Garage Sales Unhinged

Welcome to "Garage Sales Unhinged", the podcast where we are talking about weird and wonderful characters, finds, and vibes at garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Reddit. Everywhere and anywhere that you might find a second hand purchase and some wheeling and dealing.

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94 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes94

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Yesterday · 23 min
Painted Tree Fiasco
Hosts Julie and Jake of “Garage Sales Unhinged” share a gossipy story about Painted Tree, a vendor-mall operator where vendors rented booth space while store employees handled sales for a cut. After the company was sold to new ownership in September 2025, vendors and local managers were abruptly notified around April 12, 2026 that all stores were shutting down immediately, with some vendors given only that day or until Friday to retrieve inventory. Many vendors reportedly received no rent refunds, no sales payouts, and some lost inventory if they couldn’t pick it up; managers were left without guidance and some worked unpaid. Painted Tree reportedly hadn’t paid taxes for months and planned to file bankruptcy, leaving vendors to seek recourse through courts.
July 28 · 29 min
Pawn or Loan at Pawn Shops
Julie explains a Wall Street Journal article about pawn shop chains serving the K-shaped economy, where higher-income consumers remain comfortable while lower-income individuals struggle with essentials. Jake and Julie then discuss how pawn shops buy and resell luxury goods like Hermès Birkin bags and how pawn loans work, including typical loan sizes, collateral value offered (about 10–60%), and an example yielding a 121% APR. They compare pawn loans with payday loans and credit cards, noting pawn loans don’t require bank access and can be used by people without credit.
July 21 · 30 min
Does a discretionary purchase change you?
Julie and Jake riff on buying restaurant polos at Goodwill to sneak into places like Applebee’s for appetizers, noting the security issues of employee apparel being resold. Jake discusses regularly checking an online auction site where he buys cheap essentials like unopened toilet paper, alongside impractical temptations like samurai swords, prompting a conversation about self-awareness and why people buy things. Julie, a minimalist, admits to impulse buys like a large dentist mouth model meant to be funny, framing purchases as aspirational or identity-shaping.
July 14 · 15 min
Nashville Woman Finds Jewelry in Suitcase
Hosts Julie and Jake discuss unexpected “extras” found in secondhand purchases, focusing on books with notes in the margins (“marginalia”). Julie shares a Nashville-area news story about a woman who bought a suitcase at a yard sale for $5–$10 and later found jewelry inside—an engagement ring soldered to a wedding ring, David Yurman pieces, and more—possibly worth tens of thousands of dollars. They debate what someone should do in that situation and the ethics of underpriced secondhand finds.
July 7 · 25 min
Fancy Goodies at the Estate Sale
Hosts Julie and Jake, co-hosts of Garage Sales Unhinged, chat about their weekends: Julie attended a duo birthday/pool party and Jake, who usually sticks to online auctions, detours to a nearby first-day estate sale. They discuss some of the estate sale items, including a tall Art Nouveau-style floor vase, an immaculate baby grand piano, elephant figurines, an electric organ, and a butter-colored Bach bust.
June 30 · 26 min
Muzak for Shopping and Buying
Hosts Julie and Jake introduce “Garage Sales Unhinged” and banter about music’s effect on shopping behavior and how garage, yard, and estate sale hosts can use it to shape atmosphere and encourage buying. Julie cites research showing slower-tempo music increased sales by 38% by making shoppers slow down and linger, and shares that 59% of younger customers stay longer in stores when they enjoy the music. They discuss Muzak’s origins and its non-confrontational, lyric-light style, plus copyright limits for businesses versus personal yard sales. They cover genres that promote purchasing (pop, rock, alternative, classical) and match music to sale themes.
June 23 · 21 min
Side Quests in Garage Sale Prep
Julie and Jake discuss the World’s Longest Garage Sale, a nearly 700-mile event through Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, happening August 6–9. Julie recounts an article about a vendor preparing for the sale who, while sorting long-stored boxes, got derailed by “side quests,” found help from neighbors, and faced rain that reduced traffic. The hosts reflect on clutter, moving, and how objects trigger memories, arguing for more mindful keeping and decluttering.
June 16 · 32 min
Texoma Trade Days
Podcast hosts Julie and Jake describe a field report from Texoma Trade Days, held at a run-down, mostly abandoned “ghost mall” with an eerie backrooms vibe. They recount meeting a wide variety of vendors—from casual yard-sale style setups to curated booths—and talking with longtime resellers and people who transitioned from corporate careers, emphasizing how secondhand markets help reconnect with community. Julie buys three items: an oversized dental model mouth she plans to turn into wall art (possibly with a gold tooth and tongue), a D.A.R.E. button that sparks memories of the school anti-drug program and its officer-led presentations, and a dozen unwashed farm-fresh eggs, prompting an explanation of why unwashed eggs can sit out and how refrigeration helps for poaching. They also note vintage childhood items, old tech like an eight-inch floppy disk and a Nokia brick phone, Star Wars-themed suit, and unsettling war memorabilia.
June 9 · 28 min
The Mountain States Collector newsletter
Julie shares a print newspaper she found in Colorado: The Mountain States Collector, covering antiques and the secondhand market. She highlights an article by DeDe Horan on unusual postcard categories collectors seek (e.g., stilts, rolling pins, hot dogs, lawn mowers, tarpon fish) and encourages subscribing and using it as a local events resource. The Mountain States Collector online = https://mountainstatescollector.com/
June 2 · 27 min
Nature is calling at the garage sale
Julie and Jake discuss a real yard-sale dilemma: what to do when you urgently need the bathroom while shopping at someone’s home. Jake says he’d leave to find a nearby public restroom rather than ask the homeowner. Julie describes planning ahead by using restrooms between stops, notes differences for women, mentions adult briefs as an option, and recommends Home Depot and Lowe’s for cleaner bathrooms. They discuss whether sale hosts should allow restroom use (generally no, except possibly for kids), and the etiquette of asking sellers to hold items briefly while you run to the restroom.
May 26 · 33 min
How long is too long for a garage sale?
Jake brings up an Edmonton man running a garage sale for three consecutive months that neighbors call an eyesore and are complaining about, prompting a discussion of rules around sale duration and permits. Julie explains that in Texas, even without municipal permitting, state law limits homeowners to no more than three sales in a 12-month cycle or they may be treated as a business, and notes a weekend sale counts as one. They share practical garage-sale tactics, end-of-day discounting, using a free box, donating leftovers, and briefly discuss haggling at local shops.
May 19 · 35 min
Mega Cul-de-sac Garage Sale Event
Julie tells Jake about spotting a sign for five coordinated garage sales on a nearby cul-de-sac and visiting three of them, meeting neighbors and hearing about a massive ornate hutch left by previous owners. For $8 total, she buys a hand-painted piggy bank, an unopened 500-piece Dowdle downtown Nashville puzzle, the book “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”, and three half-moon wicker wall decor pieces to use outdoors.
March 31 · 15 min
The PriceMaster of Denton, Texas
Julie announces the season four finale of “Garage Sales Unhinged,” noting she and Jake will take a few weeks off and return in May. Julie recaps how the podcast was started and wanted a show celebrating the secondhand sales market. The episode focuses on “The PriceMaster,” a viral Denton, Texas performance-art yard sale from about 25 years ago in which a costumed “mystic” amplified with reverb shouted absurd prices, frustrating or amusing unsuspecting serious shoppers. They discuss reflections on how secondhand markets expose the arbitrariness of value.
March 24 · 13 min
National Garage Sale Day
Julie shares that National Garage Sale Day is observed on the second Saturday in August (August 8, 2026), sometimes allowing permit-free sales in certain municipalities and encouraging coordinated neighborhood sales. Julie explains it began in 2001, created by C. Daniel Rhodes of Alabama, who also founded other unofficial holidays, and notes that people can check local rules for permit waivers and plan to shop. Julie and Jake also discuss National Thrift Shop Day on August 17, when thrift stores may offer deals.
March 17 · 37 min
Online Auction Odyssey
Julie and Jake chat about an online auction site (TexasOnlineAuctionHouse.com), how bidding works (waiting until near closing and the timer resetting), and the logistics of local pickup. They describe the mix of lots—contractor supplies, storage-unit finds, estate sales—and mention preview (“purview”) hours. Julie shares she’s watching/bidding on a mini projector for mural tracing, a telescope kit to leave at friends’ dark-sky property, and a button maker for conference swag. Jake jokes about bidding on items like a collapsible baton, a Chinese meat cleaver, and a katana.
March 10 · 20 min
The Garage Sale Arbitrage Economy
Hosts Julie and Jake discuss “arbitrage” as it applies to reselling items from estate sales, thrift stores, and garage sales for profit. Julie shares research from Reddit suggesting many part-time resellers average about $12,000 a year, while experienced sellers with a following can reach six figures, but only after building systems and community. They break down why profits are less straightforward than they seem, factoring in purchase price targets (often 10–20% of resale value), shipping, storage, platform fees, laundering/repairs, and the time it takes to sell. They note that lack of expertise can lead to losses or hoarding, using examples like mispricing Pokémon cards or buying replica collectibles such as milk glass. Julie explains book reselling via Amazon, including scanning ISBNs to check market value and how shipping can erase margins, and recommends mentorship, niche specialization, and leveraging existing knowledge. They reference First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas (started in 1850; over 100 acres; up to 6,000 vendors) as an example of specialized vendor niches.
March 3 · 32 min
The Ethics of Holding Onto Others' Belongings
Hosts Julie and Jake discuss an ethical question: what to do when you find items in your possession that belong to someone else and might have resale or emotional value. Jake reveals he has Julie’s vintage metal Disney lunchbox from elementary school, complete with her name on it, displayed in his house; they discuss whether value changes the obligation to return it. Julie shares similar situations, including a communal nacho cheese machine and movie-theater popcorn machine stored in her attic from her husband’s old parties. They conclude that if you discover something that isn’t yours while preparing for a garage/estate sale, it’s best to contact the owner before getting rid of it, especially if it may have sentimental attachment.
February 24 · 19 min
The Tools of Secondhand Treasure Hunting
Julie and Jake joke about "treasure hunting" as piracy, including pirate gear and the chaos of parrots, before Julie shares a college experience working with macaws at a local zoo and describes their size, aggression, and enrichment activities. The conversation shifts to practical tools for secondhand treasure hunting, including two types of tape measures (construction and flexible fashion), magnets and a jeweler’s loupe for identifying metals and jewelry markings, assorted batteries for testing electronics, a screwdriver for accessing compartments or inspecting items like lamps, latex gloves for dust and germs, and a UV light for checking clothing and identifying uranium glass that glows green. They conclude that the right tools depend on what you’re shopping for.
February 17 · 27 min
Adventures in Estate Sales
In this episode of Garage Sales Unhinged, Julie recounts her recent estate sale exploration, where she found vintage scarves, an essential curling iron, and a vintage fur coat for her mother. She also describes her strategy for navigating estate sales and hunting for unique items.
February 10 · 19 min
US Vintage Items Overseas
In this episode of 'Garage Sales Unhinged,' hosts Julie and Jake share humorous and heartwarming stories, including a fascinating tale about a high school letter jacket found in a Japanese vintage store. The duo delves into the emotional impact of rediscovering personal items from the past and discusses the quirks of international vintage markets.