Trash or Treasure
Find out during rummage sale season.
By Jennifer Walla

  Rummage, garage, craft, yard and thrift are just a few of the adjectives used to describe that American phenomenon of selling one's used things at ridiculously low prices to perfect strangers.

  Here in Wisconsin, spring signals the arrival of rummage sale season, which some people look forward to with all the anticipation of a day-after-Thanksgiving shopping spree. And why not? If you're willing to hunt a little, you can find bargains galore of almost any item imaginable.

  Waukesha's Dave Rebro is Internet marketing manager for www.rummagewi.com, an Internet site he developed that lists rummage and craft sales, flea markets and other such events held each day throughout the state. Billed as "Wisconsin's Ultimate Sales and Events Source," the site allows visitors to find sales and events in their area, and also allows them to list such sales or events free of charge.

  "My family loves to rummage. Around our area there were just tons of rummage sale signs up and a lot of activities associated with rummage sales," Rebro explains of how his idea came to fruition about a year ago. "I thought it would be a great idea to create an online directory of rummage sales to allow users to quickly find rummages in certain areas of the state. It also allows people to post their rummage sale to get the word out, in addition to the traditional newspaper (ad)."

  The site also lists numerous tips for sellers. Because as anyone who's been to a rummage sale knows, there are good sales and then there are the sales that make you leave in disgust after having your time (and gas) wasted for no reason.

  "We did research locally with rummage buffs in my family and among friends," Rebro says, "and we researched other sources around the country."

  If you're hosting a sale, Rebro says, one way to ensure success is to try to run your sale with other houses or families in your neighborhood. Subdivision sales are always a hit," he says, adding that people seem to be attracted to bigger sales.

  Jenny Strachan is a Neenah resident who frequents rummage sales. When her children, now ages 9 and 7, were younger, she'd look for bargains on baby clothes and gear.

  "I outfitted my son in some real nice clothes for a real minimal cost," she says. "Now I look mainly for stuff for the house for decorating and that kind of thing."

  Strachan makes a plan when she decides to hit the sales. "I check the paper when it gets into high season," she says. "I'll check on Wednesday and decide what days I want to go, based on my schedule and what's out there. I try to pick an area so I'm not running all over creation."

  Sometimes sales are hit or miss. "I think you can find stuff anywhere. Sometimes you just know the minute you get out of the car that it's going to be junk," she says. "I don't necessarily think that 'better' neighborhoods are a guarantee of better things."

  Price is a "huge" issue, Rebro points out. "People want to get as much as they can for their items, but people who go to a sale are looking for bargains," he says. "You have to realize going in that you're not going to get top price. The reason you have a sale is get rid of extra stuff around the house. A successful rummage sale is getting rid of your stuff and not bringing it back into the house."

  Strachan is a perfect example of the rummage shopping ethic. Awhile ago, her family was in need of a Shop Vac for the garage. "I started pricing them (new) and they seemed expensive," she says. "I found one that I'd been looking at new for $25. I just kind of found that if you're not in a hurry to get something and you can hit some sales, eventually it's going to be there."

  Heidi Wagner, of Luxemburg, also enjoys "sale-ing," as it's called in rummage parlance. She too started going to sales after she had a child and needed a lot of baby gear. While she doesn't go to a lot of sales, she is selective as to the ones she does go to.

  "I think 'good' sales are in good neighborhoods," she says. "You really don't know if a sale is good or not just by doing a drive-by because they could have an item that you think is a treasure. On the other hand, if they don't have a lot out in their yard/garage, you might not want to bother.

  "I will usually go to a sale by myself," she continues. "If it's a 'town' rummage sale where the whole town has sales on the same day, I go by myself. I like to get up early and motor through the houses that I have mapped out ahead of time. The town will print a flyer with a map and list items that you will find at each house. I skip through any of them that don't have things I would be interested in."

  Other tips Rebro has include selling refreshments at your sale ("a good way to make additional income") and starting your sale by 8 a.m., but making sure all your stuff is out and ready to go at least one half hour beforehand. Consider a silent auction for big-ticket items, he adds. "Put down their name and phone number and contact them at the end of the sale if they've won."

  Finally, be friendly to customers and have fun. "Get the family involved and just have a good time," Rebro says.