A Saturday morning, a pocketful of small bills, and a sharp eye can turn into a surprisingly good side hustle. The creator behind @saturdaymorninghustle, a small channel with about 750 subscribers, shared a haul from six yard sales in a day of hunting for collectibles and items to resell. The post is tagged California and carries the title “Finding Garage Sale Gold!”
Sale One, A Printer And A Shoe Swap
At the first sale, he says he bought a Canon printer for $10. The seller told him it had never been opened, and in his recap he explained that the box was open but the unit was still wrapped in plastic. He plans to list it for about $60.
He also spotted women’s Nike shoes in a size 6.5 and traded with another shopper for a different pair using a game of rock paper scissors. He ended up with a purple and white pair. By his account, one pair was never worn and still had cardboard inside, so he planned to list it for $59.99, noting that it could go for $60 to $80. The other pair had dirty soles, and he figured about $40. He hoped to bring in roughly $100 across the two pairs, and he called this one of the better sales of the day.
Sale Two, Where The Haggling Gets Serious
The second stop was a “you tell me” pricing sale. He paid $3 for a bag designed for a PlayStation 2 console, which he said was super clean and worth about $20. He also found never worn Jordans with the laces still tied and paper inside, which he says sell for about $100 online, along with a Nike jacket.
According to his recap, he bargained one seller down from $50 to $40 on shoes and a bag. For the jacket, the seller asked $150, and he paid $20 after negotiating. The seller said the jacket had never been worn and that he had paid over $100 for it. The seller also seemed to know he resells, remarking that this kind of stuff sells well on eBay. He also picked up a graded PSA 10 CeeDee Lamb rookie card, which he values at $90 to $100. The exact dollar figures in this section are tangled in the original, so treat them as his rough numbers.
Games, Crock Pots, And A Cookie Jar
At the third sale, he asked about games and ended up with an Xbox controller and a PlayStation 2 controller for $3 each. He says he sold them fast, getting $15 for the PlayStation 2 controller and $20 for the Xbox one.
The fourth sale had a sign reading “20 for everything.” There he bought items for $4 and $2, and he got a Drew Barrymore Crock-Pot set, a pumpkin item, and a small Disney set for $10 for a box. He plans to sell a Disney “cookies for Santa” plate and cup, which cost about $2 to $3, for $20, and he may keep a $4 Mickey pumpkin candle holder for Halloween. A buyer on Facebook Marketplace offered $30 against his $40 asking price, and he accepted, saying, “$10 is going to make us 30.”
At the fifth stop he bought a ceramic cookie jar for $5, decorated with a bear climbing a tree. He asked to photograph it first, and the seller suggested filling it with Christmas cookies. He plans to list it for $20, or keep it for the holidays. He also noticed cameras priced at $15 and $75, and remarked that people can still buy them online.
The sixth and last sale produced a Grogu figure, the character from The Mandalorian, for $3 after he asked the seller to come down from $5. He plans to list it for $20, and he mentioned that he and his dad both enjoy the show.
How To Do This Yourself
His haul is a handy lesson in how resellers think. A few habits stand out.
Know what things sell for. Before you buy, check recently sold listings on a resale site, not just the asking prices. Active listings show what sellers hope for, while sold listings show what buyers actually paid.
Look for unused items. Tags, paper inserts, and original packaging usually raise the price, so check shoes for clean soles and unworn creases, and check electronics for sealed plastic.
Test what you can. Ask a seller if you can plug in a printer or controller before paying. If it cannot be tested, price it as a risk.
Bundle and ask. Offering one price for several items is an easy way to start a polite negotiation. Friendly words like “would you take” usually work better than demands.
Bring small bills. Having exact change, especially fives and ones, makes quick deals easier.
Count your costs. Resale platforms take fees, shipping costs money, and time counts too. A $20 item that cost $3 is a good flip, but only if it sells soon.
Be careful with high value items. A graded card or pair of sneakers worth real money should be checked for authenticity before you buy.
Keep simple records. Bring a tote or small box for fragile finds, and jot down what you paid for each item in a notes app so you can price it later. Good records make it easier to see which kinds of sales are worth your Saturday and which ones are not.
The Takeaway
For anyone who enjoys the treasure hunt, yard sales can turn a few dollars into a hobby that pays for itself. His story shows the formula: stay friendly, know your prices, and take only what you can sell. Even the small wins, like a $3 figure that could resell for $20, add up over a full Saturday.
