Anatomy of a perfect $1000 profit garage sale weekend - Long Read - Photo Heavy

I know this is kind of a repeat of my topic the weekend it happened, but now that almost everything has sold (or been listed for sale), this is kind of a play by play of that weekend.

InB4 TL:DR - You bought trash

It was my long weekend off, I worked Thursday days and was not due back until Monday night. The weather was finally getting nice, so the garage sales are starting to come out in force.

I started off going to an estate sale Thursday afternoon. I spent $17 on this US Army entrenching tool and set of Izod pajamas. I sold the e-tool that night for $120.

Paid $12, sold for $120




The next morning, with $103 of play money already in my bank to spend, I’m up bright and early, going to an estate sale near LSU, that starts at 9am, but the garage sale part of the sale was already open for anyone to shop. I’m there at 6:30, did not find anything worth buying, so I high tail it to an estate sale in Sherwood Forest, that starts at 8am. I get there about 7:15, and get my number for the line. I’m #13. The garage sale part of the sale opens at 7:30, which included a game room/bar, that was added on behind the carport in the 70’s. It was a perfect, untouched time capsule of 70’s nostalgia. The garage sale has a “Stuff A Bag” for $15. So anything not priced can be placed in your Walmart bag and the total is $15. I find the following items for a total of $15, not including the airplane that was marked $5 and the skateboard marked for $10.
I spent $30 total at the garage sale.

Paid less than $1, sold for $150


Paid less than $1, sold for $25


Paid $5, sold for $80 (the airplane)




At 8am, the doors open for the main house. I browse the other bar in the house (these people liked to drink), and I don’t find anything worth buying, so I head back to the bedrooms. In the first bedroom I find this LSU bank for $24, this LSU rug for $5, the stuffed tiger for $20, and LSU sweater for $5.
I spend $54, but $20 was for stuffed tiger that I’m keeping.

Paid $34, sold for $65 (helmet bank)






I leave there and go to a couple other garage/estate sales and pick up a few items for $7 that have not sold yet.

It’s now pushing 11am, the sales are winding down, so I decided to go back to the first estate sale that I went to first thing that morning. I buy the Navy uniform for $10.

I get home and start looking up some of the stuff I purchased. I realized I have well over $200 worth of goods.

The next morning (Saturday), with a potential of at least $200 of play money, my daughter and I are up bright and early for a neighborhood wide garage sale in the neighborhood next to ours. We are there at 6:45, the sales start at 7:00. At the first sale, I buy an air compressor for $5, in which I’m keeping, and a handful of sterling silver jewelry for $2. At the next garage sale, I find these two hair straighteners for $20.

Paid $20, sold for $62



After hitting a few more sales in that neighborhood, with no luck, we decided to head to Baton Rouge. We go to the Woodlawn area for a garage sale on Hickory Ridge. I buy this camera, violin, and glasses for $82

Paid $75, has a bid of $250


Paid $5, sold for $25


Paid $2, sold for $150


About a mile away, there’s an estate sale in Shanadoah. I spend $185 on the following.

Paid $100, sold for $380


Paid $5, sold for $65


Paid $5, sold for $40


Next we head to the Drusilla area for a couple sales. I buy two items for $10 each at the two sales, a cast iron pot and the Rainbow vacuum. They have not sold yet.

Lastly, we go to another neighborhood wide garage sale near Glasgow. I spend $17 on some tennis racquets and a espresso Junior. Neither have sold yet.

It’s now Saturday night, I realize I’ve spent nearly $500 in the last three days at garage and estate sales. I’m feeling pretty good because I’ve already sold the e-tool, violin, and Boba Fett autograph for $335. I now realize that I’m looking at a potential profit of $1000+ for the weekend.

Now it’s Sunday around noon. I have to go to Covington and decide to stop at the estate sale in Sherwood Forest again, since it’s 1/2 price day. The garage is now “Stuff A Bag” for $7. I search the game room and find an Eagle Rare bourbon bottle stand and some caps advertising drum equipment.

Now I go inside the house looking for any missed treasures. I find a few things, spending $85 (including the $7 bag from outside). That included $20 for a giant tub of old matchbooks, many from old Las Vegas, and some ashtrays from old Vegas hotels.

Paid $1, has a $20 bid on it


Got for free, has $5 bid



For the weekend, I’ve spent between $550-$600 at the sales.

I’m at almost $1200 in sells and bids, with a few high dollar things to sell, including the vacuum, a Wii, and the Eagle Rare bottle stand. The camera may get as high as $400, and the vacuum could bring $200.

I’m pretty sure I will break the $1000 mark on gross profit from that weekend.