Slumping economy brings boom in garage sales

[AlphaCentauri]

For Sue Rolsky of Schaumburg, evidence of the tough economic times comes in a jumble of ugly vases, a 1986 Jim Thompson campaign button and other oddities put out this weekend for sale in her garage and driveway.

Rolsky and her sister-in-law are pooling their collectibles Saturday in hopes of clearing out their homes, not to mention making some extra cash.

Part of the challenge, Rolsky admits, is haggling with people who will drive hard bargains because they have less money to spend for the likes of that weird stuffed green beaver or that even weirder troll doll.

"You've got to expect that," said Rolsky, 56. "That's what they're out for, to get a bargain. . . . We're all trying to economize the best we can."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-garage-sale-both-26jul26,0,1937525.story

[grasswire]

1. what I'm seeing on craigslist is ...

.....sellers complaining that nobody came to their sale, and they're trying to dump the loot by begging someone to come and get it. I suspect that it will soon be a buyer's market.

[SoCalDem]

2. My son found that out last week..

he moved, and ended up selling a sofa I paid $1300.00 for $50 and a brand new leather reciner chair for $100..

We gave him the stuff, but now that he's married, and just moved to a new apartment, they would not fit, so he tried to sell them..

he also sold our old solid oak table & 8 chairs for $50.. just to get rid of it.. we paid almost $2k for that dining set, about 15 years ago.. Our other son & his wife took the hutch a few years back..

When our son moved into a big house with 3 other guys, we gave him all that stuff, since none of them had anything, but it really bothered me to see him sell that new chair so cheaply..it came with our leather sofa & loveseat, and we had no room for it.. I thought he would use it, but I guess he never did :(

They ended up GIVING away a gigantic executive-desk,credenza, wall unit.. No one had room for it, and it weighed a ton.. :)

i donate things..it's too much of a hassle to try and do garage sales these days.. People used to just drive around looking for them, but with gas as high as it is, and people as broke as they are, no one wants to do that anymore :)

He did find room for the Pachinko Machine & foosball table though :evilgrin:

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. someone got a bargain off your son!

[Mnemosyne]

3. You know it is really bad when people have to sell

their yards, garages and porches! Saw 'em for sale everywhere today!

[tblue]

4. "weird stuffed green beaver???" LOL!

The imagery this evokes is hysterical.

I'd like to see the kook who put out good hard cash for that!