# Types of Garage Sale Customers



## debodun (May 20, 2021)

I’ve been attempting to liquidate my mother’s estate on my own by having lawn sales. I’ve encountered many “interesting” folks. They are the ones that usually fall into one of these categories:

“The Whirlwinds” – they don’t spend more than a minute at the sale. They walk so quickly around the tables it makes your head spin. It’s like they are desperately looking for just the one thing you have way underpriced.

“The Creepers” – these are the opposite of the “whirlwinds”.  It’s like watching a video in slow motion. They pick each item up, look at it from every angle, put it back on the table and stare at it for 5 minutes, them move on to the next item. They spend so much time looking, that you start checking your watch. I feel like charging these slow pokes rent for taking so long.

“The Cheapos” – no matter what price you decide on an item, they expect you’ll give them at least a 90% discount. Will never pay the asking price, even if it's Ming vase for 25¢.

“The Talker” – Is usually an older person. He/she engages you in conversation; tells you their life story, family and personal problems, about other sales they’ve been to, etc. This is interesting for about the first 3 minutes, then it appears he/she isn’t going to stop anytime soon. You start thinking to yourself, “How can I tactfully get rid if this bore.” The “talkers” usually don’t buy anything; they just want an audience.

The “Flustered Mom” - They have a minimum of 2 elementary school age kids or younger who, if you have toys and games for sale, proceed to open the box of every board game or puzzle and dump the contents all over the place, throw they toys around, or just stand and screech as their mother looks around. Constant admonitions from mom to behave themselves go unheeded and they continue to make a shambles of your sale. These women usually say they are single moms with a  hard-luck story and expect you'll give them things because of that. They finally leave without buying anything, then you have to go around and pick up that 500 piece jigsaw puzzle scattered on the lawn and under the hedge, hoping you retrieved all the pieces.

“The Complainer” – Looks at everything and has nothing good to say. Either the prices are too high, the quality of the items isn’t good enough for them, the sale is not arranged the way they like, or the front path is too steep. People like this could find fault with Jesus! If my stuff isn’t good enough or cheap enough for you – just leave. You don’t have to deliver a 5 minute monologue.

“The Reservists” – They pick out something, then announce they have no money. They want you to “hold” it for them until they can get the cash and return. Two weeks later you’re still waiting for them. Now I set a time limit and (usually 2 hours) and ask for a non-refundable deposit. They usually get huffy about that, but if they aren’t a serious buyer – who cares? They probably had no intention of buying it in the first place, or were just playing one of their garage sale games. Are people that strapped that they don’t even have 5 bucks on them? If not, why did they stop?

“The Tycoon” – Usually a 40 to 50-something male. Flashes a big fist of money and announces, “I’m a CASH buyer!” I think, “As opposed to what other means of tender?” They almost never buy and if they do, it some small, inexpensive item so they have an excuse to pull out their wad again to impress you. I think the only person it impresses is them!

The “Director” - tells you everything you've done wrong about your sale and/or tells you what to do to make it  better. e.g.
“_You have too many things out - that confuses and overwhelms people.”  _
“_You don't have enough things out to attract customers. Set up more tables and get things out where folks can see them.”  _
“_You should put all items that have the same price on one table.”_
“_Your sale is too mixed up. You should put similar items on one table like china here and glassware here.”_
“_Your sign isn't large enough. I almost drove by before I saw it.”_
“_Your sign is too large. It blocks the street view of your sale.”_
“_You should paint your sign in red letters instead of black. That would make it easier to see.”_
“_I see your sign letters are painted red. Color-blind people can't see that.”
"You should move the tables closer to the sidewalk. You have them too close to the house.”
"Your tables ate to close to the sidewalk. That makes things easy to steal."_

Get the idea?

“The Drive-bys” – they slow down and cruise by the sale, go up the block, turn and come back and drive ever so slowly by again, then suddenly zoom off, spraying you tables with road dust and leaving an acrid cloud of vehicle exhaust in their wake.

“The Pisser (or Pooper)” – doesn’t buy anything but asks to use your bathroom. You direct them to the nearest convenience store on the corner 400 feet away. They respond emphatically, “But I can’t wait!” Makes you wonder why they take Ex-Lax and have a big gulp beverage just before heading out for garage sales.

“The Lazies” – won’t get out of their vehicle. They want you to bring things over to them to look at. I could see this if they were physically handicapped, but I do not see their vehicle marked as such which is required in our state. Are they getting some kind of amusement having you run back and forth? They usually don’t buy anything anyway.

“The Invaders” – they look around for a minute, but don’t seem interested in anything. They hang around until you’re distracted with another customer, then go into your house or at least into areas they shouldn’t, and start looking around, like the garage or cabinets in the kitchen. When you discover them and point out that only the items outside are for sale, they scream, “Are you having a sale or not?” For some reason they assume that even things inside the house are for sale.

“The Big Bills Customer” – treats you like an ATM machine. Will pick out a really inexpensive item (usua;lly a dollar or less) and hands you a $100 bill. Makes you wonder why they didn’t get small bills and change at the bank if they were going to garage sales.

"The Switcheroos" who come in 3 sub-species:
*A)* The  ones that switch price tags when they think you're not looking or are not aware of your own prices.
*B)*The ones that want a part of a set but not the whole set. e.g.
Them: "You have a pitcher and tumbler set. How much for just the pitcher?"
Me: "They all go together. $10."
Them: "I only want the pitcher. I'll give you a buck for just that."
*C)* The ones that pick out several items and pay for them. Then seem to change their minds and put something back and pick out something else at a different price. Now how much do they get back or have to pay now. They do this several times until you don't know what they've paid for or what the bottom line is after all the switching.

“The Fake Buyer” This is perhaps the worst kind. They walk around picking up armloads of stuff, getting your hopes up they are going to purchase a large quantity. After about 10 minutes of this, they suddenly dump everything and walk away. One time I had a lot of framed pictures. On older man came in and looked around. He said he would buy all the pictures if I wrapped them up for him and that he was very fussy how they were wrapped. I scrambled to procure large sheets of heavy paper and twine, I then painstakingly wrapped them. He stood right there and watched carefully, not saying a word. Twenty minutes later, when I was all done, he announced, “I changed my mind.” and walked off. Really! You could almost punch some of these people.

Miscellaneous: One woman I remember clearly, selected some pressed glass items and started to walk away. I accosted her and said those items totaled $12. She became very huffy and said, “It’s stuff you don’t want anyway or it wouldn’t be out here. Why should I have to pay ANYTHING?”  This may be a sub-species of the “The Cheapo”.

Another man selected an antique caned-seat chair. He brought it over to me. I said. “It’s ten dollars.” He held out his empty hand. I repeated the price. He said, “Yeah, so where’s my ten?” He expected me to pay HIM to take it!

Honestly – I could write a book!


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## Devi (May 20, 2021)

Jeez, @debodun -- they sound ... nuts, or selfish, or ...


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## Nosy Bee-54 (May 20, 2021)

Years ago, I held a few garage sales. It was especially the "The Cheapos" who discouraged my limited entrepreneur venture. I did not want to waste my time further, so I hung up the spurs.


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## jujube (May 20, 2021)

Don't forget your common-variety thief.

At my sister's big garage sale, a friend who was there told her to watch out for a particular woman who hits all the sales. Just then, who should pull up in her brand new BMW but that woman. 

We watched her a bit but didn't see her take anything. As she was leaving, the Spousal Equivalent said, "she didn't have a purse when she came in..."  Sure 'nuff, she now had a purse hung from her shoulder.

My sister went over to her and politely asked if she was ready to check out now. The woman huffing said, "I don't think I want this!"and stomped out.

When we opened the purse, it was stuffed with small things.....nothing valuable, just misc stuff.

Classic kleptomaniac.....looking for the thrill of the steal.


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## debodun (May 20, 2021)

I had a very valuable Loetz plate go missing 2 years ago.


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## Don M. (May 20, 2021)

It depends upon what you are selling.  "Collectibles" aren't worth anything today.  On the flip side, one of our daughters had a yard sale a couple of weeks ago, and I took a bunch of old fishing gear over to her place to see if it would sell.  She said it all went fast, and she got my asking price on nearly everything.  I could have probably listed most of it for more.


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## debodun (May 20, 2021)

That's one of the hot items these days - hunting and fishing gear along with military items, sports memorabilia and preciuous metals. Everything but what I have.

Back in the 1970s and 80s, it seems garage sales were more popular. You couldn't stand in your driveway unless a car pulled up and asked if you were having a garage sale. People would show up an hour or more before the advertised starting time. Now they won't stop if you laid out in the road and the people that do stop usually don't show up until 1 to 2 hours after starting time. I wonder what's changed in the intervening decades?


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## Buckeye (May 20, 2021)

Tools go quick.  Other stuff, not so much..


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## Jeweltea (May 20, 2021)

I have had many yard sales over the years and agree...have seen them all.


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## Jeweltea (May 20, 2021)

Buckeye said:


> Tools go quick.  Other stuff, not so much..


Yes, tools go fast. We moved a few years ago and had 4 yard sales that summer. The only one that did very well was the one with the tools.


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## Jeweltea (May 20, 2021)

I am guilty too. A few years ago my husband and I were driving around and came upon a house with a lot of stuff in the yard and a man standing there. We stopped and started picking up stuff, looking it over. The man was friendly and we were talking. About 10 minutes later, he said "What can I do for you?". We asked "Isn't this a yard sale?" He said no. We still laugh at what he must have thought of us.


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## Jules (May 20, 2021)

Great summary, Deb.  

You missed the liar, though you wouldn’t know if someone didn’t tell you.  We had a lady who had a second hand store.  Before people knew she was opening it, she hit the sales with the boo hoo (BS) story about how her house had burned down and she had no insurance.  I tried to get the attention of another seller a couple of years later.  That liar was giving her a different story.


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## jujube (May 20, 2021)

Oh, there are the "professionals".  They are buying for their own shops and they show up a half hour before the sale starts, go through everything at warp speed, tell you how worthless your items are but they'll take some of them off your hands for a pittance, out of the goodness of their hearts.  Sometimes, they'll dash through and won't say a word....just look and run.


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## Jeweltea (May 20, 2021)

jujube said:


> Oh, there are the "professionals".  They are buying for their own shops and they show up a half hour before the sale starts, go through everything at warp speed, tell you how worthless your items are but they'll take some of them off your hands for a pittance, out of the goodness of their hearts.  Sometimes, they'll dash through and won't say a word....just look and run.


We had one man come the night before. The stuff was in our garage but mostly it wasn't set up. I know he was a dealer.


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## debodun (May 21, 2021)

I advertised my sale to start today at 10 am. At 7:30 my doorbell rang and I was still in bed. A man was standing on the porch. I had to meet him in my nightgown. I told him to wait until I could pull on a pair of pants. At least he bought a few items, mainly art. For those people a little inconvenience is worth it.


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## Pepper (May 21, 2021)

debodun said:


> That's one of the hot items these days - hunting and fishing gear along with military items, sports memorabilia and preciuous metals. Everything but what I have.
> 
> Back in the 1970s and 80s, it seems garage sales were more popular. You couldn't stand in your driveway unless a car pulled up and asked if you were having a garage sale. People would show up an hour or more before the advertised starting time. *Now they won't stop if you laid out in the road and the people that do stop usually don't show up until 1 to 2 hours after starting time. I wonder what's changed in the intervening decades?*


I think people want New.  New is cheap these days.  People are also wary of diseases or bedbugs in fabrics, people with covid touching stuff.  People also have less spendable income.  Income during the pandemic went for housing & food.  IMO


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## debodun (May 21, 2021)

Scenes for my tars and porch sale (and these are just the things outside).


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## debodun (May 21, 2021)




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## debodun (May 21, 2021)




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## Pepper (May 21, 2021)

Your house is prettier than any of the ones you were interested in.


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## debodun (May 21, 2021)




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## Jules (May 21, 2021)

Good thing I don’t live near you because I don’t think I could pass up those pottery crocks.  

Good luck with your sale this weekend. Perfect weather.


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## mrstime (May 21, 2021)

I see no need to stand around at a yard sale. I look things over  no books, then I go sit in the car while DH and son spend a bit more time. I need the books to be on a table, not dumped in a box on the ground because my back won't stand for me to be trying to see what they are.


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## debodun (May 22, 2021)

I was busy today. I didn't have time to eat lunch or hardly sit down. I think people are starved for some group activity to do, so there was a good turnout. Can't say how much I made, because like Kenny Rogers once sang, "Don't count your money till the dealings done." One complaint, though, A guy picked out a bunch of hand tools that came to $6. He said he only had $3 on him and pulled three bills for his pocket. I don't know how much he had in his other pockers or how many sales he pulled that trick. I said the total was $6. He got huffy and said "Are you going to make me go to an ATM for $3 %$&#@ dollars?"


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## Devi (May 22, 2021)

debodun said:


> I said the total was $6. He got huffy and said "Are you going to make me go to an ATM for $3 %$&#@ dollars?"


Deb, I hope you stuck to your guns. I can't believe he was driving around with only $3.00 in his pocket.


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## debodun (May 22, 2021)

I had two casualties - I caught the pocket of my scrub style blouse on a doorknob and tore it in half. I had to go and put on a new blouse. Also, a seascape picture blew off the tree it was hanging on and broke the glass.


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## Kadee (May 22, 2021)

We had a garage sale over Easter ….about  3 years after we moved into our ( then ) new home, (12 years ago) We encountered a family that visited the area on a special “shopping trip“

We get allot of family’s visiting over Easter due to,the number of garages sales in our area despite it being a 2 hour drive from the city .

What we had was a family who had trained a couple of children about 10 and 12 years old to help them selves to our and other garage sales items ..then bring the item back latter in the day for a refund.
The couple were deaf and hard to understand so they distracted us while the kids looked over stuff .( I seen the boy take a mini radio and just let it go cause it was only $5 item ) but they bought it back latter in-the day along with a Disney key ring from Disney land i didn’t know was missing for a refund.
Many in our area encountered this family ( there was an article in-the local paper 2 weeks latter about being wary of a deaf mute couple with 2 kids )
So you get all sorts that stoop lower than a snakes belly to steal items


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## debodun (May 23, 2021)

What a brouhaha today. A group of people stopped that looked like they were Asian Indians, the women were wearing saris, but the men had western clothes. One woman picked up a small potted plant I had and because I wouldn't come down on the price, she threw in down on the ground. One of the men asked how much the barbecue grill was. I don't even have a barbecue. He pointed to the house next door where there was a grill out on the front porch. He seemed surprised when I said the house next door wasn't mine. The group then went over an the next thing I hard shouting and scuffling, I got the impression that the shoppers were just taking the grill off the neighbor's porch and got caught. Seems like the neighbor dissuaded the people from walking off with it, at least I didn't see any police there. I am still trying to figure that one out.

My last customer today picked out a 2-gallon, salt-glazed stoneware jug that I had priced $50. He said he couldn't afford that, would I take $5. I refused. End of that story.


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## Jules (May 23, 2021)

debodun said:


> I got the impression that the shoppers were just taking the grill off the neighbor's porch and got caught. Seems like the neighbor dissuaded the people from walking off with it,


Even if you don’t know your neighbours, I’d go over and ask them what happened.  If they were trying to steal it, it wouldn’t hurt to let the police know about them.  They probably have a history around there.  If they don’t, they should have.


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## debodun (May 23, 2021)

The neighbors on that side weren't even having a sale.


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## debodun (May 23, 2021)

Some things I was anxious to sell, I still have - the braided rug, the rustic table and the dressing mirror. Only one woman looked at the mirror and said it was "old fashioned", whatever that means.


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## Jules (May 23, 2021)

debodun said:


> The neighbors on that side weren't even having a sale.


That’s why I’d be concerned.  You told the ‘shoppers’ that and they proceeded to go over there and do something.  If your neighbours hadn’t been home, who knows if anyone would have noticed the grill ‘walking’ away.


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## debodun (May 24, 2021)

I just can't understand why they though everyone was giving away things unless they aren't familiar with U.S. customs. "*SALE*" implies you have to *BUY*.


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## Jules (May 24, 2021)

debodun said:


> I just can't understand why they though everyone was giving away things unless they aren't familiar with U.S. customs. "*SALE*" implies you have to *BUY*.


If they were negotiating prices, they knew it was a sale.


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## Jules (May 24, 2021)

Will you be having another sale next weekend, since it’s a holiday and people might be out sightseeing.


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## debodun (May 24, 2021)

Nope - I've had it with garage sales for a while - it's too soon to have another one, plus holiday weekends are notoriously bad for garage sales (except Labor Day). Then it usually gets too hot to bother. Maybe first weekend in August (weather permitting) because there's a big antique show nearby, then perhaps Labor Day weekend when the Schaghticoke Fair is happening. The fair was cancelled last year and my Labor Day sale was a bust. 

When you have sales too often, it becomes a business and you have to get a business permit. I know I wouldn't like a close neighbor to have a sales every weekend.


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## RubyK (May 24, 2021)

debodun said:


> “The Talker” – Is usually an older person. He/she engages you in conversation; tells you their life story, family and personal problems, about other sales they’ve been to, etc. This is interesting for about the first 3 minutes, then it appears he/she isn’t going to stop anytime soon. You start thinking to yourself, “How can I tactfully get rid if this bore.” The “talkers” usually don’t buy anything; they just want an audience.


These people are just lonely. When I volunteered at the thrift store in my neighborhood, we had  several customers who would come in daily and just talk to everyone. They rarely bought anything. Some of them were sad people.


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## debodun (May 24, 2021)

One other comment I am still puzzling about is the woman that looked at the dressing mirror and said, in effect, "Good luck selling that. It's kinda old-fashioned." Now what could she have possibly meant? It just a plain rectangular mirror (5'8" by 24"). It comes with an installation kit that is basically 4 corner pieces that screw into a door or wall for mounting. This is a photo of it when it was still up in the attic and dusty. Now that it's cleaned, it's almost too reflective to photograph.


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## debodun (May 24, 2021)

One of the neighbors put a box of free items out front yesterday. I went over and peeked in and retrieved this Wedgwood kutani crane urn vase. How can I hope to get fair market value for my things when neighbors are giving away Wedgwood? Goes to show people around here just don't appreciate fine things if this was free and it's been sitting there about 36 hours now.


​


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## Devi (May 24, 2021)

debodun said:


> One other comment I am still puzzling about is the woman that looked at the dressing mirror and said, in effect, "Good luck selling that. It's kinda old-fashioned." Now what could she have possibly meant?


I wouldn't worry about it. Who knows what she meant -- or whether she was right.


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## Pecos (May 24, 2021)

Wow, @debodun your experience is enough to dissuade us from having a garage sale anytime soon. Some people are just incredible.


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## debodun (May 24, 2021)

Maybe she is used to this style of mirror:


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## Aunt Bea (May 24, 2021)

debodun said:


> One of the neighbors put a box of free items out front yesterday. I went over and peeked in and retrieved this Wedgwood kutani crane urn vase. How can I hope to get fair market value for my things when neighbors are giving away Wedgwood? Goes to show people around here just don't appreciate fine things if this was free and it's been sitting there about 36 hours now.
> 
> View attachment 166430View attachment 166431
> ​


Deb,
Maybe it's time for a reality check.

It could be that your neighbors understand the fair market value of modern mass-produced Wedgwood.  Today most of the mass-produced Wedgwood is made in Jakarta, Indonesia.

It's the same with so many things that were perceived as valuable when we were growing up.

I'm always amazed and appreciative when I find a nice piece of Waterford in the thrift shops at a bargain price even though I know that most of it is produced outside of Ireland these days.

If you like it enjoy it but don't get hung up on the value.


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## debodun (May 26, 2021)

I sold all but one of the 5 stoneware crocks and only one of the 7 stoneware jugs. I wonder why crocks are more popular?


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## Aunt Bea (May 26, 2021)

debodun said:


> I sold all but one of the 5 stoneware crocks and only one of the 7 stoneware jugs. I wonder why crocks are more popular?


My thought would be because they are more useful to the average person.


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