Thrifting Lessons Learned

It's fun to go thrifting in order to find things to buy and then resell on eBay or etsy or elsewhere online at a profit - hopefully.

It's like having an excuse to go shopping and if you are a shopaholic like me - there is no better JOB.

However, if you are not careful - you can end up spending money on items that upon first glance YOU THINK you can resell for a profit... but when you take the item home and get ready to shoot photographs for your listing - you may find that the item has a problem.

Anotherwords - you won't be able to sell it for a profit (if at all)

Case in point. I saw these nice looking Kids Signs for $2 each at the thrift store.

They 'looked' to be in good condition at first glance - so I bought them.

But when I took them out of the plastic bag and newspaper to take pictures for the eBay listing - I noticed (for the first time) some significant dings and dents.

LESSON # 1 - Always, always, always - look at your items carefully to check for condition. If it's not in MINT used condition, will it resell? If so - for how much? Remember, you must point out any flaws on your item - or you will get people returning AND complaining.





Lesson #2 - Research (or) Know Before You Buy

Creating your own BOLO list (Be On the Look Out) will help you spot items that will become your bread and butter items for your stores. In those cases, you will pretty much know that if you can buy cheap enough and the item is in good shape - GRAB IT!

However, sometimes you'll come across something interesting that is in good shape and just FEELS like it might have a good resale value.

CHECK FIRST !!

I have an app on my Android Smart phone that quickly searches eBay for current items on sale. If I say see a nice china plate or tea cup with a name on the back - I can disappear into a corner of the thrift shop - or take a walk away from the garage sale - and do a fast search on that item.

If others are selling it for a price high enough to justify what I can pick it up for at the current venue, then I'll go back and look at the item carefully (checking carefully for condition) and then go ahead and buy it.

Also - keep in mind the cost of shipping and packaging when doing your mental math.