When I first started selling items on eBay, I bought TONS of items from Yard Sales, Second Hand Stores & Junk Shops. Little did I know that I wasn’t going to make a profit after listing fee’s, final value fee’s & my out of pocket expenses. Making a profit on eBay is an on-going learning experience. In this Guide, I would like to share a few tips I’ve learned along the way.

Save the trips to the Second Hand stores for slow times, such as winter. You might once in awhile come across some trinket that can make you a profit, but these stores are onto us! Have you noticed how jacked up the prices are at these stores anymore? They are doing their own research to find out how much various items are selling for on eBay!

There are places to get a REAL bargain, that will make you $$ at auction!

Estate Sales can be a real gold mine if you go at the right time! Yes, you do need to go the first day but I go only to scope out the items. Let’s face it, most Estate sales are geared towards Antique dealers & Collectors and the items are priced for profit. My strategy is to do my buying on the last day and normally just a few hours before it closes. That’s when they are reducing prices, what you saw yesterday for $10 may very well be marked down to $5 or even less. Yes, there is that chance that it might not be there but odds are you will come away with plenty of other marked down treasures that will more than make up for that one lost piece.

ALWAYS go through cupboards & closets; even if it’s dark & musty DO go in the basement! I once found an entire box of WWII Ration stamps, cookbooks & related items in a cardboard box stuffed way back on a bottom shelf. I got it for $5 & after breaking it up sold almost everything at a phenomenal profit!

Local Auction Houses are my favorite. My favorite time to get some great items for my Ebay inventory is the week AFTER an Antique auction! Again, if you go to the Antique auction you are bidding against dealers & collectors…I don’t have that kind of money! Wait until the next week & you will get the leftovers at bargain basement prices. Many of the items left are odds & end pieces of China, books, toys, linens etc… Get a Gravy boat that didn’t interest the dealers for $1, sell it for $10. There are tons of buyers looking for pieces to complete their dinnerware sets! I can buy a near complete set of China for between $5 - $10, break it up into lots of Dinner plates, Salad plates, Serving pieces, Bowls, etc.. and sell them separately. Not everyone is looking for a whole set & only need 1 or 2 pieces to finish off theirs. Others buy pretty China even if it’s chipped to use in mosaics.

ALWAYS bend over & look under the tables! Boxes of items sold as a lot that don’t look very promising might have one thing at the bottom that will not only pay for the cost of that box but will make you $$. I buy up boxes sight unseen most of the time and as a rule I usually find a couple things that more than pay for the investment. I once bought a box full of junky old kitchen items; no one else wanted it so it was going for $1. After bringing it home and digging through I found 4 pieces of Littonware. That alone made me over $100. I’ve found many many collectibles in boxes.

BARN SALES Oh My Goodness! I have filled my trunk at a good barn sale! The trick is you have to drive! Go out to the country & start looking for the signs. You may have to go 5 miles down a dirt road that will jar your teeth but trust me you WILL find some really great stuff. Country folk who have barn sales are usually elderly or young people who have no interest in "Old Junk" I almost feel guilty when I buy a box full of old tablecloths for a couple dollars, knowing I can sell them for mad profit! The best part is because you are so far out in the boondocks you don’t have to fight crowds!

ANTIQUE STORES What? Didn’t she just go on & on about dealers? Yup, I did but don’t overlook a good Antique store! I have a favorite little store that I hit at least twice a month. The prices are very reasonable and I usually will find a good bargain. Old Postcards, Magazines, Sheet Music & the like can be found tucked away and priced to sell. Many shops have tons of dusty musty old books crammed in bookshelves. Familiarize yourself with Antique books that sell. Medical books, 1^st Editions, History, etc…. I can pick up a book on Household remedies dated 1899 for a few bucks & make a nice profit…that is after I have enjoyed reading it myself, some of the advice in those old volumes are hilarious & scary at the same time!

Most important, sometimes you have to get good & dirty. Get on your hands and knees, sit on the floor & go through what looks like a pile of clutter. Always keep a screwdriver in you car! I hit a family held estate sale last year & noticed that they had several old doors in a firepit ready to be burned. I asked them if I could take the hardware off, they were surprised but happy to accommodate. Again with the getting dirty part! It took some muscle & determination to get the part off but I got 6 brass back plates & glass doorknobs all for $5. I sold them at lightening speed for $9 each….that’s a $49 profit (less Ebay fees)

Happy Junking!