# Stuff You See At Yard Sales! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 2, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262 "2004-07-02T19:29:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/1 "2004-07-02T19:29:47Z")
It is now yardsale season, and my wife keeps dragging me around to them. Anyway, here are a few of the items that you ALWAYS see for sale…just wondering why these items always show up: -exercise equipment (barbells, treadmills, etc.): do people think that losing weight is EASY? Stop eating! -Icebuckets: I always wonder about this…nobody seems to USE these things anymore -Cheap/low quality prints/paintings (like Elvis on black velvet…who would hand THIS stuff on their walls? -gravy boats…doesn’t ANYBODY make gravy anymore? -broken stuff: why would anybody actually buy broken tools, locks, etc.? I don’t get it! -Ancient cans of paint: yeah, I’m REALLY gonna paint my bathroom with paint that your grandpa bought in 1934! -mismatched plates/cups Anyway, how does anybody expect to actually SELL this crap? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/2 "2004-07-02T19:37:54Z")
Trophies. Yep, trophies. Maybe it’s just me, but why in the world would anyone want to buy a two foot plastic and fake marblized mark of someone’s bowling record? Wire hangers. The nice fancy-schmancy wooden ones that hold pants and other garments I can understand. But, the wire ones…that just makes me wonder. Magazines from the 1980’s. Like VH1 isn’t enough, now we must rehash those years with faded pictures of craft items and outdated fashion that wasn’t even that good the first time around. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/3 "2004-07-02T19:39:48Z")
on the other hand, my daughter bought a sofa and chair this past weekend at a garage sale for $12. It was the end of the day, and was marked down from $50. We snatched it up with lightening speed, took it home and cleaned it with carpet/furniture cleaner. A friend of mine was simply horrified that we had bought \*used \* furniture. ---
**Author:** ![BrattiAtti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@BrattiAtti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrattiAtti)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/4 "2004-07-02T19:52:47Z")
I have nothing to say about the usual stuff, but here’s one for thought. Three weeks ago my sister and I were out browsing the sales. We came across one where the people were either stupid, desperate, or both. They wanted to sell a half full tube of diaper rash cream for a buck. I’m sorry, but I’m not even going to consider smearing god knows what on my babe’s rear end. If it had been full and sealed, and if I had been dirt poor, I might have considered it. But open? C’mon folks. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/5 "2004-07-02T19:54:16Z")
Yard sales are fun! I agree that there is much more trash than treasure, but if you go to enough of them, you can get great stuff. My husband and I went garage-saling(?) a couple of weeks ago. We had just been saying that we wanted to get a table-top charcol grill for trips to the park, beach, whathaveyou and we saw one for $2–still in the celophane wrapping! We also bought 3 Abercrombie & Fitch T-Shirts for $2 for all three (great quality, nicely worn-in), when I would normally buy t-shirts at Target or Walmart for $5 each. I almost bought a really nice black leather jacket, until some biker-guy saw me pick it up and said, “Oops, that mine. It doesn’t belong there”. I said (only half-jokingly) “But dude, it’s on the table…”. 😛 IMO, the absolute worst thing at a garage sale is shoes. I understand that there are people who can’t afford to buy shoes in a store who would buy them at yard sale, but I just couldn’t. ::ick face:: ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/6 "2004-07-02T20:20:49Z")
It’s not a yard sale, but here at work, we have an e-mail “bulletin board” where people will post things they’re selling. It’s absolutely amazing the shit people will haul into work to sell: - “Nearly” full bottle of \. Originally 300 tablets, only used 4. - Used pet supplies. Crates, chew toys, leashes, collars, food, etc. - Gift certificates, full price. - Furniture - Books - CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, etc. Someone once sold a used candle. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/7 "2004-07-02T20:28:24Z")
Used mattresses. With stains on them :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Darkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@Darkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkness)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/8 "2004-07-02T21:02:13Z")
2 days ago my dad bought a wood and fabric chair for $1. The fabric is ripped, but my mom is a seamstress. I’ve seen: old cell phones boxer shorts bras potting soil bed sheets :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/9 "2004-07-02T22:55:29Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > -Cheap/low quality prints/paintings (like Elvis on black velvet…who would hand THIS stuff on their walls? I’d love to own a velvet Elvis. Only a tasteful one, though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/10 "2004-07-02T22:57:55Z")
Board games with most of the parts missing. I once saw a Spirograph with only 2 of the inner whirly pieces (and one of those was the footbal) and no rings or pens. It was just the box, two inner pieces and some used paper with crappy spiros on it. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/11 "2004-07-02T22:59:03Z")
OH! And they wanted $5 for it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/12 "2004-07-03T00:09:27Z")
We still use icebuckets at parties. Mismatched dishes-decent to use for pets. Not so much garage sales, but my sister used to work at Salvation Army, and some of the donated stuff would curl your hair. Underwear-who buys USED underwear? That’s just disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/13 "2004-07-03T00:53:36Z")
I can say as a poor college student setting up housekeeping on my own (with roommies) we bought a ton of mismatched dishes at yard sales. I mean really, at twenty years old, who the hell cares if your bowls match your plates? They’re just going to get broken or swiped or mixed in with everybody elses’ stuff anyway 😉 After I graduated and moved in with Mr. Armadillo, I started collecting Fiesta Ware dishes, and phased out the mismatched stuff–mostly by passing it along to my college freshman SisterArmadillo. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/14 "2004-07-03T01:23:18Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Underwear-who buys USED underwear? That’s just disgusting. A friend who lived near Salinas said they used to sell their bras to the migrant women who worked in the fields. Apparently it’s such a hot, disgusting job that your bras just get ruined anyway, so why buy a nice bra? What’s up with the used sheets hangup? What do you think you sleep on at a hotel? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/15 "2004-07-03T01:28:25Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > I’d love to own a velvet Elvis. Only a tasteful one, though. 😃 If you see one, buy it – seriously. Priscilla runs Graceland, Inc. with an iron fist and (no, of course I don’t have a cite) she’ll go after anyone who sells stuff she considers tacky – including velvet Elvi. I’m a minor Elvisabilia collector (my cat is named Elvis, so people give me stuff), and I’ve only actually seen one. It’s on my office wall, and a coworker bought it in Mexico and brought it back for me. (Hmm, go search eBay now or after hitting submit? what to do, what to do…) ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/16 "2004-07-03T01:34:36Z")
What’s wrong with mismatched dishes? If only a couple of pieces are missing from a set are you supposed to throw the others away? I collect vintage mugs and serving dishes, they’re more interesting than the mass produced things you buy at the store. I also buy used pillowcases, as long as they aren’t stained or anything. I hate it when you buy a new set of sheets and the pillowcases are to rough to sleep on. Even the expensive 380 thread count Egyption cotton ones. The thing I see alot at yard sales is baby stuff that’s so used by the previous owners that it’s no longer baby safe. Like cribs with one or more bars missing, or carseats with rips in the padding and stuffing spilling out. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/17 "2004-07-03T02:24:59Z")
When I’m wrong, I’m wrong: [Velvet Elvi.](http://search.ebay.com/velvet-elvis_W0QQsosortpropertyZ1) Guess that’s one of them there urban legends you hear tell about, eh? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/18 "2004-07-03T02:31:00Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Underwear-who buys USED underwear? That’s just disgusting. The store that I work at never takes underwear, but it doesn’t stop people trying. One woman brought us a load of bras, and when I told her we don’t take them, she pulled a bra out, held it up, and said, “But this was my favorite! I wore it _all the time_!” She couldn’t figure out why I still said no. I did hang on to the velco-crotched panties, though, just to show them to my boss. It’s gross, but her reaction was worth it. I used to see records at yard sales all the time. Now that I’m looking for them, I never see them. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Live\_Better\_Electrically](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@Live\_Better\_Electrically](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Live_Better_Electrically)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/19 "2004-07-03T03:03:01Z")
I’ve seen secondhand makeup at yard sales lots of times. Using someone’s old used lipstick sounds pretty gross to me. The most bizarre item I’ve seen at a garage sale was about twenty years ago: A corncob with an electric cord. The guy told me you were supposed to stick it up your… I guess it was a novelty gift of some sort. I don’t think anything actually happened if you plugged it in. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262/20 "2004-07-03T04:52:51Z")
My favorite recent yard sale purchase is a paperweight that I got for $3. I was telling the lady I had one like it at home but a bit larger. I’d bought it at a local glass studio. Later, as I was waiting for the bus\* I turned the paperweight over and discovered it was from _that_ studio! It was in perfect condition and I would have paid $30+ for it if I’d bought it there. 🆒 ! Who buys all the old, well-used Tupperware-type bowls and dishes I see at yard sales? Likewise the cheap plastic holiday candy and cookie plates that you could get brand-new at Christmastime for a buck? How about that half-done Paint-by-Numbers set or that giant fake nugget necklace that even old ladies won’t wear anymore? As for shoes, I did buy a pair once. They were a higher end pair of leather loafers that had belonged to the woman’s husband before he died. I have very wide feet for a woman and these fit well. I think I paid $10 for them 9 years ago and I still have them. I just wear them around the building and out to the garbage if it isn’t raining. The leather soles are so thin I occasionally consider getting the loafers resoled but the uppers are so stretched and run down I know it wouldn’t be worth it. Still, I will keep them for a while longer. \*It’s not as fun yard-saling by bus. You can’t get to nearly as many in a day. ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-at-yard-sales/253262.md?page=2)