Garage Sale Etiquette?

Last Saturday Pompton Lakes had it's annual Town Wide Garage Sale.  We participated and I must say, it was my first real garage sale experience.  We joined 2 other families at 1 of their houses.  If not for the company, I would have been miserable.  Watching the collection of characters who browse garage sales is entertaining, but in the end, frustrating as hell.  Most are looking to barter, regardless of the price of an item.  I was amazed by how often someone would ask about an item they were obviously interested in, then walk away after hearing the price.  Our host was selling a toy Elmo kitchen, in perfect condition.  The thing was almost 4 feet tall.  A woman asked, "...how much>?".  He said, "$10".  She left.  What the hell did she want to pay???  $7, $5, $2.50???  Are you freakin kidding me?  This sort of thing happened all day.  One woman

 refused to pay anything over one dollar...for ANYTHING!!!  To top it all off, they act annoyed if you don't give in, or if you say any price higher.

Mongoose Antic
BMX Bike
$129
Brand New Today

For the little man's barely ridden 10 month old Mongoose BMX bike, you would not believe the shenanigans.  First of all, we're only getting rid of it because we want to get him a bike with gears (see the first Family Biking post).  A very nice woman and her son bought 1 set of foot-pegs for $3.  I would have taken $50 for the bike.  A guy comes along and offers $5.  Yeah right!  He goes up to $15.  I say, "No way".  He leaves.  Another guy comes along and offers $20.  I say, "No".  He walks away, but stops nearby and gets on his cell, while describing the bike.  Meanwhile, the first guy pulls up in his van, sticks his head out the window, and offers $20.  Again, I say, "No way".  He waves his hand at me, in disgust, and drives away.  What's wrong with these people?



Mongoose Gavel Boy's Freestyle Bike (20-Inch Wheels, Green)


One question we had is what is proper Garage Sale Etiquette?  Should you approach people interested in your stuff or leave them be?  Jason and I decided, if we were shopping, we'd prefer the sellers not bother us, unless we had a question.  Therefore, we hung back.  Bartering, one way or another, is not my thing.


All in all, we did very well, but you have to be in the right mind set to deal with these things.  Mrs. Fabulous warned me about garage sale price points, but I was not prepared.  It was OK once, but I don't plan on doing it again.  I'd much rather sell our stuff on Ebay.  That's where the bike is going.