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Garage sales are funny. I've been to enough to know what I consider an 'acceptable' price on most things, and it often shocks me that some people make such serious pricing gaffs. $1 for a paperback book? $0.75 for a coffee cup? Do these people not go to other garage sales? Do they not understand the unwritten code?
So I went to one the other day - it was a fairly large sale in a church. I was baffled by the pricing right from the get-go. Two simple, short stools priced at $12 each sat next to a rather large fishtank with hood priced at $7. Once inside, I was further disheartened. $0.50 for paperbacks (I aim for $0.25 or 'bag sales') - and most of them in really bad shape, with horridly cracked spines. And then! Then I saw the vases. Those dime-a-dozen ones that you see everywhere. Most garage sales can't give them away. They were marked... get this... $1 - $2 each. I almost gave up then and there. Too rich for my blood!
But I ambled back to the 'craft' section and picked up some fabric and a small cross-stitch kit (in case I need it to bribe someone, perhaps...). One small (12-14 inch strip) piece of brown fur and a larger (1/2 yard) hunk of black fur for making dog toys. A fair-sized piece (I haven't measured it yet) of wool-blend suit-like fabric and a chunk (again, haven't measured it, but it's a good-sized piece) of purple flowery flowing stuff of a yet-undetermined fabric content - both might make good skirts.
I looked through my wallet and carefully 'hid' my excess money. I left out $5 in ones and some change, planning on paying no more than that for my haul. Retail, either one of the last two pieces of fabric would be worth more than that, but... this is a garage sale! Bargain-basement pricing, right? I psyched myself up as I walked to the checkout counter. I was preparing myself to 1) claim that was all the money I had, so I couldn't get it if it was more and 2) walk away if they wouldn't accept it.
So I got up to the check-out and told them nothing was priced. I immediately piped up that I thought the kit should be $0.25, and they accepted that and conferred on the price of the fabric. She asked how many pieces I had, and I told her four. She looked at me a moment - and I steeled myself - and then she said, "okay, how about... $0.50 a piece?"
It took me a moment to recover from the shock. Which is odd, I've gotten such good deals on fabric before, but for some reason really didn't expect it here. I ended up shelling out $2.25 for something I had told myself I would pay no more than $5.20 for.
Not the best deal I've ever gotten (I still crow about my $1 picture and the haul of knitting needles I got once...) but note-worthy.
No garage sales today at lunch, have to meet with the remodeling people for them to show us the plans... and tell us their price...
I need coffee. *YAWN*
So I went to one the other day - it was a fairly large sale in a church. I was baffled by the pricing right from the get-go. Two simple, short stools priced at $12 each sat next to a rather large fishtank with hood priced at $7. Once inside, I was further disheartened. $0.50 for paperbacks (I aim for $0.25 or 'bag sales') - and most of them in really bad shape, with horridly cracked spines. And then! Then I saw the vases. Those dime-a-dozen ones that you see everywhere. Most garage sales can't give them away. They were marked... get this... $1 - $2 each. I almost gave up then and there. Too rich for my blood!
But I ambled back to the 'craft' section and picked up some fabric and a small cross-stitch kit (in case I need it to bribe someone, perhaps...). One small (12-14 inch strip) piece of brown fur and a larger (1/2 yard) hunk of black fur for making dog toys. A fair-sized piece (I haven't measured it yet) of wool-blend suit-like fabric and a chunk (again, haven't measured it, but it's a good-sized piece) of purple flowery flowing stuff of a yet-undetermined fabric content - both might make good skirts.
I looked through my wallet and carefully 'hid' my excess money. I left out $5 in ones and some change, planning on paying no more than that for my haul. Retail, either one of the last two pieces of fabric would be worth more than that, but... this is a garage sale! Bargain-basement pricing, right? I psyched myself up as I walked to the checkout counter. I was preparing myself to 1) claim that was all the money I had, so I couldn't get it if it was more and 2) walk away if they wouldn't accept it.
So I got up to the check-out and told them nothing was priced. I immediately piped up that I thought the kit should be $0.25, and they accepted that and conferred on the price of the fabric. She asked how many pieces I had, and I told her four. She looked at me a moment - and I steeled myself - and then she said, "okay, how about... $0.50 a piece?"
It took me a moment to recover from the shock. Which is odd, I've gotten such good deals on fabric before, but for some reason really didn't expect it here. I ended up shelling out $2.25 for something I had told myself I would pay no more than $5.20 for.
Not the best deal I've ever gotten (I still crow about my $1 picture and the haul of knitting needles I got once...) but note-worthy.
No garage sales today at lunch, have to meet with the remodeling people for them to show us the plans... and tell us their price...
I need coffee. *YAWN*