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Over the Back Fence By HANK HENRY There�s an art to yard-sale haggling From early spring to late fall, a certain segment of the community spends weekends chasing after utensils, clothing, popcorn poppers, Tupperware sets, exercise equipment, bread machines, toys and all kinds of furniture � usually snagging them for pennies on the dollar. A typical conversation might go: "How much for the man�s shirt?" "A dollar." "Will you take 50 cents?" "Well, OK." In most of the world (excluding the United States and parts of Europe), bargaining is the primary way of doing business. I once thought that Americans would prefer not to haggle, but then I retired and started walking with my wife to neighborhood garage sales and learned most folks really do love to bargain. Buying a $25 dollar shirt for a dollar or less is common. Sometimes you may get a bit more than you bargained for. A common tale in sale circles is about the woman who sold a piece of clothing only to unwittingly buy it back a couple of years later. Shortly after I retired, while I was still unaware of the protocol at yard sales, I found I needed a slide projector. Rather than stand out by the curb as I usually do while waiting for Nora to shop, I ventured into a sale looking for a projector and found one right away. The machine was probably 20 or more years old, but everything on it worked. The price tag said $2. I couldn�t believe that a device that could do all the work of a new $100 projector was selling for $2. Being a country bumpkin, I gave the lady considerably more than the sale price. I somehow felt that to do otherwise would be cheating. I know the routine better now, but Nora does the bargaining. I still go with Nora to garage sales on Fridays and Saturdays during the warmer months, not as a buyer but as the pusher of our grandson Franklin�s stroller while Nora and our daughter-in-law Karen walk ahead. On these weekend jaunts I�ve made a couple of observations: Savvy buyers will show up at 7 a.m. even though the ad in the paper says the sale will open at 9 a.m. They know a good percentage of those holding sales will give in and let them shop early. These early birds are usually professionals with ties to retailers who will buy their best finds for resale. That�s why many people who arrive at the advertised time will find that bulky items mentioned in the ad are not there. Newcomers to the game of selling out on the lawn will invariably put a hefty price tag on items and attempt to hold at those prices for at least for the first hour or two. They can�t believe that their merchandise will not sell for anywhere near the new price in a store. They will price a skirt that sold new for $25 at $7, but by day�s end will finally sell it for $2. People like to brag about the good buys they find at yard sales, but I doubt anyone will ever top the one on the East Coast that was aired a year or so ago on the PBS program, "Antiques Road Show." A woman brought in a small table and learned from an appraiser that it was a genuine antique from the 18th century that should sell for somewhere near a quarter of a million dollars. Later, after intense interest was generated by that appraisal, the woman took her table to one of the New York Auction Galleries where it was sold for about half a million dollars. Not bad for a table purchased at a yard sale for $25. There are lots of names for sales at home. A few years ago, Nora and I visited New Hampshire to look at the fall leaves. We also went to a sale and found that there they are called "Tag Sales," but I don�t remember many tags. Garage, lawn, or tag sale, it doesn�t matter. What matters is buying items for pennies that once sold for dollars. (Hank Henry is a retired Jackson County commissioner and a former radio and television announcer. Call him at 772-9055.) Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA