question about thrift stores

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Bradford:
Do many/any thrift stores filter out items that are "collectibles"? Either for outside sales (eBay) or an instore "collectibles" area?

I don't know. But my guess would be that stores like Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Value Village, etc. are probably less likely to filter things out.

My rationale is that a privately owned thrift store is in business to make a profit and the owners/employees might have a better handle on the collectibles market.

The chain stores I mentioned are more of a service to the lower income community, and would have more of an MO to just get low priced necessities to people on a budget.

That's just my opinion, though. I'm no expert on collectibles.

I just got back from a large thrift store just now. I picked up 6 circa 1960 retro wheat pattern saucers at 50 cents ea.. 4 retro coffee cups at 50 cents ea. A pattern cream and sugar oriental import for 2.00 ea. and in their showcase 2 sterling silver candle sticks for $15 the pair. I will mark up my pattern pieces for my indoor minimall space to at least 2.00 ea, likely 3.00 ea. and the candlesticks to 45.00 after I polish them.

Thrift stores have been selling stuffs to ebayers and minimall store owners for a number of years now. You have to frequent the places and do run throughs always picking off in your cart all you think you want. Sort out later what you do not want. We pull the furniture tag and take it home with us and then go there, when they open the doors in the morning and buy what we can afford for the day.

Big saturday flea markets are great too. You find out when they have setups and when the reserve tables go off reserve in the morning. All the first set up people from about 7:30 am to 9:00 am are always willing to make the best deals, because they havn't had time to think about it for pricing and want to pay for the table as fast as they can. All the dealers do the pickoffs at that time of the morning. Gold/silver jewelry, objects of art, furniture. My wife picked off a 1970's india import 4 panel full carved jarra wood 6ft. tall folding screen last weekend for 35.00. A customer later saw it and said they paid 500 for theirs. She has it in her shop for 400.00. Your hunting gets better in about a year of doing it a lot. You will buy some junk, but you will also find good stuff. Read and look at magazines on the stuff, so you are familiar with what you are looking at. I hope this helps.

Mine don't filter out to sell online. I'm just not in that large of a market. Perhaps the larger cities...but not where I am.

I love them!
I've found THE greatest items in all sorts of thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales and more.

Name brand thrift stores such as G'will, Salvation Army and such have sale days in my area. Dollar days. fill up a bag for 5.00 days. Fill up a bag for 1.00 days. Blue, green, etc etc price tag .25 or half price whichever is more.

A very minimal list of some of my finds.

Vintage Game HOTELS New never opened
Purchased: 1.00 Sold: 75+ dollars

Ralph Lauren scarf like new condition.
Purchased: .25 Sold 38.00

Countless Tommy Bahama shirts & dresses:
Purchase 1.00 or less
Sold 35 and up

Vintage Olga Nightgowns, Peignoir sets
Full Sweep Style (countless times)
Purchase 1.00
Sold: minimum 45 and upwards to 100+ dollars

A wish for wings that work VHS:
purchased: 1.00
Sold 45.00
(we already owned one of these)

Brand new Stripper Shoes never worn:
Bought: .25
Sold: 25.00

Goodness the vintage dresses and coats and more?
Priceless! Spend some time going through each category on eBay CLOSED auctions and see what items sell and for what prices. It'll start giving you a real eye for what to watch out for.

FOUR drinking glasses at a Garage Sale (Gasparilla Krewe Court) for .10 total.
Sold on eBay 80.00
(I had NO idea)

Reanissance Wench Outfit
purchase: 5.00
sold during halloween: 75+ dollars

Countless OLDER halloween costumes sold those for exhorbitant prices.

Alfred Shaheen.

Books. That's a whole nother ball of wax.

There's lots of times I'm out and I'll call home and have someone search out the item on eBay to determine whether or not I should buy and resell.

You just never know what you'll find at these spots.

I do understand what you're talkin bout. As Goodwill has an online site, but I don't think ours belongs to it. They do have an outlet where you can go and buy from them at a lower cost but it has to be by the pound and its random items.

Our church thrift stores are majorly kewl and have GREAT items. I wouldn't touch a consignment shop to purchase for resell..those folks are out to make money, too.

Don't forget buying on Yahoo Auctions or other sites and reselling on eBay. Sometimes it'll get more traffic.

Don't forget about all those articles that have been written about movies and such needing original props etc. Where do they come? EBAY!

My Best,
Donna

Hey Donna,

Some great info in the last post there.. thank you.

ohh..you think lakeland is a smaller town. I lived in Umatilla in Lake County FL. That was small...it made Eustis and Mt. Dora the "Big Towns" lol one stoplight and home of Golden Gem orange Juice... wow memory lane....

Thanks for the memories...

Here's a nice tip (link)
http://www.goofbay.com/index

I was looking for my hubster a cell phone on eBay. I used the above site and found him a Motorola Rokr. The seller misspelled words in the title, I found and bing, bang, bid, boom, I won with no competition!

If you search out eBay's completed on Rokr's they're going for upwards of 130.00, my final price was better.

HA! I know right where you're talking bout. Honestly!

I love the Ocala National Forest and you were right there. I've been known at times to wander the roads of FL on the way to visit family. I have family in the Crystal River area and Cedar Key. Plus my Dad goes to the VA in Gainesville, so I travel those roads quite a bit.

It's soooooooooo beautiful up there. The horse farms and rolling hills.

You're talkin to an "original" Floridian. We're few and far between anymore. Heavy roots in the south, too!

My Best, Donna

Hey, thanks for all the input, everybody. I'm feeling the need to go thrifting!

I go to the thrift stores quite abit. I sell mainly craft books, so it's great to see what you can find. Tons of vintage ones.

I find that for the stores in our area - alot of the volunteers are ebayers and pick through the donations if they want anything before it hits the shelves. It's rare that you can find decent collectibles here.

As a footnote, I kinda wish the stripper shoes had been worn. <wink>

Oh the questions I received and oh the requests I got via email. HA!

There used to be quite a niche on eBay (might still be, I haven't checked in ages) for very used and smelly shoes. (and other items)

Outta here!
Donna

naughtybids also has a good market for such things

I'm a thirft store junkie.

I just wanted to add a note here. Salvation army and places like that Goodwill etc. Not only are they fantastic places for finding vintage stuff to sell..but what you dont sell can be dropped off there as a donation and if you are able to itemize on your taxes... you can figure up the actual retail value of these dropped off items and get a reciept from whoever you dropped it off to and deduct your donation from your taxes...wait, let me clarify though...You used to be able to, I havent done it in a good while...Im assuming you still can.

quote:

Originally posted by Westvatexan:
you can figure up the actual retail value of these dropped off items and get a reciept from whoever you dropped it off to and deduct your donation from your taxes...wait, let me clarify though...You used to be able to, I havent done it in a good while...Im assuming you still can.

Yes, you still can.

Take care, Donna

Well, I got out and went to a couple of thrift stores this afternoon. Didn't find anything this time, unfortunately.

I went to a Thrift Town (not sure if this is a chain or not) and a "Super Goodwill". The Goodwill apparently holds a weekly live auctions for whatever items they think will do well that way. They put the week's items in a glass display case so you can check 'em out beforehand. I guess if it's really good stuff maybe you could get a good deal but it's still a bit of a bummer that they don't just put it out with the rest of the stock.