My Top 10 Thrift Store Shopping Tips

The final post of the day #5. Bad weather in NYC, my wife was stuck in traffic for over 3 hours and we have a 4 month old so I am just getting this post up in time.

Here is a list of my Top 10 Thrift Store Shopping Tips:

1. Download an eBay application to your cell phone. You will come across thousands of brands that you have never heard of and you will have a hunch that it will be a good seller. It's important to be able to check eBay completed items right on the spot to see if it is worth buying. Most thrift stores do not accept returns.
2. Check the kid’s section for adult clothing. I have found so many high end Women’s jeans in the kids section because they look so small. Also a good section to look for cycling jerseys and vintage t-shirts that may have shrunk over time. Plus it doesn’t hurt to find a pair of True Religion kid’s jeans.
3. Bring a tape measure with you. It is important to be able to measure jeans. Jeans with a longer inseam are more sought after. Unless it is really high end pair (example True Religion) try and stay with an inseam of 30” and over.
4. Check the items that you are interested in near a window before buying. If you look at the clothing in natural daylight you will have a better chance of seeing stains especially on dark color clothing.
5. Make yourself aware of half price days. This is a no brainer. Most thrift stores will offer a half price day or a half off that color tag for the day.
6. Ship clothing items in tear proof poly mailers. You will save on the weight if you use these instead of using a box. You can purchase them in bundles on eBay for around .12 each. It is a good investment.
7. If possible ship jeans domestically in priority flat rate envelopes. It will lessen the shipping costs for people who live on the opposite coast then you.
8. Visit websites like HonestForum.com to familiarize yourself with high end brands. You will definitely come across knockoff items. If you know what to look for you will limit the chances that you purchase a fake item. Also check out the reviews and guides section of eBay for advice.
9. Do not mix business with pleasure. If you are going to be serious about reselling thrift store items on eBay, do not start shopping for yourself while at the store. Set a goal and go for it.
10. Be Patient. You will have some down days, but trust me the longer you do this and the more you learn you will eventually be flying through the racks finding items that will bring you good money.

BONUS TIP

You might want to start a new eBay user id to sell your thrift store finds. Make it a clothing only store and you will get a good following if you offer unique items and offer great service. Offer incentives for repeat buyers like free shipping or a discount off their next purchase.

Good Luck

John Paul

Thrift Store Find of the Month for Jan. 2010 (Part 1)

The first month of the new year was by far my best month ever for thrifting with 3 items selling for over $100.00 that were purchased for less than $5.00 each. I have decided to post all 3 finds in separate posts during the next few days.

Coming in at #3 for this month: Vintage Sand Knit NFL Jersey

sold for $109.99.

Vintage Sand Knit Jerseys are good sellers on eBay. This is just another example of the variety of items that you can make money on. If you know what to look for and have a little patience you will succeed at reselling thrift store items on eBay.

I love the half price days at the Salvation Army. It is always funny to see people waiting for them to bring out the racks of new clothes and then they all rush over pretty much pushing each other out of the way hoping to find a pair of True Religion Jeans or some other really high end designer item. As they are there stressing out I'm casually going through the racks finding items like Sand Knit Jerseys that I can resell for 10 times what I originally paid.

Here is another one of my recent Sand Knit finds:

Good Luck

John Paul

Full List of Thrift Store Items 2 Resell on eBay

Here is a full list of all the thrift store items that I have posted so far and have had great success reselling on eBay. I will have hundreds more listed in 2010 so stay tuned by following my blog or subscribing to my e-mail newsletter.

Designer Jeans

French Canister Sets

Harley Davidson T-Shirts

Lacoste Shirts

Lucky Brand Jeans

Mambo Loud Shirts

Marmot Ski Clothing

Mens Flannel Shirts

Men's Ties

Reyn Spooner Hawaiian Shirts

Sport's Jerseys

Thomas Pink Men's Dress Shirts

Vintage Izod Lacoste Sweaters

Vintage Sports T-Shirts

Good Luck

John Paul

Want a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card? Click here

Thrift Store Find of the Month Nov. 2009

Each month I will post my best thrift store find. And that item for the month of November 2009 is:

Cycling jerseys are excellent sellers on eBay, especially Internationally. Whenever you see one in good shape don't hesitate to buy it. I purchased this for $2.99 and after eBay/Paypal fees my profit was around $68.00 dollars.

Good Luck

John Paul

Mark Sanchez NY Jets Jersey - Hot on eBay

The New York Jets are off to a 3-0 start after a big win against the Tennessee Titans. Fans are excited about their rookie quarterback and the possibility of bringing them to glory just like Broadway Joe Namath did in 1969.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez jerseys are hot right now on eBay. Out of one thousand,six-hundred and ninety-six current NFL players, eBay has a Mark Sanchez jersey displayed when you visit the Sports Memorabilia, Cards and Fan section of the worlds most popular auction web site. Upon doing a completed items search, the sell through rate on Sanchez Jerseys is very high with only a few jerseys going unsold.

So what does this mean for eBay sellers? If the Jets stay hot and the Mark Sanchez fan base builds up across the country, this jersey will be hard to find around the holidays meaning it could bring in big bucks on eBay at Christmas time. As much as Jets fans dislike Brett Favre, we can only hope he becomes as popular as him. Brett Favre is currently the most searched term in the NFL section of eBay.

Thrift Store Item - Baseball Jerseys

Baseball Jerseys are good sellers on eBay, especially vintage baseball jerseys in used condition. Anyone can go to a local sporting goods store or shop online and get a new jersey of there favorite team. But people want to look cool and stand out at games by wearing a different jersey than everyone else that shows support for there team.

Your local thrift shop is a great place to find these. Not only do you have the advantage of selling to someone in your area who doesn't want to go looking at thrift stores for items you also have the advantage of selling the Jersey worldwide. Someone living in New York can easily get a new style jersey of there favorite California team by shopping online, but to find a rare vintage style jersey they will turn to eBay. You living in California have the advantage of local merchandise like team jerseys at your local thrift store. Living in New York they will probably find plenty of Mets and Yankees jerseys, but if they support another team they will turn to eBay.

Check out some of these closed listing of used Jerseys, some even have stains on the jersey, so they are not in perfect used condition and they still did well. The bigger the size the better, and popular teams like the Cubs and Red Sox are always good sellers.

Good Luck,
John Paul