Saturday morning in Lexington, Kentucky, and a neighborhood sale is under way. The crew behind @thehomeschoolingpicker pulls into a quiet cul de sac lined with what they call McMansions, spots two sizable sales almost right away, and declares that one looks the most “juicy” because nobody else is there yet. “Where’s the shoppers?” one of them asks. For a team that resells what it finds, an empty driveway at a big sale is exactly the opening they hope for.
A Slow Start With A Talking Bird
The first stop sets the tone. Among the items they find is a talking parrot toy, which they decide is a repeater, and they are excited to hear what it says. Then comes a brand new Ralph Lauren piece with the tags still on, priced at ten dollars. Someone in the group says they had never seen that particular item before and thought the brand only made the pants and shorts. They also spot a push lawn mower and a little brass goose that comes to two dollars.
Another find sparks a memory. One member of the group says they had not been to this little enclave in about five years, and when they pulled in it felt like a flashback to one of the best sales they had ever hit there. They also find a vintage plaid interior on one of the pieces and call it “a snagable piece.”
They also meet a set of plush animals that each carry a different name on the tag, a unicorn, a ballerina and an elephant among them. The group loves the idea that a child could find a toy with their own name on it, and one person looks up the brand to see what the plush might be worth. The name tags are a charming detail, even if the group is not sure what the brand is.
Silver, Amber And Onyx For A Few Dollars
The most exciting table of the morning is jewelry. The group digs through necklaces and earrings, including some non pierced styles. One pair of earrings carries a Mexico mark and a five dollar tag, and a second pair is also five dollars. They find onyx paired with amber, big amber drops with cutouts that carry a 925 mark for five dollars, and a number of sets they guess are worth around thirty dollars each. One set is priced at twenty five dollars.
They are also careful, and that matters. One of them points out that if a piece says amber but is not sterling, it is most likely faux amber. They check for marks, point out that the non pierced styles are hard to inspect, and decide that one horse themed piece is just very thin tin or aluminum. One set turns out to be art glass, which they still like. Not everything is silver, and they say so as they go.
When it is time to pay, they add everything up out loud, and the total comes to 69 dollars. They hand over 80 and collect change. One person remarks that the style has come back around, and says they were excited to see it.
On To The Next Sale
Before leaving, the group has fun with the bird, joking that it would be great to teach it to say a favorite phrase. One of them offers a pretty good impression of it, and another admits to being unable to do voices at all. Then it is straight to the next address, where they say the best sale they have ever been to was nearby.
At the second stop, they ask a question they use often, whether the hosts have been busy this morning. They explain why they ask. If a sale has been quiet, you can afford to look a little more closely. Here they learn only one shopper has been by so far, and the hosts mention that the neighbor said the same.
This stop yields a mix of small treasures. There are game cartridges at three dollars each, along with a box of collectible figures, and they talk through which ones might be valuable. They also find an unbranded digital camera, headphones at a dollar each, a heavy beaded basket, a mosaic figure of a dancing lady, a Hadley hand lotion and soap set they had never seen before, and a few other items. By the end, they have a pile going, and then another shopper drives up. The saved transcript ends as a local competitor shows up and the group jokes that he has already been through the whole neighborhood.
What You Can Learn From The Route
The outing offers a few lessons that anyone who loves a good Saturday sale can use.
Go early and ask the right question. The crew asks whether the hosts have been busy, and the answer tells them how much time to spend. A slow morning often means less competition for the good pieces.
Pay attention to neighborhood sales. When many households in a subdivision hold sales on the same day, you can park once and walk. Nicer neighborhoods may offer higher quality brands, though prices still vary a great deal.
Learn to read marks. A 925 stamp usually indicates sterling silver, and a country mark can tell you where a piece was made. A magnet, a good light and a small loupe help. Be cautious about anything labeled amber without a silver mark, as the group points out.
Add it up as you go. They keep a running total out loud at the table, which keeps everything transparent, and they pay with cash.
Keep things clean and honest. A little cleaning improves nearly every piece before you list it, and being upfront about what is faux and what is real protects your reputation.
Be ready to leave things behind. They put a few items back, and they note that some things might be worth only a few dollars. Researching every single item on the spot is not realistic, so they go with their gut on small purchases and look up the bigger ones.
Bring small bills. Sale hosts rarely keep much change on hand, and exact cash keeps a line moving and makes it easier to negotiate a bundle price on a pile of small items.
The Bigger Picture
Only the first stretch of this long outing is covered here, so there is plenty more that the crew found beyond what is described. Still, this opening shows why a Saturday morning in a neighborhood of large houses holds such a pull. It is not guaranteed riches. It is the thrill of not knowing what is behind the next garage door, the pleasure of a friendly chat with a stranger, and the chance to walk away with a bag of silver for the price of a lunch. That mix is what keeps people hunting.
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