Thrift Store Sales: Don't Go There!

As if things at your local thrift store aren't cheap enough, there's something incredibly exciting to look forward to:

Thrift Store Sales!


That's right. Every store has sales and thrift stores are no exception. These aren't your basic price reductions like 10% off for students and seniors. Sure. Those exist too. But I'm talking about the big ones. Value Village has them. The Salvation Army has them. 50% off! 75% off! All clothing, toys, housewares etc..

It's advertised in advance. The cashier tells everyone who checks out: "Don't forget about our big sale next week!" 


Sales are great for everyone. The customer gets used stuff for cheap. The store moves some inventory. It's win win, right?

Don't get sucked into thrift store sales!


I've mentioned how you need to do your research. And you're competing with hundreds of other people to find things worth reselling. Now multiply the hundred of people by 10. Thousands of people are at these sales. I've been to the 50% off sale at Value Village. It's elbow to elbow! Every man for himself.


You aren't going to find anything! It will be picked over, torn apart and, most importantly, purchased already. 


So after all that research, you're out to find some gold at the thrift store. Now, instead of going on your terms, you're going to try to save 50 cents and go at the same time as everyone else! 


Come on! Use some self control! Thrift store sales are for suckers. You won't find anything. Stay home and watch TV. 


Before you give up all hope, there is a plus side.


 Here's how you can profit from thrift store sales:


Go the day before. 

That's it. It's simple. Check the store the day before and you'll have a better chance of finding your hot item. Common sense works in your favour here. Since everyone else is going to wait for the sale, you will be competing with less.

I've seen this in action so many times. As I stroll through the store the day before a big sale, I look extra hard for great items. Other shoppers are there, it's true, but not too many.

Make sure you look in obscure places, because those people that didn't know about the sale realize their mistake and want to come back the next day. But they already may have found something good that they don't want to part with. So they hide it. To save a few pennies, they're willing to take that risk that their item will be there tomorrow. I've found things inside other things. Women's clothes in the men's section. Stuff shoved behind books, under toys, on the top shelves.

The secret to thrift store sales is to avoid them, but not ignore them. Time your shopping to happen before the sale days and the odds go up significantly in your favour.

Selling Used Stuff - 3 Steps to figuring out if it's worth it.

Selling used stuff is the main reason I shop at thrift stores. Granted, there are many fun things to look at and pick up for myself, but my primary reason for shopping is to find items at a profit. It can be a lot of work. You need to do your research.

When selling used stuff you need to keep the following 3 rules in the top of your mind:



1. Is there demand?

Do people want to buy this? If so, why is it here in the thrift shop? Usually if an item is in high demand, you won't find it in a thrift store. Well, you will find it, if you're persistent. Everything hits the thrift store at some point, but you need to remember that there are thousands of people like you out there trying to make a buck. The odds are against you. If your item is there, someone will beat you to it.

Ebay is your friend. check those completed listings to determine what things are selling for.

Keep an eye out for relatively unknown collectibles. Niche items. Things that might have been discontinued. Some items I look for include Puzz 3D's and pez dispensers. They are highly collectible and sought after.

2. What is the condition?

When selling used stuff, the condition of the item is critical. A mint condition original Transformer is worth plenty of coin, but a few scuffs or a loose hinge might render it worthless. But with collectibles, there's usually some value. You just need to do your research. Barbie clothes from the sixties are lucrative, no matter the condition.

3. What's the price?

Of course, when selling used stuff, the price point is the most important part. It's how you make your money. Every noobie knows the cardinal rule: Buy low and sell high. But how low is low? This depends on your profit margin and the energy you're willing to expend to make a buck.

You may find that after taxes, shipping and the fees incurred selling your stuff, you're barely breaking even. And that doesn't include your time. How much is your time worth to you? 

Make sure you understand the value. Your margins need to be big enough. Sometimes you just don't know. Sometimes you get extremely lucky and make a huge profit, while other times you might end up selling at a loss.

Is it worth it?

That's the joy of selling used stuff. You need to be willing to take a few hits while waiting for the windfalls. On average, you can make some decent extra money if you put the time in to do your research.

And remember the 3 steps to figuring out if it's worth it. When selling used stuff check for demand, condition and price. If it's not worth it, don't buy it!

Vintage Apple Gear - Find Gold at the End of the Apple Rainbow

Look for the Rainbow Apple Logo!

Apple users defend their favourite toys with an insatiable fervour! No matter what you think about the product, the Apple brand is a hot commodity.

And Apple users will stop at nothing to ensure they stay real. With real Apple stuff.

These crazy zealots will pick up anything Apple related. An iPhone owner needs fifty authentic peripherals, but you won't find any of these at your local thrift store. 

No.

Before Apple became a huge company worth over $65 Billion, it was a small business. Steve Wozniak built the first Apple I computers by hand! What screams more real than original Apple gear.

Vintage Apple Stuff is worth big money!

The street cred of having an Apple product before the iPod was released is phenomenal. Nothing is cooler than hauling your latest model Mac Book around in a vintage Apple backpack.

Or drinking your coffee in a mug with the vintage rainbow Apple logo. Who knows what programmer drank out of that cup. Maybe Steve Jobs himself?

We all know that Apple defenders have expensive tastes. A mug with the rainbow Apple logo sells for over $30 on eBay! So look for the Vintage Apple rainbow!

And find that pot of gold!


 

eBay vs craigslist vs kijiji vs Amazon - Where should I sell my stuff?

I pick up a lot of things at thrift stores. My house overflows with vintage goods, waiting to be sold. Usually I try to turn them around as quickly as possible. Less inventory, less money invested!

When I'm trying to get rid of my stuff, I need to decide what's the best method and where to list my goods online. Here are four places to sell and the benefits of each.

1. eBay

The most common and best known auction website. Take a few pictures. Post it online and wait for the bidders. Many sites will give you great tips on how to make your items stand out, how to time your auctions, whether to start with a low starting bid, or use a "buy it now" listing. I will get to some of these tips in another post.

eBay will generally get you the best price for your item. You have the biggest market (the whole world) and you can get people to fight over your items! How can that not be optimal?

Well, there are a few downsides to the process.

Make sure you take into account the fees you'll be paying eBay for listing and selling. As well, Paypal will take a chunk of the transaction.

Then you have to ship it. Get those boxes, tape, label etc. The work and costs add up.

After fees and shipping, you may not be making as much as you thought you would. But for high value items, nothing beats eBay.

2. kijiji

kijiji is an eBay-owned company that allows you to post for free. We're talking about an old-school newspaper classified ad, online. With kijiji, you post your pictures and description and wait for people to contact you.

Just like a classified ad, the risk is all on the buyer and seller, with no feedback ratings like on eBay. No resolution for unpaid items. That's why kijiji is useful exclusively for local, face to face dealings. There's no cost, and no fees, but your market has shrunk to your local area.

3. craigslist

Like kijiji, craigslist is an online classified ad site. Limited to your local area, craigslist and kijiji work best when you live in a large metropolitan area. When your local market is bigger, the buyer pool is also larger. 

craigslist is the lazy man's way to sell items. you just post and wait. craigslist also has extremely lazy buyers. Unfortunately, it's common for buyers to set up meeting times, not show up and never contact you again. Frustrating, but if you can put up with the unreliablility of buyers, there is almost no effort involved in selling on craigslist. 

In my personal experience, I have gotten a larger response selling things on craiglist than kijiji, but your experience may differ depending on your geographic location. And of course, these sites are best for large items. You don't need to worry about shipping them.

4. Amazon

Amazon isn't just for books! You can sell more and more things on Amazon. When you look up something on Amazon, you see the price, new and used. Used is where the seller comes in. Amazon doesn't sell these things used, you do! When you click on the used price, you get directed to a list of sellers that have this item for sale. 

Like eBay, a feedback system exists to protect the buyer. Unlike eBay, you have to set the price. No bidding! One good thing about Amazon is your item can sit active for months. No 5 day listings! But the fees are higher and the shipping price is set by Amazon, so you may lose money depending on where your buyer is located. 


You have many options for selling your thrifted goods. Just try each one and see what works best for you. The effectiveness of different paths are dependent on what you're selling and where you're located.

Wrebbit Puzz 3D - The puzzle that climbs (in value!)

Wrebbit Puzz 3D's are a highly collectible toy. Websites devoted to collecting these puzzles are everywhere. The puzzles satisfy two of the criteria of producing value for re-sale. They are unique and they are discontinued, perfect for selling on ebay. You can make money, when there is scarcity. And when toys are produced as a series, like 3D puzzles of varying buildings, and subsequently discontinued, rarity is created. You just need to determine which ones are rare and highly sought after by collectors.

Wrebbit was the company, based in Quebec, Canada, that originally designed and manufactured 3D puzzles, starting in 1991. Wrebbit was bought by Hasbro in 2005 and by the end of 2006, no more puzzles were being produced. Perhaps they weren't making any money on these things anymore, but for someone that makes money thrifting,  the discontinuation of 3D puzles can be a gold mine.

Puzz 3D's break one rule of thrift reselling. They are LARGE. And a real hassle to ship. However, some can be worth it. Although the size is a deterent, the weight makes up for it. Since they are made of foam, the shipping cost isn't phenomenal. People will pay the postage for the high valued puzzles.

And what are the most sought after ones? Well, the New York puzzle is arguably one of the popular ones. At over 3000 pieces, a complete puzzle can fetch over $150 on ebay. Even an incomplete one will go for 50 or 60 dollars. I found one of these and resold it for $50 without checking for completeness. The reason it goes for so much is because it depicts the World Trade Center towers before 9/11.

There are a fw puzzles that will sell for between 50 and 100 dollars, including Sydney Opera House, Taj Mahal and St Peter's Basilica. Keep in mind, you have to check for completeness, so counting the pieces is a necessary evil. You can still make money without guaranteeing completeness, but the return is a tenth of what the complete puzzle would go for.

Keep an eye out for any that are in shrink. These are an automatic buy for me, since the resale is easy and completeness guaranteed. These are good items to sell on ebay.

Lots of info on puzz 3d's can be found here: 
 http://www.puzz3d.org/

A blog detailing the building of the New York Puzz 3D can be found here (includes pictures in various stages!):
http://joshmadison.com/article/puzz-3d-nyc/

Here's an example of what's on Amazon today:
 

Pez Dispensers - Not just for Candy

Anything collectable can be worth money and resold at a profit. And Pez dispensers are a collectable item perfect for resale. It's the perfect little money maker to watch for when you are in the thrift store. 

Two key things work directly in their favour. Small and light. That's right, it costs very little to send a Pez dispenser anywhere in the world and that opens your market considerably. Just remember the old research rule, since not every Pez dispenser is worth big bucks.

  Rule number 1:  Feet or no feet.

If it has no feet, i.e. it won't stand up on it's own, chances are it is older and worth some money. This is the easiest thing to look for when you are browsing through bags of plastic toys. 

  Rule number 2:  The patent number

There are 5 or 6 different patent numbers to look for. They are molded into the stem of the dispenser. The numbers range from 2,620,061 to 5,984,285. Wikipedia has a list of them here. When collectors talk about the patent number, they refer to them by the first two digits. So, it is common to refer to a 3.9 dispenser with no feet, which by the way is one of the most common ones to find that are worth money. 5.9's are currently worthless, since they are relatively new.

Remembering there two rules will empower you in the thrift store. At a glance, you will be able to see whether something is worthless or has some potential value.

Other things to look for include country of origin and different themes. Some dispensers are molded in Hungary or Austria and may be worth more. Once again, the country is generally molded into the stem of the dispenser. Different themes such as Disney or Star Wars, also carry some collectable value, but generally age is the primary driver of value. 

There are a ton of sites with Pez information including the following:

pez.com
pezcollectors.com
pezhead.org

And of course, books:

 

Welcome to the electronic age!

The eternal thrifting question: Is this worth something?

In my last post I discussed the importance of research and knowing what has value and what doesn't. In order to make money, you need to know what's worth money. Ebay is a treasure trove of information. It's amazing how many times I thought to myself, this knick knack is so weird and obscure that I wouldn't be able to find anything aout it, then find out that therere are loads of these listed, and yes, they are worthless. In the event that eBay falls short, a simple google search will turn up any fan websites or collector's homage.

We truly live in a golden age of information. It's a blessing and a curse. For, while it is easy for me to figure the value of something, it's just as easy for someone else. It's harder and harder to find these treasures for a good price. You need to be one step ahead of the competition. Knowledge is key, of course. The more you know, the better equipped you are to make quick decisions, for if you need to check your facts and return later, most likely your treasure will be snatched up by someone else.

That's why smart phones are the perfect thrifter's multi-tool. Information is literally at your fingertips. Whether your weapon is an iPhone or a Blackberry, you have a leg up. You can saunter through the store, tossing stuff into your cart, until you get to the furniture. With your stuff securely claimed, you can leasurely relax on an old sofa, thumbing through your Ebay app, one item at a time. Then toss the junk and keep the good. There are apps that will scan barcodes for you, so you don't even have to look them up. They magically reveal the latest Amazon price. 

Unfortunately, you lose a little of the thrill and suspense of finding your gold mine. But after awhile, you'll still be kicking it old school. In time, you won't need to look it up, for you will already know.