Yard Sales - I hate it when...

[TupperMom7]

When we have a yard sale, which we do about once a year, the same old annoyances just keep popping up. I just wondered if people shared these in common with me, or had their own to add:

I hate it when a guy comes up with a 25 cent item and offers 15 cents. Worse yet, he says that is all he has with him and when you refuse, he goes to the next door neighbors sale - what exactly is he going to find for 15 cents? Is he going to go all day until he spends it on something?


I hate it when a sketchy looking character comes up and asks if I will accept 25 cents for the $1.00 hardcover childrens books in excellent condition - like I don't know he is going to resell them?

I hate it when a large imposing man waddles into the driveway and proceeds to tell my kids riddles - for one thing, my children shut their brains off from June until September and then my husband stands there trying to figure them out!

Anybody have some to add?

 

[Kate and Pete]

I hate it when people don't price their stuff. I will not pick up things I'm interested in and say, "How much is this? How much is that?" I just walk away!

 

[Trish Bessette]

I'm thinking of having one in the next week or two and I dread those that want to make a bargain. I won't budge. As you said, my stuff is in good condition and is cheap, I'm not going to go any lower.

 

[nunzia]

I hate it when I go to a yard sale and:
Something is priced high with a sign that says: "seen on Ebay for $$$$" Yeah..seen on ebay doesn't mean SOLD on Ebay and if you want to get that then sell it on Ebay and not in your yard.
Something marked "collectible" ok..then sale it in a consignment place or Ebay
You have your dog running around snarling and barking at people
You are selling your children's toys and they don't approve and cry and grab it from you if you try and buy it
You have a sale and I burn up gas to come by and you have one tiny table with old cool whip containers on it
You don't have things priced and make it up as you go along
You just pull out a box of garbage to sale and don't go through it and there is dirty ruined things in there along with bugs and spider webs.
You and everyone at your sale STARES at everyone as they arrive and STARES at them like they are going to steal your warped VHS tapes.
Once a year sale is fine but we have some people who have one at least once a month and they change locations to fool you and there is the same overpriced junk.
Other than that..yard sales are fun!

 

[tycopj]

I hate it when people steal things from my garage sale. At least make me an offer (it was priced) before stealing it.

I hate it when people try to haggle the price with me, speaking spanish. I don't understand spanish and can't really agree to a price. Along those lines, I hate it when they have their children haggle for them.

I hate it when people ask if their children can use my bathroom, or ask if they can try on the 50 cent jeans.

But I do love it when people buy all my stuff!!!

 

[secretpantssam]

When I did yard sales at my parent's house, people would show up as we were bringing out the tables, hawk over everything, and then ask to look in our garage. I guess they were looking for collectibles, but it really put me off. At that point, I don't even want their money.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

I hate it when people steal things from my garage sale. At least make me an offer (it was priced) before stealing it.

This almost happened to me when DH and I were doing an estate sale for a relative. This was in Florida, and in a community of retirees. A sweet little old lady wanted to buy a pile of bathroom towels for $1.00. No problem, until I noticed she had sandwiched my windbreaker into the middle of the pile and had it quite well hidden except for a small swatch which caught my eye.

Unbelievable!!

Another little old lady (a few houses away), asked to buy a bunch of stemware for $5.00 but could I drop them off tomorrow since she had to rush off and visit the Mister at the nursing home. Sure, no problem. Showed up the next day, and she says "here is the $2.00 we agreed on."

(yeah, I know, my fault for not getting the $$ first, but this was our first ever garage sale, and we were really just interested in clearing out the house).

 

[Maggimus]

I can't stand it when you go to a garage sale and the person holding it tells you how WONDERFUL the item is that you are standing in front of and how expensive it was when she bought it. UGH! Hello... im just standing here trying to look at the big table of junk, I didn't say I wanted it's life history and a description of the isle and store where you got it from.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I hate the people who show up an hour before the sale starts, acting like it's a big favor to help us by buying stuff before the crowds start. And then asking if we'll accept $5 for a $10 item. Ummm. No. We'll take our chances, and then take the tax deduction if it doesn't sell and we take it to Salvation Army.

 

[pk1959]

We just had a garage sale last week. Everything was marked REALLY reasonable, but some people STILL were not happy and offered 50% of what things were marked. Now I don't mind people trying to haggle a LITTLE, but not 50%. I swear that if we were giving stuff away, there would be people who would want us to pay THEM to take it.

Another thing I hate is when someone wants to write a check. I don't know you and have no idea if your check is good or not. If you don't want to accept checks, it's important to have a sign that says CASH ONLY or to say that in the ad. It wasn't my rummage, so I couldn't make the rules. I am however the only person who got a check.

 

[disneyin2008]

Ahhhhh, but I love the guy who pulls up at the end of the day with the pickup truck already overflowing with junk and offers to buy everything I have left for $20. And most of the time I'm so tired of looking at this junk I take it, lol. At least then "I" don't have to haul it back into the garage or over to Goodwill. (Hint, the really good stuff disappears about an hour before the sale ends....I figure if it didn't sell by then, it won't and the junk man ain't getting it if I am confident I can sell it online with a little work).

 

[Momto3Girls&Max]

I hate when people change the price stickers on items. Sure, I really meant to sell my fancy coffee maker for 25 cents as opposed to $5! And, sure someone else must have changed the price because you certainly didn't!

 

[disneymom3]

I can't stand it when you go to a garage sale and the person holding it tells you how WONDERFUL the item is that you are standing in front of and how expensive it was when she bought it. UGH! Hello... im just standing here trying to look at the big table of junk, I didn't say I wanted it's life history and a description of the isle and store where you got it from.

Oh that drives me crazy too! And I had a friend who did this ALL the time. I hated doing a sale with her but it was always at another friend's house who has a huge neighborhood one and didn't know how to say no to the overbearing friend. Thankfully she moved!

I hate it when people steal things from my garage sale. At least make me an offer (it was priced) before stealing it.

I hate it when people try to haggle the price with me, speaking spanish. I don't understand spanish and can't really agree to a price. Along those lines, I hate it when they have their children haggle for them.

I hate it when people ask if their children can use my bathroom, or ask if they can try on the 50 cent jeans.

But I do love it when people buy all my stuff!!!

Oh, we should be friends. Or maybe we were twins in a past life. I hate all those same things. I am doin this now though with the kids and the bathroom. We live across the street from a park and last summer they added a porta potty which is there again this year. Now I can just point across the street.

We also had someone try to steal some stuff from our sale a couple of years ago. We were doing it for charity even and had signs posted to that effect. It was in the same neighborhood and one of our moms followed the two women down the street and then when she caught up with them she said "You know if you really need it that badly and can't afford it we would have just given it to you if you had asked." They tried to play innocent but it didn't work.

I hate when people change the price stickers on items. Sure, I really meant to sell my fancy coffee maker for 25 cents as opposed to $5! And, sure someone else must have changed the price because you certainly didn't!

I have never had that happen! How ridiculous. What do you do?

The thing I hate most is when people leave the signs out from their sale that ended however many weeks ago. Especially in my area, I can follow signs for a couple of miles and then.......nothing. Take down your darn signs people!

 

[ceecee]

I hate it when people steal things from my garage sale. At least make me an offer (it was priced) before stealing it.

I hate it when people try to haggle the price with me, speaking spanish. I don't understand spanish and can't really agree to a price. Along those lines, I hate it when they have their children haggle for them.

I hate it when people ask if their children can use my bathroom, or ask if they can try on the 50 cent jeans.

But I do love it when people buy all my stuff!!!

I have had all those happen to me and I HATE it!!!

 

[Disneygirl26]

I love going to garage sells but I hate when people over price their junk, just because you brought a dress 8 years ago for 50 bucks doesn't mean its worth 45 now.

 

[figaromeetsmarie]

I have had all those happen to me and I HATE it!!!

Me too....

I hate it when a grown adult asks to go to the bathroom because it is an emergency...you let her.....she poops in your bathroom and flushes three times......then does not buy anything! NEVER AGAIN WILL SOMEONE USE MY BATHROOM...emergency or not!!

 

[Honeymooner04]

I hate it when people steal things from my garage sale. At least make me an offer (it was priced) before stealing it.

I hate it when people try to haggle the price with me, speaking spanish. I don't understand spanish and can't really agree to a price. Along those lines, I hate it when they have their children haggle for them.

I hate it when people ask if their children can use my bathroom, or ask if they can try on the 50 cent jeans.

But I do love it when people buy all my stuff!!!

And this is exactly why I will not hold any more yard sales in Arizona. It's just not worth it to me. Anything I could sell for more than $15 or $20 I list on craigslist and everything else gets donated.

 

[5 Disney Fans]

I hate when people let their kids take out all the toys we displayed neatly and let them play with them while the parents look around. Then when the parents are ready to leave they just call their kids and let them leave everything just laying all over the driveway. Of course I've also seen the grown people picking through clothes and dropping things on the ground and not even attempting to pick them up and put them back.

I also "love" the people who say "what are you doing with the stuff that doesn't sell? I'll gladly take it off of your hands" Ummm, no thanks, I'd rather donate it and take the write off!!

 

[lovesmurfs]

Me too....

I hate it when a grown adult asks to go to the bathroom because it is an emergency...you let her.....she poops in your bathroom and flushes three times......then does not buy anything! NEVER AGAIN WILL SOMEONE USE MY BATHROOM...emergency or not!!

You need to be careful with this, too. My FIL had someone use the bathroom and they wound up stealing a book of checks he'd left on the desk in their kitchen -- it was a big mess for him for a while.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

We had a yard sale several years ago and the woman asked to use our bathroom to try on a sweater DH said sure I looked at him and said what do you think you are doing? He said I was over reacting. I checked my medicine cabinet after she left and she had taken the meds I had left in there from my c section. Took the pills not the bottle.