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re: FUN & PROFIT: How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

Very cool! Thanks TGMT! I will be on the lookout now in my hunting ventures.

re: FUN & PROFIT: How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

Just want to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU for this thread.

This morning I went to the local car boot with this thread in mind.

I bought 3 power supplies (didn't know what was better and the only ones I recognised were phone chargers and laptop supplies, so I just went for the biggest most complicated looking ones) for £10. 2 of them are for old fashioned routers, worth £2-3 if they even sell. The other is for a recliner chair (quite generic with interchangeable plug on the end so fits different brands) and new replacements of these are £150! Hoping to get at least £50.

I also got 2 job lots of MCB circuit breakers. Didn't really know what they were worth and most are standard consumer ones, but altogether for £15 I got 23 breakers plus a DeWalt case to carry them in and this other circuit breaker thingy I don't have a clue what it does, but its the biggest I've seen. 5 of them should sell for £4-£5 and the other 17 for £2-3 each. The big thing is £200 new! (440v 11KW) and again should sell for upwards of £50!

I also found some Harman Kardon speakers for £3 which I thought I'd take a punt at. Should get £20-30 for those!

So should get over £100 profit from all this! Wouldn't have taken a second glance at any of these items without this thread so again a massive thank you to TGMT² and please keep 'em coming I'm hooked!

re: FUN & PROFIT: How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

Nice video! Definitely important to test them.

re: FUN & PROFIT: How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

Desktop power supply units (PSU) are my biggest profit margin items. I really look for the custom built desktops, they usually have the better PSU. Desktops from Dell or HP have crappy ones but they still sell. And people need to know about the different types of rating for desktop PSU's. Some are not rated but the ones that are officially rated come in 80 plus rating. Dont be fooled, rating only in stages of 80 rating, not 85 or 90.

For desktop PSU there is 6 ratings--80 plus, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and titanium. Almost everyone I talk too thinks that gold is the top rated, nope its titanium. That is where I get them to lower the prices on the PSU's and I make more in margins.

re: FUN & PROFIT: How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

To clarify, that's strictly their entry level desktops. Both of those companies offer legitimate business line models, of which I personally use.

Now, HP, Dell, Lenovo's entry level desktop lines are the most popular and literally are all made the exact same in the exact same factories. I wish I had the article that talked about this like 2 years ago. But, look at their cases. The low end ones are literally all identical in design and garbage quality. The article talked about how they were all made in the exact same factory. The only difference is the brand label. I think the PSU's in these are like around 280 watts?

New update: Oct. 12th 2014
 

Time for another update! :)

Let's look into buying these "FILTERS" that nobody seems to want at the Garage Sales.

Filters is a pretty broad term since there is SOOOooo many variations, but I will try to cover the ones you are likely to see throughout the year that you should be getting..

http://pics2.ds-static.com/prodimg/150134/300.jpg

1) Of course, the most common and best selling is Water Filters, so anything that filters water get it. There are filters for your faucet, inline and cartridge filters for you refrigerator, even filters for Spa's and Pools. Also be sure and familiar yourself with what a osmosis filter looks like too, you will see plenty of those.

The rule of thumb here is Brand Names, meaning if it has a recognizable Brand Name, then it will be worth a considerable amount. Generic filters are good if you can get them in bulk.

Typical Spa and Pool filters (so you know what they look like):

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/nationaldiscou...rtridges-5.gif

2) Let's move into the "Auto Parts filters" since you are going to be seeing a lot of these everyday you hit the sales.


You would be surprised on how many actual filters there are on a newer car.

Just off the top of my head I can list several: Air, Oil, Cabin, Charcoal, Transmission, Fuel and even a Catalytic Converter is a type of filter.

Wouldn't it be nice to find a New Catalytic Converter every once in a while? Those sell for $200-$800, but don't expect to find those to often. :p

But you will see the others on a consistent basis. Most don't sell for much, but they do bring in a nice profit margin every year. Especially when you find the factory ones... Last year I found a case of Factory BMW Cabin Filters, and made a killing on them.

http://www.mm-4x4.com/ekmps/shops/mm...er---small.jpg

Helpful Hint: K&N Filters are Great Sellers New and Used, and you will find these frequently.

3) Familiarize yourself with the acronym "HEPA", because when you see it on a Air Filter, it is generally worth money.

You will find HEPA on products such as A/C Filters, Funaces, Air Handlers, Vacuum Cleaner Bags, Air Purifiers, and almost on any type of Mask (medical-paint-industrial)

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pro...c717e1_400.jpg

Air Filters that don't say HEPA can have value too, but they will have to be branded. Honeywell products are highly regarded and most sell very well.
______________

Good news for us is, our competition at the Garage Sales won't buy filters because what are the odds that they will find one with the correct size and type for their needs.?

So, in short...if you see a filter any filter, regardless of what it goes to, consider buying it. PEOPLE NEED FILTERS and most filters need to be replaced many times over.

re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

I can attest.. my fridge water filter is $50 a pop and I need a fresh one every 6-months. They're just as expensive as the fridge after so many years. :/

re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

Very interesting TGMT, thanks for spreading the knowledge!

And just out of curiosity if you see a filter with some heavy usage, would you still get it?

re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

Now why would someone buy a used filter?

BUT: Yes for K&N Filters as they are lifetime guaranteed and are washable. And have a Great resell value even used. :)

AND: Yes for Catalytic Converters in some circumstances.

re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

lol figured, good stuff! :clap:

re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

Yes, washable K&N are awesome. Use them in all of my cars forever.

re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

I've been loving this thread; I thought I had found all the things with hidden value at garage sales, but you've had some good ones! Can't wait for the next update!

re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

This is a nice thread of yours TGMT², has the community spirit feel to it.

I like your thinking & some of the product sourcing methods you have described here. :)

(UPDATE Jan. 23rd 15): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales...
 

I'm going to take a new approach to this thread and simplify things so we can have more continuous content...

So basically one main item at a time. :)

Today's item is "Tool Battery Chargers"


These are Very easy to find (I average 1 or 2 a week), easy to ship as most fit in a Padded Flat Rate Envelope, and are usually sold at most Garage Sales for just $1. or $2. each.

Average eBay Selling Price is $20. - $50. ea. and they account for about $1000. of my sales per year.


ALSO: Very easy to test, just test them as you would a power supply like I showed you in a previous post above. If they are putting out power, than they are probably Good.

Don't hesitate to buy any of them, they will sell! Most popular brands are..

DeWalt, Ryobi, Milwaukee, Craftsman, Makita, Coleman, Snap-On, Blue-Point and several others.

Stay away from anything that Harbor Freight sells, most of their tools are labeled "Central Pneumatic" which is considered junk in the industry.


When you start buying these you will in some instances be getting the actual batteries and tools that go with them that also have a lot of worth. Buying the Chargers is a good starting point to learning about the tools and batteries associated with them.

Helpful Hint: DeWalt & Milwaukee batteries still have a significant value even if they are bad. :thumb:

Re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales..
 

Do you have problems selling any of them because of the brands? I know DeWalt is a popular one to coun.terf.eit.

Re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales..
 

No, never a issue in 10 years.

They are used, and sold as such. I might list a single DeWalt Charger maybe 6 times a year or so. They are always priced for a quick sale.

Most counterfeit sellers are selling new with quantity.

UPDATE for 2-23-2015
 

Today we are going to talk about one of my Favorite Items to get and how to test them.

Garage Door Opener REMOTES:


There are 100's of Styles of Garage Door Remotes. And even the really old ones are worth a good deal of money considering you will rarely pay over a $1. per remote.

Old Style Remote:
On average I find about 3 remotes per month. Average selling price is between $20-$50. each on eBay and they sell fast!


I'm going to show you a really easy way to test these so you know they work before listing them. You only need 2 things:

1) A Volt Meter to make sure the battery is good.

2) And a cheap Frequency Counter you can buy on eBay for less than $20.

eBay LINK: (to buy your own Frequency Counter) http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...quency&_sop=15

Below I made a YouTube Video on how easy it is to test these. :p


Anyway, this is another common item that most people won't buy at sales because they don't usually need one or they are unfamiliar with the worth.

Re: (FEB update is Here!): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales..
 

:thumb: TGMT squared - time to open up the garage doors...on these garage sales

Re: (NEW update Jan 23rd): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales..
 

I'm always up early and stay out late. My wife is a garage sale addict no stopping her! Most be the Texas garage sales they keep the good stuff hidden. Seriously I've been looking for everything posted never finding anything posted but I will continue to search.

Re: (FEB update is Here!): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales..
 

Right now in my area it is a little bit cold still, so they dont pick up till summer time. BUt then they take off so have many to chose from. Also depends on what size of a town you live in too my area has about a million ppl so it is decent.

BUt dont get me wrong have also taken some road trips to the rural mountain area towns and have actually found some really good stuff. JUst gotta get a idea of what stuff is worth. ANd this tread is a really good start for the newbies and old heads alike :bounce:

Re: (FEB update is Here!): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales..
 

agree this thread is fantastic.

i live in new york city, and I just don't seem to find any gems at the garage sales i see around here. Just people trying to sell some of their extra crap, but nothing really interesting.

I imagined in more rural areas you would be more likely to find some treasures, but never had any experience with this type of stuff.

Re: (FEB update is Here!): How to make Very Good money going to Garage & Yard Sales..
 

This thread is AWESOME - thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!!! Please keep it coming!