What do you look for at estate sales?

[bae]

High quality tools

[Teacher Terry]

In general I try not to go since I am in the getting rid of phase of my life. If I am with a good friend of mine she will stop to look. Usually if I buy anything it is yarn since I knit about 100 scarves/year for the homeless.

[rosarugosa]

Whenever we drive by a yard sale, DH sings out to me, "buy my old crap!" and we don't stop.

[catherine]

I haven't shopped at a yard/tag/garage/estate sale in a while. I certainly did at one point, but I don't WANT to find something that I think I need right now.

But you mentioned Dansk, and I do need a couple of replacement Dansk salad plates.

[goldensmom]

I go to garage/rummage/estate sales for fun but I have a list of things that I am looking for and stick to the list. I have a few things that that belonged to my mom, for example, a specific Fire King baking dish that I dropped and broke, a folding lawn chair made in the 50’s, etc. - things of the 40’s/50’s that are not made anymore. The items that I look for are usually only found in estate/garage sales or in antique stores. I like a deal so I stick to estate sales. I am not a collector and am not tempted to buy things that I don’t really want or need. My husband looks for tools because he says you can never have too many tools. I think you can have too many tools.

[Tybee]

My husband buys tools, sprinklers, and nails. Last year he found a chop saw for fifteen dollars that is worth about two hundred dollars. He uses it all the time, so I figure he saved us a hundred and eighty five dollars. And a whole lot more than that by using the tool.

Today we went back to yesterday's sale because it was 30% off day, but someone bought the violin I wanted and should have bought yesterday. Oh well. We went back to the 50%off sale and I bought alpaca for making slippers and mittens for my granddaughter, a dollar fifty for two skeins.

The sprinklers are great because they are all metal, unlike the plastic ones in the stores.

[KayLR]

Yes, good tools. We occasionally find something we need like a desk recently, that's in good shape.

I've also scored some very well-made (European) needlework frames, the type you do the needlework in, both lap frames and floor stands. Anything you see in most fabric shops is cheapo made in China cr@p.

It may sound gross, but I also like to pick up handkerchiefs which in good shape. I have a collection that should last me for years now. I actually use them for their intended purpose.