Lynn’s eBay E-zine Volume III, Issue Number 7

‘Never Say Die!’

by Lynn A. Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions’

OK, it was the weekend before my vacation and there were only ten garage sales in the Saturday paper for the entire valley. Not good odds. But my mom and I are diehards and our motto is “Never Say Die.”

Houston had a basketball game at 10 am in Indio and I told him I would not be able to make it. He became very upset and wouldn’t look at me or answer me. I told him, “If it is that important to you, talk to me and I will make an effort.”

Instead, he had a big tear roll down his cheek. He is a Cancer baby just like me and has a hard time expressing his feelings. Our zodiac sign is known as the crab and crabs just crawl into their shells. Finally, he said “Mommy, you are going to be gone for a week. I want you to be there.”

“No problem–I will be there.”

So, my mom and I made our garage sale route based on that very important information. There was a community garage sale in Indio that started at 7 am and went until noon. We normally don’t include Indio in our route but because of Houston, we decided to head over to that one after the game.

Well, during the basketball game, Houston’s brand new ball was stolen. We spent 30 minutes trying to find it. No luck. My dad is a super sleuth just like me and he managed to get some insider information. I guess one of the mothers had said “Does this ball belong to anyone?” And when no one answered (because we were playing a game) she took it home. Well, my dad got the coach’s phone number and we were able to leave the rec center–Finally!

The Basketball with its new labeling.

Houston now has his name written in HUGE letters on the ball so that there will be no mistaking who it belongs to.

My mom and I headed out at 11:30 am and raced over to the Indio community sale. Oh my gosh–we should have been there at 7 am. There were 50 tables of items, a hot dog cart, and people already packing up. Bummer!

Whenever there is a concession stand or hot dog cart at a charity or community sale–you know you have hit the jackpot! It’s a sign that you’re going to find something great. I’m not kidding. This is serious insider information.

Another thing that I have learned from years of doing this is that what is meant to be yours is meant to be yours. You may have heard me on the Griff show talking about how I don’t pound on people’s doors at 5 am, I don’t run people over to get to items and I take it slow and steady. If you missed the Griff interview, here is a link to the recording. (I’m number nine on the page.)

Slow and Steady and Never say Die is what will make you a success. So back to the Indio Community sale. My mom and I took one quick walk around and she headed over to the concession stand for a hot dog and I grabbed a diet coke. Too much fun!

I found a set of four plates in one of the booths that were made by Warren Kimble. They were very Folk Art and Country in appearance. I had never heard of Kimble before but the lady had them priced at $10 each. Since it was the end of the sale, I asked if she would take any less? “How about $15 for all of them?” she said. Sold!

You see, these plates were meant to be mine. They had gone through four hours of a sale and had been passed over. My point is this–no matter what point it is during the sale, there will always be something worth buying. It goes back to what my grandmother taught me, “There is a sleeper in every store,” a bargain waiting for its rightful owner.