Garage Sales, Goodwill, Ebay - my rant (for fun)

[DIAMOND]

Take this with a grain of salt...I'm 57 1/2 years old. I remember when each of these sales outlets contained real bargains.  This is intended as a rant, not a bash, so read this post with your sense of humor engaged and your brain on idle.

I got a little wordy here, but bear with me. Hopefully, you will at least find this entertaining, if not eye opening.

Garage Sales
Back in the day, garage sales were something people held to pass a Saturday and make a couple of bucks on household items they, otherwise, would toss in the trash. "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

They would stick a piece of painter's tape on the item and mark it $.05 or "Entire Box $1.00," and even then you could barter because they just didn't want to have to haul it to the dump. You got to haul it for them.

But now, you drive to a part of town you wouldn't normally drive to, to find an item you don't necessarily need only to find they stocked their "garage sale" with items they bought in bulk online at some site in China. Oh sure, they might have brought out a couple old broken chairs, or a few board games they never really enjoyed, but then they mark those at near retail prices.

Goodwill
I don't know if it's like this in your area, but the Goodwill stores around me think they are Saks Fifth Avenue or Neiman Marcus. It used to be you could walk in to a GW and find some real bargains. But now you have to pay retail for some item someone else donated just so they could get a tax write off. The quality of the clothing and other accouterments is no better than when I was a kid, or even when I was a young adult.

Ebay
We all have our cute little nicknames for this online outlet of outlandish offal. Fleabay, cheesebay. I'm sure you have your own renditions. But no matter what you call it, they used to be the alternative to driving around neighborhoods searching for those little yard sale signs dumpster-diving through people's castoffs.

People would take a few minutes out of their day to list an item to see if they could make a little bit more and not have to hold a sale in their front yard. Stuff would sell for pennies on the dollar and (as the buyer) if you happened to get a little carried away in an auction situation, you wouldn't have to take out a second or third mortgage on your house to afford it.

But all that has changed. Now, price gougers are taking advantage of people who don't know any better. It's all about making huge profits and making even more by charging exorbitant amounts of shipping. Are the shipping envelopes lined with gold leaf? Is the rattle you hear from the poorly packed box filled with diamonds?

But it is the demand that drives the prices up. The market will only bare a price the people are willing to pay. I've done it myself. So now, I'm not only the one writing this rant, but I'm the reason behind it.

Your thoughts? (Keep it fun.)

[Grant Lamontagne]

While I 100% agree with eBay, the traditional yard/garage sale is still alive and well here.  In fact, it's so popular that we have frequent large community type sales like the annual Glebe Yard Sale in Ottawa or the Musquodoboit 50 Mile Flea Market just outside of Halifax.

A few years ago Megan scored me a virtually brand new International Whisper-Lite International camp stove for $10.  Considering they are $100+ I feel like that was a steal.

There absolutely are a few "business" type tables at some of these things, with people selling cheap stuff purchased in bulk and the like.

There's still enough of the thrill of the hunt for me that I still stop and have a look!

Def

[DIAMOND]

While I 100% agree with eBay, the traditional yard/garage sale is still alive and well here.  In fact, it's so popular that we have frequent large community type sales like the annual Glebe Yard Sale in Ottawa or the Musquodoboit 50 Mile Flea Market just outside of Halifax.

A few years ago Megan scored me a virtually brand new International Whisper-Lite International camp stove for $10.  Considering they are $100+ I feel like that was a steal.

There absolutely are a few "business" type tables at some of these things, with people selling cheap stuff purchased in bulk and the like.

There's still enough of the thrill of the hunt for me that I still stop and have a look!

Def

I'm so glad you experiences have been better than mine. It makes for good treasure hunts!

[Alan K.]

I remember when Goodwill sold surplus and returned merchandise from retailers and I still have a $160 suitcase that I bought for $20 with the return tag from Bloomingdales' still attached to it that showed the reason for return was because it was dirty, and a $200 Shark vacuum cleaner for $20 because it was missing an accessory brush.  When I stopped seeing quality items like that I asked a store manager and she told me they used to order that stuff by the trailer load and have it delivered directly to individual stores but after a reorganization they decided to stop ordering surplus and returned merchandise and only sell donated goods.  Furthermore, you could no longer just go to the stores in good neighborhoods to get the best donated stuff because they had decided to pool all of the donations at a central location and distribute it among all the stores in the area.  Now the interesting, valuable, or collectible items don't even get to the stores because they sell the best stuff online on their shopgoodwill website, so going to the stores is hit and miss, but the hunt is still the best part because you never know what you might find and it is still a good way to kill a few hours on a Saturday or whenever.

[DIAMOND]

Great stories and good insider info. 

[Farmer X]

They stocked their "garage sale" with items they bought in bulk online at some site in China.

Failed business ventures, maybe? I haven't been to a garage sale in a very long time. My last visit to Goodwill was more recent, but my experience was much like Alan's. They can definitely reach a larger buyer pool online. Other thrift stores might yield better results.

And eBay...well, you occasionally find good deals, but some of these buy it now prices are just clinically insane.

[DIAMOND]

Failed business ventures, maybe? I haven't been to a garage sale in a very long time. My last visit to Goodwill was more recent, but my experience was much like Alan's. They can definitely reach a larger buyer pool online. Other thrift stores might yield better results.

And eBay...well, you occasionally find good deals, but some of these buy it now prices are just clinically insane.

True insight 

[Farmer X]

Here's an example of eBay lunacy. If I want something that "handles like a modern-day sports car," then I'll buy a modern-day sports car, not a 72-year-old truck!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/145202110016

[DIAMOND]

Here's an example of eBay lunacy. If I want something that "handles like a modern-day sports car," then I'll buy a modern-day sports car, not a 72-year-old truck!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/145202110016

Shoot, I accidentally clicked on Buy it now.

Well, I'll let you know if their claim is true.

[PitCarver]

Haven't been able to check out a garage sale or flea market in quite a few years now, due to my arthritis.  I do occasionally go by the Goodwill or Salvation Army store on Senior Day.  Managed to build a replacement wheelchair from a couple that cost me less than the wheels needed on my old one.
I used to do a lot of shopping on the eBay but prices there are ridiculous now.  Still, I check in there almost daily to see if anything appeals to me.

[GA1dad]

I don't go to many yard sales because around here it's mostly baby clothes and such.

I hit the flea market just about every weekend and find plenty worth buying.

Goodwill,,, hit or miss. I find enough cool stuff there to keep me going back though.

[Vidar]

I do enjoy some used shops and yard sales as there is sometimes products I haven't seen before. Or some quality item from earlier times when a certain item had relatively higher status, price and quality. Most shops these days are connected to some retail chain, and most places you go seem to be the same ones with the same products. Used stuff is often different at least.

I sometimes think it should be more used sales. I have many times passed by buildings with containers outside full of slightly worn quality furniture of various kinds - reception areas, offices, storage, shop interiors, meeting rooms and so. I get that they want new designs and updated interiors every so often, and that it likely doesn't make difference for their budget whether they throw or not - but just trashing it seems like waste of often still fully functional furniture. Often quality furniture at that. Someone somewhere could likely use some of it. Come to think of it many of the garbage dump faciilties has started with sale of used stuff which is clearly still good so maybe it goes there at least.

[Sea Monster]

I remember when Goodwill sold surplus and returned merchandise from retailers and I still have a $160 suitcase that I bought for $20 with the return tag from Bloomingdales' still attached to it that showed the reason for return was because it was dirty, and a $200 Shark vacuum cleaner for $20 because it was missing an accessory brush.  When I stopped seeing quality items like that I asked a store manager and she told me they used to order that stuff by the trailer load and have it delivered directly to individual stores but after a reorganization they decided to stop ordering surplus and returned merchandise and only sell donated goods.  Furthermore, you could no longer just go to the stores in good neighborhoods to get the best donated stuff because they had decided to pool all of the donations at a central location and distribute it among all the stores in the area.  Now the interesting, valuable, or collectible items don't even get to the stores because they sell the best stuff online on their shopgoodwill website, so going to the stores is hit and miss, but the hunt is still the best part because you never know what you might find and it is still a good way to kill a few hours on a Saturday or whenever.

Around here you are better off going to the "lower" areas or stores in industrial zones.

As you say, they pool the donations - ones that will sell for more go to their up-market frontages to gain maximum $$$ from people shopping for retro clothing or designer labels.

Fortunately, I'm into broken camping gear and the like - which tend to go to their cheaper stores (partially, I assume for floor space reasons, as those stores tend to be based out of old warehouses and the like)

The cheap-seat stores have
A) More random cool smurf
B) Better prices because they don't have a "valuer" coming up with their prices (and generally, their "Valuers" don't know much about outdoor gear, so you can get Yeti coolers or Victorinox knives or Mont backpacks at throw-away prices - but Levis Jeans or Lululemon tops are extortionate)