Yard Sale Season Past and Present

Winter is over, spring has sprung, and it’s nearly summer. That can only mean one thing: It’s yard sale season. Bargain hunters and treasure hunters, rejoice. I don’t know about you, but my heart skips a beat when I start seeing those neon signs pop up and if you’re driving behind me, you better keep an eye on my brake lights because I stop for yard sales.

yard sale treasures
Some of the yard sale treasures you can find while out hunting! Photo by author.

I grew up going to yard sales. I would venture a guess that most of my sisters and I’s favorite childhood toys came from yard sales—from our swimming pool, to Fisher Price Little People toys, to the Barbie townhouse and tons of baby clothes for our dolls. My mom, grandma, and sisters, and I would pile into our little Subaru, heading out for a day of treasure hunting.

I have a vivid memory of my grandma sitting in the passenger seat with a piece of chalk so she could scrawl the address down on the black dashboard as we drove past signs. She would also tell us, “Keep your eyes peeled”, a phrase my sisters and I say to our kids to this day. Some days, after a hard morning of hunting for treasures, we’d end up at the donut shop or out to lunch at a little fast-food joint—the icing on the cake of an already fun day.

yard sale treasures
Some of the yard sale treasures you can find while out hunting! Photo by author.

It’s the thrill of the hunt and the unknown that keeps me going. You just never know what you’re going to find. I asked my Instagram followers to share some of their memorable yard sale finds. One follower shared that once she bought the board game and found a child’s forgotten stash of Halloween candy from over a decade ago, another person bought a buffet and months later discovered a bag of old coins. A couple people commented they scored their first pieces of Jadeite at yard sales, which is a treasure indeed.

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Having your own sale can be just as much fun as attending. You can be rid of those pesky items you don’t use any longer that are taking up space while pocketing some extra cash; that’s a win/win in my book.

yard sale treasure
Some of the yard sale treasures you can find while out hunting! Photo by author.

I also asked my followers about their yard sale pet peeves. Here’s what you need to know to make your sale a successful one:

Make your signs easy to read. Having hard to read signs or signs with small print was at the top of the list of don’ts. If you are using a colored tag board, be consistent and use the same color for all your signs. Ryan Flannery from @_howard_house recommends large black arrows on a bright sign and no small print.

Second on the list of pet peeves was not having your items priced. People don’t want to have to keep finding you to ask the price for each item.

Finally, don’t overprice your items. People going to garage sales are looking for bargains. We don’t want to pay antique or boutique store prices. That’s not to say you can’t price antiques for what they’re worth, but keep in mind, most people are looking for a bargain.

Jenessa Campbell

Jenessa Campbell lives in Spokane’s historic Corbin Park neighborhood with her husband, three kids and a rotating number of foster pets from the Spokane Humane Society. She turned her love of vintage and thrifting into a successful online business. With Marigold Vintage, she believes in “adding soul to your home, one vintage piece at a time”.

READ ALL OF JENESSA’S ARTICLES HERE.

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