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I’ve had it happen a few times. Once I was at a community garage sale in an affluent area and a guy had set out a box of books with “Free” on it since the garage sales were closing down for the day. I started scanning the books with Amazon Seller app because I didn’t want to deprive any one following me of the opportunity to buy books I didn’t. The seller sees what I’m doing and I tell him I”m buying books to resell. He then rather violently grabs the box away and tosses in into his garage. He says “I don’t sell to resellers”! Interestingly most of the books in the box had something to do with real estate – which is almost all reselling. But this was a new community so maybe he only sold new construction real estate. Before returning to my car with the books I’d managed to select before the box was taken away I told him “well I hope you don’t resell anything. because if you do, then “F” you.” There were children around or I wouldn’t have truncated my true intended wordage.
Another time, at a garage sale, the lady had a box containing 50 – 70 of these metaphysical audios on some kind of playing device. It wasn’t media. It was media on a player that were sold as one. I looked a few up on Amazon and found the were selling for good prices – many around $80. I made the mistake of saying I was buying to resell and she became very snarky and indignant saying she does not sell them to someone who wants to resell them. I was about to offer her a decent price for the box but she dragged the box away. Maybe she wanted the satisfaction to meet and greet the person she was selling them to. Her husband was sitting near by and I got the sense he’s just as soon get rid of the things for what ever I offered. But it was not to be.
It does not pay to be honest when you are a reseller scavenging for inventory. It really is justified to tell people you’ve buying what ever it is for your dying grandma or cancer ridden nephew with only a week to live to melt their attachment to their offerings.
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Telling someone you’re reselling is just going to put them on the defensive. Try stuff like “Any chance you’ve got any old radios you didn’t put out for sale?” “Any video games you might have laying around somewhere?” “Any extra books inside you were waiting to bring out?” etc.
I got a load of mobile CB radios one time doing just this. They’d put a few out and I’d struck up a conversation about them and asked if they had more. No need to mention I’m reselling, and they’re happy to let the stuff go to a “collector.” Win-win.
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IndySales, I agree with your approach. I don’t offer that I’m a reseller, but if they ask me flat out, or if they are someone who has likely seen me at the PO with a bunch of ebay packages, I admit it ….sometimes I get a poor reaction, sometimes a good one. But generally, like you, I stick with: Do you have any more of these? or similar.
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Around here you never mention the word “re seller”. Re seller’s seem to be viewed with utter contempt for some reason, I’ve noticed it varies according to area though.
I go back to the car to “make a call, get a tissue, text someone” and look something up manually if I’m questioning anything. With free, I’ll take my chance with what looks good and donate or put the rest out on the curb for free once again.
Some will even will ask who are you buying for in an attempt to “bust” you if you’re looking at something obviously not for yourself. I just say “a friend”.
I have neighbors that think it’s just “totally horrible” that SOME people will actually re sell someone’s TRASH. I just smile and nod. Meanwhile…here I am…the local trash ninja. LOL
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I think the perception of reseller haters is that used items are for the economically disadvantaged. Donators intend that their old winter coat go to keep some poor person who can’t afford to buy new to survive the winter due to that coat. The haters have no idea the profit made by the supposed “charity” they donate to. And most of the items bought to resell are not the kinds of things the poof need – designer clothing (ridiculous styles), text books (what’s the chance a student will find just the book for just the class in just the edition they need at that time?). But resellers, many of whom are their selves impoverished (or next to) are able to extract some income out of selling an item they may have spent hours of searching for.
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Sam, I think you’re spot on. I actually had the same misperception myself even through the first 1-2 years of reselling. I felt bad about swiping up the like new ll bean boots from the rummage sale and cherry picking all the good stuff from the thrifts. But I finally realized (with the help of many posts on SL), that a) there’s more than enough stuff to go around for everyone to have to wear – piles and piles and piles of it, b) the poor that really need the clothes aren’t often at the rummage sales, at least not when I go – they are probably working, c) the point you made about finding the right size/style, and d) your point about some resellers need the “help”, too – the thrifts help resellers make a living.
Now if we could just get some mainstream journalists to write about this to educate the reseller haters…
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I wear this shirt on the weekends when I am out scavenging:
If we have any more kids maybe I can look into registering my family as a charitable organization. Lol…its for the kids!
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I’ve recently gotten into watching Craigslist Hunter videos on youtube. That dude is MORE than fair and straight up with everyone that comes in. He pays way more than he should for many things, but he deals in volume.
Then you read the comments…the reseller haters come out in force. -
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