Thrift Shop Pickups

[TwinGnats]

That's why I post my sale prices and encourage others to do it as well. One poster was being cocky about how cool he was but posting prices isn't supposed to be a show off thing (though if you get something really good then it will be) it's supposed to help all of us learn, not only what sells, but how much profit there might be in that item when you see it at the thrift or a garage sale. For example, I could have passed up the Jordan jersey because it was a youth small. I didn't know if the ones that small still got good values. Now I know, hopefully the rest of you do too if you see a youth Jordan, pick it up, it'll sell well.

Originally Posted by TOMBB25

Thanks for posting all that info, very helpful. Yeah I have a full time job and don't have really any inventory room, 50 would be my absolute max, so I'm trying to cherry pick what I can. The toughest part is getting the prices right to see constant turn over without selling too low and leaving money on the table. I believe the products I do have are quality and I am $100 in, investment wise currently. The instagram following is interesting to me...how do you even start something like that lol.

[jbrandonw]

I went to a goodwill store today and got a few shirts, board games and a really cool crown royale bottle holder. I ended up leaving a motorcycle helmet for $15 because i couldn't find any online. It was a afx fx-4 helmet with a mic on it. Anybody have any idea what it would be worth or if it'd be worth getting after shipping and fees.

[TwinGnats]

I do have feedback on the other two question/statement. Don't worry about maximizing profit on each item (which is not the same as sell it for too little). Take the following example where you find four shirts that you can buy for $1 and you can sell 1 per week for $2 or you can sell 1 per month for $2.50. I'll take situation A all day, as I can reinvest my earnings a lot quicker. This doesn't mean you should sell it for $1.01 because you can sell one per day at that price. It's still an art to figure out the right price. Just, I wouldn't worry that you got $40 when someone else got $43 for it.

As far as instagram, follow a bunch of people who are into the stuff you pick up and post frequently.

Originally Posted by TOMBB25

Thanks for posting all that info, very helpful. Yeah I have a full time job and don't have really any inventory room, 50 would be my absolute max, so I'm trying to cherry pick what I can. The toughest part is getting the prices right to see constant turn over without selling too low and leaving money on the table. I believe the products I do have are quality and I am $100 in, investment wise currently. The instagram following is interesting to me...how do you even start something like that lol.

[elijahdf11]

Do most of you who are big when it comes to selling on ebay do auctions, auctions with BINs, or just BIN/OBO?

[gowizards0]

I do auctions on t shirts and smaller items, but with jerseys or rare items I stick with BIN/OBO. Only started doing this because they no longer had free BIN listings, or I else I would list everything BIN/OBO

[elijahdf11]

Originally Posted by gowizards0

I do auctions on t shirts and smaller items, but with jerseys or rare items I stick with BIN/OBO. Only started doing this because they no longer had free BIN listings, or I else I would list everything BIN/OBO

Yeah I noticed that too. It is like .30 now to list a BIN. How long are your auctions usually? 3 days?

[gglenn3278]

I have been doing this for a while now and have enjoyed reading through this thread. Thanks to everyone who has contributed! I have always enjoyed going to thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, etc. Before, I was just looking for things that I personally wanted, but now I mostly just look for things that I can sell. I live in an area where we don't get a lot of jerseys and things like that, but I have been pretty successful selling other types of items. A friend of mine does it on a large scale, and his advice has been valuable to me.

My son is a huge Atlanta Braves fan, and my wife and I plan on taking him to Disney World for Spring training in 2015 with the money I make selling on ebay. (We have never been to Spring training, so if anybody has any advice on what to do to maximize the experience for him, please PM me.) It will be a much better trip than we could have taken with our normal budget.

I don't know how to post pictures on here, but please feel free to check out my current/sold items on ebay under the same user name as on here. I do have a pretty sweet old Nike windbreaker on there that I picked up at a thrift store this weekend.

I usually use Buy it Now/BO

[TwinGnats]

any advice you've gotten, or you've acquired organically. Please share.

Originally Posted by gglenn3278

I have been doing this for a while now and have enjoyed reading through this thread. Thanks to everyone who has contributed! I have always enjoyed going to thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, etc. Before, I was just looking for things that I personally wanted, but now I mostly just look for things that I can sell. I live in an area where we don't get a lot of jerseys and things like that, but I have been pretty successful selling other types of items. A friend of mine does it on a large scale, and his advice has been valuable to me.

My son is a huge Atlanta Braves fan, and my wife and I plan on taking him to Disney World for Spring training in 2015 with the money I make selling on ebay. (We have never been to Spring training, so if anybody has any advice on what to do to maximize the experience for him, please PM me.) It will be a much better trip than we could have taken with our normal budget.

I don't know how to post pictures on here, but please feel free to check out my current/sold items on ebay under the same user name as on here. I do have a pretty sweet old Nike windbreaker on there that I picked up at a thrift store this weekend.

I usually use Buy it Now/BO

[gowizards0]

Originally Posted by elijahdf11

Yeah I noticed that too. It is like .30 now to list a BIN. How long are your auctions usually? 3 days?

I actually do 7 days most of the times so obscure items have an opportunity to get more views, and I am not in a huge rush to move things. Again patience is key.

[elijahdf11]

Originally Posted by gowizards0

I actually do 7 days most of the times so obscure items have an opportunity to get more views, and I am not in a huge rush to move things. Again patience is key.

Yeah I think I might try a 7 day. I keep just putting them up for short and hoping to get a bid but no luck so far. Do you start auctions at .99 or around what you would like to get for them?

[gglenn3278]

Originally Posted by TwinGnats

any advice you've gotten, or you've acquired organically. Please share.

Ok. I will try. I have had very good luck with men's jeans. Not so much with women's. If I see something that interests me, I buy it. If it is something that looks unusual to me, and it is affordable, I buy it. Unless the seller or store is wanting a retail price, I always buy Harley Davidson stuff. It sells fast! Old name brand denim is gold. Almost anything "vintage" sells well if it is not trashed. (sometimes even if it is) They were not old, but I paid $3 for a pair of KNEE HIGH Converse All Stars just because I had never seen anything like them and sold them just a couple of days later for $68.

Another example... I bought two antique nutcrackers for a total of $6. I sold one literally hours later for $45. The other one sat for 6 weeks and eventually sold for $15 i think. I lowered the price until it started getting watchers, and with patience, it sold and I made a decent profit.

It is easy to lower your price if something doesn't sell. I research how many of a particular item is currently for sale, the prices, and the prices of sold items. I initially try to maximize profits, and if an item doesn't have many views/watchers in a week or so , then I lower the price. Some people will hit BIN without ever making an offer. Some people lowball. If someone makes a reasonable offer, I almost always take it.

I try not to use free shipping unless the same item from most other sellers is listed this way. You have to be very careful accepting a best offer if you have the item listed with free shipping. That sometimes can eat up all the profit, especially if you underestimate the weight of the packaged product or the buyer lives in a zone far away from you.

One more thing. As a seller, I like buy it now. As a buyer, I look for auctions. Unless it is a hot item, (ipad, iphone, etc.) in my experience, the auction item will USUALLY sell for a lower price. Sometime check out the sold listings of a particular item. The lower ending prices are usually on auctions.

Initially, I tried to stick with very inexpensive inventory. Once I sort of got my feet wet, I am not as afraid to put out a little more money on the front end. I bought a system this weekend at a garage sale that allows you to run the electrical system of your house with a portable generator. They sell retail for $350-$400. I paid $50 and feel fairly certain I will get at least $150 pretty quickly.

Like I said, having a good friend who has been doing this for a long time has been extremely helpful to me. I am not an expert yet, but I have been relatively successful so far. Sorry for writing a book, but I hope this helps some of y'all! I have picked up some helpful tips from this thread also.

[Ellis Shoe]

Thanks to you guys this was my first sale of what I hope to be many. Bought for 3.75 +tax sold for 35.00 including shipping.

Originally Posted by Ellis Shoe

Hey guys you all have inspired me to hit up my local places as I could use a little extra income too. I found a couple things today. A nice nike golf shirt and a redskins fitted hat. Anyone willing to help me out a little on pricing? I can't find another shirt like the one I got so I wasn't sure what to list it at. Here is the shirt:

[Packer4Rob]

thanks for all of the great tips. I am just getting into this as a side hobby, as i have a full time job. Its fun to see what you can find and turn around. I like your suggestion about posting sales so people can get a feel for what things sell for. Here are some of my first sales:

Jerry Rice reversible jersey, paid $5.99, sold $45.00 (first item i bought, had for about 7 weeks before it sold)

Ralph Lauren Chaps hawaiian shirt, paid 2.99, sold 7.99

Kahala blue hawaiian shirt, paid 2.99, sold 11.00

Milwaukee brewer zubaz, paid 4.99, sold 29.99

Dragonball Z long sleeved shirt, paid 5.99, sold 20.50

Fun times....hearing everyone elses stories and suggestions just fuels the fire.

[madcaddy]

Today I found 3 pair of Jordans at Savers on 25% off day. They are far from pristine but for under 10 bucks a pair, I couldn't pass them up. Also found a Finders Keepers board game and John Anderson and Death Cab for Cutie concert shirts.

Alright, I reckon its time to share a few sales with y'all.
Randy Moss stitched jersey NWT $60 (paid $17)
Georgia Tech football jersey $20 (paid 4)
Dwayne Wade Marquette shirt $20 (paid 3)
90s Bears shirt 15 (paid 2)
Red Jacket Cubs shirt 15 (paid 2)
I also bought a lot of 90s snapbacks NWT from another board member paid 55. So far have sold hats from that lot for 14, 25, 15, and 20.
Feel free to check out my stuff. I have SO much stuff I still have to get up on Ebay over the next few weeks.

[Burks]

This gives me some ideas for extra money. I only work three days a week (12 hour shifts) which leaves me basically 4 days of me sitting at home doing nothing. We don't have any children, although we did just get married. My work schedule rotates and changes weekly so having a second "job" isn't going to happen, at least anything worth my time. I am coaching high school football again this year but that's a whopping 3 months out of the year, leaving me 75% of the year left doing nothing but spending!

I might give this thrift shop buying/reselling a shot. Seems anything in good condition, sports related, is going to sell. I don't mind taking a bunch of photos and stuff. Post Office is less than 2 blocks from my house too.

[gowizards0]

Originally Posted by elijahdf11

Yeah I think I might try a 7 day. I keep just putting them up for short and hoping to get a bid but no luck so far. Do you start auctions at .99 or around what you would like to get for them?

I'd say start it at the least you would take for the item

[gowizards0]

So I actually just tried a .99 7 day auction with a jason heyward size 56 majestic braves jersey, and I got a lot more than what I was expecting for it. The bidding shot up to $45 during the last hour and I was realistically only expecting 20ish through auction. Guess I got lucky, may have to try more .99 auctions

[Packer4Rob]

Originally Posted by gglenn3278

Ok. I will try. I have had very good luck with men's jeans. Not so much with women's. If I see something that interests me, I buy it. If it is something that looks unusual to me, and it is affordable, I buy it. Unless the seller or store is wanting a retail price, I always buy Harley Davidson stuff. It sells fast! Old name brand denim is gold. Almost anything "vintage" sells well if it is not trashed. (sometimes even if it is) They were not old, but I paid $3 for a pair of KNEE HIGH Converse All Stars just because I had never seen anything like them and sold them just a couple of days later for $68.

Another example... I bought two antique nutcrackers for a total of $6. I sold one literally hours later for $45. The other one sat for 6 weeks and eventually sold for $15 i think. I lowered the price until it started getting watchers, and with patience, it sold and I made a decent profit.

It is easy to lower your price if something doesn't sell. I research how many of a particular item is currently for sale, the prices, and the prices of sold items. I initially try to maximize profits, and if an item doesn't have many views/watchers in a week or so , then I lower the price. Some people will hit BIN without ever making an offer. Some people lowball. If someone makes a reasonable offer, I almost always take it.

I try not to use free shipping unless the same item from most other sellers is listed this way. You have to be very careful accepting a best offer if you have the item listed with free shipping. That sometimes can eat up all the profit, especially if you underestimate the weight of the packaged product or the buyer lives in a zone far away from you.

One more thing. As a seller, I like buy it now. As a buyer, I look for auctions. Unless it is a hot item, (ipad, iphone, etc.) in my experience, the auction item will USUALLY sell for a lower price. Sometime check out the sold listings of a particular item. The lower ending prices are usually on auctions.

Initially, I tried to stick with very inexpensive inventory. Once I sort of got my feet wet, I am not as afraid to put out a little more money on the front end. I bought a system this weekend at a garage sale that allows you to run the electrical system of your house with a portable generator. They sell retail for $350-$400. I paid $50 and feel fairly certain I will get at least $150 pretty quickly.

Like I said, having a good friend who has been doing this for a long time has been extremely helpful to me. I am not an expert yet, but I have been relatively successful so far. Sorry for writing a book, but I hope this helps some of y'all! I have picked up some helpful tips from this thread also.

What is your definition of vintage or how do you determine vintage? Also, how do you determine the value of jeans? I always see a decent sized rack of jeans at one of the stores I go to but don't know whether they are good or bad.

[Crisscross4767]

How do you figure out how much it would cost to ship items on ebay? Ive tried to sell items before but never knew what to put the shipping price as.

[Addison]

Originally Posted by Crisscross4767

How do you figure out how much it would cost to ship items on ebay? Ive tried to sell items before but never knew what to put the shipping price as.

This will give you an idea!

Postage Price Calculator

[gowizards0]

Originally Posted by Crisscross4767

How do you figure out how much it would cost to ship items on ebay? Ive tried to sell items before but never knew what to put the shipping price as.

Also ebay pretty much calculates it for you now, just enter the weight

[nateyad]

Hey guys,

I have been trying thrift store shopping using your knowledge, but I just don't seem to have the hang of it yet. I only have 5 items for sale right now, nateyad8 | eBay , I thought a couple of these pickups would be easy sells. I thought my prices were decent. Especially the Papelbon Jersey new with tags. Am I just not being patient enough?

[Addison]

Originally Posted by nateyad

Hey guys,

I have been trying thrift store shopping using your knowledge, but I just don't seem to have the hang of it yet. I only have 5 items for sale right now, nateyad8 | eBay , I thought a couple of these pickups would be easy sells. I thought my prices were decent. Especially the Papelbon Jersey new with tags. Am I just not being patient enough?

I started 2 weeks or so ago. Have bought about $100 worth of stuff and have only sold a nascar t-shirt.

I think patience is key. It stinks because I feel like I have some great items figuring they would sell the second I listed them, but like anything, it takes time.

[Packer4Rob]

Originally Posted by nateyad

Hey guys,

I have been trying thrift store shopping using your knowledge, but I just don't seem to have the hang of it yet. I only have 5 items for sale right now, nateyad8 | eBay , I thought a couple of these pickups would be easy sells. I thought my prices were decent. Especially the Papelbon Jersey new with tags. Am I just not being patient enough?

I am pretty new at this also, and have found that it takes time for the right person to find the right item. Your items look reasonably priced, and have the best offer option, so I would just give it more time. Did you do 7 day auctions? I have gone to 30 day ones even though it costs the listing fee now. Not sure if that will help or not. The first item I bought, a Jerry Rice jersey, sat for almost 2 months, then Bam, it sold. Figured i'd be sitting on it until football season, but you just never know.

[nateyad]

Originally Posted by Addison

I started 2 weeks or so ago. Have bought about $100 worth of stuff and have only sold a nascar t-shirt.

I think patience is key. It stinks because I feel like I have some great items figuring they would sell the second I listed them, but like anything, it takes time.

Originally Posted by Packer4Rob

I am pretty new at this also, and have found that it takes time for the right person to find the right item. Your items look reasonably priced, and have the best offer option, so I would just give it more time. Did you do 7 day auctions? I have gone to 30 day ones even though it costs the listing fee now. Not sure if that will help or not. The first item I bought, a Jerry Rice jersey, sat for almost 2 months, then Bam, it sold. Figured i'd be sitting on it until football season, but you just never know.

Thanks guys. I figured it was just a patience thing. I started a couple months ago with Hawaiian shirts, but I was just terrible at it, so I have been trying to stick with sports items. It would be nice to turn just 1 item because that would cover most of the costs of getting more items. I think also bigger inventories obviously you have more of a chance for something to sell.