Don’t have a GPS? No problem, there are printable maps with directions available on the website as well.

It’s time to hit the road and get shopping, there are few hundred just in the Hampton Roads area.

This week I created the button for the whole state of Virginia, instead of just the Tidewater sales, to my one-click button for automatic TomTom installation this week.

Have fun shopping!

Hampton Roads
United States

Don’t have a TomTom? Most other brands of GPS devices can import a CSV file. Look for the button just above the listings on our garage sale map.

The site is set up to view just your local area, because plotting this many sales takes a few minutes and would frustrate most people.

When shopping for home decor at garage sales you will have to keep your eyes open for items that will enhance the look you are going for. There’s no point in picking up a wall sconce, even if it’s only a buck, if it doesn’t match what you are going for or looks like it’s from the wrong era. The stuff is out there, but you’ll have to be patient in finding it.

It helps to scan the ads before heading out so you don’t waste time looking at sales full of baby stuff or antiques (unless that’s what you’re going for). Sites like GarageSaleFinder.com and craigslist are completely searchable, so you can plan your route to hit the sales that have accessories or furniture that you’re interested in.

Particularly with furniture, go early. Furniture sells FAST.

Angela Sullivan gives some great advice to readers of her blog:

Look for quality. Many homeowners are just looking to clear out their basement or garage, and are selling items that are otherwise valuable. Others just have a bunch of miscellaneous items that could easily be thrown in the trash. Thy to find that diamond in the rough.

She’s really nailed it. You have to really look at the items you’re buying, there’s no returning an item if it doesn’t work or doesn’t fit the space. Fortunately, at pennies on the dollar compared to retail, your risk is minimal and chances are you’ll be able to find something that will add that extra bit of flair to your rooms.

1) Dollar Generals come with no intention of spending more than $1, and satisfy their recessionary consumerism with the purchase of a book or toy for $1 (60% of customers).

2) Voyeurs drive by at 1 mph and look out the window to see if it’s worth getting out of the car, then decide to keep going (15%).

3) Silent Lookers actually get of the car, look disapprovingly at merchandise, and drive off without a word (10%).

4) Extreme Bargainers offer an insulting fraction of marked prices (5%).

5) Smooth Salers actually look at merchandise, offer a compliment or two, and if they purchase something, happily pay price as marked (10%).

In my neck of the woods, we don’t have nearly as many Voyeurs. Or maybe I just sell better junk so they actually get out of the car. It could just be that what was actually visible from the car wasn’t all that interesting. (See Top 25 tips for having a great garage sale for some ideas on planning your next garage sale.) Hmmm… Or maybe there are a LOT more sales in Allison’s neighborhood so getting out of the car is saved for sales with specific merchandise. The fact that Allison had 10% silent lookers makes me think that it was, in fact, WHAT she was selling. Seriously? 1 in 10 not buying anything? Heck, I’d close up and go back to bed if my sales were that bad. 5% on extreme bargainers? Maybe it was just that her prices were high and what she thought was extremely low was really the going rate.

I couldn’t tell from the article if Allison ever goes garage sale shopping, she may not have the experience to know how to price stuff. In any case, it was a cute article and I rather enjoyed Alison’s writing style.

In an October 2009 article by Mark Nestmann, he warns about the potential ramifications of selling recalled goods. I think he’s gone a little overboard with regard to the risks. Or perhaps I just don’t his sense of humor. In any case, I’m guessing nobody from the Consumer Product Safety Commission is going to be shopping at my yard sale and it would be tough to prove where one bought a particular item second-hand. That said, as an upstanding member of society, and one with a conscience, I don’t sell stuff that I deem dangerous, especially when it comes to products for kids. Am I going to look up every item I have for sale to make sure it’s never been recalled? Not likely, but then half of the stuff in my house was bought second-hand to start off with.

Details can be found in the CFTC publication, a “Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Resellers.” It clearly states “CPSC’s laws and regulations apply to anyone who sells or distributes consumer products. This includes thrift stores, consignment stores, charities, and individuals holding yard sales and flea markets.” It further states, “… resellers… cannot knowingly sell products that do not meet the requirements of the law.” Knowingly? Sounds like a gray area, but as the 20 page PDF states, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Hmmm. Ignorance of the law, maybe not, but ignorance of the products being considered “dangerous” would be another matter in my mind. Therefore it wouldn’t be knowingly. But I’m not a lawyer, so don’t listen to me!

Some products, like baby rattles containing lead, I get. But so many of the products on the recall lists are there because of stupid users. Natural selection, once more is being negated by a government program.

What are your thoughts? Do you have any products you’re still using that have been recalled? How did YOU survive childhood with all the danger? Without the government protecting us?

• Chesapeake Garage Sales
  
  • $5
  • PDF Form available online
• Norfolk Garage Sales
  
  • $5
  • PDF Form available online
• Portsmouth Garage Sales
  • Permits required, but there is no information on their site except a phone number that nobody seems to answer at the Commissioner of Revenue office (757) 393-8771
• Virginia Beach Garage Sales
  • No permit required
  • Up to 2 sales per year, no more than 3 days long
    (info via the online 311 help desk, since it’s not on the site, but apparently *is* in the municipal code)
• Suffolk Garage Sales
  • No information on the city web site

My niche for resale items: college textbooks

I’ve bought them for as little as 50¢, with a resale value of over $75. Last summer one seller gave me a whole box of them. It was the end of the day and she didn’t want to deal with them. I sold them individually for well over $125.

I sell textbooks both on Amazon and Ebay. And I almost never buy a dud! My secret weapon: my iPhone and a little piece of software called SnapTell. SnapTell is now available as an Android application, so you can use it on a variety of smart phones.

This little iApp is awesome! Even better… it’s FREE!

You just snap a picture of the front of a book, dvd, cd, or video game and within seconds you get tons of details — the most important for purposes of resale — the price it sells for used.

To get the “used” price choose Amazon, then scroll to the bottom and you’ll see the price range for Marketplace Offers.

That tells you approximately what the book will sell for. It helps, for textbooks, to also look at the date of publication. More than a few years old and you may have to sell it internationally to get any takers.

Plus, you’ll want to consider the size and weight of the book. Really heavy books (like an art history book I bought), may cost only a couple of bucks and sell for $12, but Amazon has strict rules on what you can charge for shipping, and any extra charges are at the seller’s expense. (Priority Mail, for instance – Amazon maxes the charges out at $6.99, for a heavy book you’ll be paying the USPS at least $9.80.) The other option for the heavy books is to sell them on ebay; no standard shipping price.

Selling books on Amazon and Ebay is super simple. For the most part, all you have to do is enter the ISBN number and all the data is provided. Then, just customize your listing with details about the condition of your item and you’re good to go.

If you’re on a Mac, it get’s even easier to list books on Amazon. An inexpensive application called Delicious
Library, handles most of the work. Using your iSight camera, shoot a picture of the bar code and the software will look up the book, cd, dvd, or video game and add it to your catalog. Then just right click on the item and choose: “Sell on Amazon”. It couldn’t get much easier than that!

Shipping

For most books, I ship them in padding envelopes. I reuse the ones I get in the mail and have supplemented my supply by shopping the sales at Walgreen’s; they frequently have them on sale for about 50 cents each.

If you choose to sell online, I highly recommend you check into using the online service for postage such as Endicia or Stamps.com. You can also use the post office website, but you can’t purchase postage for media rate parcels. Ebay, through PayPal, has a built-in shipping solution, which makes it very easy to ship, and you can choose from UPS and USPS. Most of the online solutions give you a better price on options than you’ll get in person.

Selling online isn’t for everyone. You need to be honest about the quality and condition of items you are selling. And you need to be prompt in processing and shipping orders.

Consider looking for textbooks the next time you’re out bargain hunting. The best “season” for buying is a month or two after the end of the term, and the best time to sell is a week or two before terms begin (that’s when people are looking to buy!).

Baby Shower Items

In today’s tough economy many new moms and dads are finding that the amount of items they need greatly outweighs the amount of money they have to spend. Check garage sales for gently-used baby items such as monitors, baby clothing and highchairs. These items may not be ideal for a baby shower gift, but as a gift that you can give privately they are perfect. Make sure to wash any items you purchase before giving them to the new mom.

Housewarming Gifts

When people move into a new home, especially those who are just starting out, being able to furnish a home is a struggle. Garage sale finds can make great housewarming gifts. Many times you can find sets of dishes, nice pictures to hang on the wall and other great, useable items that would be perfect for a housewarming gift.

Other Gift Giving Finds

If you know someone who is into fun jewelry or collects certain items (such as pig figurines, Elvis memorabilia, etc.) garage sales are the ideal places to shop for unique gifts. At garage sales you can find an array of neat items that will add to someone’s collection. Think about your friend who just loves panda bears. Stumbling upon a panda bear nick-knack that is really cute would make an ideal gift for your friend. Do you have a friend who is an avid reader? Getting a good deal on a box of books by his or her favorite author would be an amazing gift for your friend.

Before you purchase, always think about the person receiving the gift and how they will feel. There are people who will wrinkle their nose at second-hand items. For those folks, a garage sale find may not be the best choice, but with the move toward a greener world, most people welcome previously owned gifts and think of it in relation to the goal of “reuse-reduce-recycle.”

If you need help importing/exporting garage sale listings for a different brand of personal GPS, please let me know.