]

Nope, we bring our "yard sale stuff" to our church every summer for their big yard sale. A couple of years ago I brought over a truck load of boating items (fenders, docking lines, anchors w/lines, life jackets, electric trailer winch) after I sold our cruiser. But, the church ran out of storage space and kept it all outside behind the church. It was all stolen.

 

[MushyMushy]

I had one with a friend last year. She just has an open car port, with a little bit of driveway going to the sidewalk -- not very long. Every night we would cover everything over with tarps and just leave it out.

Nothing was ever touched!