More of What Sells on eBay…
One of my favorite things to find at estate sales are old books. Most times, when people hear that, they assume I mean rare first editions of well known classics. While I certainly wouldn't walk away from one of those, they are exceedingly difficult to find. It is much more practical to keep your eyes open for specialized texts that are no longer in print.
I went to an estate sale last week held at the house of a former college professor. All signs indicated that this gentleman taught topics like engineering and advanced math. The house had not been lived in for quite some time, and things were pretty dirty but there was a ton of really neat old stuff. There were at least twenty very old musical instruments that I'm sure would have sold well on eBay, but I was a bit light on cash thanks to a $400 car repair earlier in the week and they would have blown my budget. I had already made my way through most of the house and had a box packed with great stuff when I found shelves filled with old science books (from the early 1900's). I hated walking away from them but, like I said, I was light on cash. I did grab a few but not nearly as many as I would have liked. I got home and checked them out, and sure enough, I probably could have made my car repair money back with something left over! Live and learn.
This is definitely a market that I'd recommend checking completed items on before heading out to shop. In particular, check under BOOKS>ANTIQUARIAN & COLLECTIBLE. You should also look under specific categories like "Collectibles" and "Arts & Crafts" by doing a search in them with the word "book". Engineering and other science/math related books are usually very good. In "Arts & Crafts" there are specific authors that hobbyists clamor for when the out of print books get listed. If you can find knitting books by Alice Starmore, it's money in the bank.
More later.
[...] You should also look under specific categories like “ Collectibles ” and “Arts & Crafts” by doing a search in them with the word “book”. Engineering and other science/math related books are usually very good. In “Arts & Crafts” there are …[Continue Reading] [...]