Deals on Disney Desirables

Light Meter by Lisa K. Berton

If you’re like me, you are always on the lookout for items to add to your collection(s), whatever they may. My Disneyana acquisitions are of reasonable size and price, postcards, notecards, stationary, napkins, coasters, pins, maps, and popcorn buckets (decreasing my lot) don’t take up much space or eat away at my wallet. Most assuredly, we Disney fans also purchase single items (or 2 or 3) that don’t belong in a “group” such as a piece of art, a toy, a book, etc…

Since last Summer, I’ve had 4 yard sales and in each have advertised Disney collectibles. Not a single person who came to shop was a collector and so it’s taking a long time for those items to sell. That tells me that most Disney fans may not be scouring yard sales. That, my friends, is good news for us because there’s little to no competition and you don’t have to get up early and hit the pavement.

In addition to yard sales being a good place to look for bargains, flea markets (bazaars, rummage sales) are an excellent source of memorabilia. Plus, you’ll find a far greater amount of merchandise for sale albeit at a higher price than a yard sale because vendors have to pay for space to sell their goods.

Recently, I hit a bunch of yard sales within a 10-15 mile radius. I began by searching garage sale listings on www.craigslist.com. If you’re unfamiliar with this site, here are the steps to locating sales near you. 1. Select your state if you live in the US or country if you don’t. 2. Choose the city or region closest to you. 3. Under the headline For Sale, click on garage sale. Listings are posted in order of newest to oldest. If you’d like to narrow down your search, use the Search for box at the top of the page and type “Disney” or whatever keyword you desire. This will shorten the list to only those ads posted containing your keyword.

Other websites that list yard sales:
http://www.yardsalesearch.com/
http://www.garagesalestracker.com/
http://www.findmyyardsale.com/http://www.yardsaleportal.com/

If you live in Southern California, look up the weekly yard sale from the TV hit, Clean House. I once saw an episode where the homeowner had a huge assortment of Disney figurines and Disneyland collectibles. I shrieked at her Disneyland 50th Anniversay bag and cursed that I couldn’t time travel back to when they filmed the episode.

Be sure to check your local newspapers both in print and online because very often the online garage sale ads are free to post and you’ll find more listed there. Your paper will also list flea markets.

I found this Incredibles ceramic bank at a yard sale. The sticker said $2.00 and I paid 50 cents for it. Here’s how: I left the bank on the table, walked up to the home owner, and said the bank was priced at $2.00, would she consider going any lower. Her response, How about 50 cents? SOLD!

Always remember to be courteous to those who’s property you’re on and ask nicely about prices. We’ve turned down folks who are downright rude and then sold the item for even less to the next person just because he/she is friendly.

Flea markets/swap meets can be indoors and outdoors at the same venue. Admission prices range from 50 cents to $5.00 with some free ones here and there. While prices may be higher than at a garage sale, there’s far more of a selection and items are generally cleaner. You can still haggle, believe me. Again, a friendly smile and tone go much further than a look of entitlement. A few years ago I found a new “Cars” party pack containing paper plates, cups, napkins, a small plastic tray, and a banner for $8.00. I thought about it while checking out the rest of the vendors. As I came back around, the wind picked up and blew a bunch of things off the seller’s table. I helped him pick it all up. Once he got everything back in order, I showed him the party pack and asked if he’d consider selling it for $5.00 and he agreed. Now, I was going to ask him that anyway it just so happened Mother Nature swung by and I’m a good kid.

Here’s another item I recently bought. At this fairly new venue, not all of the “shop” owners were at work so I went in search of someone nearby. There wasn’t a price sticker on the Coronado Springs Pepper Market plastic mug featuring The Three Caballeros. The fella asked me what I thought was a fair price. 50 cents? It needed to be washed and had some scuffing. Sure, why not. Cool, I collect The Three Caballeros.