Things that I hunt for at garage sales / thrift stores

[treasurekidd]

Thanks Turtle, I appreciate your input. I just finished watching your new video, looks like you scored some nice items. Thanks for posting it, your inspiring me here man!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[TreasureHunters]

Bump...reup video please

 

[dejapooh]

I've done very well with 35mm cameras, SX70 Polaroid Camera, ANY Polaroid film ($20 to $35 a box!), Lenses, and so on.

I also do well with Vibrators (COME ON NOW!) Stim u lax, ultrasonic, infrared, and so on. They generally cost $2 to $4 each and sell for $50 to $100.

I have done pretty well with Better quality Olympic Stuff. Here you REALLY have to know what you are doing. A souvenir medal will sell for $1, a volunteer medal will sell for $40 to $100, and an Athlete's participation medal will go for several hundred dollars. I did pick up a Bronze medal once from the 1936 Olympics. I was about 75% sure it was real. It turned out to be real, and I was able to Flip it for $8,000. The guy who bought it was only 3 medals away from a Complete set, 1896 to 2008 gold silver and bronze, summer and winter Olympics, plus every torch from every torch relay. He has a better collection than the IOC or Prince Rainier of Monaco.

 

[mjlalt]

I also do well with Vibrators (COME ON NOW!) Stim u lax, ultrasonic, infrared, and so on. They generally cost $2 to $4 each and sell for $50 to $100.

.

They are hand held massagers
I have done well with them as well
Panabrator models sell good too

 

[dejapooh]

Every time I find one, I look it up. It has to be clean and preferably in the box.

 

[gord]

Time to start keeping an eye out for those 40-year-old Twinkies!

 

[ATPro4Life]

Keep an eye out for Magic the Gathering cards! Some can go for as much as $3000 apparently, but if you're that one lucky guy. ALWAYS use Ebay as a price guide.

I bought a binder full of Magic the Gathering cards for $25 and sold all of them for around $200 on Ebay. Chi ching!

 

[northwoods]

The Transformers (toyline) - Transformers Wiki

Here's a great starting source. This site has tons of info on anything Transformers.

Most of them have small dates on them on the feet or legs. Anything from the 80s is good. Even later stuff is good if they are complete (which they usually are not, if you find them used).

 

[TreasureHunters]

bump...please add more turtle

 

[desertmoons]

You may want to keep an eye out for Somayaki pottery. It has been around a long time and was produced up till recently. The last I read the kilns were in an area evacuated due to the tsunami and nuclear power plant problems. The crafters are not allowed to go back to their town due to radiation so currently is out of production. Who know if they ever will resume. It is lovely stuff anyway.

 

[SilverForBrains]

Keep an eye out for Magic the Gathering cards! Some can go for as much as $3000 apparently, but if you're that one lucky guy. ALWAYS use Ebay as a price guide.

I bought a binder full of Magic the Gathering cards for $25 and sold all of them for around $200 on Ebay. Chi ching!

Magic the Gathering cards are a bit of a moving target. Tournaments (which nearly entirely drive the market) generally fall into what I consider 2 styles, the more popular tournament type that allows only cards from the newest set, and the less popular type that allows any cards from any set, including old classic cards. I prefer the latter but not all gaming stores hold these.

Anyways, this means your market is pretty much the less popular tournament style where you can use older cards, the other tournaments just drive purchasing of new packs individual cards (which likely have not been around long enough to make it to a garage sale). The decks one makes for these "any card goes" type tournaments however are generally heavily based around newer cards, since Magic has a tendency to bring out more powerful creatures and abilities as time goes on. So, there goes part of the market there, but more importantly herein lies the key to purchasing old magic cards. As new magic sets come out, people choose to purchase different older cards that better accent the newest additions. This can mean that one year you have an older rare worth $60 when it is owning in play, which quickly drops to $1 when it just so happens that the newer set that just came out with a card that has twice the abilities with half the mana cost (mana just being how expensive from a resources standpoint a card is to play in the game)

Of course, there are cards that just own no matter what is coming out. These cards were made too powerful back in the day, and would drastically change the playing field of the newer style of playing if they were re-released. However, for those that play the older tournament style you can use these....if you can afford them! Cards like Black Lotus, Mox Pearl, Mox emerald and such go for hundreds of dollars. Dual lands go for like 50-100, and so on. some really powerful cards have been banned though meaning they can never be played in a tournament, and they don't have much value (like Channel!)

Your best bet on magic cards is to use to your advantage that the seller may not realize they could be worth big bucks. Buy low, and try to buy in bulk. If the price was right I would buy any magic collection. 60 or so cards though.....ehhh if they were all crappy newer commons I wouldn't pay a few bucks. So if you're buying in smaller amts. get a sense of what sets are old enough that even the more common ones (in the day) are rare now and worth money. More faded cards (not just age, also style at the time) with black borders are always a good bet

 

[mjm579]

Well certain corning models were recalled due to the way they were manufactured, ebay does not allow recalled items to be sold on ebay. These percolators have since become very collectable. I have managed to sell 2 of them on ebay, but I got slapped with a policy violation on 2 more, so I don't try to sell them on ebay anymore. The first one I sold went within 5 minutes of posting it. The second one took a couple of days, but it sold for $59.99. You can still buy the parts for the percolators on ebay, just not the body. The electrical cord for a corning percolator alone can go for $20.00

I have one of these that I posted on here about 2 months ago. Still in the original box. Any interest?

 

[mjm579]

I've done very well with 35mm cameras, SX70 Polaroid Camera, ANY Polaroid film ($20 to $35 a box!), Lenses, and so on.

I also do well with Vibrators (COME ON NOW!) Stim u lax, ultrasonic, infrared, and so on. They generally cost $2 to $4 each and sell for $50 to $100.

I have done pretty well with Better quality Olympic Stuff. Here you REALLY have to know what you are doing. A souvenir medal will sell for $1, a volunteer medal will sell for $40 to $100, and an Athlete's participation medal will go for several hundred dollars. I did pick up a Bronze medal once from the 1936 Olympics. I was about 75% sure it was real. It turned out to be real, and I was able to Flip it for $8,000. The guy who bought it was only 3 medals away from a Complete set, 1896 to 2008 gold silver and bronze, summer and winter Olympics, plus every torch from every torch relay. He has a better collection than the IOC or Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Recently I've been finding a lot of Olympic memorabilia items...like pins, pendants, and one necklace (in original box). Any market here?

 

[tamrock]

Great List Thanks!

I'm a trift store, antique shop, pawn shop, yard sale, church sale, flea market, craigslist & parking lot sale "Freak". To me its the best way to get my mind off any stress, worry or undesirable thoughts that any bad day could throw at me. Its a great fact that No One Giant Corporation could ever capitalize on the billions of dollars of used items available on this planet. The best is you can make money on all this treasure out there. Knowledge is a key factor in finding a deal and the list of these type treasures is vast. My partners when we all find our selfs together in Nevada thow all their money in the penny slots, I spend time looking for a sure bet. As for me, one of the best treasures I've found are the retired widows on a limited income, the fellow who wasn't finding a job to pay all the bills and many others great folks doing the same as I. Those are the treasures I call now friends that I run into on the hunt. We boast about what we found, swap stories, give tips and share ideas. We greet each other ever time with a smile.

I will share this idea with you all. Some time back I was selling an item online and I always look at buyers records to see how they spend their money. One fella spent a good amount on many pieces Hartmann Luggage. I thought I better check out the thift store areas with all those bags, suitcases and briefcases. I look now ever time and have found some good money makers in that section of the store. I found this Carry on Hartmann for 6 dollars, but I kept it as I travel a bunch in my job and its just a well built bag. When I got it I looked at the sales history and found that one used and exactly like it, just sold for close to 300 dollars. This one I'll keep.

What a great list and I picked up some tips...Thank you!

 

[Omega]

Linked- Thanks!

 

[tamrock]

One More I have. Check out thimbles

Found this 4.7 gram 14K gold thimble made by Simmons I think it is? in a dozen thimbles all for 3 dollars each. They must have thought it was brass. I sold a few vintage sterling thimbles on ebay. Always good to look these thimbles over. Thimble collectors tough, will critique all the condition issues on any thimble you do put up for sale. It is best to check the sterling ones over well before you pull the trigger on a buy. The buyers don't want any out of shape, scratched, heavy wear, and most of all no pierced through holes on the top. If made of gold at a yard sale price, who gives a hoot about condition. I do see many Mexican made sterling thimbles, but don't spend more then $5.00 to $8.00 on those, or at least thats been my take on them. They do have a lot of detail though and will catch your eye, but don't be fooled with passion and they sell poorly. And who knows?, it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone would stumble across a late 18th or early 19th century thimble at a yard sale. At that you may have hit a jackpot. I like things very small and worth a bundle.

Always remember.... never fall in love with things that can't love you back!

 

[clovis97]

ANY Polaroid film ($20 to $35 a box!)

I miss the days when a single pack of sealed Polaroid film sold for $40 to $70!!!

 

[Eagle101]

I do really good selling video games I pick up at garage sales. Usually I get games for .50-$1 each and sell them on eBay for $8-$25 each. Make sure the cases are in good shape with the instruction manuals and the disk has none or very few scratches.

Cameras are also very good. Every time I go out for a day of yard sales I pick up a couple for $1 each. Last Saturday I bought a Pentax asahi for $1 and sold it for $54.95 within an hour of listing it. I also picked up a Polaroid sun 600 with case + extras for $1 which will sell for $49.99

Designer clothing is big. I buy a lot of Abercrombie, Hollister, American eagle for about 50 cents each. And get $15+ each item.

Look out for any vintage Micheal Jordan stuff. I bought 2 pairs
of old sneakers in used condition for $3 each and will sell them for $35 each. I bought a early 90's used t-shirt for $1 and sold it on eBay for $41 and a vintage jersey for $1 I will get $40 for. All this I found last Saturday at 3 different yard sales.

Also pocket books. I picked up an authentic coach bag for 50 cents at a yard sale last Saturday because it was dirty. I use carpet upholstery cleaner on it and it looks new. I will get $40-$50 for the purse.


I get a lot of my info on what to look for on Youtube. You just type in "what to look for at garage sales" and watch the videos.

 

[lookin-for-treasure]

What types of games sell the best? I see games from time to time and don't really know what to get. I know I haven't done well at all with sports games. You are exactly right about Jordan items. I've sold everything I got that was Jordan from t shirts to sneakers.

 

[SilverForBrains]

I do really good selling video games I pick up at garage sales. Usually I get games for .50-$1 each and sell them on eBay for $8-$25 each. Make sure the cases are in good shape with the instruction manuals and the disk has none or very few scratches.

Cameras are also very good. Every time I go out for a day of yard sales I pick up a couple for $1 each. Last Saturday I bought a Pentax asahi for $1 and sold it for $54.95 within an hour of listing it. I also picked up a Polaroid sun 600 with case + extras for $1 which will sell for $49.99

Designer clothing is big. I buy a lot of Abercrombie, Hollister, American eagle for about 50 cents each. And get $15+ each item.

Look out for any vintage Micheal Jordan stuff. I bought 2 pairs
of old sneakers in used condition for $3 each and will sell them for $35 each. I bought a early 90's used t-shirt for $1 and sold it on eBay for $41 and a vintage jersey for $1 I will get $40 for. All this I found last Saturday at 3 different yard sales.

Also pocket books. I picked up an authentic coach bag for 50 cents at a yard sale last Saturday because it was dirty. I use carpet upholstery cleaner on it and it looks new. I will get $40-$50 for the purse.


I get a lot of my info on what to look for on Youtube. You just type in "what to look for at garage sales" and watch the videos.

I always look for NES and SNES which are a sure bet, but it seems like I'm missing out on a lot by not buying games from newer systems, especially if I can get them for cheap