In my part of the country, when summer ends so do most of the garage sales. Notice that I said most. Because while you might not see any yard sale signs while driving around the town, there are plenty of garage sales out there, on weekends and on weekdays, if you know where to look.
When the weather turns colder, the garage sales start to move indoors. They may be called by other names, such as barn sales, estate sales, outgrown sales, church sales or even moving sales. Instead of shopping from the lawn, you may do your shopping indoors, either at a private house or at some other venue, such as a church basement, or school auditorium. Because these sales tend to be more hidden, they get less traffic. This is good news for you, since you’ll get more of a selection and usually better prices.
When looking for a cold weather garage sale, you’ll have to rely mostly on ads instead of drive-bys. Check out online sites such as Craigslist, as well as the local newspaper to learn of sales in your area. Be on the look out for perpetual sales–yard sales that seem like they are organized by a homeowner who is looking to sell his stuff, but are actually dealers who hold a yard sale every week. The pricing at perpetual sales will be higher, and usually close to retail.
You can also take advantage of virtual garage sales. The best ones are often through word of mouth or social networking. One person decides to clean out their attic or garage, for example, and then posts a sale with a mention of some items that they want to sell. Some of these virtual sales can be pretty elaborate, with hundreds of items that are photographed or video taped. Other virtual sales are simple, with a few quality items and brief descriptions. Look for larger items at virtual sales with local physical addresses, otherwise target virtual sales for smaller items that the seller is willing to ship.
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