Adventures in thrifting income from the pay per pound Goodwill - Day 4.
Well, it was a bit busier at the ol' Goodwill Outlet today.
Not only that, but half the bins were still filled with the same stuff I looked through yesterday! How am I going to get some profit going when I already took all the good stuff from half the store?
So I changed course and headed for the clothing bins. I normally don't bother to check the clothing bins. Not because there isn't profit, just because it is a lot more work to find stuff. Then once you find something, you have to look it all over 100%. You never know if there might be a hole, a stain, or some other defect that makes it a dud.
But I had to give it a chance today. I am glad I did.
Today is March 21st and it is Day 4. Let's see what I found this Wednesday.
Goodwill Outlet Income Experiment: Day 4
My haul for today. I am keeping the two Christmas cards, the pot cover, and the baking tray.
The pot lid is from the vintage Revereware. My mom always used the copper bottom Revereware when I was growing up. I have amassed my own pots and pans from Revereware through my thrifting. I still pick up the lids even though I have enough. You just never know when you might find another pot without a lid. Plus, those lids sell on eBay too.
The baking tray is one of those heavy duty ones. I have a couple, but they are a bit thinner and you have to use two hands for the heavier stuff. This one can handle the heavy stuff without bending. A little bit of vinegar and baking soda will have this looking good.
Lastly, just look at these cute Christmas cards. How could you pass them up for literally a penny each?
Hey guys, remember the Flowbee? I found one! Haha.
These are still good sellers on eBay. I bet quite a few moms are saving tons on haircuts with these things. No accessories, but a working and in good condition unit and power supply.
Sticking with the vacuum theme, I found this Dyson hardwood adapter. I should be able to grab about $10 in profit from it.
Anyone like The North Face? I hear people love the brand, but I haven't worn any of their stuff. This was a boys 'activewear' (sweat pants) pants with the tags still attached. The tags make everything better, now I can sell it as new.
When it comes to Levi jeans I know two things. One, if there is a big 'E' in LEvi then they are very old and worth a ton. The other thing is that people love the Carpenter style jeans.
I don't think Levi makes that style anymore. Lots of pockets and places to hang tools off of.
Due to the lack of new supply, any used pairs in good condition sell for a decent amount. These shorts were still very good.
Womens red leather pants anyone?
These are Pelle Studio, Wilsons Leather size 2 pants. A quick eBay check found them selling at a level that I should easily make a minimum of $10 profit.
SALES!
Yes, I had TWO sales today for a gross total of $34.98. Check them out.
The Santana Abraxas record and the Rapid Start Ballast unit (Which I was informed by @builderofcastles is the thing under the cover in a two 4' bulb fluorescent light. It is what makes the voltage so they will arc across the mercury vapor in the bulbs).
Day 4 Totals
Total Spent Today: $10.09
Running Total Spent: $59.30
Total Listed Price Today: $142.83
Running Total Listed Price: $642.57
Total Sales: $34.98
Total Profit: $16.89
Not bad, I am around my 50% profit margin goal. Those fees and shipping costs sure take a large bite.
It always feels good to get some profit coming in.
As always, tomorrow is a new day and a new thrift!
I am envious of the baking sheet. That was worth the walk through the store.
Leather pants are weird. I know people who have paid 100s of dollars for them. And have seen the same pair in thrift shops for years. If its not your size, you are not getting into the pair.
I hope they sell really well.
You got your wish - they just sold to someone in Italy!
That's great man! congratulations for selling some of your items :P
Heyo! thanks! :D
This is a cool idea, good luck with it all!
I've got plenty of stuff to sell, but like others have mentioned, it's often a lot of effort to list these things and by the time you take into account postage and the eBay cut or whatever, it's barely worth it.
Definitely a cool idea though, seems like your doing really well so far. I bet it's quite fun in a way trying to find a bargain.
It's worth it to stretch yourself to learn many business and marketing principals. It's a cheap way to learn. Nothing like the feeling of making money while you sleep, or finding a big score.
Look beyond the short term work, turn off the TV or video games and go learn about yourself. Trust me I just started this six months ago and I'm super excited to see things growing.
Every day I find more stuff to list, which gives me more chances to sell. I think this experiment will turn out well.
Plus, the little things will add up.
I totally love seeing your hauls! North face are pretty popular here too but in my opinion , they are expensive and ugly looking .. hehe
Ha, I don't think they are 'ugly' but I also don't see why they are worthy of a cult following.
I need to start selling some of the old "junk" I have in my house, my main problem with selling stuff on eBay is the amount of work someone has to do just to ship one thing in my country... I have to spend at least 1 or 2 hours in the posting office just preparing the packages, etc.. but I should, I have magic the gathering old cars, I have a graphics card worth 200 bucks, etc...
Unfortunenantly I live in a small town so getting places to thrifting is a little hard...
Wow, 1 or 2 hours in the post office!? I just pack them at home and print my label from my computer. Then there us a drop box that I throw the packages in. Easy. My work complex even has a post office so its not out of my way.
Maybe i'm mistaken, i only heard ppl talk about it, never actually sent any package, i'll need to check on that
I think ppl complain a lot. Best to verify.
@getonthetrain I really love to learn about all of this stuff. I even like the Hustle as much as you do. I can't believe how many years I did the corporate cubicle thing. Keep bringing the knowledge Thank You.................
Will do. I said I will do this for a month and I do what I say.
It is starting to pay off. Always nice to combine a hobby with some money generation! A real entrepreneur you are!
Keep it going!
Hey thanks, the sales are rolling in now. 😀
How often does the store turn over its items? My local thrift store has the same stuff sitting around for months :/
This is a special 'outlet' where things go for one last chance at being purchased. I thought they swapped the items every day, but it looks like every other day.
Dang, i wish i had one of those near me, they are always fun to go through :)
Good find on The North Face sweat pants! I like how you're laying everything out...sorta reminds me of American Picker.
Yeah, I wondered why someone hadn't picked them up already. They were lying just on top.
Wow!
I love thrifting. I shop for beads, then make earrings.
I also love buying nice coffee makers.
Secondhand shopping helps charities, while also removing the items from the waste stream.
Cool stuff man. Yeah, thrifting for profit is a win-win. You make money, and someone else gets something they want all while saving a bit of waste.
At about this point the tax agency would jump in and force you to pay tax and register as a merchant and your total would jump to $-200, if you lived in Finland.
Haha, seriously, I'm not sure what the limits are, but basically you're not supposed to do what you are doing here, without paying tax.
Flea-Bay reports to the IRS, so basically, you have to report it as income from a business if profit is over $500.
It's not wealth easily there! More like wealth difficulty.
Well, easy is subjective :) I think investing is easy, but you can't half-ass it or it won't work
Glad to see more and more people taking part in the #upcycling action. I've completed 4 full find and sell cycles with only furniture for a total of $776 in profits - Only looking for high profit items. Take a gander on my page for the first flip, or follow the story here A Journey to $1000: Upcycling.