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REI Garage Sale, Is it really worth going?

[ 3 ] June 14, 2010 | Derek

Are the REI Garage Sales really worth going to? YES!!!

I absolutely love these things. I’ve packed up my family and friends just to drag them all over the state in order to attend these one day events. We’ve been to the Sacramento, Fresno, Encinitas, Folsom, Stockton, Roseville and Rancho Cucamonga REI Garage Sales just to name a few.

If you haven’t gone to one of these you are missing out my friends.

So what is an REI Garage Sale? First off, hopefully you’re familiar with REI, which is one of the biggest and baddest motha’s out there. REI, Recreational Equipment, INC., is the adventurers go to store. They have everything for every type of trip, vacation and adventure. Although I haven’t seen it, I’m pretty sure they’ve got what you need to make lunar landing and moon walk stashed away somewhere in the store.

These stores are huge and conduct a lot of business. Well, with all that business there are bound to be lots of returns from people who were unsatisfied with their new purchase for one reason or another. REI responds by yelling at the return-er, “Fine, you didn’t like it, but someone else will and guess what. We’re going to sell it to them for a fraction of what you paid for it! Take that!”

OK, they don’t yell or get hostile at all, but they do put that returned item in a guarded room where it rests, nestled comfortably in a big heavenly pile of goodies that I can only dream about swimming in. That pile of returned stuff builds and builds until REI hosts their quarterly garage sale.

On the date of the garage sale you will find all the items that have been returned, selling for a fraction of the original cost. Usually 50% – 90% off the original price.

Sounds like an awesome deal right? Well it is and everyone wants in on it.

100’s of people show up to these events and even though the event is posted to last from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, the reality is that this thing is usually over in about 30 minutes.

What’s that mean? It means that you want to be strategically placed somewhere towards the front of the line in order to get your hands on all the good stuff.

To get a good spot in line, expect to show up at around 5:30 – 6:00 am.

In the video that we posted here, I had asked the person that was at the very front of the line what time he had shown up…….. “7:00 P.M the night before” was his answer.

So a couple things you should remember:

Show up as early as possible to get a spot in line. Expect to hang out with some really good people for about 5 hrs. prior to the event starting
You have to be an REI member to participate, which means you just have to pay the $20 lifetime enrollment fee. Very much worth it!
If you see something you like, but someone has already snagged it, just follow them around. There’s a good chance they might decide they didn’t want it after all
Protect your stuff!! Don’t leave your goods unattended or else its sayonara. You’ll never see that stuff again.
Come with a good attitude, meet lots of great people and have a good time.

Comments (3)

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Heidi says:

June 15, 2010 at 8:16 pm

I too have experienced these amazing garage sales and let me tell you…they’re fantastic. My husband and I scored some great gear for more than 60% off the original purchase price.
Derek says:

June 15, 2010 at 9:18 pm

Heidi, thanks for responding! I just can’t believe that so many people haven’t heard of this fantastic event.

Our favorite gear for cheap!, I’m in!!
Andrea Rowe says:

June 16, 2010 at 10:15 am

They are amazing! You’re only creating more competition by spreading the word…gonna have to get there even earlier now

Andrea
http://www.earthfirstlawncare.com