Myth #1: "Stuff at garage sales has all been used." Used items like porcelain, glass, silverware and clothing can simply be washed or dry cleaned. Many items found at garage sales still have the tags on them.

Myth #2: "Stuff is dirty."
Since people tend to pay more for nicer looking items, most sellers clean up their merchandise. If you can’t stand the dirt, bring rubber gloves, then wash your finds when you get home.

Myth #3: "I can get what I want online."
Online purchases often require extended waits, extra charges for tax and shipping, and even higher prices if you get caught in bidding wars.

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The thrill of the hunt and that fabulous feeling of landing a great deal! That's what runs in the blood of garage sale junkies.

The season's nearly here and NBC 10's Tracy Davidson has some tips to help you bargain like a pro.

Garage sales and flea markets are the best places to hone your bargaining skills.

Here are four tips now from SmartMoney.com to help you bargain like a pro:

First and foremost -- do a little research!

You won't overpay or insult anyone with too low a price if you know what the going rate is for your must-have item!

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Garage sales soon will sprout as quickly as daffodils.

A garage sale can be an effective way to unclutter a home and make money. Planning and the right mind-set will help pull off a successful sale, experts say.

"Have a variety of things geared to people with young children, something to appeal to men and decorating things for the home, kitchen or bath for women," says Liz Thiner of Sioux Falls, a seasoned garage sale operator.

Everything is important, including the date for the sale.

People tend to have more money at the beginning of the month so have a sale on a non-holiday weekend near a payday such as the first or the 15th of the month, says the Web site ehow.com.

If you don't have enough stuff, ask friends, neighbors and relatives if they want to hold a neighborhood rummage to drum up more business, Thiner says. "The more stuff the better the sale," she says.

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There's a horde out there that prowls the streets on weekends, searching for signs that flutter on poles, classified ads and Internet postings, and arrows pointing to bargains.

With any luck, you'll be one of their targets.

Spring officially starts Monday, so that must mean it's garage sale season.

Garage or yard sales may not seem worth the trouble to some, but they can be a very effective tool for getting rid of clutter and making a little money in the process — if you do it right.

Holding a garage sale is just like opening a little store, says author John Schroeder, whose book "Garage Sale Fever!" was released last May.

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The Associated Press

EAST STROUDSBURG -- One deal she made at her daughter's moving sale woke Sarah Volpe with a start at 3 a.m. "It dawned on me. O, my God. I think I sold my son-in-law's ashes," she said.

Her daughter Jane Hanlon's husband loved eagles so much that when Brian Hanlon died of cancer three years ago, Jane had some of his ashes placed in a black eagle statuette about 10 inches high.

Hanlon left the eagle on the fireplace mantle with some of the items for sale, and Volpe said she had forgotten the statuette also served as an interment urn. Now she is trying to find a "very, very sweet" brown-haired woman who bought it for $30.

Volpe ran a classified ad under "garage sales" hoping the buyer would read it. Meanwhile, Jane said she doesn't blame her mother. "It was my fault I left it out. Do a lot of people sell their husband?" she said. "It's not really funny, but I've been trying to make a joke out of it all day."

Story via Centre Daily Times

We never leave our houses without pants or shorts on, right? With that in mind, before you walk outside to begin your garage sale, you need to be prepared. Here is a list of necessary items that will make life easier as a seller.

• Always have change! Whichever denomination you want is up to you but you need to have a lot of it. Unless you are planning on selling everything for an even dollar amount, this is a must.
• Recycle those old grocery bags. Whether they are plastic or paper, use them to bag multiple items that someone may purchase.
• Keep your money safe with an apron or fanny pack. In addition to making sure no one runs off with your money, it will allow you to walk around your sale without having to go back to the money table.
• Have batteries available for testing items such as toys. Electrical sockets and extension cords are very useful as well.
• Place a garbage can near the entrance of your sale. This will help ensure people are not throwing trash into your yard.

BARGAINING IS ONE of those necessary life skills that so many of us lack.

Americans tend to be weak on this front because it's a skill we rarely use, says Reid Bramblett, a travel expert and founder of Reid's Guides. Sure, we bargain at the car dealership and during job negotiations. But for the most part, the price on the tag is the price we pay.

Unfortunately, this means we often overpay. And when traveling abroad, this weakness could be viewed as downright insulting. "It almost annoys the vendors," says Bramblett. "They would rather it be the proper social interaction."

Here are some tips on how to bargain with confidence:

• Conduct research. Know what the going rate is for an item before you go shopping, advises Anna Wallner, co-author of "The Shopping Bags," a shopping guide. This will help you to fix a price in your mind of what you're willing to pay.
• Let the seller be the first to name a price. You're at a disadvantage if you're the first to attach a dollar sign, our experts agree. After all, the seller might immediately agree, which means you've bid too high, says Bramblett.
• Don't get attached. Appearing too interested in an item tells the merchant that he's going to make that sale whether he bargains with you or not.
• Carry small bills and change. "For a seller, it's annoying when someone bargains you down to $1 and then pays with a $50 bill," says Randy Lyman, co-author of "Garage Sale Gourmet," a shopper's guide. Having a few small bills to pull out can give you leverage by setting a maximum price: "Gee, I only have two fives. Would you take $10 instead of $15?"

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Perry’s downtown business community is gearing up for Georgia’s longest yard sale, expected to attract thousands of visitors from across the state this weekend, according to a local tourism official.

The Second Annual Peaches to the Beaches Yard Sale is set to continue through Sunday, stretching some 172 miles along the Golden Isles Parkway, U.S. 341.

Sheila Jones, executive director of the Perry Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she hopes Peaches to the Beaches will be a boon for local business.

Jones said Peaches to the Beaches was modeled after “The World’s Longest Yard Sale,” stretching along U.S. 127 some 450 miles from Kentucky to Alabama.

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Late winter can be the perfect time to comb your closets and cupboards in preparation for a spring yard sale, according to John D. Schroeder, author of "Garage Sale Fever!" So now is when folks should start eyeing a house full of junk as a potential money maker.

Schroeder suggests sorting possessions gradually over several months, gathering unwanted items in one location.

"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."

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It's been a long time since my father and I opened up our dusty garage to the picking hands of our community.

Years ago, I'd slip rather snuggly into my purple Levi's. But when I saw they were dramatically above my ankles, I knew it was time to go our separate ways. My poor Levi's were going to a garage sale.

My dad and I sorted through crates of stuffed animals and Barbies that just weren't as cool as they used to be. They too would be joining my Levi's.

But this wasn't your typical garage sale. This one was Arizona's biggest garage sale.

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