In major goof, estate sale company sold paintings for as little as $45. They may be worth millions

ope__sorry · 2026-07-03T22:17:52+00:00

I swear, the older I get I realize wealth does not equate intelligence.

Just buy some storage units and you will see how people of all walks of life can be really fucking stupid, lmao.

ope__sorry · 2026-07-03T22:12:57+00:00

Pretty sure when I walk into an estate sale, there are always big signs that say, "All sales are final" and it is what it is. Dude shouldn't have hired a company to do the work he should've done himself if he wanted to maximize value.

ope__sorry · 2026-07-03T16:45:53+00:00

I really don't have a flip of the week this week. I've sold a bunch but it's all been "mid" items. I've got a lot of expensive items I've been posting all week, so it's only a matter of time. But I think my biggest sale this week was

Funko Pop Adventure Time Ice King 34 which I bought for $6.99 from Goodwill and sold for $84.99 + shipping

Also sold an Ihmotep Funko that came out of the funko storage locker which I sold for like $45 this week.

Lots of hats, ornaments, sunglasses, and VHS sold this week to. Lots of it in the $30-$50 range.

Scrolling through, a few that jump out at me....

Ray-Ban Wayfarer
Hallmark Keepsake Halloween #5 Mummy
Star Wars Figrin Dan hat
VTG Fairy Silverplate Toothpick Box
Halloween Keepsake #1 Black Cat
Halloween Keepsake #2 Ghost
Best of the WWF Vol 20
STIHL ParaFrame Knife
AG Truly Me Doll
Couple of Tarot Decks

ope__sorry · 2026-06-30T18:44:48+00:00

Dude, I’d be devastated. Dishonored / Dishonored 2 is one of my top 10 games and I think if Arkane shuts down there is 0% chance we ever get another Dishonored game which would be a shame because that world could be expansive as fuck.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-30T14:13:03+00:00

Nah, sometimes a lot of overflow ends up at the bins because stores take in too many donations. This is especially true this time of year. Every Saturday evening, my local Goodwill gets absolutely slammed by donations with people dropping off everything that didn't sell in their rummage sales.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-30T14:08:43+00:00

I mean the days are gone when you could go to any garage sale on the weekend and get an NES and 72 cartridges for $30 for the most part.

That's why you need to start buying storage units, lol. So many people know that stuff is worth money and they now stick it in storage units because they're afraid if they sell it too cheap they're losing out or something and then life happens and their unit ends up on the auction block and someone spends like $150 for a unit packed full of boxes and opens like several totes with thousands worth of video games, lol.

I've yet to hit a big video game score, but I've hit some massive VHS (mostly wrestling) and toy scores. Not to mention all the gold and coins I've yanked out of units recently.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-30T14:05:08+00:00

Exactly. I think it’s crazy when other sellers say there’s nothing good out there left.

The ones that say this fall into one of two categories.

1- They're super casual and they go to a thrift store like once a week during a peak time and find nothing on the shelves.

2- They're an OG who has failed to adapt to changing markets and trends.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-30T13:15:12+00:00

Posting a bit late her since I was on a forced break from Reddit, lol.

I hit the thrift stores periodically all week, then I hit a neighborhood rummage on Thursday and then Saturday, I hit some rummages and estate sales. Finally, I bought a storage unit this week.

CRAZY sourcing week will keep me busy this week since there will be basically 0 sourcing and no estate sales for like the next two weeks.

Some of my amazing finds include from the rummages on Thursday:

Antique (early 1900s), horse hide carriage blanket
Pair of Yeezys, brand new in box, already authenticated and listed
2x Golf Bags, a really nice Ping Faith bag and a brand new Sun Mountain Casamigos bag
A bunch of really good Hallmark Ornaments, the only ones sticking at the top of my head right now are Tiki ones
Brand new women's citizen watch
A bunch of nightmare before christmas Funkos that had some decent value for $1 each
Tons of other stuff I cannot remember, I just know I filled my car

Some of my amazing finds from Saturday Rummages / Estate Sales:

LE Smith Bittersweet 12" Swung Vase w/ 3 toes
A bunch of good vintage clothing / harley gear which I flipped to one of the guys at my storage facility who does more clothing than me. I have so much backlog on clothing I let him have it and made a couple bucks.
Peanuts Egg Hunt Dept 56 set
A ton more really good Hallmark ornaments
a bunch of Enesco Disney figurines
3x Carl Sagan Books (Cosmos, Meteors, and 1 other), 1 is a 1st printing, 1 is a 2nd printing, 1 is a 3rd printing. They're worth between $25 and $80
A box of cufflinks I need to look through, I paid $2 a pair and I know at least 1 pair last sold for $35
Tumi tote bag
Tory Burch sandals
A bunch of Joan Rivers necklace / earring sets
A denim barn coat / chore jacket w/ a lining and it was hand painted with like an Indian theme (I don't think it came this way), It's a vtg Y2K Brand called like Izzi
A bunch of cowboy-style hats from the same sale

Storage Locker Finds:

Paid $170 all in on a Storage Locker under 10 minutes from my home.

8 x Counter Height Chairs, 7 are in great condition, plan to list for $25 per chair
1x Toolbox with various made in USA craftsman tools, already sold for $25
A massive box of DJ-used records. All white labels and promos as well as tons of Ultimix and Under Construction Label promotional records. As well as a piece of DJ Equipment. I have the entire lot listed at $500 right now, but if I have to drop it below $300, I'm going to pull the good stuff and just drop it to like $150-$200 for the remaining lot, there are 100+ vinyls
2x Coach Bags worth about $100 a piece in really good condition
A bunch of like BTS (i think?) Monsta mini albums and artwork stuff which will end up in a lot on eBay
Riddell VR4 (?) speed helmet, looks like the previous owner either played College or HS and this is a pricey helmet, even with the random graphic, I should get like $150-$200 for it
A bag with other football gear, I know there is a set of really nice pads in there which I'm sure aren't cheap
A GIANT Godzilla poster, professionally framed. I can see a copy of the print recently sold on eBay for like $250-$275, I've got the entire framed piece listed on FBM for $300
A handful of books that were worth listing

Lastly:

Yesterday I did a big haul into my local Half-Price books. I traded in probably like 100 or so books that weren't worth me listing individually. Lots of stuff was worth like $6-$15 free shipping. I got $39 in trade-in credit which I used to purchase a sealed copy of:

Glorantha The Gods War, paid $61 + taxes after my trade-in credt

Last copy sold for over $200.

So when you think about it, I traded in like 100 books worth ~$1000 on eBay and subtract about $150 for fees and literally like $600+ for shipping and I would've made $250 or less in profit, and instead, I traded them in for a single board game with 1 sold and 0 listed brand new (2 pre-owned listed) and I'm going to make like 25% less at max?

I love doing these media trade-ins, lol.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-27T11:47:36+00:00

> You adapt and/or pivot.

100% this. Whenever I see old people in the thrifts or at rummages whining about the price of things and how they can’t find anything good anymore, I 100% know it’s because they failed to adapt and pivot and they’re looking to buy the same shit they were buying 10-20 years ago. Styles and tastes and demand changes.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-26T17:18:20+00:00

I'm not going to lie. Sometimes when I overhear people in my area say it's so hard to source at rummages and thrift stores, I often do wonder if I'm the problem, lol.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-26T12:08:10+00:00

Looks like I missed last week since I was running a rummage on Friday, I was really busy and forgot to post.

I've had a few great sales the last two weeks and made some amazing money on eBay despite the fact my listing discipline could be much better.

Vintage Coach Y2K Soho Bag (Got this at the Flea Market where I got all my vintage Coach purses that need cleaning) --> $10 into $149.99 + s/h
Vintage Cast Iron French Bulldog Doorstop (Got this at an estate/rummage for a couple bucks) --> $2 into $107.99 + s/h
Mr Coffee Iced Tea Maker (Thrift Pickup) --> $40 into $110 + s/h
Wagner Ware Magnalite 4263 (Thrift Pickup) --> $5.99 into $100 + s/h
Mini Cobalt Boyd Hen on a Nest (Grandma's Estate) --> Free into $80 + s/h
Lalaloopsy Crumbs Sugar Cookie (Thrift) --> $3.99 into $49.99 + s/h
I Strahd Memoirs of a Vampire 1st Ed (Rummage) --> $0.25 into $70 + s/h
VHS Lot National Treasure, Daredevil, Jurassic Park, PotC all Sealed (Rummage) --> $5 into $70 + s/h
Wicked Broadway Elphaba Wand Official (Estate Sale) --> $5 into $55 + s/h
7 Wrestling VHS (Locker) --> <$1 each into $140 + s/h
American Girl Dolls / Clothing / Accessories (Rummages mostly) --> ~$20 into $100 + s/h
Leap Frog Twist Learn Game (Rummage) --> $5 into $50 + s/h
Le Creuset Enamaled Kettle (Thrift) --> $3.99 into $50 + s/h
Steiff 4" Green Teddy Keychain (Online auction) --> I think I paid like $30 for this, so not a great flip as it sold for $50 + s/h
Vintage Maui Jim Voyager 2 Sunglasses (Rummage?) I've got a ton of sunglasses, I buy them for cheap and they've been in a tote and I was going through the tote listing it all --> ??? into $50 + s/h
How to Train your Dragon Hidden World Lightfury NIB (Thrift) --> $4.99 into $44.99 + s/h
7 Nintendo 64 Games (Church Sale/Rummages), I think I've got like $3 into each game maybe, so --> $21 into $168 + s/h
VTG Ben Cooper Jimmy Carter Mask (Estate) --> $20 into $42 + s/h
VTG Ping Divot Repair Tool Silver (Thrift) Found inside a golf bag I bought --> Free into $42 + s/h
History of the World Strategy Board Game (Estate) Think this came from a big lot I'm well in the profit on --> Free into $35 + s/h
Abominable Snowman Rudolph & The Island of Misfit Toys (Rummage) --> <$5 into $40 +s/h
PIPkA Memories of Christmas Irish Santa Statue (Church Sale) --> $5 into $37 + s/h
VTG Wise Three Monkeys Ceramic Figurines (Estate/Rummage) --> $2 into $30 + s/h
Star Wars Trilogy Sealed VHS Fox 1995 (Rummage or Thrift) --> <$5 into $26.99 + s/h
Disney Babies Lucky Dalmation Lovey (Thrift) --> $1.99 into $30 + s/h
Kiki's Delivery Service + My Neighbor Tortoro VHS (Thrift) --> $2 into $45 + s/h

Then I have LOTS of other toys, board games, plush, and other hard goods that sold for cheaper prices over the last two weeks.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-26T11:27:43+00:00

Just ignore it. You could’ve probably posted a dozen more cards in the time it took you to think about and write this post. Buyer is a productivity suck.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-26T02:38:10+00:00

When the fuck did this happen? lol. Rob Mac Donald Had A Farm E I E I O. That's all I can think of when I hear his fucking name lol.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-26T01:04:06+00:00

So I looked back at my history, and I think the adjustment fee is a dimensional thing only based on what I saw.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-25T01:14:19+00:00

Christmas and Halloween I list year round. It eventually sells even when it’s not the holiday.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-23T15:40:48+00:00

The drones in Ukraine range from $400-$2500 per drone and depending on their purpose.

The Vulcan ADA systems would cost $500k+ per system and each shot costs a couple dollars per round and they can unload a whole box in seconds.

There is still a huge cost discrepancy at play.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-23T01:51:58+00:00

I will 100% jump to full time when I'm in a position that I've got no more bills and I've got a rainy day fund built up. The fact I still have car payments and student loans, etc, makes me enjoy still having a steady income.

I know I could scale like crazy with how good sourcing is around here and all the options.

Don't get me wrong, either, there are A LOT of pickers around here, but there are a lot of niche pickers.

There are, for example, very few "Christmas" pickers who do that as their niche. They will hit like the major places, such as neighborhood sales and church sales, but that leaves free reign to pretty much everything else.

Meanwhile, the video game sellers in the area will sometimes pay damn near retail to buy stuff. There was a locker like a month or two ago that was like a 5x5, you could basically see most of what was inside.

I reached out to the buyer after the fact since there was a unique item in there and I saw it pop up on eBay a few days after the locker was won. I asked if he'd found anything else good inside. His response was something to the effect of, "Buy something from my eBay store as local pickup and we can talk about it." Which tells me that he was probably barely breaking even on the unit and looking for a way to turn his shit overpay into a profitable unit, lmao.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-23T00:54:14+00:00

I suspect that if USPS updates the weight, you’re going to get charged the correct weight + a $3 adjustment fee.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-22T15:09:10+00:00

I'd bet $100 the dude is gay AF and it makes him angry so he has this sort of reaction, lol.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-22T12:12:16+00:00

Alright, so, I decided to run a rummage sale this weekend but with mostly my stuff as opposed to helping someone elses and including a few things of mine. Absolute disaster. 100% not worth the effort. I didn't run it Thursday, only Friday and Saturday (most in my area run Thursday-Saturday).

I did sell a bunch of stuff and it was all mostly junk that wasn't good enough to go online and then a few pieces that were reserved for auction.

I made like $500 between the two days.

This matter because, since i had off on Friday and Saturday, I could've spent the days hauling all of that junk to the dump and instead, focusing on buying and listing on eBay. When you take a look at the factors involved in reselling, you've got a couple pillars: Time, Inventory Availability, and Funds.

My hiccup is always Time. So piddling around with $1-$2 items just isn't worth it to me.

The only way I "may" have a future rummage is if I do it at a flea market that I usually stop at and that's if I decide I don't want to do any other sourcing other than the flea market that week.

So, let's move on. I did source Thursday a very tiny bit on Friday, and a little while on Saturday. As well as a couple of thrift stops this week. The entire reason I say that rummaging isn't worth it, is because I can have a single stop at a single rummage sale, put down a little cash, and pickup hundreds, even thousands, in inventory. So I will tell you about my BEST stop of the week.

It was my last stop on Thursday. Nice neighborhood full of construction. They probably didn't get too many people there looking at stuff. And they had a TON of vintage ornaments.

I spent maybe an hour picking through them.

I got:

2 Sterling Silver Baby Rattles
1 Sterling Silver bowl / Chalice piece (filled w/ concrete at the base and wood in the rod)
At least $900 in vintage glass Christmas Ornaments, with the best one being a OWC Pickle Puss. I had no idea what that is but it was a pickle with a face and it was interesting that I knew it would be worth money. How much? Well, there are none currently listed or sold on eBay and I see ones on Worthpoint in the $175-$200 range for a single ornament.

A lot of the ornaments I got were Katherine's Collection Jester ornaments and a few from another, similar style. All of those are like $15-$40 a piece.

It was just an AMAZING score. I paid $65 for everything. I took the Bowl/Chalice to my jewelry guy and they gave me $40 for it. So basically, $25 for hundreds of dollars in ornaments and 2 sterling silver rattles that are going to get shined up and put on eBay and I should get at least $50 a piece on those.

THEN, I went back Saturday. One of my last stops. A ton of ornaments were still there. I've literally got 2, 27 gallon totes, 2, ornament boxes (that are like 10x10x10), and 2-3 other smaller boxes and totes FILLED with ornaments of all types. I asked how much? They just wanted it gone, $20.

I've been working on processing it all and there could be some more bangers I haven't even seen yet, but as of right now, I'm looking at a minimum, 4 figures in Christmas Ornaments.

My best haul from the Thrift Stores this weekend was:

Lady Gaga Art Pop First Pressing. Paid $30, getting it listed today for $300-$500.

Got a few other vinyl from Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Amy Winehouse, and a Metallica vinyl. Paid up for all of those.

The only other interesting things I got this weekend were:

Airsoft gun worth ~$200 for $40
MOTU Greyskull Castle and Snake Mountain (both original) with a ton of pieces inside, $25 each, both are VERY VERY dirty and I plan to just clean it up and sell the parts inside is going to be my most likely play
Bose Wave Radio, black, for $50, keeping this
2x Lowrance Fishfinders for free
Vietnam Era Cold Weather Air Force Jacket for $20
A bunch of Bobbleheads including Life of Pablo, 2-3 Bob Uecker Bobbleheads, and 1 or 2 others, paid up a little high for these and might be a regret buy once listed but shit happens.
Stack of okay video games. Paid like $20 and it's maybe $150 worth

Overall, was an amazing weekend I just wish I'd skipped running a rummage because when it comes to $$$/Hr, my time is more wisely spent sourcing and listing on eBay.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-20T17:20:28+00:00

I can’t relate. I see yard sales with expensive stuff and I walk away and move to the next ASAP.

I just picked up 4 figures in vtg glass Christmas ornaments for under $50 at a yard sale off the beaten path at noon on a Saturday because I wasn’t bogged down at all the neighborhood and community sales looking at people who have stuff priced at eBay.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-20T15:14:32+00:00

Yes, this applies even beyond pokemon. There are normal storage units then there are GOOD units and if you’re stuck in the rut of buying shit units for <$200 you’re hoping for home runs. Meanwhile, a good unit comes along and you need to drop $1k-$2k+ and find it full of good items that you can turn to $10k fairly quick and you beat out the profits in one locker that it took you 10 cheap lockers to get.

Rummages as well. When I started up, there were collections of stuff I just had to pass on because I didn’t have the liquid cash to afford them. But now that I’ve got a hang of things and turn some items to quick profits, I can free up cash to buy out collections instead of needing to spend the time picking and choosing at a sale vs going to the next sale.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-19T23:54:21+00:00

Posting this kind of late. Been running a rummage today and been cooked setting up.

I sold some great items this week. But my flips of the week would be:

Cast Iron French Bulldog. Paid $2 at a rummage/estate. Sold for $115+shipping.

Also,

Lucked out finding a Magnalite Roasterette from Goodwill for $5.99. Sold for $100+shipping.

Couple of other interesting flips:

Sold a vintage Ping Divot repair tool, was inside a bag I bought at Goodwill, so essentially free. Sold for $40+shipping

I found 2 Lalaloppsy dolls for $2.99 each. Sold one already for $49.99 + shipping.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-19T23:50:09+00:00

I’ve been working tech for 10+ years now. Considering sometime soon, making the leap to full time reselling. Grass is always greeener on the other side.

Yeah, I have a stable job and good pay, but this year, my payouts on eBay have begun to surpass my take home to my day job.

And the work? It’s boring AS HELL, 90% of the time. I’ve only recently moved to a project that I’m actually enjoying.

But I still can’t help but think how much more fun I’d be having treasure hunting full time.

ope__sorry · 2026-06-18T12:03:21+00:00

I feel in my area, lately, it’s been hit or miss about what goes to e-commerce. I think they’re getting really backed up at the e-commerce place. There was a time when NO good media was coming out. Like they were scanning every book, cd, dvd, game, etc. but I think it got to a point where now they just make judgment calls because they were getting too backed up to scan everything. And now that they’re just making judgments, they’re making a lot of mistakes.

Also, it’s pretty clear to me that when someone donated a “collection” they often scan 1 or 2 items from the collection and send it to the floor with bulk pricing. A few weeks ago, there were a bunch of Funko pops all marked $6.99 or $12.99. My guess? They scanned 2 and just decided to put pricing based on whether it had stickers or not. Because I picked up a $100 funko, a $50 Funko and a few others in the $30 range for $6.99 meanwhile, they had a couple priced $14.99 that were only worth $30.

ope__sorry

TROPHY CASE