Selling Stuff on Ebay

[Ego]

I am an expert thread derailer..... sorry felix!

Decided to fork the ebay/thrift store portion of the thread here.

I posted this......

I've wanted a particular Arc'teryx jacket for a long time. They sell for about five times what I am willing to pay, so once a week I strolled over to our neighborhood Goodwill store looking for one. Long shot. While looking through the jackets I found several North Face, REI, Marmot and Patagonia jackets, and even found one Arc'teryx jacket in XL. I sold them all on ebay and over the past two years accumulated about 3X the cost of a new Arc'teryx jacket in my Arc'tyrex jacket kitty.

I would go to REI when they gave out their 20% off coupon and I'd try on the jacket. I just couldn't bring myself to pay that much for it. So I waited and watched as I was consistently outbid for them on ebay. Then one day I went to the REI used gear sale. The moment the gates opened I went directly to the jackets. As I was reaching for the exact jacket I wanted, a guy on the other side of the rack pulled it through. In as friendly a voice as I could muster I told him I'd be interested in it if he decided not to get it, and stood there as he tried it on. It was too small and he was nice enough to hand it over. I thanked him several times for being so nice. Perfect condition and 1/5 of retail price. About twenty minutes later the same guy found me digging through the tents. He had found another Arc'teryx jacket in my size and brought it to me. Sold it on ebay. My Arc'teryx jacket kitty will be funding our living expenses for the next two months. No kidding. And some day I will sell the jacket, undoubtedly for more than I paid, and use the proceeds as seed money for the next big thing....

EGO - Do you live in a high-income / rich area? I'd be surprised to find Arc'tyrex or even decent REI jackets locally.

Yeah, we live in San Diego. There seems to be a lot of good stuff in the thrift stores here.

Once a week I strolled over to our neighborhood Goodwill store looking for one. Long shot. While looking through the jackets I found several North Face, REI, Marmot and Patagonia jackets, and even found one Arc'teryx jacket in XL. I sold them all on ebay and over the past two years accumulated about 3X the cost of a new Arc'teryx jacket in my Arc'tyrex jacket kitty.

Is that worth doing? I've noticed that there's some surprisingly good stuff at Goodwill. Usually I'll just find a good deal for myself etc. Is it worth the time/hassle/etc to make a little business out of it? Is there good demand for used stuff of decent quality? You seem to make it sound worth it I guess.

It depends. I love it. I get a kick out it. Others hate it.

[vivacious]

Oh ok. Good answer. Thanks.

[Ego]

It is interesting that particular brands demand a premium that is sometimes unbelievable. For instance, I sold an old sleeping bag that I paid $1 for at the flea market for several hundred dollars because it was one of the first makers of modern outdoor gear in the U.S. I've also bought several old moldy tents, sprayed them in myrazyme and sold them for unbelievable prices.

A good way to figure out what goes for lots of money is to search finished listings then select highest price.

Here is a good example of a tent that likely sold for a $10 or $15 at a flea market and went for a ridiculous price because of the name...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-The-North-F ... 7675.l2557

[workathome]

Thanks Ego

[Riggerjack]

Ego, sorry if this is a derail, but this myrazyme, is it any good?
I'd never heard of it, but mildewed camping gear is a real hazard here inthe PNW. Any tips and tricks? Would it work on something like old car seats?

[Ego]

Rigger, I'd be the ultimate hypocrite if I was bothered by a derailed thread....

I spelled it wrong above. It's mirazyme.

Mirazyme works. It is a solution of enzymes that eats the stink. It is great for wetsuits, tents and stuff that regularly gets wet/dry/wet/dry. Those vibram fivefinger shoes! Soak them in a bucket full of water and a cap full of mirazyme. Don't wash. Just let it drip dry. Viola! Stink is gone.

[Riggerjack]

Nice! Thanks. For the record, while your posts may be derailing, it's because you always have so much to contribute. I may not agree with you, but I always like reading what you have to say.

[susswein]

You can find really nice outdoor clothing at thrift stores in affluent outdoorsy towns (think aspen, park city, lake tahoe, sun valley, etc). It's worth hitting the thrift stores if you've got a rain day during a road trip. You can also get great deals on closeouts, demos, seconds, etc at the outlet stores in towns that are home to lots of outdoor gear companies, like boulder.

for a while, I would buy last year's skis (used one season) at a ski swap, use them for one season, then sell them for a profit on ebay. Repeat every year.

The key to doing this is to find what's available and inexpensive in your area but in demand elsewhere. Besides outdoor gear and skis in mountain towns I know people who make money buying sailing gear at swapmeets in Florida or RV parts and accessories in Indiana. I would think this would also work for buying tech stuff in silicon valley?

[Felix]

No problem, I am an expert thread derailer myself.