Things I Would Never Buy Used at a Texas Garage Sale

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine who owns a local business needed some speakers for his shop. I thought I had exactly what he needed tucked away in my storage building, but after digging around, I couldn't find them. Then my other friend JR called. He had just been to a garage sale where a guy was selling a bunch of stereo equipment.

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I asked the important question: “Did he have speakers?” He did.

So off I went, and sure enough, there were the speakers my friend needed.

But while I was there, I started looking around at some of the other things being sold, and it reminded me that there are certain things I personally would never buy used at a garage sale.

Used Shoes Are Where I Draw the Line

This guy had probably 15 pairs of sneakers, tennis shoes, gym shoes, whatever you want to call them. Some looked almost new, but more than half definitely had some miles on them. And no, before you ask, I did not pick them up and smell them.

Maybe it is just me, but used shoes fall into that hygiene category where I would rather spend the extra money and buy my own pair NEW.

The same goes for used undergarments, swimsuits, pillows, and certain bedding. Clothing like jeans or jackets doesn't bother me nearly as much if it's clean and in good shape.

My Mother Was the Queen of West Texas Garage Sales

My mother, Alice, absolutely loved garage sales. Every Saturday morning we could drive past one, and she'd immediately say, “Stop! They've got exactly what I've been looking for.”

I would laugh and say, “Mom, you can't even see what they're selling from here.” But somehow, she usually found something.

God rest her soul, I miss those Saturday mornings. I would give anything to drive her around to one more garage sale.

And knowing Mom, before we even pulled into the driveway, she'd probably tell me, “They've got exactly what I've been looking for.”

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