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I've never stepped foot into a pawn shop that didn't revolve around ebay. Pawn shops usually base all their pricing on ebay sales and they won't pay a dime over 50% of what something SELLS for on ebay.

In my area you can find some off the wall items that pawn shops normally do not carry.

The DH walked out with a nice like new Skil chain saw with me the other day for 35.00 in the case.

The DS was a steal of a deal as they go for 125-150 easily on eb.

I don't understand why the box of legos stood out to you. I feel like I'm missing something here. Five dollars for a box of legos doesn't seem cheap to me. Is it some sort of a collectible or vintage item?

But in any case, I don't know why some people are so shocked by what people sell at Estate sales. It's not strange at all.

I know from experience that most people throw things they don't want. I don't mean like Mickey Mantle balls or anything but little things like a $10-$20 item. Many times these people don't think it's possible to sell these items because they can't fathom why anyone would want them.

Also, for many people it's not worth their time to sell every item they own. If you make $60,000 a year and have a house and is stable why would you waste time selling a $20-$50 item? You would have to:

1. Do research and figure out what it's worth.
2. Open an Ebay account.
3. List the item and figure all that out.
4. Check the item for flaws or problems.
5. Then ship the item if you actually sell it.
6. Hope there are no problems from the crazy buyers on Ebay.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't do it. It's not worth my time if I am already working full time and have no financial difficulties. I'd much rather spend my time doing something actually fun or worth whiled.

So just remember, many people that sell items for cheap aren't stupid or lazy, they are probably just busy with other things.

No one said they are stupid or lazy. Most either need the money, do not care to look into the item or just want to get rid of it.

Every aspect of what I do is different. I go to several antique and estate auctions and those people are banking on getting decent money out of there stuff when in fact they pay 25-30 to the auctioneer and people like me buy all night long and if you stay late at one auction you can fill a cargo van full of box lots of goodies for less then 100.00.

As far as fun goes, this is my fun and I get to make money doing it.
Not many get to do that or just do not have the skills or knowledge to do both.

For instance a couple weeks ago I went to a large community yard sale.
After one street I had to call home for reinforcements and the cargo van as I had bought so much my backpack was full and I started leaving my name on items at the homes to come back and pick up.

My enjoyment is the thrill of the hunt and the reward is the stupid money I make doing it.

Do you know how many people work 40 hours a week and bring home 1,000 a month? I have days I make 1,000 a day and buy and sell for the fun and enjoyment and make more then most who work 40 hours at wal mart in one day.

Who gets paid to do what they want when they want? I do and so do others.

Now down to the business of it.

The weekend I hit the community yard sales I spent 423.50. Three trips to pick up the items including some clean nice furniture, an antique dresser, an a nice antique oak secretary.

I put the furniture on CL and got back 1200.00 for the furniture alone.

I bought tote after tote of goodies.

By last Saturday the items from just one day of 5 hours of yard sales, 2 hours of sorting and cleaning if needed, 1 hour of photos, approx 2 hours listing, little research because most items I knew what they were. Packing was easy so maybe 1 hour packing and I have a front door pick up for the account I sell these item on. Total hours approx were 12 hours or so.

From 423.50 in money spent. Sales 2613.55, Net profit of 2190.00. Take out 250.00 for eb and pp and you get 1940.05 TOTAL PROFIT for 12 hours of work.

This is not a typical Saturday yard sale but many Saturdays I am out 2-3 hours and usually can manage 500 or more profit easily if the items are there.
Not many Saturdays do I not find anything.

Would you work for 12 hours and make 1900? Doing what you love and enjoy.
Do you get thrilled to go to work everyday? Do you enjoy your work?
Are you excited the night before you go to work?

Well, I get excited to hit a yard sale, thrift store or going to an auction.

Not too long ago I bought an entire estate full of items. Everything in the house, basement and garage for one price. It was like Christmas going into the house.

And I get to stop and spend time with my kids and husband, we have a caged pool to enjoy, we go to Disney world 1 or 2 times per week every week for several hours, we hit the beach 4-5 times a week during the summer and 2-3 times per week during school time.

Yup, I get paid for doing what I enjoy and make money doing it. Not many can say that.

The Mickey ball, I will make no less then 800.00 or so on it.

And by the way I dont always post all of my finds because I list them right away. I have now 5 storage sheds full of purchases and the inventory goes in and back out.

Just as a note that I did not mention. I found 4 glass cups in a box lot at last weeks auction. They were a sample color and very rare. They sold on eb for 800.00 BIN. The box lot,------ 10.00. No one in the entire building but me knew what they were. The lady bid me up to get a stupid pyrex bowl which I ended up just giving it to her.


It is 2 47 am and everyone is in bed asleep and I am listing items I found today. One item I should be able to profit close to 100.00 easily and only hit two thrift stores today on the way back from the grocery.

I am not a couch potato and never will be.

And we have jet skis and hit the ocean with them often.

When I was working a real job making decent money I did not have a 4-3 pool home, several vehicles, buy anything I want and go anywhere I want.

This site taught me that I cannot be taken down without a fight and now I have more accounts then I can possibly sell on. But I will be making more and more because eb wont screw me over ever again.

My goal is to rent a warehouse and be able to pick from a large asst of items to sell.

I am finally getting prepared to buy from overseas. I do buy some new items now from a DH gate seller here close to me but I mainly love to sell my usual.

I hope you are doing what you like and not in some rat race job making only 60k per year because you can make more money going to yard sales, flea markets, swap meets, thrift stores, auctions and have fun doing it on your own terms and time.

Wow, Sandy, you are as has been said before an inspiration.

Im just as the start of a long road back to eb, after getting the mother of all kicking from them and pp.

Like yourself, I love to have a deal with people - i used to be pretty into myself in terms of approaching people, but the ability to buy and sell gives me a real buzz.

I used to be a buyer for a large auto company, but health setbacks took that away from me and it kind of feels like im getting the chance to start again, which in my mid-30's I never thought I would have.

I get excited reading stories like yours, because I love the $ signs - well the £ signs over here...I have had moments like that when I have walked up to someone to buy something, paid them what they wanted and skipped away trying not to smile the widest smile because I know I got a real bargain.

The US is definately more clued up interms of swap meets, yard sales than the UK - our car boot sales are closer but to be honest people over here generally only bring the rubbish to those that they cant sell elsewhere.

I like to find the items that I know most about - in my case its cars and accessories - and go after a bargain with a seller. I sometimes am a little cheeky with a low bid, but I always back that up with a promise to collect promptly with cash.

In terms of selling - I struggle to understand how folks undersell what they have over and over again. Most items I have bought I have bought from badly written or photographed ebay adverts. Things get so overlooked, not matter how valuable they might be. I say to my wife that it still astounds me that something that I have just bought from eb, can be resold a week or so later for multiple times what we paid for it, and how a simply clear advert, with a good description and good quality pictures gets the bids in.

I love a story when buying something and I tend to do that with my adverts as people love to be sold something, rather than just shoving it in their faces with no care or attention to detail.

Best deals - not many recently, because of the problems I have been faced with - in the recent past though I have had some corkers:

A Peugeot 406 Saloon for free because the seller thought it had engine problems, and went out and bought another car - they just wanted it out of their drive to the first person who could collect - picked that up on Thursday, advertised Friday, sold on Sunday for £650.

Another one was I bought a VW beetle from a lady who was emigrating. I seen it slightly cheaper than others local to me and enquired. No one else would be flexible and allow her to use the car until she flew out in two weeks time, but I agreed. She brought the car to me, I checked it out and made her what I thought was a fair offer for the car - £1000 - it was actually more than she hoped for and was delighted. I spent that afternoon cleaning it and put it on eb (this was Dec last year). Within an hour I had an offer for the car at £1850. The guy came the next day from London (6 hours by train from me) and collected it. He too was delighted because it was just as described and around £700 cheaper than the same car in the London area. Everybody was happy!

Great story!

It is out there, you just got to have the will and desire to do it.

One thing I do a lot is if I see a young family having a yard sale and she is carrying a baby or has babies near by and appears to be she is selling to get some money together I will do one of two things.

Either offer her more money for something or ask her if she sells on ebay. If she says yea sometimes or has an account I tell her what the item is, what category to put it in and what price she can sell it for.

There is plenty out there so I have a big heart for young families who could use the money.

I buy all the time on ebay and re sell items. I use terapeak like I always do and find many things in the wrong category etc.

Most people want to work their 8 hours a day and stop. Those are the ones who will be in line whining about not having the money to have the things they want or need or the money to do things.

I have a 14 year old who sells on ebay, she goes with me to yard sales, buys her own items with her own money and has her own stealth eb account.
She has no problems making 100-200 a week and sometimes more. Not to long ago she bought a box lot at the auction house for 35.00. Full of Fenton Glass, return 300+.


Good luck and I hope I did inspire you and others that if I can do it so can you.

** I was a picker long before the picker show even happened. I AM THE ORIGINAL PICKER!!!

That is awesome! I wish I new stealth at 14 years old! Plus, your 14 year old isn't give out any personal info to all those creepers on ebay.

And I'll add something about flipping items on ebay. I learned this when someone bought something from me and I saw that they resold it for double the profit just by listing in a much better way.

I bought an item just last week for about $200. I was able to break it up into 3 pieces and resell for over $400 total. Used a different ebay account than I bought it with of course. :)

Awesome BG!

Now that is how it is done.

Me too but I was way past 14 when eb started.

Exactly, the less info they get the better off.

I hooked her up with a tweaked name of hers and a nice new address.

She buys her own stuff, takes her own pics, researches items etc and does very well. Sometimes it is like a mad dash to a table of goodies at a yard sale between us.

Not many 14 years can carry a debit card with a nice chunk in it and not spend it all in one place like does. She knows she can turn 1000 into 1500 etc.

Picked up two Led Zeppelin belt buckles in a baggy at Goodwill this morning for .49.

They are from the 1970's and bring 45.00 or so each.

Keep your eyes open for 1970's stuff folks. Hot!!!!

@Sandy, I want my $45 back! lol...awesome find Sandy.

Wow Sandy and everyone else too. This has been a very motivating read; I never thought there was so much profit to be had in going to yard sales and goodwills, but I have seen the light. Thanks for the great info guys=}-

By the way does anyone know what the Craigslist/yard sale app is for Android?

As long as you do not come in my backyard and take my buys away!

I love those rock fans, they will pay crazy money for their memories!!!!

Never
 

I wouldn't dream of it Sandy. Thanks for the motivation though.:peace:

I have the "inside" deal with a couple of pricing people at one Salvation Army and one at one Goodwill.
They text me when a truck comes in and gives me the scoop what they are pricing.
I will text them and say yes, I am on my way or I will be there in one hour.

Nice to slip a buck at them to get that inside stuff once in a while.

So if you come into my neighborhood I have eyes watching you!!!!!

:spy:

Awesome deal! Lol. So chatting up those goodwill employees can pay off..

Lol, wow. You completely misread my last post there. Whatever parts annoyed you imagine have the exact opposite meaning. Or reread them and imagine a different connotation.

Or don't do either and just know that Sandy and Sneakee agree on all points made. :thumb:

LOL, I'm in Colorado and from what I can tell I won't be driving that far looking for deals. That's your turf. Love this posting though.

Come on over, plenty for everyone!

I cannot be everywhere at the same time anyway.

:thumb:

I re read it and feel the same way.

You questioned why someone would buy a box of legos for 5.00.

I showed you why.

You said you it would not be worth your time because you have others things to do and no financial responsibilities.

Well, had you read this thread at all you would know that I do this not only because I love to do it and make some stupid money doing it.

I am taking my time to give help to others and hopefully many have gained from it. ( Have received many pms it did ) And you come in and tell us it is not worth your time.

I would be willing to bet you are not making this kind of money on any product you are selling.


This thread was and IS meant to help others and for each of us help our fellow members with some of our skills. If you do not have the time then why post in the thread?

Have you bought and sold a product and made 800 profit on one single item?

To turn it around why work in a dead end job for only 60k per year when you can make far more then that doing what you want, when you want and have no one to answer to? Not many get to have fun, do what you like, use your skills and get paid for it too! I am extremely lucky and I know it.




Just for clarification here is your part of your post. How am I suppose to read it any other way then you would rather do something fun and its not worth your time.

*******************************

Also, for many people it's not worth their time to sell every item they own. If you make $60,000 a year and have a house and is stable why would you waste time selling a $20-$50 item? You would have to:

1. Do research and figure out what it's worth.
2. Open an Ebay account.
3. List the item and figure all that out.
4. Check the item for flaws or problems.
5. Then ship the item if you actually sell it.
6. Hope there are no problems from the crazy buyers on Ebay.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't do it. It's not worth my time if I am already working full time and have no financial difficulties. I'd much rather spend my time doing something actually fun or worth whiled.

A lot of times it just comes down to ambition. $60,000/yr is by no means a lot of money. Some people just can't see the bigger picture.

I know BG.

I dont know of anyone who would pass on a chance to find an item for 5 bucks and split it up and end up with 200+.

All I did was lay the pieces in the drive way, clean up off, sun dried them and took pictures.

Listed the pieces in small sets and right now all items have multiple bids, all items right now are over 200.00 and probably looking at the bidders and watcher I can see it hitting 250-300.

The thrill or pit I get in my stomach knowing that no matter where I go I will find something that I will be able to turn a buck on.

Yesterday was slim pickings but ended up with another crossbow for 25.00.
Last one I got sold for crazy money and this one is better.

My finds for this weekend. I went to several goodwill store and found nothing in the computer area. I left 2 hours later kinda pissed at the stores for not having anything good, I had a bad day on Saturday.

So later that day, my brother-in-law and I went to a concert. He had to take his small truck cuz his car would not start up, lucky for me.

After the concert was over at 6pm, I managed to see 2 yard sales in the same street and one of them had a desktop computer in the open. I quickly told the driver to "stop and lets check this **** out", actual words.

2 yard sales

5 desktop computers, 3 of them with Intel "core" quad processors--$350 total
one of the quad processors sold within 2 hours of listing for $60.
10 cases of older server racks from the 1st yard sale-$400-sever racks go for 100 each min.
an entire box full of memory modules for $50 from the 1st yard sale
$200 in lots of other computer pieces from the 2nd yard sale.

I think both yard sales where friends and into a IT business of some kind. Overall, very good weekend and got to fill up a small truck with stuff for the 1st time. My bother-in-law kinds I'm crazy that I carried that much cash around, I kinda agree.
Overall profit at least 700 min. for the weekend.

:FF:

Sandy - Why are you being so argumentative? Seriously, get over it. We agree on everything. I never said I made any certain amount of money and these things don't appeal to me. How can you possibly reread my entire post and STILL get that meaning?

I clearly said, if I had this and if I had this in this theoretical situation I would not be doing this other theoretical situation.

Yes, I've made over $1000 off one item before. This is my living after all.

I'm talking about people selling items out of their own house and explaining why it would not be worth it to go out and get the best price for every little item. Why are you arguing with this point?

Quite frankly, I find it disturbing that so many are focusing on my random yearly salary of $60,000. It was a random number that is enough to live off of. It has no bearing on anything and now people are saying how that isn't that much and yaddy yaddy.

Dear lord, that wasn't even the point. If you are making $60,000 you can live a decent life anywhere in America. So I was just saying that for some people it's not worth it to go out and clean up their blender, do research on it and then try to get top dollar on Amazon or Ebay or whatever.

I could have just as easily said $40,000 or $100,000. Some posters are mistaking this for my salary...

Anyways, it was just about showing the other side. The side that doesn't run around trying to get top dollar for everything. The side that WE buy from. The side that is different than us. I'm explaining why some people might not care about selling items online or on Craigslist.

Oh and by the way, I asked about Legos cause I WAS LITERALLY ASKING ABOUT LEGOS!!!! Not because I was saying "Well Legos are stupid". I was asking because they obviously caught your eye and another poster's eye and I didn't understand why. Now I know. THANKS!

Now in all seriously, stop rambling about how it's worth it to find this or find that. You are preaching to the choir. If you still find the need to argue OVER NOTHING then I can't help you. I can't explain any more blatantly how we ALREADY AGREE. :deadhorse:

Can we get over it now? :brushteeth:

Dang computer gurus anyway. :FF:

Wish I had your knowledge Yotano.

Good finds for sure.

How can we agree when you stated clearly it was not worth your time?

We are over it as long as you stay on topic and post your finds.

This is not an opinion thread and I dont remember you posting anything you have found that would help the other members.

If you did find something and made 1000 then why have you not helped a fellow poster and give them an idea of what it was?

The topic is your finds from one of the places in the headline. Or comment on someones elses finds. Nothing else.

Now on to the goodies.

Now this is some serious and easy cash made.

Good job BG.

oh man, very good find. I still have my original NES 64 system that I bought 2 months after it came out. It still fully works, I play Starfox and mario cart on it, I LOVE IT.

The NES 64 should go for maybe 50 just for the system.

Up at 4 am trying to get caught up on printing labels for shipments tomorrow and just grabbed an awesome buy on ebay.

Wrong category, wrong name, wrong everything.

Snatched it at 0.99. Ended not too long ago.

Proving not to start and end an auction at 4 am.

Will slap it back on with the correct maker, category and when I terapeaked it last one sold for 351.00.

Does not happen a lot but lucky to have been going down a category I seldom look at and went OMG, is this for real.

Is Terapeak really worth getting Sandy? I'm considering the use of it.

I use it all the time. Every single day.

Since I have it on my phone it comes in very handy on the go.

I use it to watch competition closely and find the products they sell over and over.

I am Grandpa told me when I was little taking me around the flea markets, yard sales etc to watch those who are successful and repeat what they do, only do it better.

I found a site that may help some of y'all
 

In regards to this post, I found a free site that lets you search Ebay for misspellings and such. It's called Goofbay. Y'all might know about it but if not it's pretty cool.:thumb:

Found an Ipod Nano today for 9.99 at Goodwill. Minor cosmetic issues, works great.

Nice Columbia ski jacket for 4.99. Like brand new.

Picked up a vintage Panasonic electronic device from the 80's. Paid $6 and will sell for $100+.

Actually, yeah I have posted finds, I'm sorry you don't find them useful. My initial post was not at all mean spirited and you were the first one to find it that way. It didn't get two "thanks" because people were like "Yeah, finding items are stupid!". So obviously, you read into something way incorrectly and are determined to be mad at me.

Fine, it's cool. I love how when you go on for paragraph after paragraph about nothing at all it's all good but when I have a one liner that says "No it's all cool we all agree, believe me" I suddenly get a "OMG Lets get back on topic!".

Hopefully next time I type something that isn't aimed at you you'll just ignore it. Obviously mine wasn't off topic, a couple posts were made questioning why people throw out things. I was showing the other side...

But I'm happy that it looks like your posts have gotten shorter which means that you are less angry.

I hope we can get along from now on. If you are mad at all, feel free to pm me. I would have pm'd this to you but since you posted this last post I figure I'd respond since I thought my last two short posts were like an ending and a "let's get along" type of thing but again you seem determined to try and make it seem like we were arguing when only you were.

So yeah, in the meantime, feel free to pm and you can feel free to stop chastising me for posting something. Thanks.

Cooler time for the thread.

Great ideas.


Implement them or do not implement them.

Nit-picking is passé