Can you really get good camping equipment at garage and yard sales? Isn't a yard sale just a bunch of junk other people want to get rid of? Well, yes and no. But remember: One man's junk is another man's treasure. Sometimes it is just junk but you might be surprised how often you can find nearly new or even brand new camping equipment at garage sales. Many times people accumulate duplicates or things they don't use and will give them up for surprisingly reasonable prices at garage sales. Because none of us ever get to go camping as much as we would like to, much of the camping equipment at garage sales is gently if at all used and can usually be had for a fraction of its original retail price. That being said, it is your responsibility to inspect the things you buy and make sure they are in satisfactory condition to meet your needs. Satisfactory doesn't have to mean perfect, just that you can make use of them as is or can reasonably make any needed repairs -- or can use parts to repair other equipment you have or may acquire.
Garage and yard sales are also sometimes a good place to find accessories and parts for you RV and your boat. Just like camping, RVing and boating enthusiasts seldom get as much time to enjoy their activities as they would like, often resulting in the used parts and accessories you may find at garage and yard sales being in pristine condition. I have been surprised how often I have found brand new items -- things people received as gifts, acquired as duplicates, or simply never got around to using, making them exceptional finds for the buyers. My personal experience with OHV parts and gear has not been as rewarding. Too often OHV things have been used up, broken, or abused by the time people are ready to part with them, but you may still find good bargains if you look.
Sometimes used items are in good enough condition for you to put to your own use right away. Other times you may find things that need some minor repair. Sometimes you can pick up similar items from different places that you can combine to make it work for you. If you take this approach make sure you don't end up spending more for various parts than you would spend to buy a new one! And be sure to consider the value of your time too. Some repairs can be very time consuming as can scouting out possible sources of necessary parts. Sometimes that is the best if not the only way to acquire some vintage camping equipment that is no longer available in stores.
Garage sales (including ebay, "the world's biggest garage sale") and yard sales can be excellent sources of camping and RV equipment at very good prices. But you might have to shop around a bit if you are looking for a particular piece of equipment. Commercial camping stores usually stock a variety of items or can order things for you but garage and yard sales are purely what you see is what you get. Sometimes garage sales are advertised in the classified ads in your local newspaper and occasionally such ads will include a partial list of items or at least categories for sale that can sometimes help focus your efforts. Your other option is to simply keep your eyes open for garage sales and garage sale signs when you're driving around town. Some of the best purchases I've ever made at garage sales came from just stopping to see what they had when I passed a garage sale sign on my way someplace else. Shopping on ebay gives you access to lots of items from all over the world, but, basically, in order to win an auction you have to be willing to pay more for it than anyone else in the world! That being said. I have tracked my ebay purchases over the years and believe I have saved an average of more than 50% over retail, even adding in the shipping! And I've found a lot of things I couldn't find anywhere else.
To get the best selection at garage sales and yard sales, shop early. Try to get there early on the first day so you can look things over before they get picked over. The best things area likely to go first, but sometimes your wants or needs might be different than other shoppers so you might still find something you like toward the end of the sale.
To get the best price at garage sales and yard sales, shop close to closing. As things wind down and people still have stuff they want to get rid of they may be more willing to negotiate a lower price than they were originally asking. There are professional garage sale people who go around and buy up everything left at the end of the day and resell it in their own flea market booth or garage sale. Of course they will want to pay the lowest possible price so even if a seller is planning to wholesale whatever is left, just about any offer you make on individual items will be higher than the wholesaler will give him.
Don't be afraid to negotiate, but be reasonable. Many times sellers at garage sales expect buyers to bicker over prices so don't be afraid to make an offer. However, if you are really interested in an item, be sure your offer is realistic. Try to have a good idea of what the item is actually worth before you come up with a price. It won't help you get what you want if you insult or anger the seller with a ridiculously low offer or insulting remarks about the item. You might consider the original retail price as a starting point. If you have seen other similar used items you can use that in your calculations. Sometimes you can research sold items on ebay to see what similar items are selling for. Having a solid idea of the value of an item can help you negotiate a fair price with a seller and be sure you are getting a fair deal yourself. One common guideline for pricing pre-owned goods is about 50% of retail. Of course condition, popularity, and supply and demand will also factor into the price. Well worn goods should be pretty cheap, like-new ones might command a higher price. Expect to pay more for rare items and items in high demand.
You can sometimes find garage sales and yard sales listed in the classified sections of local newspapers but more often than not you will just come across them during your normal travels. You may see signs posted on power poles or maybe just see a driveway or yard full of merchandise. Hopefully the sellers will have displayed their available merchandise in a way that you can see at least in general what they have to offer, but stopping and walking through and looking things over is the only way to really be sure you don' overlook a spectacular bargain. You won't always find something but on average it will be worth your time to check out any sale that looks interesting. I once found a set of 4 frame-mount manual leveling jacks for a travel trailer or small motorhome for $25 in disorganized pile of miscellaneous tools at a garage sale. There was nothing visible from the street that indicated any kind of RV or camping accessories. I got many years good use out of them.
Many of my most valuable garage sale finds were simply the result of being at the right place at the right time. I simply spotted a garage sale or a garage sale sign and stopped by to check things out. I usually haven't had much success going from place to place looking for specific items but have often just come across bargains that looked good to me. If you come across things like that, grab them while you can!
Rummage sales put on by schools, churches and other charitable organizations can also be a good place to look for bargains. They are like huge, multi-family garage sales. Here again you may be able to negotiate your own prices, especially if you are buying a lot of stuff or shopping close to the end of the sale. Since all the goods at a rummage sale were donated, any price they sell for is essentially "profit" for the seller so you can often get exceptionally good deals at rummage sales. If you don''t like the asking price you might be able to negotiate. If so, be fair about what you are willing to pay. Every item has a legitimate value and someone will be willing to pay that. And you are usually helping fund important community or charity services and sometimes the cost is even tax-deductible as a charitable contribution.
Thrift stores are kind of like permanent rummage sales. Their merchandise was usually donated so whatever they get for it is profit, unless they have invested heavily in reconditioning. You may be able to negotiate a better price at thrift stores but usually they have had enough experience selling similar products to know that the going price should be and will stick to the marked price. Most of the thrift store prices I have seen make for pretty good bargains, even without any additional negotiation. Where I did see higher prices they were not amenable to negotiation and I was happy to look elsewhere. Sometimes thrift stores have sales based on the color of the price tag. I assume the colors correspond to how long the items have been on hand and thus are put on sale to move older merchandise. I have gotten some REALLY good deals on color-coded thrift store purchases, like a set of 3 triangular highway safety reflectors for just $2.50!
Flea markets are often another good place to look for used camping equipment. Because you often find dozens or even hundreds of sellers all in one place you can greatly expand your access in a short time. Sometimes you might even find the same items at more than one stand, giving you an opportunity to negotiate a better price with one of the sellers if you are willing to go back and forth a few times to negotiate.
Sometimes you might be able to leverage lower prices by purchasing a number of items. You might make a reasonable cash offer for a bunch of stuff instead of adding up the individual prices. Here again, the key to success is offering enough to make it attractive to the seller. If he rejects your offer, and you don't want to spend what he is asking consider putting some of the items back to reduce your cost. It might make him rethink taking your bulk offer rather than waiting around to see if anyone else is going to buy what you put back. Unless something is verifiably popular sellers would usually rather take less than risk not selling it at all, especially toward the end of the sale.
Whenever you purchase used gear or equipment you likely do so at your own risk. There are usually no warranties or refunds. You can get some excellent bargains, but you may sometimes get things that don't work or require more repair than you are prepared to do. It is a good idea to carefully inspect each item and make sure you know what, if any, defects it has and if you are willing to work with them. The more complicated and expensive a piece of equipment is, the more you will be at risk if it has any problems. You're usually pretty safe with standard camping items such as tents, stoves, lanterns, and sleeping bags, but your risk goes up exponentially when you move up into electronics, power tools, or motorized toys such as motorcycles, boats, and RVs. Of course, if it doesn't work out you can always offer it for sale in your next garage sale! Someone else may need it or have the resources to make it work for them.
Get it while you can! If you see something you want at one of these sales you should probably snag it while you can. Chances are if you wait, someone else will grab it, often even you leave it for a minute while continuing your shopping. Most often when folks wait, hoping to come back and get something at a lower price, they will be disappointed to find the item(s) gone when they return. This is especially true of rare or popular items or items in especially good condition. I have missed out on things I really wanted because I delayed. On the other hand, I have NEVER regretted buying something when I saw it!
Make sure you have a way to get it home before you commit to buying something. You should always consider purchases at garage sales as final. Don't pay for a large piece of equipment if you don't have truck to haul it away. You certainly don't want to damage your daily driver trying to strap something big and heavy to the roof or the deck lid of your compact car! The cost of repairs -- or traffic tickets for unsafe loads -- or having your new prize fall off enroute, damaging it and perhaps causing other damage to your vehicle or someone elese -- and that could quickly turn your bargain into an unacceptable expense! With online shopping and home delivery these days, you never have to risk hauling an unsafe load. Even the cost of buying things new will likely be less than repairs.
Good luck and have fun!
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