Tips for Finding New with Tags Items at Yard Sales

Friend and reader Susan (who has a great blog about her weight loss and eBaying at http://susansjourneytokeepfit.blogspot.com) found a great new-with-tags swimsuit at a thrift store and it got me to thinking about how you can often find "new with tags" ("NWT" in eBay parlance) items. I'm going to give some tips on what to look for and how to find them but first, Susan's find:

"Hi Julia,

This just sold yesterday. I bought it at my new favorite thrift store for a $1.00 and sold it for 15.00. How cool is that? It's the time of year again where summer items are really in demand and this just caught my eye being so bold and all. Swim suits should be new though who wants to buy a used one yuck..."

LOL. Neat find! Of course you can find new with tags items at thrift stores as well. But I probably have the best luck finding them at estate sales. I think that's because many of us buy some things new, then stash them in the closet or trunk and forget about them, or just never get to wearing them.

Keep your eye out for:

- new sheets, tablecloths and napkins in the linen closet at estate sales. You can often get a new sheet set for a song. I've found shrinkwrapped Williams Sonoma cotton napkins at sales.

- new clothing in the closet. You have to comb through things carefully, one at a time. Just a glance at the closet rod won't do.

This past summer, I bought one of my favorite tops at a yard sale, black and white with rounded sleeves, new with tags, from INC, International Concepts Design. I paid a fraction of retail.

I also found a new BCBG Max Azria dress that had been priced at over $300 new. I paid around $30 for it..more than most yard sale prices, but only about 10% of the original price.

Another good area to look:

- in the living room, basement and bedrooms for shrinkwrapped cd's and games. These can be easily sold on amazon.com and even shipped to amazon using their fba (fulfillment by amazon) program.

(It's actually a lot easier to spot new cd's in a long row of cd's on a shelf or bookcase..just look for that flash of shiny clear plastic on the spine).

So when you're out trolling sales this weekend, make a sport of keeping your eyes peeled for those tags. And as we move toward the end of the summer, don't forget to check retail stores for their "clearance" bins as well..sometimes the savings can be as good as at yard sales. You may score a brand new swimsuit like Susan did!