Plan your wardrobe: Check the weather forecast, wear appropriate footwear and dress in layers. (Don’t forget your sunscreen.)
Check social media and local news agencies (especially radio websites) for local listings and map your route in advance to make the best use of your time. (Tip: Go to neighbourhoods that match your lifestyle, ie. looking for kid stuff means heading to ‘burbs by schools.)
Bring water, snacks and reusable shopping bags.
Make a list: What are you looking for? If it’s a piece of furniture, measure the space ahead and bring a tape measure to make sure your purchase will fit. Remember: Cash is not only king, it is almost exclusively the only accepted form of payment when standing in someone’s driveway or on their lawn.
Big ticket items like electronics and quality furniture go first so head out as early as possible. That said, the benefit of hitting a sale later in the day is that the sellers are motivated to move their product before they close up shop. (In other words, they will likely give you a great deal.)
Don’t be too shy to haggle. Sellers expect savvy shoppers and price their items with that in mind. But offering less than half of the list price is frowned upon. You can simply ask the seller if there is any wiggle
room on the ticket price. Or bundle a few items and offer a fair dollar value. Expect a counteroffer and meet in the middle. That way, everyone is happy!
