GARAGE SAILING
Hello again. This is Senor Spud coming at ya with
a few more words on bargain hunting. This month we're
going garage sailing and flea marketing. I've been ses-
sioning these sales for years, and I've acquired some
really cool stuff.
When you see a telephone or light pole plastered with
flyers for gigs, you will probably also see a sign that
reads "garage sale ahead." This usually means that the
people having the sale are into getting rid of old stuff
that's been cluttering up their homes or garages for
years and could possibly be worth cash. This is where
you come in. It's like when you notice a drainage ditch
alongside a road; you first get a "visual" from the car
and make a quick check to see if it's skateable. Then
you stop and skate it. The same goes for garage sales.
First cruise by, see if it's worth stopping. If it looks pro-
mising, stop and shop.
This brings to mind one of my first G-sale in-
vestments. Within a block of my home I saw a garage
sale and noticed a guitar, so I parked the car and went
to check it out. It was a 1935 Dobro acoustic. I got it
for thirty dollars and sold it the next week for three-
hundred. Not bad, eh?
Well, not all garage sales have vintage guitars, but
other treasures can be found if you have the same "go
for it" attitude that you have when you skate.
Well-to-do neighborhoods can offer great deals
'cause the folks who are selling are more concerned
about getting rid of their junk than about how much
cash it brings in.
Skis are a hot item here. These people like to look
spiffy on the slopes and would never be caught dead
skiing with last year's equipment or fashions. Check
the bindings and see if there are still edges to sharpen
and not too many gouges in the P-tex base.
Signs that read "block sale" mean more than one
family is participating, and you can view a lot more stuff
per mile.
Remember, they want to get rid of their "junk," so
barter for the best price and even walk away to see how
fast the price drops. Ping-pong back and forth from
home to home at a block sale and see who wants to
wheel and deal. Then fakie back and re-evaluate the
items you want. If you really want to get a good deal,
carry only small bills. Fives and ones are best. It doesn't
look too good if you haggle vehemently over a price,
get it down to twelve dollars and then pull a twenty out
of your pocket. In fact, they may not want to sell it to
you after that.
Always check for cracks, dents or other flaws in mer-
Tater
chandise because that may be the reason that the item
is for sale. Look out for jive garage sales-the ones that
are there every weekend and always have the same
junk. Look at the sign. Is it a new one? Is it faded? If
it's faded, chances are it's a jive garage sale and a waste
of time. Every weekend, all across the country, people
have garage sales, so why check out a lame one?
Another excellent source of great cheap stuff, new
and used, is a flea market. Small towns tend to have
very few flea markets, but when they do, the whole town
shows up to sell odds and ends from their basements,
attics and closets. Bigger towns tend to have flea
markets at least every month or so. The sponsor of the
flea will probably put up signs two to three weeks before
the date of the sale. Many fleas are usually held in the
same place every time, so once you know where they
are, you're set for life.
A good flea market will have lots of new stuff each
weekend, but don't expect everything to be new. Lots
of the sellers are doing this for a living. You'll see their
faces week after week if you keep going back.
Here are a few quick tips to keep in mind when garage
sailing and flea marketing. Let's say you find some
records. First, look to see that the goods are not
displayed in the sun, then that they have been taken
care of-cover intact, no rips or tears-because if
you're buying records for collecting purposes, the
covers are sometimes worth more than the records.
Also, check that the records themselves are intact-
no scratches, warps, water spots or finger prints-and
always make sure the record and the cover go together.
Surfboards are another common item at garage sales,
but they usually have been dinged and battered. There
are a few exceptions, though, like the kid who wanted
to surf, was given a board for Christmas, went to the
beach, took a few trips in the washing machine and by
summertime wanted to turn in his surfboard for a skate.
Most sales and fleas happen on Saturdays and Sun-
days and the best time to shop is in the morning from
about nine to eleven a.m. Don't forget, your newspaper
is a great source of information when it comes to sales
and fleas. Look in the "Garage Sales" section of the
classified ads in your local paper on Friday to find out
what's happening in your area that weekend. This is
the best way to find out about estate sales, in particular,
since they happen so seldom and only in certain (read:
fancy) neighborhoods.
Remember, the early bird catches the worm.
Skatefully Yours,
Skatemaster Tate
NO
PARKING
JANY TIME
GARAGE SALE
5125 Hashee
CORNER 101 TREEy
SARD
SALE
4828 HASK
dclock
Another satisfied customer wheels away with his goods in this typical sunny southern California suburban street scene.