-
Treasure Map
Filed under Estate Sales, selling on eBayMy Secret Treasure Map
People love the idea of a good treasure hunt. What I thought I'd do today is give you a treasure map to help you out as you look to get some extra money in your pocket.
The good news is, the treasure maps I'm thinking of are a lot easier to follow than any pirate treasure map you could ever follow. The most daring thing you will have to do is possibly head down some rickety steps.
One of the most common reasons that people stop dead in their tracks when it comes to making money on eBay, is that they have no idea what to sell. If you have followed my blog for much time at all, you know that I personally avoid dropshipping eBay items. I also am not a big seasonal seller. Instead, I prefer to go out on my own little scavenger hunts every weekend to see what kinds of buried treasure I can find. There are some down weeks to be sure, but in general, I can usually expect to double or triple my money when I put what I find up for sale as eBay auctions.
The best selling items for me, by far, have been old and UNUSUAL collectibles (collectables if you aren't in the U.S.). I love selling these items because they are rare enough that serious collectors are willing to bid them up a bit, and unusual enough that other garage sale and estate sale visitors are not climbing over each other to get to them first.
OK, so I said I was going to give you a treasure map to follow. I'll keep it very basic. If you want to make some money selling on eBay and still keep your sanity when you go out looking for items to sell, avoid the crowd. Most of the time when I go to estate sales, there will be a long line of people waiting to get into the house the very moment the doors open. They are often an edgy bunch. Many even start to jockey for a better position as doors to the sale are opened. Elbows sometimes get thrown and people are sometimes downright rude if you scurry in with that bunch. That is much too stressful for my liking.
X Marks the spot
While that initial rush of people all but kill themselves to go check out the vintage china that was mentioned in the classified ads, I casually stroll to my first recommended treasure source... the basement. The funny thing is, this is where the estate sale people often stash the items they do not think will be big sellers. A few other people will head down the steps with me, but they are usually just looking for old tools (which I'm not all that interested in usually). Instead, I start looking for the boxes of "junk" that the estate sale people have pushed out of the way. Often you will find boxes of great old stuff that eBay buyers clamor for. Thinks like old books and forgotten memorabilia have a way of getting tossed into the basement. I happily sit there sifting through what I want to purchase. All the while, I can hear the grumpy bunch pushing each other around on the level above me.
The second X on my treasure map leads to the outside of the house. One of my best ever finds was found by doing this. In back of one particular house I visited, there was an old, overgrown path leading to a dilapidated looking "shed" that might have been a workshop at one time. Inside of it, I found an original manual for a WWII Mustang aircraft. I also found some other neat stuff, but that manual went for over $600 and I don't think I spent more than five or ten dollars for everything I purchased at that particular sale. I was pretty much by myself looking around that little shed. Everyone else was inside trying to buy old silverware at marked up prices.
I've had several instances when I've found great old stuff far away from the crowds. This of course applies mostly to estate sales where you have the run of the property. Garage sales and yard sales are usually much more restricted in what is actually available for buyers to check out.
With the increased cost of selling on eBay, you really have to do all that you can to maximize your profit. Doubling and tripling my cost still makes it worth my time to go on these treasure hunts. People working on a smaller margin by trying to buy things on sale and then flipping them on eBay have a much more difficult time making it worth their time.
I will have more treasure map ideas to come, but for now, try these out as the estate sales start showing up in your local paper. If you find something and make some money, please leave a comment about it. I'd love to hear your story!
Please link to me if you like my site!If you found this site interesting or useful, please spread the word! Just copy/paste this html into a post (in the HTML view of your text editor) or right into a text widget on your site. Thanks!