Secondhand shopping...Be Cautious!

So here is my two sense on any secondhand shopping you do...BE CAUTIOUS! Some can be so OVERPRICED. You have to be savvy and have an idea on what things cost, or you'll get ripped off.

I love a great find at a great price. I'm willing to pay you what the item it worth. When you shop on consignment, at garage sales, on Craigslist, or estate sales, your shopping there obviously to pay less than the retail cost would be somewhere else. Your looking for a fair price. Remember folks, we're talking secondhand. We're not talking brand new, never worn, or never used. If it's been out in your backyard for 20+years pieces, price it accordingly.

Now this was a great find on Craigslist. Beautiful, dining set for $330.00. Solid wood, with the glass table top. You can't beat it. Yes, I had to reupholster the chairs, but that was an easy, DIY project. It was worth it!

Why I bring this up is ALL because of two pagodas my dad and I checked out an estate sale this week. These we saw were made of concrete and very small pagodas. Average price for a brand new one, made of concrete at these small sizes can go for $40 and up.

So with that in mind, we are looking at two, used pagodas from an estate sale.

Here is the first one being sold for $40.00. This tiny thing should be no more than $20.00.

The second one we saw was a whopping $80.00. Again, should be no more than $30.

Really?? My dad almost fell over when she told us the price. We were pretty astounded and her answer and reason why it was that price is because, "It's so heavy". Really?? Yes, it's concrete, and it comes apart. I have a feeling she didn't even realize that. For both of these, my dad and I would have paid $50.00 max. She had the nerve to ask us if we wanted to place a bid on it. Really?? What happened to just negotiating. I hope this is not the direction we are heading when shopping at estate sales or any other secondhand shops. It's SECONDHAND for crying out loud. I realize it's trendy these days, but still, most of the stuff out there is junk.

Just saying..... HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND &  HAPPY HUNTING!

{image via zazzle.com}

                                            and remember...