Garage sales can be gold mines for serious shoppers

TIPS FOR BUYERS

* People who are real die hards start at 6 or 7 a.m.

* Take cash, in smaller bills. Sellers have more change than they

used to, but everyone comes with $20 bills from the ATM.

* Take checks, in case.

* Wear comfortable shoes. (Gloves might not be a bad idea.)

* Stash blankets in your vehicle in which to wrap delicate items.

* Take water, if you plan to spend more than a couple of hours on

the prowl.

Tips for sellers

* Posted signs should be large enough for drivers to read the

addresses as they pass by -- at least print the street name in large

letters.

* Put the signs on well-traveled roads and near stop signs, but be

prepared to find them gone.

* Newspaper ads are another way to get out the word.

* Providing water and paper cups are nice touches. Hot drinks,

even on cold mornings, are not such a good idea. Spills and burns

could occur.

* Regulation of garage sales is not included in the city’s

municipal code. However, the city could require a business license if

the sales are a weekly event, which then becomes a zoning issue.

* Work with neighbors. Neighbors’ complaints about frequency,

crowds and disruption are reviewed by the city’s code enforcement

division.

* Price to sell. The goal is to not take anything back into the

house.

* If badgered for a lower price than you are willing to take,

remove the item from the sale.

* Set the sale for one day only. Second days are brutal.

-- By Barbara Diamond