On Thu, 28 Jun 2018, The Real Bev wrote:
> On 06/28/2018 01:07 PM, Vic Smith wrote:
>> On Thu, 28 Jun 2018 11:35:48 -0400, Michael Black <
mbl...@pubnix.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Wed, 27 Jun 2018, The Real Bev wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 06/27/2018 02:30 PM, ItsJoan NotJoann wrote:
>>>>> On Monday, June 25, 2018 at 2:24:01 PM UTC-5,
cjmn...@gmail.com wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Flea Markets Are A Great way Of Saving Money And Getting Your Product
>>>>>> Right away.
>>>>
>>>> Actually, flea markets are a pretty crappy place to shop. Try yard sales
>>>> for
>>>> even better deals.
>
> Tthe ones where people just want to get more space and maybe a bit of cash
> and will contribute the leftovers to the Vietnam Vets afterward are the best.
> I don't know why rich people even bother -- "That scarf cost $100 five years
> ago and I didn't wear it much, it ought to be worth $80 now..." Apartment
> dwellers are the worst -- they seem to have lots of bric-a-brac and glassware
> and hardly ever have anything useful.
>
July 1st here in the province of Quebec is a day for a lot of moving,
reasons are long forgotten why it happens on one day though previously it
had been May 1st and the government gave an extension to leases so people
would move after the school season was over. But I have no idea why they
all align on one day.
So garage sales before July 1st tend to be people preparing to move, and
thus need to clear out the "clutter". It's a good time for CDs and DVDs,
I'm finding people are now getting rid of the types of CDs I actually
want, and finding bits of technology that they've decided is "obsolete".
Then after July 1st, it's "trinket time", people selling off some things
they feel clutter up the place, but they are less in need of getting rid
of it, so not only is it less interesting, to me at least, but since they
aren't desperate, the prices are higher.
It's not consistent, I've found some good things in the summer, but
there's less incentive to get out early on Saturdays after July 1st.
So it's a disappointment when May comes and goes and the sales haven't
really started up yet.
You said before the shfit away from classified ads has made people less
reliable. I think that factors in, if you need the paper to announce your
sale, you will hang on unless the weather is really bad. But now that
craig's list is the place to go, they wait till Saturday morning to decide
if they'll set up. They'll have a raindate, but if the weather looks not
so great, they won't bother. So the sales seem to start later, or maybe
they are just selling their junk other ways.
There was a good street sale for some years, they'd get a good percentage
of houses involved, selling baked goods and lemonade if nothing else. It
was high density, and people on adjacent streets would set up too. Lots
of people from the area out on foot, suddenly lots of pedestrians in a
residential area. But I came to realize that despite all the stuff for
sale, most of it was kid's toys, clothing and furniture. It was an area
where most owned their houses, so they weren't getting ready to move, they
were getting rid of their kid's stuff after they'd grown beyond the stuff.
I did find some good stuff, but for all the houses offering thnigs, it
wasn't as great as it could be. Though if someone needs kid's
stuff, it's a great place. They've also shifted the date around in
recent years, so fewer participate.
I like the excuse of getting out early on Saturdays to check garage sales,
but as it tapers off, there's less incentive. And I find that sad, not
becasue I don't "get the bargains" but because the search is fun in
itself.
Michael