A man found a vintage Gumby phone for $5 at a Nevada yard sale, then the homeowner doubled the price when she realized he was early

A thrifter says a Nevada homeowner tried to double the price of a vintage Gumby phone he wanted at her yard sale because he arrived early. TikToker WINS Vintage (@whileimnotsleeping) shared the encounter, through a video which has drawn mixed reactions online.

As reported by The Nerd Stash, WINS Vintage, who hunts for finds at thrift stores and yard sales, showed up early one morning at a Nevada yard sale that was already set up. Thinking he was good to go, he picked up a vintage Gumby phone.

As he was leaving the garage with the phone, an elderly woman from the house confronted him. “It said 9:00 and we’re not ready!” she told him angrily.

Arriving early nearly cost him an extra $5

WINS Vintage explained that another woman at the house had told him he could make his purchase. He apologized, and the woman said there was a “lack of communication” at her home.

He then asked if she would take $5 for the phone. She turned to her husband and asked, “You only wanted $5 for Gumby?” When he confirmed it, she told WINS Vintage, “I say $10 for now. If you want to wait until 9, $5.”

She was only willing to sell it for the original price if he waited until 9 AM, even though he didn’t know that was her opening time. Visibly agitated, WINS Vintage asked the husband if he could still pay $5, and the husband agreed despite his wife’s insistence on $10. WINS Vintage handed over a $5 bill, thanked them for their time, and walked away with the phone.

Many commenters were shocked by the woman’s behavior, with one writing, “I can’t imagine living with her.” Another asked, “Who starts a yard sale at 9?? That’s very late.”

Some commenters defended the woman’s approach. “She ain’t wrong. You want to shop early, you pay a premium. Especially because you are flipping it,” one wrote. The debate over secondhand pricing comes amid a viral clip about a $250 Goodwill trunk price that left a Florida shopper stunned.

Another commenter suggested, “She’s probably p*ssed about the resellers knocking on her door early. A lot of resellers in my area will show up the evening before asking to see if they can look.”