(#pickin'day is what I like to call our pickin' days! You will see this on our Facebook page when it is pickin' day.)
For the ones of you who want to start pickin' let me first tell you this is not for the faint at heart. It is hot, dirty, you will get hurt and hard. But if you don't mind all of that then you have to try it because it is so much fun. If that is something that doesn't sound fun at all then find the closes show and run there because that is the best place for you to pick. If you do go pickin' here is a few tips. (As I am writing this my hubby is in a field pickin' today!!)
#1 Cash Talks
The first and main tip I can give you when your pickin' is make sure you bring cash. When we are out we go all over and these places don't have a ATM close by to get the money out. Plus some don't' like checks from someone they don't know. Cash also sometimes helps the price of something because the seller walks away with cash and not a IOU. We always set a budget for every pick. Ok I do and tell the hubby $100 to $200 less then what it really is so we have money to pay bills with. (Man I hope he isn't reading this. LOL!!!) A budget is good just like it is when you go to the store to buy food. Now we always spend more because we never know what is out there until we start looking.
This is one of our honey holes!!
#2 Write it Down
I always bring a notebook to put the prices of the things we buy for two reasons. One to remember what price we put on something at the beginning of our pick to pay the seller at the end and two to know what I paid for it when I got home. Putting it on paper just helps everyone stay on the right page.
This is another post that you would see if we was out pickin'.
#3 Dress for the Job
If you are out in a field with flip flops on most likely you will break them or get hurt. I have been known to wear flip flops but after my feet hurt and are so dirty that 2 showers later they might be clean. So wear what my hubby calls real shoes. Shoes that you can climb piles of metal or go into barns that have dirt floors. The next thing I always have when I am pickin' is sunscreen or a jacket. During the summer here in Oklahoma you will get some sun (LOL) and I burn so sunscreen is a must. We have picked before a snow storm came in and it was so cold that I couldn't feel my toes. (Yes I was wearing real shoes.) So a jacket is in the truck at all times when it gets cold. Now don't' wear your nice clothes because there is always dirt, mud, dogs with muddy feet, rust, grease, and much more out there in those fields, barns, and garages. So don't where your Sunday best. I have went to look at some junk after church with a dress on and had to come back so I can dig in the dirt for a door or something.
This was a the first load of a full day of pickin'. It was very cold that day!!
This was from the last auction we went to.
#4 God Made Dirt, Dirt Won't Hurt.
So you can't be afraid to get a little dirty. Some of our best finds have been under dirt, in dirt or covered in dirt. There was one time I seen something at a yard sale that was catching my eye. It was a pile of old wood. I asked the guy if it was for sale and he said you can have anything you want. So I went through the pile. At the very bottom there was this piece that had some carving in it so I tried to pull it up and it wouldn't come out. I called for the hubby to come over and he said it looks like a door. I said "NO WAY!!" Sure enough I "dug" it out of 3 inches or more and it was a full good. After looking at it and having a carpenter friend look at it we learned it was very old and still in good shape. I turned it into a entry table and sold it.
This is the door I got out of the dirt!!
This is the scrap yard that we love to go to!!!
#5 "Put it in the Pile"
I love this one because it helps the budget which I am all about. Ask the sell if they do piles because sometimes you might get a good deal on a pile of 8 or 9 items then paying for each item. If you do this add up what you would give for each item and then subtract about $10 to $20 dollars and that is what you give for the whole pile. Now if the seller doesn't want to do that then that is ok too. Don't expect every seller to do that. If they are not really wanting to sell anything to begin with don't start with piles. If will scare them off. Wait about the 10th item or so until you get a feel of them and they get a feel of you. The seller is being nice by letting you pick their stuff so give them the respect that you would want someone to give you. **Now this is a side tip...If you are a seller don't expect the prices to be like they have on T.V. because they have the show backing them up and I can't give that kind of prices. If you are a buyer don't low ball a seller so much that you offend them. They want to make some kind of money on the item that they are selling.
This was from a few years ago at a yard sale I went to a lot!!
Just one of our many hauls!!!
#6 Have Some Fun
The last tip I have for you is to have fun! There is a lot of ways to go pickin'. you can go to an old farm, go to garage sales, go dumpster divin', go to a scrap yard, go to a store that is going out of business, or go to one of the many shows that is your area. However you pick always have fun doing it. Meet new people, hang out with some old friends, learn about the past, think outside the box, and have fun!!
I Love My Job!!
Happy Pickin'
Sarah
Tim's Top Tip for Pickin'!!!!
Buy Low, Sell High
If you are in the business of resale or just want a good deal it doesn't hurt to ask if they will go down a little. Now don;t go crazy with the asking and say a crazy low number. If they want $5 out of something don't ask if they can go to $1. That just hurts the rest of the buying. The worst they can say is "No."
