Whether you're furnishing a nursery or building a wardrobe, tag sales (also called garage sales or yard sales) and resale shops, including those from Goodwill Industries and The Salvation Army, can save you a bundle.

Does this go against the advice to buy high quality items? Not necessarily. Just because an item is being sold at a tag sale or resale shop doesn't mean it isn't a high-quality item.

The mere fact that the item has lasted long enough to be worn by someone until it no longer fit or went out of fashion or the person became bored with it points to the fact that this is a long-lasting product. Cheaply made products don't usually end up at tag sales and resale shops — instead, they get thrown out.

Some low-quality items do appear, however, so you need to know a couple of tricks for shopping at tag sales and resale shops. These techniques are discussed in the following sections.

Preparing a Shopping List Ahead of Time

If you just go to browse, you're likely to end up buying something that you don't need; even the deepest discount isn't a bargain if you don't need the item. Before you leave home, determine your needs and put them down on paper — and then don't buy anything that's not on your list, no matter how wonderful or how cheap it is.

Purchasing High-Quality, Undamaged Products

If you're interested in an item, pick it up and carry it with you. If you're not sure you want it and don't pick it up, it's liable to be gone when you go back to look for it, especially at a tag sale. At large resale shops like Goodwill Industries and The Salvation Army, you may never again find that blue shirt among the hundreds of blue shirts they stock.

After you've looked at everything you're interested in, turn to the items you've been carrying. Look closely at any product before buying it. Examine it for damage of any sort; turn it over and inside out to see whether it's cheaply made or is something that will last a while. keep in mind that even buying a $2 chair or a $1 pair of pants isn't a good deal if it breaks or rips the first time you use it.

Consider Haggling — or Not

A lot of people haggle at garage sales. Most people holding the sales expect it, but the choice is up to you. You may save a few bucks, but the person having the garage sale is also trying to make some money, so if the marked price seems acceptable to you, pay it.

Winning at Auctions

If there's an item you've been looking for but can't quite afford, get yourself over to an online auction site (such as eBay) to see whether anyone is offering it at less-than-retail value. You can search for items by keywords (better than browsing, which is too tempting), and you may be given two options: An option to submit a bid, and an option to buy it immediately at a set price. If that buy-it-now price is lower than what you'd pay elsewhere, be sure to check what the shipping and handling charges will be.

If you decide to bid on an item, be sure to utilize the automatic bidding function, that will keep electronically raising your bid until you reach your highest price. This will keep you from having to be notified each time someone outbids you; it also forces you to set your highest price well in advance, so that you don't get caught up in a bidding euphoria and blow your budget. If you're afraid you'll be tempted to bid higher than the limit you originally set, be sure to be away from e-mail in the final minutes before the auction expires.