Do's and Don't of Thrift Store Shopping

We all like to feel like we got a great deal on our purchases. With that in mind, You want to make sure you get the best deal when buying from a thrift store.
You can choose to buy your inventory from the flea market, but you will be limiting yourself to "weekend work". I always suggest that you work the thrift stores and the flea markets to maximize your online money making experience. Not to mention that in the flea market, you can negotiate and get an even better deal!

Here is are Do's and Don'ts;

DO shop often. Un Like the flea market, thrift store will re-stock daily depending on what its donated. You will always have something new to look at if you go to the thrift stores every 2-3 days and visit your flea market at least once a week.

DO ask your local thrift stores for valuable info. When do they re-stock.
What time? Which day offers half-off sales? etc. The better prepared you are with all that information, the better your chances are to find your
"find of the week"

Do take cash... Some times you will want to buy something and you may not have enough cash for it, or no cash at all. What happens if the thrift store only takes cash? then you will have to leave to find an ATM and chances are, that sneaky person that watched you look at an item will go right behind you and possibly pick it up since they saw it was of interest to someone else. It adds value.

Do treat all the employees there with respect. Build a relationship with them. It will not cost you anything to go out of your way to acknowledge them or say hello, especially if you go in there often and they see you a lot.
By creating relationships, you will be helping yourself. What i that person that now became your friend sees an item they may think you will like? They will tell you about it. What if they find an item that just came in and will not be put on the floor for a few days? They can maybe tell you when it will be and what time, so you can be there to get it? or better yet, what if you can have them put something aside for you ? You just never know

DON'T assume that you will be able to find an item later on. If you see something you like, you have until "check out" time to decide if its worth you picking up. Grab it if you are uncertain, but never leave an item behind and go back to look for it because you decided to buy it, but then , its probably gone!

DON'T ignore seasonal items. Just because its not Christmas does not mean that those nice Hallmark Ornaments will not sell a few months down the road. In fact, they will sell like hot cakes and you will have a hard time finding ornaments around the holidays. Think and ahead and profit big!

DON'T limit your store selection to areas you know. Venture out to other parts of the city or even state to find the best treasures. Go to a historic town or area that would have some history behind it and find a store there. Better chances of finding related treasures. Also, never ignore lower income stores due to their location. Those locations could hold your "Find of the Week"

So there you have it! My Do's and Don'ts of Thrifting. Yeah, there are tons more, but those are the more basic and simple ones to remember. When ever you want to make money online or work from home using eBay, this is the easiest way to start. Just stick to your guidelines and don't become a hoarder.

Check out my eBay Listings! Everything I post, Iv'e found digging!!!

Happy Hunting!

Ramon R.

Thrift Flips

http://www.thriftflips.com

What To Look For at Thrift Stores to Flip on eBay

  One of the hardest things to do is figure out what to sell on eBay.  We go through our attic and basement until every valuable item is gone.  Then what?  Thrift Stores!  I usually go in twice a week and just look around for something that may stand out or a book I can find profitable at that moment without further research.  I'll get into that a little more into the article.  So with out making you wait any longer, I will break down a simple beginners check list when at the thrift store to hopefully help you make more money on eBay.

  Go early if possible.  Most thrift stores open around 8-9an so try to be there so you can have first dibs at the treasures.  I usually go early on my days off and during my lunch hour at work, i occasionally will make a stop.  Its good do know what days the thrift store you will be shopping at offers half off clothing so you can hunt down the first item of the check list;

Name Brand Jeans

They are great money makers on eBay.  If you see Tommy Hilfiger, Polo, Nautica, Old Navy, Gap or any other name brand and in great condition grab them.  If you know they cost a lot at the mall, your chances of re-selling them are going to increase.  

Toys (Lego's)

If you happen to come across legos, grab them.  Check out some eBay listing here so you can see what i mean;

A few listings on ebay showing lego sets in the box

I've seen some lego's go as much as $450!  I know, its crazy.  The amount of money you can make on eBay depends on you and how much work and dedication you put into it.

Bags and Shoes

This is where my phone comes into play.  I do not know much about purses or handbags, but i do know that real and authentic bags will have serial numbers on them.  I just google the brand and the serial number and i will know what i am dealing with.  Once you know its authenticity, you can search on eBay application on your phone to get an idea what they may be selling for.  Shoes is another area i don't know much about but, but If I EVER SEE A PAIR OF JORDAN'S on great conditions and cheap, i will buy them.  They will usually sell for very good profit.

Books

This has to be my favorite way to find profits.  I use my phone again and use a bar code scanner application

and scan the bar codes of the books and check their market prices.  This is a great tool that i like to use to find the treasures and the crap!  If you dont have a smart phone, you can always take your ipad and do the same.  If you don't know how to work your ipad, I recommend this,

Well that's all I have for now.  I hope you enjoy your hunting and as always , remember to comment, subscribe and spread the love and word.  I will be posting a link at the bottom with my live auctions on eBay so you can see my finds.  Everything listed came from thrifting :)   Much Luck!

Check out my eBay listings!  Everything listed was from thrift stores!

Ramon R.

Thrift Flips

http://www.thriftflips.com

Intro to Thrift Flips

How would you like to make money on eBay?  How would you like to make money without having to break the bank?  Well that is something that I think everyone wants.  I remember going through search engines looking for ways to make money, only to realize they were all scams and I was just falling in their traps.
Sometimes we are just desperate and we look for an easy way to make a quick buck to bails us out, but
it never seems to happen... Friend, I've been there.

  I'm not here to tell you about a great new program, or to tell you secrets to a making money formula.  This is just a new blog that I decided to create to offer an alternative to those quick get rich scams.  I am going to be introducing you into the world of Thrift Hunting and Flipping for profits.  I have resale licences and I still
choose to sell items this way because I get a rush every time I find a treasure that I can keep or later sell for an incredible amount of profit.

I will also be creating a bi-weekly podcast which will be called "Thrift Flips" where I will talk more in depth about certain things as well as have a weekly treasure segment where I will showcase one awesome find!
Please subscribe and tell others and be on the look out for future blogs and the podcast to be on iTunes very
soon.  I will post all details on this site.

This will be a new site where you can send emails and send in your own ideas, tips and awesome finds!
I will write blogs about making money on eBay, what items to sell on eBay, how to sell on eBay, and how to determine your niche.  I will talk about making money with yard sales, thrift stores, garage sales and any other way I can think of.  I hope you are ready to take this journey with me and lets make money together!

Ramon
Thrift Flips