Two weeks ago, the village where we live in had a 2-Day Garage Sale to raise funds for the upcoming Halloween and Christmas activities in our community. The “bazaaristas” were the home owners themselves who unearthed all their rummage-ables and put them up for sale – clothes, shoes, baby items, home decors, books, gadgets, and plenty of other items. We were supposed to join the bazaar, too to free up some of our closet and storage spaces but we had no time to go over all our things and sort which ones we would like to let go so we just went there as curious customers.
Hubby and I happily bargained some clothes. He got 2 branded longsleeve polos in excellently used condition for I think P200 each (Sorry I no longer bothered to inspect his loots and take some pictures 😀 ). I, on the other hand, bought these all for P650 pesos only! (I was so happy and excited with my loots so I took pictures! 😀 )
Blazers!
Light Gray, Banana Republic (according to the seller) at P150; Stretchy blue and white stripes, China brand at P75; Moss green floral in courdoroy-like fabric, Essenxa at P75
And tops and a skirt!
Floral skirt at P50; Light blue Kamiseta collared top at P50; Black printed longsleeves at P50; Brand new Bangkok checkered polo at P200
Great steal, right? 🙂
I actually wanted to buy a pair of slightly used original Converse Chucks hi-cut in blue for Joshua at a very bargain price of only P250(!!!) but I didn’t have enough money in my wallet. Hehe! Sayang! 😦
Anyhow, I’m personally not really finicky when it comes to buying and using pre-loved items for myself specially clothes. One, it helps me save up on clothing particularly if I’m on a budget and I need to upgrade my wardrobe. I get to have nice-looking tops, blazers or pants suited to my taste without spending too much. My kuripot mantra is “Nasa nagdadala lang yan” which I also apply in buying unbranded clothes. 🙂 Two, I know there are people who have hygienic issues with using second-hand items but for me, I don’t mind. Haha! I’m jologs like that. Hehe! Seriously, I think it’s a matter of preference and that is not too much of a concern for me because I can wash the clothes thoroughly to make them fresh and clean anyway.
But I have particular preference when it comes to where I will buy pre-loved, clothes in particular. I choose to buy from the owner herself or at least someone who knows the owner of the items rather than the ukay-ukay stores where everything is “dumped” and you don’t know where the clothes came from. I’ve heard stories that some ukay-ukay clothes were owned by people who have already passed away and they make paramdam (coño levels! Haha!) to the new owners of their clothes. I think it’s Kris Aquino who told that creepy story. Scary! Hehe! I’m not closing my doors on ukay-ukay though and I think I can try scouring through racks after racks and piles after piles of clothes specially the ones that are rare to find or are overly expensive when bought from the mall like winter clothes. And maybe I can score a number of pretty dresses, tops and bottoms for just P100!
To make this post a little worthwhile, here are some tips on buying items from rummage sales based on the experience of a non-expert in getting the best ukay or pre-loved buys in town who just wants to share something 🙂 :
- Bring with you loads of patience in digging through heaps of clothes because you won’t know the golden treasure called a nice piece of clothing at a very cheap price is buried underneath.
- Get ready to get sweaty. All for some cheap treats! 😀
- Thoroughly inspect first the items you are buying just like in any other purchases that you make. But since they are pre-loved, it’s highly probable that the items you are eyeing would have stains, holes and other signs of wear and tear. However, if you really like the item, you can use its weaknesses to negotiate for a lower cost! 🙂
- Make tawad (forgive my coño-ness, please. haha!). Use your charm (batt your eyelashes if needed 😀 ) and ask for a discount. Apply your divisoria or tiangge haggling skills especially when you are buying more than one item. 😉
- Visit the garage sale on the last day towards its closing. Chances are the sellers will mark down their items just to let go of them. 😉
- If you want to try on the clothes you want to buy, go to the bazaar in your most scruffy look — not fresh and clean unless you want all the dirt to stick to your newly scrubbed skin. 😀 Just schedule your shower after going to the bazaar. 😀 (I’m not making sense anymore, I know. haha!)
That’s all folks! 🙂
Super Momma Diaries 