Have You Tried Thrifting For ebay Reselling?

Discussion in Misc & Others started by ACSAPA • Mar 31, 2014.

  1. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    I'm a part time eBay seller and I sometimes go thrift shopping for fun, not for profit. I've recently noticed people "scouting" at the thrift stores with their cell phones or tables by looking up the prices on the eBay app to see what certain items are selling for. I haven't actually done this yet but I'm considering it ,because some people are selling their thrift store finds for good money and they have the advantage of using the ebay and Amazon apps to know immediately which items are collectible or hot sellers.

    Have you tried "picking" or "scouting" thrift store items with mobile apps to buy cheap items for resale?

    I probably won't try this at my local Goodwill because Goodwill has become pricier and now they slap expensive price stickers on things that look vintage,
    But there's a big, messy local thrift store that I might try scouting at.
     
  2. Steve

    SteveMember

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    I tried doing this, but i live in a country that postal expenses are way to steep. So i can only resell some CD/DVD's or some T-shirts. Collectible T-shirt market is booming right now, and i would suggest to you to try and thrift some of them right now, before their profit chance drops.
     
  3. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    That's a good idea. I've noticed that some people sell t-shirts on eBay from certain bands or movies. I've seen some cool retro t-shirts at Goodwill but never thought of picking them up to resell because I didn't know about scouting thrift stores for eBay inventory. I was literally just selling my own possessions for months and downsizing my book and music collections. Now that I'm out of my own stuff, I've been researching what other sellers list on eBay and where they get it from.
     
  4. Steve

    SteveMember

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    Of course you need what kind of bands are popular, so i would suggest to start with bands which are on your area of music taste. That way you would know and some whacky story that you could sell with the T-shirt. I am currently selling old T-shirts of Black metal bands, which almost every one of them has a horror story bound around their name.
     
  5. ladybug

    ladybugMember

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    When I think of ebay these days I've felt that their site must be so saturated with various items to sell that I haven't felt like it's worth trying to sell anything on there, but after reading people's posts here maybe I should give it a try. :)
     
  6. Blossom

    BlossomActive Member

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    I've been thinking about doing this, but I've been looking into drop shipping on eBay from other suppliers as well. I've also been thinking about selling used books on Amazon.
     
  7. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I've been thinking about reselling too because I have a lot of brand new clothes from the US that was given to me by my uncle and I don't like most of them. They still come with tags too, so I hope I can resell them on Ebay as long as the shipping doesn't cost that much internationally for light items like shirts.
     
  8. mariee

    marieeActive Member

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    No, but on the field of photography I've done the opposite. I've bought cheap cameras or lenses on eBay and resold them locally for a small profit. The reason it works with photography gear is that we don't have any camera stores so unless it's something basic that can be found on Best Buy, you have to order it online. Some people would rather pay a little more for the convenience of not having to buy online, specially the older less tech savvy photographers.
     
  9. forextraspecialstuff

    forextraspecialstuffActive Member

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    No I haven't. I've always wanted to get into it because I thought it could be a fun way to make some extra money and be a bit of an adventure but I just can't figure out exactly what would sell well so I don't want to put money out that I possibly won't get back. Once or twice I did buy something limited edition at one time or another and decided I didn't want it and sold it and that usually brings in a nice bit of money, but in terms of scouting for things to buy I have never done that.
     
  10. wvboarder

    wvboarderMember

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    I haven't but my dad does it for a living. He deals in collectible stuff so he makes a decent bit doing it. You have to have a good eye for what is valuable and what isn't if you actually want to make a profit.
     
  11. insertkittyface

    insertkittyfaceActive Member

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    I haven't tried doing it, to be honest, I never even really thought about it, but it sounds like a fairly good idea considering there are a couple pretty decent thrift shops around my area. I may give it a go sometime, I don't know what I would find but I guess it really never hurts to look.
     
  12. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    You would be surprised at what sells. Since there was a 1979 Walkman cassette player used in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, 1979 Walkmans are selling on eBay for hundreds of dollars. Pretty much any Polartoid camera is an easy $25-$60. Old 1980's horror movies with blood and gore on VHS like Three on a Meathook can sell for $30. Some Littlest Pet Shop animals are insanely rare and valuable, and yet your kid might have them sitting in a toybox. There are Facebook groups that you can join to get an education on what to look out for.
     
  13. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I have tried this but honestly most items we can find in thrift shops here are only clothes so I don't really get that much of a profit out of selling them so I ended up just giving it up altogether. Every now and then I may find some quality items like musical instruments and furniture but they are too seldom and the price usually is already at maximum for the quality they are in by the time I get to it as a customer in thrift shops.
     
  14. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    Are you located in the US? I know some people in the US who make decent money selling clothes on eBay but they specifically look for brand name clothes at Goodwill that they know sell well on eBay.
    They even know what color label of Ralph Lauren is worth the most money. If you are located in the US ,there are groups on Facebook that will teach you what brand of clothes to look for for resale.
    I don't mess with clothes because people return clothes if they don't fit, and I don't want to deal with returns.
     
  15. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

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    Once upon a time I did, but I don't any more.

    Actually, even more frequently, I would go to yard sales in the summer time. They were even cheaper than places like Goodwill. I would always buy up any items that still had tags on them. These always sell best on Ebay since they appear to be new.