Community Corner

Yard Sale Season Heats Up

Patch has the treasure hunters covered with a weekly roundup of area yard sales.

Yard sales, garage sales, moving sales, rummage sales. Call them what you will, they are the purest form of capitalism around. Think about it. No sales tax, no human resources or marketing departments, no overhead costs, except some poster boards and markers. Just one person selling stuff to someone else, prices negotiable.

With warm weather finally on the way, expect to see more of those handmade signs popping up on telephone poles everywhere, pointing you toward the promise of cheap, hidden treasures, just around the corner.

Believe it or not, there is a bit of strategy involved when it comes to yard saling. Here’s a few helpful hints to think about before you hit the road early Saturday morning:

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Map it out: Signs usually appear on Thursday. Take note of which streets they generally point. You can also go on sites like Craigslist and search particular towns under the garage sale section. Gas is too expensive to just drive around aimlessly. Fortunately, Patch has already gone through the trouble. Down below is a list of some yard sales in the general area that were posted on Craigslist. If you’ve got GPS, you’re golden.

Go early, but not too early: If the sign or ad says 8 a.m., get there at 8 a.m., not 7:30 a.m. Sellers are usually still setting up and don’t really appreciate the early birds. Even when the ads explicitly say they are not wanted, the early birds come anyway, hoping to get first pickings. However, if you wait until 11 a.m. to go out, your chances of finding anything worthwhile get slimmer.

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Don’t be afraid to haggle: This isn’t Walmart we’re talking about, where you pay whatever the scanner tells you. Do some wheelin’ and dealin’. For most sellers, it isn’t so much about making a tidy profit as it is about getting rid of their excess stuff. Try to bundle some items. For example, if books are $1 each, try to get five for $3. But be reasonable and don’t expect to talk down a $50 good-condition stereo to two bucks.  The flip side of not being a regular retail store, of course, is no receipts. If ever the phrase caveat emptor applied, it’s here. So if you get home and plug in the hair dryer you got for $5 and nothing happens, you’re just plain out of luck.

Bring small bills: If you buy a 50-cent baby rattle with a $50 bill, you’re doing something wrong. Most sellers plan ahead and get some money to make change, but don’t clean them out of their singles.

And, by all means, have fun and keep an open mind. One person’s junk can be your find.

The following is a short list of area sales. If you would like to see your garage sale listed, post it in the comments or send the details to james.boyle@patch.com. Check back next week for some tips for holding your own yard sale.

Hatboro

Pine Tree Lane. Multi-family sale, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Four-ft. claw foot tub (rare). Will throw in free bottle of champagne with purchase! Furniture, tools, tons of CDs, unopened gifts, baby gear and clothes, light fixtures, Christmas decorations, lawn/garden items, home décor, electronics, free items, beautiful photo albums, kitchen items (beautiful serving pieces), portable poker table, stamps/comic book, china, Swiffer wet jet, collectible dolls.

180 Earl Lane. Yard sale with some of everything, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Collectibles, books, clothes, toys, shoes/boots, yard equipment, CDs, furniture, kitchen stuff, vegetable plants, DVDs.

514 Lesher Lane. Multi-family garage sale, 8 a.m.- 1 p.m. Kid clothes, books, toys, games, daybed, furniture, household items, tools, etc.

Warminster

316 Hickory Road. Multi-family yard sale starting 9 a.m. No early birds, please.

Warrington

Palomino and Blackhorse Drive. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Tools; household items; hunter’s outfits; card table & chairs; camera equipment; truck toolbox; inline skates; etc. Rain date Sunday.

2145 Garden Ave. Huge neighborhood yard sale. Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-2 p.m. rain or shine. Appliances, tools, school desks, furniture, curtains, books, collectibles, old car parts, new arts and crafts, electronics, filing cabinets, picture frames, TVs, TV stand, stereos, kids games and toys, home décor items, kitchen items, women’s purses, and gently worn clothing.

Upper Southampton

953 Pennsylvania Ave. Huge yard sale, everything must go! Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. Collectibles, furniture, kitchen products, small electric appliances, home decor, housewares, holiday decorations, gifts, kid stuff, DVDs, porcelain dolls, and more.


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