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Learn From An Experienced eBay Seller!
Looking for hot, good selling stuff to sell
on online auctions
like eBay for BIG money?
I've been selling on eBay for
over 6 years.
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I'll show you how I find great stuff to sell online at garage
sales, estate sales, flea markets, auctions and other little-known places.
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I'll teach you my secrets and show you exactly what to look for
when you're
out on the hunt for treasures.
Want Proof? Check out my most recent auctions:
FastStart Auctions
Ever buy something at a garage sale for $5.00 and turn
around
and sell it on eBay for $40 or $50 or $100...
Or even $500?
Well, I have and I'd be happy to show you how I do it!
Here's some info to help you get started:
Finding Stuff For eBay At Garage Sales
My favorite place for finding stuff to sell on eBay is
garage sales.
Let me share some of my secret strategies that will help you get a jump on
the competition and find some bargains that you can sell for big money on
eBay.
I do this all the time and I know these will work for you.
I guess I'm lucky that I live on the edge of a big city, so I have the
advantage of having lots of garage sales to go to. I usually start in the
city and work my way out towards the suburbs. But, sometimes I start in the
suburbs. It all depends on what's happening in the suburbs.
Here's some ground rules. These are the basics.
Rule 1. You have to get to the sales early. That's not to say that
you can't find nice stuff later in the day but if there is something nice
sitting on the table, the first dealer in the door is going to snap it up,
so you had better be that first dealer. Get it?
If the sale is advertised as opening at 9:00 am, I'll cruise by at around
7:00 am to see if they're out in the garage getting ready. If they are, I'll
get out and walk in like they're open. 90% of the time they let me look. If
they tell me that they're not open yet, I'll ask how much they're asking on
the largest piece of furniture that I see sitting there. They're usually
dying to get rid of it so normally they start showing it to me and then I'm
in the door.
One time I was early and 2 sisters were having the sale and they weren't
ready. The stuff was still in the basement and they had just started
bringing out boxes. I asked if they needed help and they said sure. I went
into the basement with them and took a box out to the garage (and of course
looked through it before I set it down). When I went back in the basement I
started looking through all the boxes before they were brought out. I
started a pile and they let me look through the cabinets and store rooms
down there. I found a large Roseville blue pinecone vase and a Van Briggle
vase plus about 5 boxfuls of other great stuff.
So, get there early and start grabbing things and make a pile and watch your
pile! Other dealers are more than happy to grab your stuff.
Rule 2. Always start your search at block sales, alley sales,
neighborhood sales, subdivision sales, etc. This means that everybody on
the block gets together and they all have a sale the same day. They put an
ad in the paper and put up some signs and share the costs.
I like these sales because I can hit a bunch of sales all at once. It also
causes people who would never consider having a sale to drag their junk out
to that garage because "everyone else is doing it." It becomes a party
atmosphere and everyone has a ball and you can pick up fantastic bargains.
Young couples get rid of grandma's stuff and little old ladies do some
housecleaning. You never know what you will find. Don't forget to look
through what little kids are selling. One time I was at a sale where a
little girl had her own table. She had put all her little kid jewelry in
sandwich baggies and priced them at $1.00 each. My daughter was about the
same age so I told her to pick out a few thing. After we got in the car and
left, she opened one baggie and pulled out a 14k gold necklace that was
about 18" long and very think. I figured that it was worth $300 and she
still has it!
BTW, if you have a young kid and you want some bargains, when you find
something that looks interesting, have your kid take it over to the old lady
and ask the price with a sweet face and many times, the nice lady will
say,"Oh you're so cute! Just take it." Unfortunately, my daughter grew up so
I lost that angle.
We have subdivision sales around here in the suburbs that have up to 150
garage sales on one day. On those days, I skip the city sales and head
straight to the suburbs. I get there early and just circle the complete area
watching as the sales open up. I always do well.
Rule 3. Ask for things you're looking for. This usually works better
later in the day. Early in the morning, the people having the sale are too
busy and freaked out to be thinking about what else they have in the house
but once things settle down they can think more clearly.
Ask for stuff that sells on eBay. I ask for fishing equipment, old toys,
pottery vases, cameras, military souvenirs, watches, fountain pens, etc. I
also like asking if they have any furniture for sale because it gets me into
their basement where I can look around for other stuff.
I ask different types of people for different things. I ask old men for
fishing equipment, cameras, and military souvenirs. I ask old ladies for
pottery vases, kitchen bowls, dolls, etc.
I even made up some business cards that have a list of things I'm interested
in. I bought a pack of business card paper at Office Max and I print them on
my computer. I print on both sides and list lots of stuff along with my cell
phone number. I do get call backs with cards. I try to hand them out at
every sale I go to.The cards get people thinking about things they have in
the basement without me going through the whole list.
One time I handed my card to a lady at her sale and she looked at it and
said "Oh, you buy cameras?" I said sure and she brought out a box of Leica
cameras and lenses. Look those up on eBay and see what they go for. You
never know what people will drag out of the house.
But you have to ask!
Rule 4. Plan you route. Map out the route you're going to take ahead
of time. Get out the newspaper and plan on hitting a bunch of sales in the
same area so you're not driving all over town wasting time.
I concentrate on one neighborhood between 7am and 9am. I have my list and I
circle each one and try to be the first one in. Once I've been in each one,
I start heading towards areas that are known for garage sales and look for
signs posted along the busy streets. Many times, the unadvertised sales can
be the best ones. These people don't bother with an ad in the paper. They
just stick a sign on the closest corner and open up for business. If you
happen along on one of these, you might hit a gold mine.
I found one where the woman was cleaning out her dad's home after he died.
She didn't get the signs out until after 10am. Plus, the sign was the size
of a postcard and I almost missed it. (I seem to have radar in my head for
garage sale signs.) She was basically selling things for $3 a pile. I made a
pile and she wanted $3 for it. I put the stuff in my van and went back into
the garage then she told me that everything in the house was for sale. I
ended up filling my van but didn't have room for the antique bedroom set she
was offering for only $40!
BTW, always ask if there are more things in the house! I was at a garage
sale and I asked if there was anything else in the house. I don't even
remember why I asked but the the guy says "Sure, everything in the house is
for sale. My dad died." There was no sign indicating a house sale and I was
in there for 45 minutes by myself with no competition. They had some
fantastic furniture at give-away prices. In the bedroom I found a cigar box
in a dresser that had gold rings, old coins, a couple of old police badges
and other neat stuff. I brought the whole box out to the garage for a price
and the guy freaked out and wanted to know where I found it. It was his
folks wedding rings and his dad's police badges. He didn't want to sell any
of it but he's lucky I was an honest person or I could have had it all in my
pocket. No one was in the house with me the whole time.
Rule 5. Don't be afraid to dig around. Look through boxes under the
table. Dig to the bottom. Look on the shelves on the walls. Look in the
rafters. If you see something interesting ask if its for sale. It doesn't
hurt to ask.
I was at a sale in a garage filled with junk and boxes of junk. I saw
another dealer digging through some boxes while I was on the other side
looking through some more boxes. I dug into a box that he had just gone
through and at the bottom I found a tin wind-up robot. You should have seen
his face! Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.
A lot of times there are shelves in garages. Look around on the shelves for
collectable stuff. I find things all the time and people are surprised that
I want to buy the stuff. They have no idea what the stuff is worth on eBay.
But, I do!
So let's recap.
1. Get to the sales early.
2. Start with block sales, if possible.
3. Ask questions.
4. Plan your route.
5. Don't be afraid to dig for treasures.
The more sales you go to, the more stuff you'll find. I try to hit 50 to 100
sales a day. I go Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Get out there and find some good stuff and get it on eBay and make same easy
money!
George Kelly
Copyright 2006 |