rarriffle
|
posted on November 4, 2002 02:18:08 PM new
winter is coming quickly and before we completely forget the summer I thought we could all contribute to a fun thread...
over the summer what was your best find or finds? It doesn't matter if you found it at an auction, a garage sale, or under a rock somewhere.
please don't post bah humbug stuff about wasting our time at sales..yada yada yada...please just make it fun
My very best buy all summer were 3 rolls of bubblewrap at a garage sale for $2.00 a roll..the lady had quit ebaying and was cleaning the shed out. Hubby wants to go back and she if she found anymore.
I also found 6 slot car sets at an estate sale for $30.00 that netted me over $400.00. made my day.
|
stanleymu
|
posted on November 4, 2002 03:07:33 PM new
Tahari suit in my wife's size, after months of searching...
made her day 
|
micmic66
|
posted on November 4, 2002 03:10:02 PM new
rarriffle
I found an antique Marx train set in the box, near mint for $5 at an old mans garage sale, early June. My wife and I went to VERMONT in mid May and I purchased a box of ATARI systems and games. One game cartridge went $267, the rest of the loose games went $102 and the consoles and another 50 loose games also did $102. $471 out of a $10 box in a town I never heard of!!
|
alwaysfun
|
posted on November 4, 2002 03:24:33 PM new
I got a great old 1936 Composition Shirley Temple doll from a local gentleman that wanted $$$ for his son's birthday. He sold it to me for just $150 and I sold it for over $1300. It was gorgeous. Wanted to keep it but knew it would pay a couple months rent
|
rarriffle
|
posted on November 4, 2002 04:53:25 PM new
i was given 3 model airplanes by a friend at work...they went for a total of $380 plus change....it is fun to watch the bids on these sales...
Old toys are my favorites to buy and sell.
|
Libra63
|
posted on November 4, 2002 04:54:13 PM new
Went to my favorite goodwill and purchased a Pin and earrings for $4.00. Sold for $74.00
2 coogi sweaters at my other favorite thrift shop. $1.25 each. I don't do garage sales or estate sales anymore. Waste of time. One more exciting thing. I put on a necklace and earrings bought at an Antique Mall for $8.00. It went to $22.00 until the last 2 minutes of the auction. Sold for $104.00. Love the snipping.
|
ahc3
|
posted on November 4, 2002 05:29:41 PM new
I went to an estate sale and purchased a collection of items for $145, and hope to end up with about $1500 by the time I am though selling them...not bad! Also found a video game for $5 that I sold for $86, not bad either!
|
saffy
|
posted on November 4, 2002 05:30:26 PM new
I bought a 500$ espresso machine, a Proteo stainless steel, for 10$ secondhand. I could sell it to make at least 200$, but i'm keeping it. That's the reason why I will never be a real ebay full time seller, because I keep everything!
|
max40
|
posted on November 4, 2002 06:05:52 PM new
What do I win if I have the best story? O.K. I'll tell it anyhow. I was lounging around my favorite thrift store, when a dealer I know came in all excited to tell me about a garage/estate sale that he had just come from. He made it sound so good that I practically flew over there. There was "stuff" all the way up the drive from the street to the garage. I had to make two trips to the garage carrying items to put aside for me. I ended up filling the back of my van for a total outlay of $58.00. (Plus a $20.00 finders fee to the other dealer.) So far it's brought me $1400.00 plus, and I'm not halfway thru it yet. Boy, I wish I could do that every weekend!
Despite the high cost of living, it remains popular
|
rarriffle
|
posted on November 5, 2002 02:38:50 AM new
Libra, I know you deal in jewelry from your posts...did you ever stop to think those thrift shop finds may have been in a yard sale before they got there?
If I am lucky enough to get to the sale early, I will ask for a price for all the jewelry...usually a box full for $10-$20. I collect so it is very hard for me to let any go but I have some really good pieces in my collection from this.
I purchased a small box of cufflinks at a sale for $5.00...one pair went for $278.00 last summer. The rest were gold and were sold for the weight...over $200.00.
for me, the hunt is a big part of the fun of it.
|
pelorus
|
posted on November 5, 2002 05:57:32 AM new
In an antique mall I found a novel about an Airedale who was a French Army dog in World War I. Sacre bleu! Totally ignorant of the possibilities I bought it because of its charm for $10, sold it for $100.
|
annietique
|
posted on November 5, 2002 06:57:35 AM new
At an auction I bid on some item and along with it came all of this sheet music. I was going to leave it there but at the last minute decided to take it home. It sat around for a good two months and at a slow time I put this strange little songbook on- "Songs of Yellow Stone Park". It was old but I didn't think I'd get a bid at all on it. I figured I didn't really pay anything for it since what I was really bidding for at the auction had sold and already paid for the lot, the book sold for $104. I was quite shocked when I woke up the next morning to see that!
My next great find wat a covered Lu-Ray Serving dish that I paid $15.00 for at auction and sold for $138. LOVE IT!!! By the way, I sold the Lu-Ray to and the book both to nubies one with 3 transactions and one with seven, both transactions vent very smooth and I never had a problem. Goes to show you never know!
|
dejapooh
|
posted on November 5, 2002 08:51:14 AM new
I flew to Korea for the asian Games (kind of like the Olympics, but only for countries in Asia). I trade for, and then sell Olympic pins on Ebay. I found out once I was there that there was a pin trading area inside the village, so I went to Guest Accreditation and talked them into letting go in to trade pins (into a high security area). I started trading, and trading, and trading. I came home with over 1,000 new pins (I trade pins I bought in a large lot for $.03 each, and usually sell with a min. bid of $5). I also met the Head of the Afghanistan Olympic Committee, and was able to get about 10 of their pins, I have offers of $100 each on those. I figure my expenses were about $700 (free air ticket), and I've sold about $500 so far, with more then 950 pins to go. Not only that, but I got to see the Gold Medal Match in Kabaddi... Weird Sport... Kind of like Olympic Tag.
|
hughesdesign
|
posted on November 5, 2002 01:37:37 PM new
three mini perfume samples for, I think $2.00 at a favorite thrift shop - just sold to 1 to France and 2 to Germany -total $250.00!!! I love a good profit margin!
|
sanmar
|
posted on November 5, 2002 01:57:40 PM new
I never miss an estate sale in the area. Last spring I purchased a set of Royal Crown Derby "Tradional Imari" china. The man who was conducting the sale said that 2 or 3 dealers had come through & said he had the set priced too high ($850.00), I looked it over & said, I'll take it. Netted $4400.00. There were a pair of candlesticks that brought an even $1000.00. Oh, did I love that one.
|
moatokni
|
posted on November 5, 2002 02:17:49 PM new
Went to an estate sale, being conducted by the immediate family of the deceased. Bought an old pullman overnite case full of "junk" for $3.00. When we got home, emtied the case out and here is what was inside; One celluloid Coca-Cola watch fob, with the lady in an old car, one gold watch fob and two silver fobs, all Coca Cola, and all authentic. An old pair of spurs, 1 pair of Tom Mix "glow-in-the-dark spurs", 1 sterling silver watch fob from 1897, couple of old bottles and 1 late 1800's horse hoof working knife. Total sale $2100.
|
rarriffle
|
posted on November 5, 2002 03:17:47 PM new
Oh I do love those "junk" sales!
I helped a co-worker have a moving sale.. she was originally from Finland and had 3 cloth panels that we priced $5.00 each at the sale.
When they didn't sell she told me they were designer panels from Finland.
I put them on ebay and we made $99, $91 and $87 for them... dealers don't know everything.
Years before I knew ebay existed, I bought 3 vintage ladies compacts, still new in the boxes, for 50 cents each at a garage sale. A local antique dealer gave me $75.00 for the 3. Not a bad days work.
|
mcjane
|
posted on November 5, 2002 05:36:40 PM new
A while ago I bought a book written by Betsy Wyeth & illustrated by her son Jamie Wyeth (son of Andrew Wyeth)
On the title page of the book Jamie Wyeth hand drew an original sepia ink sketch of one of the larger printed pictures in the book. It was also autographed by both.
I paid 200.00, value of the book 3000.00
|
inot
|
posted on November 5, 2002 06:17:49 PM new
Went to a VERY rural farm auction in the humid, heat of July. A whole corn field full of nothing but old tools, farm equipment and grumpy, smelly old farmers.....AND.....a box full of old books. In the box were some old popular mechanics and 20 volumes of Victor Hugos works, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame & Les Miserables, all dated 1896 with leather bindings. Sold them in 3 separate lots...total for all, close to $1000.00, paid $5.00 for the box full. Yes, I make full disclosure to the IRS. 
|
Libra63
|
posted on November 5, 2002 07:52:44 PM new
rarriffle - The thrift store I buy my Jewelry from is not from the area I live. One of the stores is 50 miles away and the other is about 20. I never get to see the sales in those towns so I don't mind paying the price.
|
bevhead
|
posted on November 5, 2002 09:04:38 PM new
My best find this summer was on the last day of a garage sale, the lady said whatever was left was FREE, I took away about 100 craft and tole painting books, I have sold all but about 10, so far I have made about 200 dollars.
|
rarriffle
|
posted on November 6, 2002 02:16:30 AM new
Libra, that's okay, we don't have any thrift shops in my area but garage sales abound. every neighborhood has one it seems. that has become my Saturday morning entertainment in the summer and I might hit 20-30 and find absolutely nothing...the hunt is still fun for me.
One of my sisters lives in Tacoma, Wa and I just wish I lived there, wonderful thrift stores!!
|
rarriffle
|
posted on November 10, 2002 07:30:13 AM new
Now this is a story;
In the Antique Week newsletter this week,
A large Barnum & Bailey poster of Jumbo the Elephant hits record on ebay last month.
The seller watched it stay at $395 after the 4th day and then in the last 4 minutes of the sale it climbed to $35,100.00...no fooling...
Talk about a real heart stopping find!
It doesn't say what she paid, just that it had been readied to go into the trash.
|
Gamewizard007
|
posted on November 10, 2002 08:05:43 AM new
I was in Europe this summer and purchased a Prada duffle bag off a street vendor. I new it was fake but for fun brought it to a real dealer and they told me it was authentic, I paid $50 for this and sold it for $450. Great profit.
|
drgah
|
posted on November 10, 2002 11:50:20 AM new
I had a lot of fun finds this past summer.
I bought a book called "How to be a Professional Guide" by Herters for a buck and it sold for $178.50.
I bought 44 books about sailing at a garage sale that went for $850.
2 medela breast pumps for $5 each that both went for $135 each.
5 Coach purses for $1 each that netted $200.
Plus much much more. I had a great summer of sales on Ebay. I am actually a little depressed that I have to wait for April for the next round of garage saleing.
|
boblosan
|
posted on November 10, 2002 05:39:55 PM new
I bought a full length black shearling coat at an area Goodwill and it sold for over $300. Needless to say, I was thrilled!
|
suewagner
|
posted on November 11, 2002 12:24:23 PM new
Early this summer we bought an old rolled-up rock poster for 50 cents at an estate sale. It turned out to be a hand-colored poster for a Melanie concert from the early 70's. We turned that one around for about $96. We also found a pyrography (wood-burning) of Christy art from the early 1900s tossed in a trash can at a live auction - we sold that for a little over a hundred. Another fun one was a Tarot deck with a limited printing that we picked up for a buck - that one brought us $255. Then there was the small Edward Gorey poster (signed and framed) that we bought for $10 and sold for $150. We also find out-of-print books that go for 5 to 10 times what we paid for them.
These are exceptional finds and are what keep us going on eBay. I won't tell you about the stuff we couldn't sell, but these special items more than made up for those things we couldn't find buyers for. (Does anyone know somebody that would like a Troll jigsaw puzzle missing one piece?)
|
rarriffle
|
posted on November 11, 2002 01:01:22 PM new
suewagner, what if we put the puzzle with the 6 troll dolls I have that didn't sell...worth a million at least LOL!
|
mlecher
|
posted on November 11, 2002 01:29:27 PM new
Once found two full decks of cards banging loose in a box. One sold for over $1100 and the other for around $500.
here's a clue...
If the character cards are one-sided(a full figure not two-headed) they may be worth alot. It your eBay ad, be sure to incluse a GOOD picture of the Ace of Spades.
.................................................
I live in my own little world, but it is Okay...They know me here.
|
suewagner
|
posted on November 11, 2002 02:03:36 PM new
Hey rarriffle: That might be worth a try. Or maybe you could arrange your troll dolls in a story set-up like the "Helplessly Addicted to eBay Barbie" auction that ended at $425 on October 24th. The seller *sweet*bunnie* was pretty creative on that auction. You just know the Barbie and all the accessories that came with her probably cost less than $50, if even that much - a nice profit!
I just thought of a couple of more good finds we had this summer. Two old wooden jigsaw puzzles we paid a dollar each for - one auction ended at $94 and the other one for over $40.
|
