I'll be the first to admit that negotiating cheaper prices on anything has always been uncomfortable for me. Some people have a natural ability to talk their way into cheaper prices, and others don't. I'm in the 'others don't' category. So, negotiating is something I've had to work at. When you're hunting for garage sale deals, here are my tips for negotiating cheaper prices.

1. Bring small bills. There's nothing worse than negotiating with someone a cheaper price and then pulling out large bills and asking for change back. It's awkward. Have exact change.

2. Examine the product carefully. I know you're shopping at a garage sale but if someone is charging too high of a price for something that's clearly used and not worth the money, then start pointing out defects.

LISTEN-LIVE
loading...

3. Don't make an offer early in the day. Usually, in my personal experience, people just want to get rid of their stuff. Make your offer closer to when the garage sale is supposed to close because the owner will be more likely to give you a deal so they don't get stuck with the stuff. It doesn't always work, but it usually does.

4. Be super friendly. No one wants to give a deal to a jerk. Make small talk, compliment the garage sale, talk about the kids, the weather and summer plans. After you butter them up a little bit, lay on the negotiation. They might turn you down, but at least you were nice.

5. Be reasonable. If something is already priced to sell, don't try to take advantage of the seller. You have to remember that they aren't holding a garage sale to improve their health. They're trying to make money. Be respectful of that and reasonable with your negotiations. Think about how much you'd have to pay for something if you got it new.

6. Ask for a bulk deal. For example, if you're buying a whole bag of baby clothes, ask if you can get a discount. I've been to garage sales where they'll tell you it's $5 to fill a plastic grocery bag with as many baby clothes as you can. It's such a deal!

7. Be willing to walk. This is my husband's favorite negotiating trick when buying sporting event tickets. The same idea applies to garage sales. If you're willing to walk away from an offer, you might get a great counter offer. If they don't counter offer, keep looking at other sales for that same item at the price you are willing to pay.

More From 98.1 Minnesota's New Country