In the months of March and April, daffodils and tulips signal the welcome return of spring.

Even though they are late this year, I have noticed the crop of garage sale signs have started to spring up on street corners and telephone poles.

I don鈥檛 often buy at garage sales, but I enjoy wandering among the people and listening to the bartering and dealing as the suburban driveways are converted into Middle Eastern bazaars for the weekend.

鈥淒oes this work?鈥� he asks, holding up a rare 20th century Radio Shack alarm clock.

鈥淚t works fine!鈥� replies the seller. What is he going to say, 鈥淣o the alarm is screwed and the volume knob is broken?鈥�

You鈥檒l find that out when you get it home. One rule of life, never buy any anything electronic at a garage sale.

Now my studies have shown me that we have three basic types of events: the yard sale, the garage sale/moving sale, and the estate sale.

There are some distinct differences between the three.

The yard sale鈥檚 purpose is to get rid of stuff they don鈥檛 want.

The garage sale is being held for a reason.

Maybe they are renovating or moving and they need the room and want to make some money for the new bathroom tile or help pay the movers. The estate sell is more sophisticated, children reluctantly offering mom鈥檚 or dad鈥檚 or grandpa鈥檚 and grandma鈥檚 belongings to the public.

A yard sale will have three dainty, flowered tea cups for 50 cents each.

At the garage sale, there will be the same cups in a set of four with saucers for five dollars each and at the estate sale, there will be the full set with a matching tea pot that grandma always served Sunday tea from and the entire set will go for $75 -$100.

As the sellers discuss the day鈥檚 sales they will invariably tell about 鈥渢he dealers鈥� that came by at 8:30.

They say 鈥渄ealers鈥� in a way that you can imagine men in trench coats with mirrored sunglasses getting out of black SUVs to pillage the treasures lining the carport walls. Anything they steal will end up on Antiques Road Show, for sure.

The small items, books, toys, CDs move well, as do tools and some small furniture.

People squeeze by the exercise equipment trying not to let it touch them for fear it might rub off. Most of the exercise bikes still have the instruction manual hanging from the handlebars, just one more New Year鈥檚 resolution gone bad.

On Sunday afternoon, the yard sale is done around 2 p.m., unsold items are marked 鈥楩REE鈥� at the roadside and the proceeds have been converted to beer and pizza.

The other sales hang on, marking down items, wishing the dealers would come back.

Fill up your travel mug, check out the sales 鈥� that one thing you鈥檝e been looking for is out there.

At least that鈥檚 what McGregor says.