"The desirability of and/or your need for an item at a garage sale will be in direct inverse proportion to the likelihood of your actually being able to purchase it."
The four most common/infuriating occasions when Murphy's Law of Garage Sales holds true:
(1) A desired item is something that's just stored in the family's garage; it’s not one of the items for sale.
(2) The item has already been sold, and the homeowner is just “holding” it till the buyer gets back with either the money or a vehicle to transport the item to his own home.
(3) The item is too expensive, and the seller will not budge on the price. (Note: this is not always an "all hope is lost" situation --- you may have at least two additional options. First, try coming back again later in the day to see if the item is still unsold --- if YOU think that the item is overpriced, then most OTHER yard-sailers may think so, too, and so nobody else may have bought the item yet, either, giving you a second crack at possibly purchasing it at a reduced price, especially since by now the seller may likely feel a bit "desperate" to get rid of it. And second, have a glance at the trash-heap out front of the person’s house that evening --- sometimes unsold yard-sale items will simply be tossed out, and so you can then get them for free.)
(4) The item is something that you would logically want to test out first to make sure it operates satisfactorily, but there is no hookup for electricity/water/telephone/internet/antenna/audio/video at the site of the sale, and the stubborn owner will not allow you to either bring the item into his house or temporarily take it somewhere else to test it.
(1) A desired item is something that's just stored in the family's garage; it’s not one of the items for sale.
(2) The item has already been sold, and the homeowner is just “holding” it till the buyer gets back with either the money or a vehicle to transport the item to his own home.
(3) The item is too expensive, and the seller will not budge on the price. (Note: this is not always an "all hope is lost" situation --- you may have at least two additional options. First, try coming back again later in the day to see if the item is still unsold --- if YOU think that the item is overpriced, then most OTHER yard-sailers may think so, too, and so nobody else may have bought the item yet, either, giving you a second crack at possibly purchasing it at a reduced price, especially since by now the seller may likely feel a bit "desperate" to get rid of it. And second, have a glance at the trash-heap out front of the person’s house that evening --- sometimes unsold yard-sale items will simply be tossed out, and so you can then get them for free.)
(4) The item is something that you would logically want to test out first to make sure it operates satisfactorily, but there is no hookup for electricity/water/telephone/internet/antenna/audio/video at the site of the sale, and the stubborn owner will not allow you to either bring the item into his house or temporarily take it somewhere else to test it.
by QuacksO August 1, 2018
Get the Murphy's Law of Garage Salesmug. “Any lone gunman shall be presumed to be a white, male Christian nationalist until definitely proved otherwise.”
by sp762 September 13, 2025
Get the Kirk’s Lawmug. The son-in-law of one's spouse's sibling.
My co-nephew-in-law is a good person.
by Elivaldeq November 24, 2019
Get the co-nephew-in-lawmug. My nephew-in-law is a good person.
by KOBO8956 September 22, 2021
Get the nephew-in-lawmug. The thesis stating that one obvious and preventable death is fated to happen before any obvious solutions, changes or reforms are enacted, ie. decapitation by ice skates when playing hockey and the introduction of neck guards to the sport.
Person 1: "Hey, do you remember that shaky pipe at the bottom of the apartment building that the landlord never fixed?"
Person 2: "Yeah! What about it?
Person 1: "Well, it finally busted and the valve domed someone on the head and killed him! And after that, of course NOW the landlord decides to fix it!"
Person 2: "How preventable. The Tamr Law takes another..."
Person 2: "Yeah! What about it?
Person 1: "Well, it finally busted and the valve domed someone on the head and killed him! And after that, of course NOW the landlord decides to fix it!"
Person 2: "How preventable. The Tamr Law takes another..."
by xxdragonwolftamr January 30, 2024
Get the The Tamr Lawmug. Wrong, wrong, you're not right because I say so...
Trump's Law states I can do what I want because I'm always right, but not always, I always win tho...
Trump's Law states I can do what I want because I'm always right, but not always, I always win tho...
by ReVo5000 June 24, 2020
Get the Trump's Lawmug. Spouse's half-sibling's spouse.
My half-co-sibling-in-law is a good person.
by Wonbig October 13, 2021
Get the half-co-sibling-in-lawmug.