Let me help you buy smarter at online and off-line yard sales with a few great tips:

1. The early bird gets the worm . . . shop early for the best selection and possibly a bargain. You never know what you might find!

2. Don't dress to impress, you're at a yard sale, so wear comfortable clothing and footwear.

3. Most yard sales aren't going to accept your Monopoly money or personal cheques. Try to carry a bunch of change and small bills such as $5 and $10, along with a couple of $20 for those hard-to-find expensive items.

4. Don't act like a bargain hunter, BE a bargain hunter. Always try to get the best price and even bring a friend along to help you convince the seller to give you a better deal.

5. If an item is out of your price range, but you're still really interested in it, ask when the yard sale ends and check back then, because if the item is still there the price has probably dropped into your price range.

6. If you're not an antiques or collectibles expert quite yet, bring along someone who is or some reference material to help you cipher out the gems from the junk.

7. Make sure that you have transportation for everything you purchase. Remember, this isn't a grocery store, you need your own bags.

8. Don't buy everything up just because it seems appealing and it's dirt cheap, because you'll end up having your own yard sale the next week to try and get rid of it.

9 .  Register at eBay.ca! and start buying and bidding if you can't find what you're looking for elsewhere.