Picking treasures for a living?

[randazzo1]

I realized about five years ago that it is pretty darn hard to make any sort of profit metal detecting (after batteries, gas, gatorade, bug spray, lunch, ripped pants ---- and - the "I can't possibly sell this" finds - there isn't much room left).

BUT -- after about a year of really focusing on garage sales, flea markets, estate sales - I could see how someone could make a living doing picking treasures. I work full time at another profession - so I can only really get out on Saturday mornings, an occasional thrift store at lunch, and very early on Sunday. Even with just that amount of time, its pretty easy to bring down a consistent $350-$600 a week profit on ebay. It's a pain in the neck to pack and ship things, and deal with problem buyers, but overall its not that bad.

What I'm wondering is how many people on here do this full time as their main source of income and how much are they able to generate (on average) on a week to week basis. Also how much time (in hours) do you put in each week?

To make this post worth reading --- here's a recent find and a tip:

1. Recent find: Yesterday at a thrift store in New York - 6 George Jensen Sterling Silver Spoons for $5.00 in the original box.

2. Tip: Action figures are hot, hot, hot. Look on ebay at the action figure category. Sort by auctions only, then number of bids most first. Read the first few pages every day for a week. At the end of the week you'll have an idea of what sells and for how much. Then hit the garage sales on Saturday morning. Target empty nesters in their late 50's early 60's. They are the one's whose kids would have had the action figures you are looking for. Toys become collectible as the people who played with them enter their peak earning years. With extra disposible income, those people fulfill some of their nostalgic needs by going out and acquiring toys they played with as a child. That's one theory any way! There are the obvious ones like first generation star wars --- but then there are the less obvious like Galoob's star wars reissues in the 1994 (co branded with micromachines). Also - teenage mutant ninja turtles (first gen) and My little Pony (who would have thought - I personally murdered dozens of them with magnifying glasses and nail polish remover as a kid).

 

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[Catobra]

Thanks for the post. My best friend and I have thought about for years-between FREE Craigslist, thrift, fleas, yard sales, trash picking, house cleanouts etc. there's plenty of money out there. Thing is (as you point out above), you have to know what you are looking for and apply it when you see it which can be difficult in this finicky market. There are so many variables.....love to hear what everyone has to say though.

 

[capt-zero]

I do pretty well at garage/yard sales, however 3-6 hundred a week is not the norm. At least in my town people are relatively savy about the value of their goods. When I first started doing this 6-7 years ago I was doing very well, until everyone figured how much silver and gold were worth. The things I find now are the not so obvious antique 'smalls' and art (see my post in this category 'Small Japanese Silver Bowl'). However, art takes a lot of research beforehand and a lot of false buys before you find something special. The way I look at it is, if I buy 20 or 30 paintings for $5 each and only one is a four figure piece of art, then I'm way ahead. You can always sell the culls at your own yard sale. Another thing, if you do find that special piece, the only way to realize it's actual value is at a professional art auction; so waiting 6 or 7 months to sell is not unusual. Last week I picked an antique French tapestry for $3 and the week before an original Wilhelm Dietz watercolor ca.1906 for $5, but it is likely I'll not see a return until after December.

 

[randazzo1]

Capt-zero - your advice on the artwork is well taken. I've purchased pieces (one of which I listed on ebay this week) that I see past brick and mortar auction results for around $700-$1500 (haven't found anything reallly, really valuable yet). I put them on ebay at $99.99 no reserve and they don't even get views. I'll have to try to find a professional art auction. It seems like the only thing that sells well on ebay are super famous pieces in the lower range (signed prints by very famous artists).

 

[capt-zero]

Yes, Ebay is not the way to go selling art. There is so much fake art on ebay everyone is gunshy, as they should be. However, that being said, it is a wonderful place to buy, BUT only after you have done your homework (I cannot stress this enough). I've recently picked up several original DeGoya etchings for around $50 total, but during that same time I saw maybe a dozen reproductions being peddled as originals (some by so-called reputable art firms). Research is the key, always research an item fully before making a bid and take what the ad claims very scepticaly (a good example is a company featured on our favorite antique's show, regularly posts "original" Whistler lithographs published 15 years after Whistler died). I have picked up a few nice things there I never would have found at garage sales or been able to afford at a gallery. Picked up a few lemons too, but you have to look at the overall picture. I've probably spent less than a thousand total, over the years, but I have a substantial art collection.

 

[AC1955]

Do you have an auction house near you? I just sold some furniture (1940's) and assorted bric-a-brac and netted about $1800. Worth a try.

 

[diggummup]

I've been messing around doing this for years as a part time thing to keep me is spending money. I could probably go full time and make a meager living if I was forced to but luckily, i'm not there yet. My line of work is construction related and jobs are scarce lately so I have kicked it up a notch and started selling a bit more over the last 6 months. Luckily I already have a lot of inventory that i've purchased over the years. But I still hit the sales and thrifts as much as possible. It's the thrill of the hunt that drives me. Never knowing what you may find and learning about new things to look for while doing it. I have averaged in daily terms about $100 a day in sales for the last 6 months consecutively. I usually list 60-70 items a month at most. I've also recently started buying larger items and using Craigslist to sell locally. Example- I just sold a treadmill today for $400 that I paid $60 for last Saturday.

I've been spending about 20-25 hours a week all in all, if you count the time listing, packing and going to sales etc.

eBay sales have been kind of slow actually. I can't seem to get a bite on anything that has a starting price of $200 or more lately, unless it's a very rare piece. In comparison with recent brick and mortar results that are double that for the same examples. I'm hoping something starts to happen in Sept. or so. I refuse to sell my good stuff for wholesale prices. I'll keep it another 20 years first. Until then i'll continue along looking for more treasures, having fun all the while doing it. That's the key to it all.

 

[bazinga]

A lot depends on where you live. If you live in the middle of nowhere, you really don't have the same opportunities as those that live in large urban areas. I believe I could do it, some months I could probably make $10k and others I would struggle to make $1k.

But, it would be a legit full time job. It's not nearly as much fun when you HAVE to get up early to get that worm.

 

[diggummup]

But, it would be a legit full time job. It's not nearly as much fun when you HAVE to get up early to get that worm.

That's why I wouldn't want to do it full time. 20-25 hours a week messing around after work and such would easily turn into 60-70 hours a week and take all the fun out of it. Now instead of it being a fun thing to do, it would become a necessity to put food on the table. Not fun anymore. IMHO

 

[jerseyben]

Wow, I just looked through your ebay sales and I am amazed. Your picks are very good.

How did you know to buy the razor hones and how did you get so many?

 

[duffytrash]

ive sold marbles for 20 years or so...before ebay and do sell some on there but its rapt with fakes and worthless stuff now...everybody thinks all old marbles are gems but its not the case...i cruise yard sales often and sell at fleas at county fairs a few times a year...i always do ok and dont keep track of profits....i go to 4 marble shows a year and its a blast....often times the cost of the hotel rooms and set up fees really cut into the profit but its more of a friend meeting now than anything...i dont put price tags on anything either....makes the hagglin more fun!!!

 

[bazinga]

i dont put price tags on anything either....makes the hagglin more fun!!!

I bet you lose a lot of potential sales with this tactic. Myself and many others I know don't even bother asking the dealer for a price when everything is left priceless. And I know it's not just us. And if we do ask for a price, we ask for the price on one item when we might be interested in 10 items. If we don't like the price on the one item, we just turn around and walk away when the other 9 items could be reasonably priced. You have a certain window of opportunity to get a sale in person and I bet you are blowing it more often than you realize.

Of course, you will argue that you sell plenty and you like the haggling. More power to ya. But, you are losing sales. Buyers get tired of asking for a price and having the seller say make me an offer. We just want to know the price.

 

[duffytrash]

i dont say make an offer...i give em a price...and your right...i sell plenty....mostly glassware and marbles....crocks etc....folks that wanna buy a 250$ crock are purtry serious to start with....theyll ck it out and that usually starts the conversation...same goes with the glass ware....and marbles they sell themselves...most marble collectors know what one is worth....one with even a small tick is practally worthless....lots of common glassware haint worth more than a couple bucks anyway...

 

[trdhrdr007]

You can add me to the list of people that keep walking when items aren't priced. I've got a locked display case at the local antique mall. There are a couple of my competitors that sell similar items(coins & jewelry) to mine. They put the price on the back of the item or tag so the customer has to ask for the case to be unlocked to find out how much. My prices are prominently displayed. In general our prices are in the same ballpark. Most months I have a higher sales volume than they do.

 

[bazinga]

You can add me to the list of people that keep walking when items aren't priced. I've got a locked display case at the local antique mall. There are a couple of my competitors that sell similar items(coins & jewelry) to mine. They put the price on the back of the item or tag so the customer has to ask for the case to be unlocked to find out how much. My prices are prominently displayed. In general our prices are in the same ballpark. Most months I have a higher sales volume than they do.

The ones that hide the prices in the case are the worst. Unless it's an item that I think I could profit like $500-$1000 on, I won't waste my time trying to find an attendant, waiting for them to find a key, etc. just to look at a price.

What's funny is this morning I went to a small local flea market with my grandmother. She kept complaining about how nobody put prices on their stuff. They were all items she was interested in. Did she ask for a price? Nope, not a single time.

Another bad one is when I'm interested in prices on 20-30 items in a booth. I'm not going to waste my time pointing at every single item waiting for a price.

Just put price tags on your items. This isn't a yard sale where people can feel ok offering you $1 for your items. It's a business. Treat it as such.

 

[duffytrash]

it must be hard for you baz...living in a world where everybody else is far far less perfect than you....oh by the way i used some of your sunlight today....

 

[spankster13]

I love this hobby/part-time job! Been doing it for 5 years now on a regular basis. Started out just picking up old computers to recycle and it has grown to anything of value. Used upgraded computers are my bread and butter especially during the winter months. I hit between 20 and 40 yard sales every sat. that I don't work. My 13 year old son has been going with me for 2 years now and has become good at picking also. First words out of his moth is "Do you have any jewelry or coins?" He can smell a jewelry box a mile away and can go thru it faster than me. His mother takes him out on fridays while I'm at work and he does well. I agree the gold, siver and jewelry are now harder to get do to the economy, but its out there. I live 75 miles from Wash. DC in West Virginia, so there are lots of good neighborhoods. This forum has helped alot over the years. Worst part is doing the listing on craigslist and ebay. Very time consuming but worth it. Got to go , have to list some motherboards and cpu's from 20+computers picked up over the last couple weeks.

 

[BaronH]

The ones that hide the prices in the case are the worst. Unless it's an item that I think I could profit like $500-$1000 on, I won't waste my time trying to find an attendant, waiting for them to find a key, etc. just to look at a price.

What's funny is this morning I went to a small local flea market with my grandmother. She kept complaining about how nobody put prices on their stuff. They were all items she was interested in. Did she ask for a price? Nope, not a single time.

Another bad one is when I'm interested in prices on 20-30 items in a booth. I'm not going to waste my time pointing at every single item waiting for a price.

Just put price tags on your items. This isn't a yard sale where people can feel ok offering you $1 for your items. It's a business. Treat it as such.

Yep, absolutely drives me nuts too. I go to the local swap meet a few times a year and there are about 4 vendors who never have prices on anything, my wife and I don't even bother with them and I can't count the times that we have walked by and heard other people come to the same conclusion. Not a price on it, must not be for sale.....

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[duffytrash]

ive seen boxed marble sets ruined by a price sticker...also the glue residue is hard on everything else,too...i guess theres pro and cons to eveything but the fleas and fairs i go to it doesnt seem to matter....

 

[bazinga]

ive seen boxed marble sets ruined by a price sticker...also the glue residue is hard on everything else,too...i guess theres pro and cons to eveything but the fleas and fairs i go to it doesnt seem to matter....

Put the boxed sets in a bag and put the price on the bag.

If the marbles are in cases, put a price sheet next to the case by by columns/rows. A1-$25, B6-$45, etc. Difficult, I know.

I know you are stubborn and don't realize it, but you are losing sales. And others have proven to agree with me. Consumers get tired of asking for prices.

As for your comment about others being far less perfect than me, all I'm doing is trying to help your business. But you are set in your ways and obviously can't see it from the buyer's point of view. What if every seller was like you? I'm not going to ask the price on 1,000 different items at every flea market I go to, and neither are buyers. How would you feel if your grocery store didn't advertise its prices? There's a reason why business put prices on their items. Otherwise, buyers would just stop shopping there.