Yard Sale Savvy: Tough Times Lead to Tougher Sells

More and more Americans are shopping, and selling, at yard sales during the tough economic times.

(ABCNEWS.com)

Yard Sales on the Rise: 'I Brought My Life Outside'

Across the country, the number of garage sale ads on the classified Internet site Craigslist has doubled from last year.

"This year it's incredible the amount of people we had. … It's been just crazy," said Wendy Gidardo, who lives north of Tampa in Magnolia Estates, a community that didn't exist four years ago. It is a microcosm of so many of the country's neighborhoods.

Home prices in Magnolia Estates skyrocketed and then plummeted and many there are in trouble. Ten homes are now in foreclosure.

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"I think people need money and they are selling what they can to survive," said Tom Hodges, the neighborhood president. "I don't see it stopping till the housing market is corrected."

But it's not just the housing market, it's the job market too. Beth Antonelli lost her job in January, then nearly lost her house. Now she works garage sales, scouring them for good deals.

"We start really early and by about 3 we are usually done for the day," she said.

"I do buy and resell things at times. I have been dabbling in the Craigslist and eBay and reselling things so I can be home with the kids and contribute to bills as well."

So now these garage sales are no longer about just cleaning out the garage. Kay Dobe made about $600. "But I had larger items," she said. "I had furniture, larger items." Dobe will use the cash to help pay her bills.