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Rating: 
Summary: Mishmash of the obvious, outdated advice, and some good tips
Review: Most of this book is common sense (e.g. "Refuse to pay high prices for dirty, faulty, trashy junk that a seller is promoting as antique or collectible" -- well, duh!). Unless you're brand-spanking-new to garage sales or secondhand shopping, you probably already know most of what's in this book. And I thought the whole section on how to organize your secondhand treasures was a bit weird -- don't tell me how to decorate my house, thank you! Also, since this book was published in 1995 (pre-eBay), the "Selling your treasures" section is now worthless as eBay has completely revolutionized not only the selling process but also folks' newfound realization of the worth of their junk. Some useful tips throughout (the cleaning solutions section was good), but overall, not a book worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: Mishmash of the obvious, outdated advice, and some good tips
Review: Most of this book is common sense (e.g. "Refuse to pay high prices for dirty, faulty, trashy junk that a seller is promoting as antique or collectible" -- well, duh!). Unless you're brand-spanking-new to garage sales or secondhand shopping, you probably already know most of what's in this book. And I thought the whole section on how to organize your secondhand treasures was a bit weird -- don't tell me how to decorate my house, thank you! Also, since this book was published in 1995 (pre-eBay), the "Selling your treasures" section is now worthless as eBay has completely revolutionized not only the selling process but also folks' newfound realization of the worth of their junk. Some useful tips throughout (the cleaning solutions section was good), but overall, not a book worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: Promises more than it delivers
Review: Oh, dear. This book is like a poorly run rummage sale or overpriced thrift store -- dig around and you might find a gem or two, but overall it isn't worth the effort. It might be good for people who have never dared to set food in a thrift store or garage sale, but for anyone with a modicum of thrifting experience (and who else is going to be reading this?), the information is far too general and obvious. In trying to be fair, the author can't make up his mind whether, for example, you should or should not buy treasures (and they're always "treasures") you don't need, giving arguments for and against in different sections. What can you do with a guy who thinks you should definitely buy wire hangers ("It's always good to have extra hangers on hand and, sometimes, plastic-coated hangers just won't work") and yarn ("Consider buying a box of bargain yarn to have on hand for friends who knit or crochet while they are recovering from an illness") but doesn't understand vinyl ("Quantities of records are disappearing from secondhand marketplaces, but I'm not sure who is buying them. Antiques dealers don't seem interested,") and insists, "Every household should have a Cabbage Patch doll ... Keep the dolls in mind as gift ideas." However, if you want reinforcement to help recruit a friend who has never thrifted, this is a friendly and folksy book that does make it seem fun, and the author certainly speaks from experience ... oh, never mind, go straight to Al Hoff's info-packed, fun, and campy book "Thrift Score: The Stuff, the Method, the Madness!" instead.
Rating:
Summary: Promises more than it delivers
Review: Oh, dear. This book is like a poorly run rummage sale or overpriced thrift store -- dig around and you might find a gem or two, but overall it isn't worth the effort. It might be good for people who have never dared to set food in a thrift store or garage sale, but for anyone with a modicum of thrifting experience (and who else is going to be reading this?), the information is far too general and obvious. In trying to be fair, the author can't make up his mind whether, for example, you should or should not buy treasures (and they're always "treasures") you don't need, giving arguments for and against in different sections. What can you do with a guy who thinks you should definitely buy wire hangers ("It's always good to have extra hangers on hand and, sometimes, plastic-coated hangers just won't work") and yarn ("Consider buying a box of bargain yarn to have on hand for friends who knit or crochet while they are recovering from an illness") but doesn't understand vinyl ("Quantities of records are disappearing from secondhand marketplaces, but I'm not sure who is buying them. Antiques dealers don't seem interested,") and insists, "Every household should have a Cabbage Patch doll ... Keep the dolls in mind as gift ideas." However, if you want reinforcement to help recruit a friend who has never thrifted, this is a friendly and folksy book that does make it seem fun, and the author certainly speaks from experience ... oh, never mind, go straight to Al Hoff's info-packed, fun, and campy book "Thrift Score: The Stuff, the Method, the Madness!" instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very useful.
Review: The information covered is not really very practical for someone interested in collectibles or semi-antiques. Options such as checking trash was not what I was looking for.
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