Originally Posted by
randyjawa
I plan my yard sale route on paper the evening before just to save gas when I use the truck to travel with. I plan also when riding to get the most bang for my buck. And most important of all...
If you don't see an old road bike offered for sale - ASK if they might happen to have an old Ten Speed bike, the kind with skinny tires and curved down handlebars that they would like to sell. I get my best deals this way all the time.
+1 Route ahead of time.
+1 Ask about bikes and bike parts. I had a guy go up into his crawl space after I asked, and he gave me a box of parts.
I have found some good/great deals in mediocre neighborhoods and have seen a lot of crap in fancy neighborhoods (like the two Huffys last weekend for $160). There doesn't seem to be any trend in that regard. I have also gotten a lot of good deals late in the day. While it is best to get there early, you can't be early to every sale..
The average garage sale customer around here is looking for the $10 bike. If you find a $300 bike for $50, its a great deal, and one that the cheapskates will pass on. My best deal recently was bought at 2PM (sale started at 7AM). By then, sellers can be very motivated.
Last weekend I picked up a Cannondale, and it was listed in the ad. I couldn't believe it was still there...
I picked up four good bikes last weekend at garage sales along with a lot of parts. You better believe I am hitting the garage sales this weekend!
For whatever reason, most garage sale customers are not looking for bikes.
I don't think it is a fluke or luck to find good bikes at garage sales. I have found Treks, a Cannondale, a Nishiki, several Schwinns (good ones, not the steel wheel low end stuff), etc. Its just a matter of going to enough sales.