Social butterfly

As promised here’s a short “how to” on buying and selling on Facebook!

First things first, join Facebook! I know most of you have already done this but there are the few social media holdouts still around so I had to say it. Unfortunately if you are one of those hold out you do have to join to buy and sell on Facebook….come join the dark side(insert dramatic sound effects here).

Most towns have a variety of “yard sale” pages some are trade and barter pages, buy and sell etc.but are all essentially the same thing. Start by finding a few, look for ones who have the most members and likes, if they are not private pages you have to request to join check how much activity posts get. If you see a lot of posts without much activity(not many things being actually sold) it may not be worth your time to post with them if you are trying to sell.

Once you’ve found a few pages that you like and have become a member of the fun part begins! If you are buying it’s fairly simple typically whoever comments or private messages the seller first has first “dibs” if they want it. So if you see something you’re interested in, act fast!

Here’s a few tips and tricks for the beginner buyer…

1. As a rule DO NOT low ball other sellers, it’s frustrating and a waste of their time, be reasonable.

2. If you agree to buy something, try to avoid canceling at the last minute or no showing to a pick up. Sometimes people will post a complaint about you on the actual page and other sellers then know not to work with you.

3. Sellers typically will not come to you, the thought is if you want it come get it.

4. Always meet at a public, well lit place. Although Facebook is “safer” than Craigslist, in my opinion(even though I love Craigslist!) there is always risk. Just use your best judgement and be smart! I personally tell someone where I am meeting the person, what time and their name then a time they can expect to hear from me by. I also watch a lot of crime shows so in the off chance something happens I turn the GPS on my phone on so it can be tracked. I prefer to private message the seller that way your information is not in the comments for just anyone to see and there is a “paper trail” so to speak. If these things will truly help… I hope and they make me feel a little better, but I do not know so again take precautions!

5. Check out the sellers profile, make sure it look legitimate if something seems strange, it probably is. This will also help you to know who you are looking for.

 

Now here’s a few for the seller!(I know I know none of us want to think of selling our precious junk…but there comes a time)

1.  Price your items to sell, many times they carry more sentimental value to us than they are actually going to sell for. Most of these are yard sale pages so people are looking for reasonable prices.

2. People will try to barter with you and low ball you like I mentioned in the do not’s of buying. Be firm but be nice, unfortunately this is social media and a bad reputation spreads like wildfire.

3. Use good quality photos and make sure to label them clearly especially the price. Even when your pictures are labeled well you will still get people asking you “how much” all the time! Be patient with people, technology has glitches, it’s a well known fact and not everyone is tech savvy…also another well known fact, and they are trying to give you money for junk!

4. Be prepared for “no shows” because it will happen at some point. Contact the buyer to see if there was a miscommunication, if they do not reply you are within your rights to contact the administrator of the page and inform them of the incident and they will take necessary action(i.e. removing that person from their page etc.) Do not, I repeat DO NOT publicly shame that individual on the page by posting about it. It makes you look unprofessional and turns other people off from dealing with you in the future.

These are just a few tips and tricks for getting started, there is always more to learn! Social media is an ever changing platform for buying and selling, staying current with the “lingo” is important so as my parting gift, a quick vocabulary lesson!

Below are a few of the most common you will encounter:

Int = Interested

PPU = pending pick up

OBO = or best off

PM = private message(messenger)

 

Happy trails junkers!

 

Class is in session

Who doesn’t love a little history? Why just yesterday I bought a little piece of local history unknowingly! 

I don’t know how many of you use your local yard sale pages on Facebook to buy and sell but I do and love it! Watch for my next post and I’ll tell you a little more about it but for now I’ll get back to my history lesson. I was perusing Facebook when I saw a post for a whole lot of old tins for $5….. Five dollars!! Can you believe it?? So naturally I commented and got them but then….as I was perusing further I saw the same person selling a lot of old Ball Masons!! So I commented on those…and got them!! I very patiently waited until I got off work(not entirely true) then raced to the meeting spot. When I met with the person our families ended up knowing each other and he gave me a brief history of where the items had come from. They are all out of one of the first houses in the town neighboring mine where I went to school and now work! So exciting!

  
When I got home with the items I did a little researching and one of the Ball jars is blue dating from 1900-1910….over 100 years old!!! This find just keeps getting better and better! I can’t wait to get home and survey the rest of the items tonight!! 

Stay tuned for more excitement!😃

Get your game face on!!! 😎

Junking is like a sport so to speak. You’ve got to be in moderately good shape for all the walking (sometimes running) and lugging of things around. You have to be mildly competitive depending on the crowd you encounter. Your junking family is like a team, a well oiled machine, you all know each other’s interests and are on the lookout for things someone might want. And you HAVE to have a game plan! 

Always follow your game plan! Before you go out have a mental list of what you’re looking for and then….

  

1. Know your playing field! ⛳️

This may be one of the most important parts of a junking mission and can leave you in a sticky situation if your not prepared. How far away are you parking? Is it indoor or outdoor? What is the weather going to be like? Is it going to be over crowded? Can you bring a cart or should you stick to a backpack? How large of an area are you covering? Are there any vendors you know you want to visit? Are you mapping you plan of attack or just wandering?
2. “Mark your man” 🕵

Narrow your list to 5 items or less. Being on the lookout for more than 5 can be overwhelming especially in a crowd. This is also where knowing your playing field comes in if you have to cover a large area and cannot park close maybe it is better to pass on some of the larger, bulky items on your list and stick to smaller things you can carry easily. 

3. Don your uniform👙

Make sure are dressed appropriately. Seems obvious right? Until you’ve seen someone with their arms full of junk in a dress on a windy day, or walking in wedge heels through muddy terrain. Only then do you understand the importance of dressing appropriately. This doesn’t mean you can’t be cute, I’ll be the first advocate for fashion while junking, I mean lets be honest we are already digging through junk it’s best if we don’t look homeless while doing it. 

4. Know your limits 💸

If you come with only $100 in your pocket…don’t spend it all on the first thing that catches your eye! This one seems obvious but you’d be surprised just how many of your fellow junkers have made this mistake. It’s easy to do, especially when you seen something you fall in love with. Pace yourself, ask yourself if you don’t go home with it will you regret it? Nine times out of ten the answer is no…so leave it there! If something truly is the pick of a lifetime and you don’t need to eat that day or gas for the ride home then go ahead, live on the edge! Moral of the story, choose wisely, budget yourself and plan ahead.

5. Go! Fight! Win! 🙌

Most importantly, have fun!! Sometimes junking can get serious, especially if you have a “shadow” someone who seems to be at all the same vendors as you are picking all of the same things…it’s intimidating and frustrating. Even so, remind yourself there is always more junk to be picked so don’t let it ruffle your feathers! Junking is fun! That’s why we do it 🤓

Happy trails Junkers 🌱☀️

What’s it worth?

One of the saddest but truest facts of junking is most of the time it’s not about what something is actually worth it’s about what someone is willing to pay. Are there things that you’ve noticed recently that have gone up in price or are much harder to find? Now, have you checked what’s trending on Pinterest or in the latest edition of your favorite magazine like Southern Living? You’ll notice the two seem to go hand in hand. Someone comes up with a great idea on how to repurpose something and everyone loves it, next thing you know, BOOM!! Prices are through the roof and it’s a little harder to find. 

 

blue ball masons for example…

 
Now don’t get me wrong I love these things just as much as the next person because of you find a great idea why not use it, right? But if you’re not too concerned with being trendy hold off on buying these types of things until the trend has passed, unless of course you can find it for an extremely reasonable price then you have the option to buy and resell or keep your bargain all to yourself!

 

vintage suitcases…

 
If you’re an avid junker you can spot these trends a mile away it if you’re new to the game do your homework, use your resources. Know your target what it’s worth in any condition, how to tell if it’s authentic or a reproduction. Be a savvy shopper but, as always, buy what you love that’s all that truly matters when it comes to junking!

Happy trails Junkers! 🌻🤓

 

I dream of junking

Every junker has a bucket list so to speak, places they dream of junking… So here’s mine!

Peaches to beaches 

Savannah Georgia

Nashville Tennessee

The big dc flea

Lucketts Virginia

Hazel Kentucky

Round top Texas…actually all of Texas!!

Charleston South Carolina

This list is under construction! 

Spring has sprung! 🐣🌱🌷

Ladies and gentlemen! Brace yourselves….for yard sale season!! 

I’ve often dreamed of living somewhere that the sun shines all year long, snow does not bury you for days and the cold doesn’t bite your nose…but for now I suppose the ever changing northeast will have to do. The fun part of this sort of climate is that each season holds its own charm, spring is for yardsale-ing summer is for junking, fall is for flea markets and winter is for antiquing and all year round estate sales offer a lot of great opportunities as well. Unfortunately for my wallet(and o so patient boyfriend I mentioned before) I love them all!

 

dogwood blooms last spring 🌸

 
You may be thinking, yard sales go all throughout the summer don’t they? Why yes, they do! I’m glad you mentioned it! This is just what I consider the best time to yard sale since everyone is doing their spring cleaning its prime time! In the northwest people spend a lot of time indoors in the winter months which means they have a lot of time to take inventory, redecorate, rearrange and de-clutter etc. which is exactly why spring yard sales are the best! As the summer goes on they tend to become a little more like old Tupperware parties and you’re lucky to find even one thing to go home with.

Yard sales are exciting because you never know when your going to come accross one, you can just be driving along headed to the market and all of a sudden your rubbernecking! Swerving off the road, making a “questionable” u-turn all because someone painted a cardboard sign and set stuff in their yard…crazy I know. What’s even better about yard sales are the incredible deals you can find! Since your dealing with averages joes the majority of the time instead of dealers or vendors, half of the time they do not know what they have and the other half they really don’t care and just want to get rid of it which means you go home with a steal! 

 

a fun little find in tennessee 🌰🐿

 
I usually have certain things that I look for at a sale but who am I kidding? I’m really not picky at all! If it catches my eye, I can either resell it or use it and is reasonably priced it’s going home with me! “Projects” are usually best found at yard sales where something just needs a little TLC and some paint and it’s good to go. Most of my projects I tend to keep, some I sell…but mostly keep because I have a deeper attachment to them and,obviously, I like them, they are my style. 

 

refurbishing a coffee table 🔨

 
If you do enough yard sale-ing, junking antiquing etc. you’ll start to recognize things, learn the value of them and know exactly what your best move will be; buy, resell, refurbish or walk away. So start practicing! Get to know your target and always be looking for a better deal! 

So as the season comes into full swing, brace yourselves for yard sale-ers, the worst drivers in the world but some of the most dedicated people you’ll meet!

Something old

  
My boyfriend, I’m convinced, is the worlds most patient man. The other week we were on our way to church, running late as usual, when he said “Look! Free stuff!” Then he turned to me and the look on his face when he saw mine told me he already regretted saying it. I pleaded with him to stop after church and prayed the whole time everything would still be there when we came back. By Gods grace I made it through the service and we hopped in the truck and headed on our way. As we drew nearer I could tell he was making extra effort to distract me with conversation, but I would not be deterred from my mission! I yelled “STOP!!”, interrupting him mid sentence as we zoomed right past the pile of treaures. He tapped the brake and looks at me all innocent saying, “What? You want to stop for that junk?”, when he knows full well that, yes, I want to stop for every pile of junk!! He reluctantly turned the truck around and pulled up next to the pile. Seeing it up close was even better than my initial drive by evaluation had been and I jumped out of the truck ooooo-ing and ahhhhh-ing while he stood ready with the tailgate already down, prepared to load what I chose. Did I mention this man is amazing? I ended up getting one very very old farm table that someone had painted with a terrible tan exterior paint, and a little hand made table almost entirely old red barn wood! For free! Needless to say I was on cloud nine and could wait to get started on refurbishing!

   

  
Upon further inspection I determined the handmade table was better off being disassembled. Now I have a nice little stack of red barn wood perfect for a future project, (be patient the best is yet to come)! Now the farmhouse table was a completely different story, I worked on making it more stable which also gave me the excuse to use power tools and what woman in her right mind passes up that opportunity? Then, with all ten of my fingers still intact, I set to sanding, stripping off the old dull tan paint that in some places would peel off like tacky nail polish…ew. After sacrificing a few sanding pads and breaking a personal record of largest paint chip peeled the raw wood in all its glory was staring back at me, and boy was it great! Then….winter came and my wonderful little find was tucked away in the shop to wait for better days. Finally the sun has started to kiss the earth again and little flowers are cautiously poking their heads out of the dirt and I have started my projects full swing again! The table was extracted carefully from under piles of tools and such that had accumulated over the winter and looked even better than I had remembered. I took a fine sandpaper over it once more then began to plot my plan of attack. I finally decided on a whitewash finish and set about getting started before I could change my mind….again. As I got into a rythmn I found myself singing and even dancing a little at times and before I knew it I was putting the finish touches on. Stepping back to survey the outcome I was more than pleased with the result…I fell in love…and now to keep or sell is the ongoing debate. 

  

just a small town girl 🌻

Today, I started my first blog and then…I realized just how long you can stare at a blinking cursor trying to write a little bit about yourself. So here goes nothing! 

 Above ^ is my little slice of heaven

A stop sign on the blacktop is the best way to describe the little east coast town where I was born, raised and never left! It’s stays pretty quiet around here except for the occasional group of motorcyclist zooming past on a nice day. I grew up with three siblings on a farmette running wild, spending our time catching crayfish in a creek next to our house, playing “Cowboys and Indians” and making mud pies. I like to think I had a charmed childhood like something out of a story book, but, of course, I grew up and moved out of my parents house but live just up the road in a beautiful little apartment filled with my junk! I have a slight obsession with cowgirl boots and own eight pairs, and yes, I wear them all! I refurbish furniture in my spare time, do a little amateur photography, spend time with my o so handsome farm boy, hunt, fish and just enjoy the life I’ve been blessed with. O…and did I mention junking?? 

  
Spring, summer and fall are my prime junking seasons and winter is for antiquing because I am somewhat adverse to the cold and prefer the indoors during the chilly season. For those of you who are thinking I’m a crazy lady who digs through people’s dumpsters to find things that’s not quite what I mean by “junking” but its not to say that it hasn’t happened. Instead I’m that person who stops along the road for free things the need refurbishing, takes a detour(even when in a rush) all because a little arrow on a yard sale sign, has no problem driving hours to spend the day at a flea market sifting through junk and haggling with the vendors and never takes passengers in my vehicle because it impinges on my room for junk. 

Welcome to my little world I hope you enjoy my junking journey 💋