Hey, wanna know the secret places where you'll find even more great stuff for your auction inventory? Of course you do--and so does everyone else. But there's really no secret to it just as there is no one-stop Auction Inventory Warehouse, so to speak. Actually, there are many different sources from which all sellers draw as they stock their own shelves in support of their auction businesses. But what are these sources? Glad you asked. Here's an overview of some of the most promising venues you'll want to visit as you keep your inventory fresh and fortune-bearing.

The Obvious Choices
First, consider the time-tested favorite venues where sellers can pick up auction inventory:

• Garage sales: Still a big source for great items at great prices. The recent eBay Effect, however, has many private individuals believing their junk is worth jewels. Don't let that deter you, though--these folks just want to get rid of the stuff rather than haul it back into their garage, so negotiate.

• Flea markets: It's the garage sale on wheels, and it rolls into the local flea market site every weekend (and sometimes on weekdays). Forget the professional vendors--head to the area where private sellers will try to unload their goods to the attending masses. An early start usually gets you the better pickings, but treasures are often found throughout the day.

• Estate sales: This is a more upscale version of a garage sale, involving the liquidation of personal belongings and taking place in an actual home (often due to the owner having passed away). Usually the items are a bit better at estate sales since it's a total liquidation of goods, not just the skimming of garbage someone decides they no longer want to have around. Though the sale is of a higher caliber (and price) than garage and flea market sales, the prices still are quite tempting and bear plenty of room for resale profit.

All of these venues are regularly advertised, usually in local newspapers. Grab the Friday paper and plot a course through an area where many such sales might be occurring over the weekend. And, as a new twist, be sure to check with local realtors: These days, many are helping coordinate area-wide yard sales where entire communities band together for "Garage Sale Saturday." The realtor, who pulled the effort together and paid for local advertising, gets great publicity for his or her business in the meantime.

A Good Cause
Selling used goods has been a longtime pursuit of charitable organizations, too. We all know that thrift stores deal in such goods and that some decent finds can be found within their walls, but don't forget other fund-raisers such as library book sales, public radio music sales, and general rummage sales. Often the items you'll find at these less-trodden venues will be of the donated variety, but many times you can find merchandise that was owned by the hosting organization. However, such sales are almost always featuring bare-bones pricing on some decent stuff, though you might need to be at these sales early to cherry-pick from the cream of the crop. When it comes to thrift stores, your best bet is to find out what days the store receives and unloads new merchandise, and to be sure you're there bright and early to help.

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