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WITEY MRE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2,1989, PAGE,119 Grage sle:Aceagl he biclcering, bargaining, bizarre, bazaar atmosphere coninon ta moet garage sales can be a boon ta careful shoppers, consumer experts say. "Wsf not 111e the regular marketplace- where most prizes are-carved in stane," says Marilyn Gurevsky of the Ontario Ministiy of Consumer and Commercial Relations (MCCR). "Garage sales give you the chance ta haggle; ta pay what you can afford or what an item is worth ta y ou. They -- along with auctions, bazaars and other secondary markets -- fMI a real need in aur system. They're also fun." Every summer, boxloads* of cast,-off clothes, mismatched china;' inapprapriate wedding gifts and assorted other denizens of cluttered closets are dragged back to useful life via driveway retail.- .According to Gurevsky, the ministry, doesn't get any consumer complaints about garge alepurhass.Largel, sh belieebeas 'Ie understandthe "sis ature of the deals. "Unlike when they are buying fromn stores, most people inspect garage-sale -merchandis carefully," Gurevsky says. "They realize they can't take things back even if they're broken. That doesn't inean sellers can legally lie ta you about the condition of their -, merchandise, .but considering the cost of most iteins compared with the expense and aggravation of going to court, what you buy is what you get." That's why it'à a good idea to test any questionable ierns before buying, she says. This is particularly true for.large items such as major appliances. Safety is another concern when buying second-hand Lyoods. The C anadian Standards Association (OSA) recently published a waning to consumers about purchasing used electrical appIiances. Te CSA bulletin cited a number of accidenté involving garage-sale purchases. In one case, a eight-year-old boy narrowly escaped injury when an electric blanket caught fire. Bought at a garage sale, the bIanet turned out to be 28 years old and insulation on the internal wiring had severely deteriorated. "The dangers inherent in buying used appliances are many »- you don't know how old they are, what abuse they have taken, what servicing bas been done or the condition of the electrical components," association spokesmen say. "Another point ta, consider is that newer products may be certified ta new or revised stsjn dards which make them safer to use."e* To avoid dangers, consumers and safety experts advise having appliances checked out by a repair shop before use. Keep that ini nind when buying, as the added coot of this service pould make garage sale applfiance 'bargins"prohibitively epnsve.. ome used items should be avoided entirely, except by highly SEE PAGE 38 ANTHONY RICCA offered some of -a 'garage sale' at his Kirby Cr. home. bis oil paintings for sale recently at Free Proe photo t's a savings secret too good to keep. Your money stays in your pocket for months aod months. Meanwhile you enjoy the best of home *comfort with Carrier High Efficiency Furnaces, Central Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, Electronîc Air Cleaners and Humîdîfiers. Don't pay a .. cent until Jan. 1, 1990. Get your Carrier today and save! Deferral f inancing plan appiies to installation-ol a complete Carrier Home'.Comfort'Systemn or individuaI-units consisting of SAVINGS COUTPON a Carrier High Efficiency NO Furnace, Cenral Air rniiwuMEui Electoni Air CeanerPs, Condtonin Air Heat Pum ni UNTIL 1 9 1 Humidif7eus Available to qualified home buyers only. Cannot be combined with any other Bridlewood promotion BR1DL[WDDD MIIID!iMy HEATNG AI CODITONIG* ECUITYSYSESYO à Authorized Consumera' Gis Dealier Pikrn/jx OswavlPet erbo ro ug h Lindsay/Cobourg 6-83-5757Ajax oswma ve79-30. Port Hope 683 55~ 723- 0868 79330 1800263-272.7 $ "