So, how was your weekend?

[wyldwolf]

Mine started Friday when I sent my wife over to a Friday sale. It seems more and more Atlanta sales begin on Friday and I often miss some great stuff because of that. But my wife volunteered to check it out for me. She arrived late (no surprise) and missed out on most of the good stuff but managed to snag some gems: Brand new Harry Potter DVDs and a few TV show boxed sets.

Saturday was a bonanza of sorts. First sale I stopped at - brand new 2nd generation Nook and brand new 1st generation iPod. Got them both for only $25. They sold almost the moment I listed them - the Nook for $50 and the iPod for $25. This sell was interesting in that the seller saw no value in those two items yet wanted almost retail prices for old Xbox games. LOL.

Moving on to my next stop - I snagged a box of Financial self-help courses for $5. They have a low ranking on Amazon but if they all sell, I'll nab $120.

The next half dozen or so stops was a whole lotta nada but the first few finds made up for it.

[safeinOhio]

1. Ran an ad in a local

weekly newspaper a week ago. First call was a nadda, just got another from a person with some civil war and WWII stuff and some 1920s football stuff. Be awhile before I can get together with them, but has me excited. I've run the ad for 2 months and only one or two good hits and it will be more than paid for. I have been passing out my business cards for a few months and the $28 I spent on the cards is working out.

[wyldwolf]

4. so what exactly do you look for?

[safeinOhio]

5. I do best with items that

Dad and grand pa had. Primitives, outdoor items, military and related paper items. Anything odd,rare or ugly. I do buy general antiques if price right. I do know other dealers that will be interested in items I am not and am more than happy to pass those things along to them. I worked in a very large mall and used that time to learn what people were buying and what they were willing to pay. Perhaps knowing the market and shifts in it is what will make $ for you.

[wyldwolf]

6. my brother - a master thrifter if there ever was one - specializes in Western items

[safeinOhio]

7. Western, military, farm related and

Hunting, fishing stuff have dedicated collectors that will take out a bank loans to score cool stuff.

[grasswire]

2. I think your niche is interesting

I know nothing about the stuff you are turning over, so I probably miss many opportunities to make a buck.

I went to a small book sale and found some childrens books by an English illustrator that I know will bring a modest return. ABE books is driving me nuts as a way to price books lately. The disparity between the highest price for a book and the lowest price for the same book is most often hundreds of dollars! Why are so many booksellers overpricing their books by such a dramatic amount?

[wyldwolf]

3. you have a smartphone?

[safeinOhio]

8. What price an item sells for should have no

relationship to the price you paid for it. I find a wide range of prices on the same thing in the malls. One time I had to listen to a lady complain about the differences, or range of prices, on some glass in the same booth, the bowls were all exactly the same, yet the prices on them varied by 50%. I might see 20 slaw cutters in the mall and priced from $10 to $50. Guess which ones sell the fastest? If your item is rare and the only one for miles around you can sell it at a retail price or even higher. If there are tons on them on the shelves, I'd suggest going at least a dollar lower than all the rest. The last couple of years blue/green pint fruit jars were a hot item. I couldn't tell you how many customers would have me carry a dozen up to the counter and then come up with a dozen more a ask me to take the others back because they found the same ones for a dollar cheaper. Also, dealers selling them for $8/jar would almost have to buy all the ones selling for $4. I'd say 50% of my sales are to dealers and pickers. Look on Ebay at "sold" items and then look at all the current listings at "buy it now" that are priced higher that don't sell.

[Vinca]

9. Pricing books has become a nightmare, especially the really old ones.

I've got a couple of books from the mid-1800's and all I can find are the new copies people churn out on demand. There should be a special section for real old books and another for copies of them coming out of a laser printer somewhere.

[safeinOhio]

10. For most items

i use Ebay "sold" for a fair market price.

[Vinca]

11. So do I, but sometimes you find something really rare and the books on ebay

are often "print on demand" books. Books, overall, have been devalued by dealers listing them on ebay for 99 cents with free shipping. They might as well give them away to the local thrift shop and save themselves the work of packaging.

[grasswire]

12. apparently...

.....some people are picking up on books where the copyright has expired, and churning out copies on demand. It's a crazy business now. I'd like to read an authoritative article on the current used bookselling business.