(02-09-2014, 09:16 PM)pacrimcollectibles Wrote: Much of my eBay store is stocked with what I find at Goodwill and Value Village. I devote 2-4 hours per week making stops on my commute home from work, as I have about 20 locations to choose from along the way. I average 15 new items per week to list. I stick to what I know best, sports and entertainment themed items. My best movers are jerseys and jackets, stadium giveaway bobbleheads, T-shirts, and autographed items, mostly signed books. I know what I should expect to get out of everything I buy and as long as I'm going to worst case scenario double the investment with the sale I will buy it.
The autographs are where my expertise in identifying signatures pays off best because often these things are left behind by the thrifters due to them being unable to recognize who it is, or in the case of books taking the time to search. I'm also able to pick up the garments I do because most thrift store shoppers are only looking for their sizes.
I've been doing business this way for about two years and it saved my online store. I try to budget less than $50 a week for it with the goal of it generating $250 for every $50 spent. It supplements the rest of my business and has allowed me to gradually increase my online presence while most of my colleagues in what I did to stock my store previously find themselves shrinking their stores or closing them altogether.
I've had several huge finds over the past two years but the two biggest were Gary Payton's game worn Milwaukee Bucks jersey and 7 jerseys worn by current NBA player Tony Wroten, Jr. I've found tons of signed items, running the gamut from a framed photo signed by Brett Favre with his COA to a book signed by Bob Hope.
Here's how easy it is to get started: many Goodwills sell T-shirts at 99 cents (Value Village is a little more). At that price they can be listed at $9.99 with free shipping and after fees and using 9x12 bubble mailers bought at WalMart to ship them will clear the seller just over $5 per shirt. The seller can very easily pocket $4 of each shirt and spend 99 cents on another one and repeat the process.
They must have "great" wills in your neck of the woods, lol nothing like that ever in one of my goodwills. People have heart attacks for Super Nintendo controllers..