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We are also grateful for this group. Scavenging is in our blood so who knows how this thing will evolve and morph into something else. This is why we love talking about the new ideas and things we’ve learned and seen out i the world. Always new ways to scavenge.
I scanned through that auction. You did a lot of work! I know this has been a months long adventure helping your neighbor. Maybe this starts a new business for you doing estate sale.
Shopping is the fun part! But listing/selling is what makes this a business. Always glad to see you post.
How is retirement these days from being a lawyer? It’s been over a year now, right?
We also have been picking up furniture for cheap locally and reselling on Facebook. One woman basically just gave up a storage unit full of stuff she wanted to get rid of. That’s our kind of deal. Just the kind of situations you luck out on.
I’m amazed by your Premium Hoarder updates. Do you know who this woman was that spent tens of thousands of dollars on clothes/shoes? This is in WV? West Virginia isnt the place you’d expect such extravagence.
Craig, I love the thread you’re on in your life. As much as online selling is interesting, whats more interesting is how scavengers start changing their lives as a result of owning their own time (and making money). It becomes a philosophical journey as you make enough to live, no one tells you what to do or where to be, and possibilities open up.
Retro, cashflow has never been an issue for us when buying new inventory because of how we scavenged. Our pride has always always been scavenging where others ignored and paying as little as possible for inventory. Definitely means we have long tail items that can take a while to sell, but we’ve also never had issues running out of money.
We used to talk about this all the time when the Amazon reselling was so popular back around 2016. You’d see guys dump thousands of dollars into new inventory (often from China) and sold huge amounts online. Problems you’d see is if items stopped selling because other resellers joined the listing…or Amazon arbitrarily banned the seller. That’s a huge risk having that much cash tied up in inventory.
I’ve noticed the same. Flea markets used to be our best and most favorites spots. It was basically guys who did house cleanouts but didnt want to list online. They just wanted to sell stuff quick and cheap.
I assume COVID forced those guys to learn to sell online and the realized they could make much more money without waking up early for the flea market.
Part of the fun of scavenging for us is the adventure. Having new experiences, solving problems, visiting new places. I guess its why we have more in common with the old time scavenger who sells at the flea markets out of their cars versus the new kind of scavenger who has a perfect system selling commodity items on Amazon.
That first sale of the dishwasher did fall through. Someone in Puerto Rico assumed it was “free shipping” and not “free local pickup”. Seems a common error (or magical thinking on their part).
The guy who did buy the dishwasher was in North Carolina and drove four hours to get it. My kind of buyer.
With your long history going to flea markets, what do you think of the scene now?
$1500/yr insurance! oof. I forget how expensive it is to be young.
We stopped doing i-day handling time several years ago.We now guarantee 3-day handling time. It’s given us a lot more flexibiltity.
Getting another job offer is a great way toget a raise at your current job 🙂
Steady and sure is a good business strategy, especially if you’re enjoying the process.
Yeah, I guess that’s how those “we buy houses in cash” deals work. The sellers inherit what they think of as a mess, and just want an easy way out with cash. Even though they could make much more.
Im excited to see what else you get!
You’ve found one of those “once in a lifetime” opportunities. Do you know why they decided to let you be the one to get first pick?
