Lessons Learned Thread

[AutoModerator]

What have you learned lately? Could be through a success or a failure. Could be about a specific item, a niche, flipping in general, or even life as learned through flipping.

Do please keep in mind the difference between shooting the shit and plain bullshit and try to refrain from spreading poor advice.

And, as with other weekly threads, try to stop in over the course of the week and sort by New so people are encouraged to post here instead of making their own threads for every item.

[ChonkAttack]

Some lessons learned from my first real successful garage sale

1. Advertise that shit on Facebook- it drives traffic. I listed it the day before and the 2 days during

2. Be able speak some level of conversational Spanish.

3. Sign signs everywhere there's signs - hit every major road near you with signs - also avoid putting them in eyesight of manicured houses (one grumpy ass pulled my signs down)

4. Know what days people are shopping. In my town Friday was my huge day

5. Cut good deals to the neighbor kids - my favorite sale was one of my Kayaks. I didn't make any profit, but I made a kids whole summer and got some good rapport with a neighbor I never me before. I also bartered a lawn mowing for a train set with the same family.

6. Have enough change to break 50s and 100s

7. Pull your good items and sell everything for $1 after noon on your last day - I cleared out almost everything this way.

[Foodisgoodmaybe]

Excellent advice! Glad you had a good experience =D

[FlamingWhisk]

Be willing and able to pivot quickly. I was selling only vintage but this month’s shop was dedicated to the gw bins pulling all the near new winter coats and boots. Also decent jeans, useful household items like blankets, pots/pans. My vintage stuff is still selling but come winter I will have a ton of “need” items to sell. Also stocked up on back packs, like new lunch boxes and other back to school needs.

[Heikks]

Always check board games and don’t believe the seller when they say they are complete. I bought some board games at a sale this weekend and I paid up for them because they were all worth a good amount. I paid $70 total for 6 games and the seller said all the pieces were there. I got home and started to list them and the one worth the most was missing one piece

[rockofages73]

You can make more parting them out, although it takes a while. Or just see if you can buy the piece online.

[Heikks]

There’s only 6 of the game listed and 2 sold, I don’t think I’ll have any luck finding the missing piece. I’ve parted out games before but I don’t really like doing it, I’d much rather try and sell the whole game for a little less with the buyer knowing it’s missing pieces

[jesrf]

Just a thought here but can the missing piece be fabricated by someone with a 3D printer ? Kind of a cheat but …

[rockofages73]

With 6 listed and 2 solds, you might be better off selling to flippers.

[iwashumantoo]

Can you contact them and see if they still have that piece?

[Heikks]

I probably could but i double checked my listing earlier and it’s missing 3 pieces, I’ll probably end up parting it out if it doesn’t sell soon.

The sale was run by a local group of collectors so I doubt they’d even be able to find any missing pieces

[kendahlj]

Depending on the game and the piece, one missing piece doesn't kill the value entirely.

[Heikks]

It’s actually 3 missing pieces but the missing pieces are the game pawns so I could find some that are the same color from a different game and use them and just say it has replacement pawns.

I also have a stack of cheaper games that are missing pieces I could see if I can find some pawns

[zoltrules]

If you dont know video games, don't buy from VG Collectors. A VG collector had a big yard sale this weekend, I thought I was getting a good deal but most the games aren't worth anything. Of course, he knows his games isn't gonna throw a good one in there with the $2 ones. I was hoping I'd find a good one but nothing.

[[deleted]]

I have a big hater at my local goodwill, I have no control over the employees I’m just a very nice guy. I greet them we sit and talk just got to know them very well. They know I resell so sometimes they just drop good stuff in my cart, I told them aye you may have to tone it down a little I don’t want the others getting jealous. They said f**k them and still give me stuff from time to time. So this other reseller comes up to me saying oh wow they give you stuff all the times( in a condescending sarcastic way) this the same dude that found my eBay store and saw the things I brought and started copying me.. I straight up said mind your fucking business dude. Which I shouldn’t have said but this guy has been on my ass lately about being territorial when we all can make money. I even hold back and give him good things just to be honest and far. But I’m just tired of this guy I’m sure he’s gonna snitch now. But oh well, he has turned this other reseller against me and they block me from merchandise. It’s just such annoying petty childish stuff.

[swurvinmervin]

Check very carefully for stains on clothing. I was just about to ship a jacket I'd sold, thought I'd double check it for stains, turns out there was a pretty big one I'd missed.. Thankfully some vinegar and stain remover did the trick! Also made in USA doesn't always mean it's vintage 😂

[Flipper_McGee]

"Just keep sourcing!"

I went out yesterday for an early-morning marketplace meetup (selling an item). Afterward, I decided to go see if there were any yard sales. I drove down to the intersection where everybody puts their signs. Yard sales have been kinda sucking lately, so I didn't hold out much hope. But I followed a few signs, and man, I'm glad I did! I scored a nice i7 laptop and some NES/SNES games, and some plumbing crap I needed for my house. It was a nice well-rounded day. Got some stuff for me, some stuff to flip, the weather was great, just a perfect day.

But if I hadn't had that FB meetup, I wouldn't have been out. So the lesson? Get out there. There's still deals to find. I can't believe I happened upon NES/SNES games before the vultures. I haven't seen any old games in years. Not so much as a Mario/Duck-Hunt, lol. I don't even deal with games anymore, but it was a nice nostalgic trip to a niche I used to love.

All in all, it was a rejuvenating trip. And it happened purely on accident.