Every yard sale regular knows the feeling of pulling up to a driveway and realizing this one is different. For @yardsalehippie2, it started with a friendly chat with the seller and a tip about where the good stuff was hiding. “This yard sale was insane,” he says, and before long he was digging through a table of Nintendo, Sonic and Minecraft collectibles and walking away with a working Dyson fan for just $15.
The seller greets him warmly and asks if he has come to see what treasure he can find. He asks where the good stuff is, and he is pointed to what becomes the star of the video: the $20 table.
“Oh man, I wonder what’s on the $20 table,” he says, and the fun begins. There is a Build-A-Bear. There is a plush he holds up while asking, “Is this broccoli?” Then the finds start stacking up: Mega Man, a Minecraft piece, Sonic, a Mickey. “These are all awesome,” he says, holding up one that “looks like Pikmin,” a Nintendo character he admits he does not know much about. “It says Nintendo on it, so we’ll see.”
Some items he simply cannot resist. “This guy’s too cool to not grab,” he says of one figure, even though he is not sure what it is.
@yardsalehippie2
A Dyson Fan for $15
Then something bigger catches his eye. “This is a fan, right? The Dyson?” he asks. When the seller confirms it works, he is thrilled. “So, 15 bucks and it’s a working Dyson fan,” he says. The remote is there too, tucked onto the fan by a magnet, which he first mistakes for a sensor.
He takes it on the spot. “Man, I love fans,” he says.
From there, the pile keeps growing. A picture is $5, and he takes it. He asks if the seller would do $20 for a Roblox item, and the seller agrees right away. A Minecraft picture turns out to be from the $2 table, so that goes in the stack too. When the two of them total it all up, the bill lands at about $65. “Wow, you got a lot of money out of me from a yard sale,” he jokes.
Afterward, he shows off the haul, especially the plush toys, including the Mega Man ones. He even makes a hopeful prediction: one of those plush toys might end up paying for the whole lot.
Why Yard Sale Electronics and Toys Are Worth a Look
That Dyson fan is the kind of find seasoned shoppers dream about. Dyson’s bladeless fans and air purifiers often sell new for several hundred dollars, so picking one up in working order with its remote for $15 is a real score.
The toys are another story worth paying attention to. Character plush and figures from popular game series like Nintendo, Sonic and Mega Man often have collectors looking for them, and some limited or older pieces can sell for far more than their original price. Not all of them, though. Many are common, and value depends on the exact character, the year, whether tags are still attached and the overall condition.
If you are clearing out a home and find bins of grandkids’ old toys, it may be worth a quick search before pricing everything at a quarter.
Smart Tips for Your Next Yard Sale Trip
Whether you are hunting for bargains or just enjoy a Saturday morning drive through the neighborhood, a few habits can help you come home with the good stuff.
Ask the seller what they have. He did not wander aimlessly. He asked where the good stuff was, and the seller pointed him straight to the best table. Sellers know their inventory and are usually happy to help.
Test anything that plugs in. He made sure the fan worked before paying. Most sellers will let you plug in an item or bring an extension cord out for you. Check that remotes, chargers and cords are included, since replacements can cost more than the item.
Check the cheap tables, too. His Minecraft picture came off the $2 table. Bargain bins are often where sellers put things they did not have time to research.
Haggle politely, especially on bundles. A simple, friendly offer, like “Would you do 20 for this?” works far better than a lowball. Buying several items together also gives you a natural reason to ask for a round number.
Bring small bills. Plenty of yard sales are cash only, and sellers often run short on change early in the morning. Ones and fives make every transaction smoother. More sellers now accept payment apps, but do not count on it.
Look up collectibles quickly. If something looks special, you can check recently sold listings on a resale site from your phone in a minute or two. That helps you decide whether a $20 price tag is a deal or a pass.
Be kind and chat. As this video shows, a friendly conversation can make the whole experience more fun, and sellers are often more flexible with buyers who are pleasant.
For this shopper, one stop turned into a fan for summer, a stack of collectibles and a story he clearly enjoyed telling. And if one of those Mega Man plush toys really does end up covering the whole bill, it will have been a very good morning.
More From Decluttering Mom
- Reseller Buys Six Salty Crew Shirts for Six Dollars Total at a Yard Sale and Plans to List Them Online for About Thirty Dollars to Turn a Quick Profit
- Picker Shows What Sold Online in Just Two Days and Which Items Moved the Fastest
- Reseller Says Used Clothes Are Not Worthless Because Cleaning Them Up, Taking Clear Photos, Listing Them On eBay And Shipping On Time Can Help Pay The Bills