A Jack Skellington inflatable is a big thing to carry out of a garage sale. Heidi of The Picking Gilla spotted one and checked first whether it had any holes. “No, he works,” the seller told her. It is one of her husband’s favorite movies, and they already had a matching pumpkin inflatable.
When she asked the price, the seller said about $3 for the inflatable and about $5 for the rest of what she had gathered. Heidi asked if $10 total would work, and the seller agreed.
Then The Pile Grew And So Did The Total
Her haul at that sale included Tupperware trays, a spaghetti noodle container her husband had been wanting, a sugar bowl and a little Halloween haunted house set with a table runner and place mat. A Little Tikes tool chest cost $5, which she calls a fantastic deal, and she plans to sell it locally.
The final tally came to $13.75. Heidi had first tried to hand over $11, because that was the figure in her head before she added the Halloween things. She paid $14 and says her mind “just defaulted” back to her original price.
“I’m so sorry,” the seller said about the mix-up in the math. “I haven’t had any coffee this morning.”
She Walked Past A Sign That Was Right In Front Of Her
At another sale, Heidi spotted uranium glass, which she and her husband collect. She picked it up twice and says she completely missed a sign posted right in front of her.
“I’m assuming I kind of got tunnel vision like I do sometimes at garage sales,” she says. When she saw it while editing, she says she cringed hard. The seller did not seem to care, and nothing broke.
She says she tries to make things less stressful for the people running sales, since garage sales and estate sales are a lot of work. She has even deleted footage in front of sellers who asked her not to film.
A $350 Picture That Was Really Worth Much Less
At that sale she also looked at a framed picture priced at $40. The seller said another shopper had told her it would be worth $350 if it came with its glasses, because that was the figure listed online.
The seller’s dad, who also sells on eBay, gave her the key piece of advice: “You have to look at sold items.” People can list anything for a million dollars. When she checked sold listings, the picture was not worth $350.
A set of shakers there had looked up at about $10 on eBay, and a plate set was offered at $25. Heidi passed, saying her family already has three cabinets full of uranium glass and is trying to be more selective. Someone else bought the picture while she was there, and she says she knew she would have kept it anyway.
Twenty Dollars For Everything, Including A Vaseline Glass Salt And Pepper Set
At a later stop, a seller asked $20 for a Vaseline glass salt and pepper shaker set alone. When Heidi asked for a price on her whole pile, the seller said $20 for everything, so she got the rest “basically for free.”
- Hamco mid-century birds
- A Scooby-Doo toy whose batteries had not leaked
- Older, detailed rubber bat props, which she says sell well
- A bathroom set with towel rings and a hook
- A small stone gator, which may end up on her trinket shelf
- A red line Hot Wheels car, a Hot Wheels for her husband and an Animal Kingdom zebra plush
- An Easter Unlimited mask
She is still on the fence about keeping or selling a gorgeous piece she says is worth quite a bit.
Stitch Pictures, Perfume And A Pusheen Added More Wins
At another sale she got a tree topper that her husband had when he was younger, a door knocker, and two Stitch photos for $8 total, since they sell better in pairs.
When she went back to the Little Tikes sale, she picked up Victoria’s Secret perfume at a dollar each and a Pusheen zip pouch for a dollar. She says she has had good luck with perfume, and the stop came to $5.
Her husband also gets a share of the fun. She picked up a Hot Wheels car with a graphic she thought he would like, and she grabbed a red line one because she knows red line cars can be good. She says the comps would tell the story.
How To Shop A Garage Sale Like A Pro
Heidi’s day includes plenty of lessons for anyone hitting the sales this season.
- Check sold listings, not asking prices, before you pay for anything you plan to resell.
- Test or check items like inflatables for holes and toys for leaked batteries.
- Bundle your finds and ask for one price on the pile, as she did for $10 and then $20.
- Bring small bills and double check the math when a seller is tired.
- Look for pairs and sets, since she says Stitch photos and bats sell better together.
- Read the signs, ask before touching breakables, and respect the people hosting.
She admits she was off that day and asked viewers not to be too brutal in the comments. “I just needed coffee,” she says.
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