You wake yourself up at the crack of dawn to go garage sale hopping and what are you welcomed with? Signs that are extremely small and nearly impossible to read.

We have all seen these types of signs throughout our trips but every once in a while you see a sign that stands out above all of the rest. One that can be seen from a few blocks away. A sign that pulls you towards it like an unnatural force. Well this sign to the left is not necessary one of those, but it did a lot better job than most.

I was able to clear spot this sign and arrow from a quite a bit away, giving me plenty of time to merge to the right lane. The lettering stands about 6 inches I would say and while most people would recommend having your garage sale with atleast 3 inch lettering, this is the case where the bigger than writing, the better.

Is analyzing garage sale signs a stupid thing to do? Maybe so, but if one seller was to find examples of good and bad signs and they decide to make a great looking one, then its all worth it. I'm putting my foot down and demanding that sellers begin to create better and clearer signs.

All garage sale hunters should certainly go hunting with a limit in mind. This is just good practice with any purchases however what happens when you find an item at a garage sale that you'd would love to take home but just don't have the budget for it? Ultimately, there is little you can do but whats stopping you from leaving your contact information for the seller to contact you if the item does not sell and they are willing to lower their price? Nothing.

It is not uncommon to see prices from a garage sale drop dramatically as the day goes on. The seller wants these items gone and if their price was too high throughout the day or simply was not an item that buyers were looking for, the seller is going to have to drag it back into their home or to their curb. Sellers are going to want to make as much money as they can but when it comes down to making nothing, they are likely willing to take a low offer.

This is where leaving your contact information comes into play. Simply giving the seller your name and phone number may result in you getting that item you wanted at a drastically lower price. Now the item may sell as normal and you may be out of luck, but it cant hurt to try this easy task. Try it on your next hunting and report back if you were successful.

Deciding to sell your unwanted stuff - anything from the snowboots you wore in college to the scratched frying pan your mom used for omelets - ought to be simple. But acknowledging that you'll never use these things again requires acknowledging the passage of time, a difficult thing in our youth-obsessed society.

John D. Schroeder, author of "Garage Sale Fever!," advises sorting your possessions gradually over several months, gathering unwanted items in one location. Late winter and early spring can be the perfect time to comb your closets and cupboards in preparation for a spring yard sale. "You can take a couple of weeks to price it, or price stuff as you find it," he says. "It doesn't have to be work if you string it out over a long time."

Pricing can be the trickiest step.

Yard-sale shoppers want bargains, so prices must be kept low. "People come wanting to spend a quarter or two dollars," Rosson says.

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The majority of garage sales are going to be selling some form of clothing. Whether it be pants, shirts or coats, there is one thing that is a must. You must wash these clothes. In fact, you are more likely to sell clothing if they have that freshly washed smell of laundry detergent. No one wants to purchase something that they know is dirty and may turn something down that otherwise would have sold.

On another note, while putting each of these into the wash, check the pockets. Money and other things are left in pockets all of the time and then put through the wash. Normally this wouldnt be that big of a deal but seeing as you looking to sell such items, you dont want to be giving someone free money that was left in the pocket. Always check the pockets!

The sole survivor of a yard sale shooting spree is speaking publicly for the first time. The teen who shot her pled guilty last month to avoid a trial for murdering two people.

Debbie Strasburger was wounded. Her son and neighbor were shot and killed. You'd think she would be full of anger and hatred, but instead she said she is blessed and has a new appreciation for life.

Debbie was shot in the hand, head and abdomen. She no longer has full use of her right hand and she's blind in her left eye. She believes the only reason she survived was because of her son, "He came running down the hall, screaming 'Leave her alone.' I was still sitting up, for him to see me like that, he probably thought I was dead."

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After a nearly two-year absence, the flea market formerly known as the World's Greatest Garage Sale returns to the Venice Community Center today.

For more than 10 years, Venice residents enjoyed attending this popular event at the VCC where fellow community members set up tables offering a wide variety of merchandise for sale.

From jewelry to linens, antiques to popular electronics -- shoppers could find it all at the World's Greatest Garage Sale. They could even stop for a hot dog at the concession stand and shop to tune of live organ music.

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Like so many families who find their homes overrun by clutter, we had fought back by staging a yard sale. Throughout that day, strangers and neighbors perused bits of our past - some trivial and some deeply nostalgic - offering a dollar, maybe five, to take possession.

It was cathartic. It was profitable. And it was much harder work than we'd expected.

Holding a lucrative and efficient sale takes planning, patience and a willingness to let go of the miscellany that clogs your basement or attic.

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I have to admit, I have been slacking. Slacking in the sense of not being able to get any garage sales over the past couple of weekends. This last weekend however, I made a point to get out and see what people were offering, and I am certainly glad I did.

Our first stop brought us to a small children's table that will work great for my son when he gets a bit older. It needs a bit of work and customization but for $3, it was a great find. My wife is going to add a bit of flair to it by removing the current table top and replacing it with a custom Disney printed top that will certainly make it more personal to my son and should go well with his Disney room.

Speaking of Disney, our other great finds consisted of many Disney books. The books were:

• Show white sound board
  
• Tigger's Family Tree
  
• Eeyore Finds Friends
  
• Oh, Brother! Somebody's Grumpy!
  
• Pooh's Christmas in the Hundred-Acre Wood
  
• The Christmas Carol
  
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone
  
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  
• Treasure Hunt Mazes (didn't realize was half completed)

To follow everything up, I came across some old green plastic army men. There are toys that every boy seems to have sometime throughout his life and green army men seem to be one of them. My son has quite a while before they would be safe for him, but I think they will work well at my office desk for now.

What can you say wrong about this sign? It is likely the best example of a garage sale sign that I have seen in quite some time. The sign stands about 4 feet tall and with an arrow about 3 feet long, its hard to miss this sale.

A garage sale sign this big and impressive immediately made me thing that they must have garage sales often. After talking with the sale owner, this was confirmed. They in fact have sales every couple of months and they have found it worthwhile to spend the extra minutes and money to create a great looking sign. They confirmed that since the sign was made, they have seen a huge increase in traffic and sales. This just goes to show you that you need to spend the extra few minutes and it should certainly pay off.

I frequently am told or overhear tips that I have never heard or thought of before. These tips are definitely things that sellers should be thinking about simply because these are your average customer making opinions on past experiences. Don't make yourself look like a bad seller, heed the warning.

• Put that cell phone aside and stay off it.
  
• Price everything.
  
• Cut your grass.
  
• Keep your dog inside or locked away.
  
• Make your items look presentable.
  
• Don't stand out in your pajamas.
  

  Any others that you readers can think of?