The Granddaddy Of All Yard Sales

Hwy 127 corridor is the Granddaddy of all yard sales. While headquartered in Jamestown Tennessee, the actual sale starts in Gadsen Alabama and runs clear through to Cincinnati Ohio. 630 miles and 5 states of nothing but yard sales. Its a yard salers paradise. The sale is held once a year and runs for 4 days only from Thursday August 2 to Sunday August 5 (2007) so you have a lot of ground to cover if you want to see it all. Bring a truck, bring a trailer, better yet rent an old greyhound buss or an RV. You'll have a ball plus you'll come home with more stuff than you have a place to put it. Every true yard saler should make this pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime.

Friday July 20

Had to go out of town today to pick up an old engine, since it was friday I decided I'd see what the yard sale situation was like in that town. Going only by the signs I saw on the road, I found 7 different sales all in the same area. There were some good deals at a couple of them. I saw a 32 inch tv for 20 bucks (I already have 3 so didnt need another one)then there was a nice dresser for 25 but since I had a motor sliding around in the back of the truck, I passed it up. On the final yard sale I hit the jackpot. I pulled up and there out front was a pile of stuff with a big FREE sign stuck up in front of it. There was a mens 15 speed mountain bike in good condition, a working hoover vacuum cleaner, and a brand new set of kitchen shelves complete with drawers. I asked the lady if I could have it all and she said she was glad to get rid of it and to take all I wanted. I tied the motor down with a rope and jammed it all in the back of the truck and went home happy. That was one of the better ones.

Disappointments

If you're like me and take your yard sales seriously, you're going to have a few "the one that got away stories". As I said before what I mainly look for is tools, and twice in the past month I have had 2 such instances where a tool I had been looking for was bought moments before I got there. The first one was a table top band saw which costs 120 bucks in stores sold for 25 dollars along with its sister tool a combination belt and disk sander also 25 dollars. A lady in front of me bought them both as I was walking up to them. The other instance was a brass oxy-acetylene torch that sold for 5 bucks.Had I been there just 2 min. earlier I could have walked away with some nice deals. When something like that happens, it ruins the whole sale for me and I promptly leave and go looking elsewhere rather than walk around giving the lucky owners dark looks out of the corner of my eyes. You'll have days like this if you are looking for specific items. Its almost like getting up Christmas morning and finding clothes under the tree rather than the toy you wanted.

Thursday June 28th

I found an ad in yesterdays paper that said MANS yardsale,tools,carparts,yard tools Thur.Fri.Sat. Sounded like it was right up my alley, so at 8:30am I jumped in the car and took off. I found the place with no problem and true to the ad there were lots and lots of tools some new, some used. Trouble was the guy had a high price tag on nearly everything. There were a couple of impact wrenches I would have liked to have had, but I could buy them cheaper from online sources so it was no bargain. I did come away with a trailer hitch cover for 50 cents and I had a nice chat with the yard sale owner who was an older fella that liked mechanics about as much as I do. It was an enjoyable trip just wish he had been cheaper on his stuff, he could have sold me a lot of things if he had been more reasonable.

Storage Sales

Yet another kind of yard sale is the storage sale. The storage sale is where someone has rented a storage room at a self storage place and for one reason or another wants to get rid of everything in the storage room. I find storage sales to be the most messy of all yard sales as everything on display is out in what little space there is and you have to step over and dodge around things to see whats there (sort of like walking around in my basement)still theres usually lots of good deals on furniture at these types of sales as most are from people leaving town and dont want the added expense of moving everything.

Friday June 22

Set off this morning going west of town just looking for signs. Spotted an antique firetruck with a yard sale sign in the front yard. Tools! I'm thinking as I drove up, there was even a 1920's Ford in the garage but alas no tools. Just goes to show everythings not what it appears to be. I did find a real nice camera tripod complete with balance and tilt plate for a dollar. Continuing on down the road I found another yard sale, didnt seem to be anything there but a bunch of old clothes but I stopped anyway you never know what might be sitting around. I'm glad I did, I picked up 2 real nice floor fans for a buck each something I can use in this hot weather. That was all I found today. I went to several others but there was nothing there but household knicknacks, still 3 dollars for a tripod and 2 floor fans was a good deal so I went home a happy camper.

Moving Sales

By far the best kind of yard sale is the moving sale. A moving sale is simply that. Someone is moving and they want to clear out as much stuff as they possibly can. I find a lot of good bargains at moving sales. The good thing about a moving sale is the fact that because they are moving and want to unload all those things, prices will be cheaper. They know that they only have a couple of days so time is not on their side, and most are willing to drop the price a little if you're really interested in something, besides if they don't sell their items they have a choice of taking it with them, storing it which costs money, giving it away, or either taking it to the dump (also costs money). Moving sales offer the best chances to pick up some nice furniture at rock bottom prices as well as things like riding mowers and appliances.

Times of Yard Sales

Most yard sales are held on weekends usually on Friday and Saturday. I've seen a few that started on a Thursday but the over all best day to go is a Friday. Go early, the early bird catches the worm meaning you'll get a better selection if you get there before everybody else. I have found that the majority of yard sales start between 8 and 9 o'clock and I have seen quiet a few ads that tell you not to come earlier or call before hand. With me, I leave the house around 8:30 figuring that by the time I get there it will be close to opening if not open already.

Friday June 8th

Found a yard sale close by in the local paper, so I decided to mosey on over and check it out. When I arrived at 8:50 there were a round 5 other cars in the yard. Hmmm theres a jetski sitting out there! looked interesting. The jetski wasnt for sale and neither was the pressure washer beside it. (mumble grumble) oh well, continued on up in the yard, there were about 10 coolers sitting out there for sale, I'm thinking these folks either drink a lot or fish a lot. Walking on inside they had various pieces of worn unfinished furniture all priced too high. There were a few tables of outdated computer parts, 4 sets of golf clubs, and a few gun cases, nothing that interested me, so I was about to leave when I looked down and there behind the coolers was a Havahart squirrel trap. I'd been wanting one for a couple of years as I have several pecan trees in my backyard and the squirrels strip every single nut off of them every year. I bent down and picked it up and there on the bottom was a 3 dollar price tag. I promptly paid the lady the 3 bucks and walked away smiling. Those traps go for 40-45 bucks in the local home improvement stores are made of galvanized steel and last a lifetime. I made a good find there and went home happy.

Where To Find Yard Sales

Almost every city and town has yard sales. The best way to find yard sales in your area is the local newspaper, a lot of them are online so you can just go and print the page and take it with you. Another good place is craigslist which has a listing for just about any area you'd want. Then theres a site called Freecycle.com while not a yard sale its a place where folks give things away and I have found a lot of nice things there and missed a bunch more. Not everybody lists their yard sale in the paper or online. Some just put up a few signs on the main roads, and a lot of the time I dont even bother with the newspaper, I'll just jump in the car and go looking.

A little About Me

I'm a guy who loves to tinker with things. I go to yard sales looking for just about anything that I can get my hands into. My interests range from motors, to tools, to electronics, to furniture. Theres nothing I like better than to find something at a cheap price that I know I can fix up and use around the house. Some folks call it being thrifty, but to me its simply an enjoyable way to pass the time.

Yard Sales my Favorite Hobby

This blog is about yard sales for folks who like and enjoy going to yard sales. I will be posting my finds as well as info about each trip.If you enjoy yard sales, you will enjoy this blog. Join me as I wander around looking for bargains.