Money Matters
Money Matters
Mastering the Art of Thrifting: Money-Saving Secrets and Turning Finds Into Funds with Betty, the Thrift Queen
Get ready to redefine your shopping strategy with the queen of thrift, Betty, as we uncover the secrets to turning thrifting into your wallet's best friend. With inflation nibbling away at our wallets, Betty shares a goldmine of tips on how to score big savings and keep your expenses in check. We journey down memory lane with her, from her humble beginnings as a teenage thrift enthusiast to her current status as a thrifting mastermind, navigating the fine line between thrifting, vintage hunting, and retail shopping. She's not just talking the talk but walking us through the ins and outs of snagging those unique finds and why the best time to thrift might just be when you least expect it.
If you've ever doubted the thrill of the thrift, this episode is here to turn skeptics into believers. Learn how Betty's strategic moves, like scoping out thrift stores in affluent neighborhoods for high-quality treasures, can lead to the wardrobe revamp of your dreams. But it's not just about the clothes; we'll talk about the ins and outs of online thrifting, where Betty's savvy has unearthed luxury items from Japanese sellers that seem too good to be true. Yet, it's not all sunshine and rainbows; we tackle the potential pitfalls to avoid, highlighting the importance of staying vigilant with strict return policies and the necessity of vetting electronics before making the purchase.
As if thrifting wasn't exciting enough, imagine turning it into a lucrative side hustle. In the final segment, Betty opens up her playbook on the art of reselling. She reveals how your forgotten closet items could be your ticket to an extra income stream. We'll share the secrets to picking out items with high resale value and discuss the best strategies for turning a modest investment into a significant profit. From a $2 steal to a $300 turnaround, the potential is staggering. So join us as we promise to not just talk about these strategies but put them to the test in a few months' time, when we'll bring our thrifting chronicles to life on YouTube, sharing the spoils of our money-saving, money-making adventures.
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Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that focuses on how to use the money you have, make the money you need and save the money you want – brought to you by Neighbors Federal Credit Union.
The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.
Welcome to Money Matters, the podcast that focuses on how to use the money you have, make the money you need and save the money you want. Now here is your host, ms Kim Chapman. Welcome to another episode of Money Matters. Is inflation getting the best of you? Are you looking for ways to put more money back in your pocket? Have you ever thought about thrifting? Well, today I am sitting down with my coworker, betty. She is an avid thrifter and she's going to give us some tips and resources on how you can put a little bit more money back in your pocket. Welcome, betty.
Speaker 2:Hello, glad to be here in my thrifted blouse.
Speaker 1:Too bad we don't have television for this, but let's catch everybody up. You were here when we started this podcast. You kicked it off because you were talking about the expenses of having a baby. So how's it been going? Lenny's a little bit over two. How expensive has it been?
Speaker 2:It's getting more expensive, just a little bit. You know, honestly, the expenses have stayed pretty stable. I always say the Play-Doh budget is through the roof, but otherwise we're doing okay. Talking about a second kid now, that's where things get a little bit dicey.
Speaker 1:And so for baby number two, I know you're looking at how can I cut costs, how can I put some money back in the household, and I hear you tell these stories here and there about thrifting money back in the household. And I hear you tell these stories here and there about thrifting, and it seems to become a phenomenon, especially with eBay and just all these other tools. What is it? Poshmosh, where you can put things on sale. So tell our listeners, what would you even consider thrifting? How would we define thrifting?
Speaker 2:So what I consider thrifting, because there's obviously there's regular retail shopping. There's thrifting. And then there's vintage shopping. To me, thrifting is, you know, when you're going to your classic thrift store, your Goodwill, your St Vincent de Paul, or even on eBay, because you're getting the lowest prices for items. Vintage shopping to me is completely different, because that's curated right. So those items may have come originally from a thrift store or estate sales or something like that, but they're curated, so they're going to be marked up. And then, obviously, regular retail, which I barely touch with a 10-foot pole. You're often paying full price. If I'm going retail, though, I'm going sales coupons and the like.
Speaker 1:So how and when did you get started with thrifting?
Speaker 2:bonds and the like. So how and when did you get started with thrifting? So I've been thrifting since I was a teenager. I'm 34. And so it's been probably like 20 years or so and I think at the age that I was, when I started, it was a really it was kind of a popular trend at that point, Maybe, like what? What year are we in? Like 2004. It was kind of like part of like youth culture at the time was like going to thrift stores and kind of getting you know different little things. So I always had an attachment to it. I've always been a frugal bugle and I just I like the uniqueness of being able to find things that nobody else is wearing.
Speaker 1:So, of course, when I'd sit down with individuals and we're looking at their budgets and we're looking at ways to cut back, I'm surprised. More and more individuals are coming to me and when we look at their clothing budget, they are thrifting. So let's talk about it from a money saving perspective. What kind of deals can be found? What can you find in terms of thrifting? For those listeners that may think of it oh, this is just hand-me-downs, these are used items. I don't want them Explain to us what you've seen over the years and maybe how thrifting has even changed since you were a teenager.
Speaker 2:So you know, I have to say, as an avid thrifter, as a person who's probably hitting a thrift store at least once a week, my kind of first tip is like you have to shop, shop often and you don't need to shop for a long time. Sometimes you just get that little tingle in your chest Like you're like I'm near that Goodwill. I'm just going to stop in for like 15 minutes.
Speaker 1:I thought that was heartburn, but go ahead.
Speaker 2:No, that's the thrifting spirit hitting you Now. You know and I mean Kim some of the stuff I found is unbelievable. I told you two weeks ago we were here working on a Saturday and after I left I got the wild hair and I went to the Goodwill down the street and you know I was looking around. I found a vintage like 80s dress for like three or four bucks, put it in my cart and then I went to the homeware section.
Speaker 2:The key is also don't just look in the section that you think you'll find your stuff in. So if you're a woman, don't just look in the women's section, look in the men's section, look in the kids section, look in housewares. Sometimes things are misplaced and put in weird places. But anyways, I just came across two boxes that said Versace on them and $10 each, and I thought, oh, these are just going to be the cases. There's not going to be anything in there. Always pick up the case, shake it up, open it up. I found a brand new pair of Versace sunglasses and a brand new pair of Versace glasses that I plan on taking the lenses out and putting my prescription in, and they were $10 each.
Speaker 1:So you mentioned. You just kind of went on a whim on a Saturday, but is there a secret, Is it? You know Tuesdays, Thursdays, Is it early in the morning, Is it late at night? Is there a preferred time where you may find the bigger deals? Okay?
Speaker 2:so Goodwill specifically at least I can speak to Goodwill in Louisiana on Sundays their tag color changes. So Sundays you get 50% off whatever the color tag is, and you get it throughout the week. Sunday's a great day to go, though, because that's when the most of that color tag will be out. So let's say, this Sunday it changes to a green tag, 50% off. Sundays are the best day to go get the green tags, because by the end of the week, obviously, the green tags are going to be picked over. So that's going to be the newest inventory. That's at the deepest discount.
Speaker 1:And so what type of discount? So you mentioned Versace glasses retail sales. What would those glasses have cost you? And then what did you pay for?
Speaker 2:So the sunglasses I always, whenever I thrift something like that like a kind of a bigger find, I usually always go online and kind of do a comparative and see how much. You know how much would I have paid for these retail. Those sunglasses would have been $250 retail. I paid $10 for them.
Speaker 1:And they were brand new.
Speaker 2:Brand new, still had the authentication little card attached to it. Not a scratch on them, gorgeous condition. The glasses were more used, so clearly the person never wore their sunglasses and always wore the glasses. But still, those frames alone probably would have been about $200.
Speaker 1:So glasses, clothing, and even when we talk about clothing, is there a specific size, you know, is it just for, you know, the average size person? Can plus size people go there? Can babies go there? What type of fashion can we expect to find if we go to a thrift store?
Speaker 2:So in my experience you can find something for everybody. I shop there not only for myself but for my husband and my daughter, and I also honestly shop for friends, like if I find something that doesn't work for me but it's like something that I know a friend would love, oftentimes I'll send a picture and I'll say, hey, do you like this? And sometimes I'll even get stuff that's bigger and I'll have it tailored down to my size, you know. So I've seen everything. I mean, like I said, I'm out in the streets thrifting a lot. So I've seen everything. I mean, like I said, I'm out in the streets thrifting a lot. So I've seen it all.
Speaker 2:And you know you asked about trends and thrifting and how it's changed since I was a kid. And it's interesting because I know, with the rise of fast fashion, like Shein and Timu, and you know, like the Forever 21 and all that stuff, now the thrift store is full of a lot of that stuff. So you know you'll go through the racks and you see a lot of sheen and things like that, and typically I don't pick up those items right, and you know I'm not a fast fashion person. Like that's not necessarily where I go for my stuff. That's not going to be the quality kind of that I'm looking for. I want staples that I'm going to be able to wear to work, you know, day in and day out.
Speaker 2:But when I was younger what I would find is like so much vintage stuff, and that's not necessarily always the case. You really have to dig for that vintage stuff. But what I do find oftentimes is still like a lot of nice kind of middle-of-the-road clothing with tags still on. So a lot of the work clothes that I have my slacks, like my work button downs, things like that those items are items that I thrifted and a lot of them like new, with tags.
Speaker 1:Can I expect to find a coach purse or an Imani suit?
Speaker 2:You can, but you have to look. I am not. And the racks and all of that stuff. You have to dedicate time and patience and you have to know that not every thrift trip is going to be a goldmine. Sometimes I walk into the thrift store, I'll do a couple racks and I'm just like you know what, I'm not thinking. Today's the day I'm going to hit, and then I just walk out. So you got to kind of cut your losses, Like some days you're on fire and the cart is just bussing, bussing and some days you just got to get out of there and realize that it's probably just not a day because you don't have the patience to actually really look through those racks.
Speaker 1:How important is location? If I'm looking for something that would be on the higher end, should I go to a thrift store that's in a more affluent neighborhood, or will I have just as much luck at the Goodwill that's, you know, in Mid-City?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's actually a great point and a great question. I think here in Baton Rouge you know I don't discriminate on the thrift stores we don't have that many ultimately. Maybe we have like 12 to 15 in the metro area, maybe a little more than that, but like the ones that I frequent, I probably go to like five or six like consistently. It's actually interesting because I find that the thrift stores that are adjacent to neighborhoods where older people live. So I hate to say this, but you know, when people pass away, a lot of times you know they'll do an estate sale and then, once the estate sales over, they'll donate to the nearest thrift store and I find that I can find the nicest pieces at those places. But again, I'm looking for vintage, high quality. I'm not necessarily always looking for designer labels and things like that, but I always just find, like the older people who donate in those areas, you get the best thing, not necessarily affluent, but just older.
Speaker 1:Now, of course, you've been doing this for years and, of course, probably 20 years ago, when you started, the market really was brick and mortar for you to go from store to store. Is there a place for thrifting online? Would I be able to find some good deals? Are there stores? How can I do this online?
Speaker 2:A hundred percent. So during the pandemic I couldn't go to thrift stores, which, I'm sure, as you can imagine, was difficult for me, because I go to a thrift store to clear my mind, like that's me time that I go by myself, you know, and I and I just kind of zone in and I'm with the other thrifters. You always have little nice chats with them out there and you know, and it's just people who enjoy doing the same thing as I do, like it's finding deals out in the streets. So during the pandemic I couldn't do that and what I did instead was I went on eBay. So I'm an eBay junkie, I love eBay, and you know it's the same thing, though it's not like you're just going to go type in exactly what you want and find exactly what you want. You know you kind of have to be consistent and go look for the things and sometimes you find stuff and sometimes you don't, but I do. The purse that I have here, again, you can't see it.
Speaker 1:We're going to have to add pictures to the description.
Speaker 2:We'll have to redo this when we get the video equipment and then you'll bring in your Versace glasses. Exactly, I can show you all of my good stuff, but I just I'd been wanting this type of purse. It's called it's a Balenciaga bag, it's a Balenciaga city bag. It was really popular in the early 2000s and they usually run a couple thousand dollars New, probably $5,000. Used like, in very good condition, off of like a resale website that's like the real, real or something like that, where they sell used designer stuff, probably about like $1,200.
Speaker 2:My hack for designer bags is actually Japanese eBay sellers. So in Japan they have a huge designer resale market. I know, Kim, you're looking at me like girl. What are you talking about? They have a huge designer resale market and they Japanese consumers. They don't like their bags to be super worn in, so a lot of times they give bags a rating over there so they'll say like this is an A tier bag, a B tier bag, C tier, depending on how worn in it is. And so a lot of times Japanese consumers don't buy those bags. So those resellers sell them on eBay in the United States to consumers like me, and so I got my bag for $123.
Speaker 2:An originally $5,000 bag I got for $123. And it was an eBay auction. So the thing with auctions is like you just kind of have to like be. It's a little bit like gambling and you just set a limit. I said, you know, I'm only going to set my limit at 150. And if it goes past 150, I don't want it because I want a deal. I don't want to pay over 150. And you know, and a lot of times you don't win because people are going to be at that bidding war right at the end, but sometimes you do. I was shocked that night whenever it said I had won at $123, free shipping, and it came in like four days and it's in great quality for me. I like the warning quality of it. It's nice leather and it's the look I wanted for less.
Speaker 1:So I know that there has got to be risk. So let's talk first a little bit about what type of return policy is there for thrifting. Is there one, or is that just a myth? Because I would assume all sales are final.
Speaker 2:It depends from thrift store to thrift store, but typically, yes, all sales are final. If you're buying home goods and things like that, typically they make you plug them in at the store and they say they're sold as is. So if you plug it in, they'll even. I buy a lot of lamps at thrift stores because you know lamps, those are expensive At a thrift store you get a lamp for $10.
Speaker 2:Incredible. Get a new lampshade for it at Walmart or Target. You're good to go, baby. But they'll give you a light bulb to plug in to the lamp before you go. So you know it is buyer beware.
Speaker 2:When you're buying things you really have to look at them, inspect them. I mean, there's been a lot of times I got really excited about an item, threw it in my bag and got home and there's like a giant hole in the armpit, you know, and there's not really anything you can do. You can't go back to Goodwill because it is buyer beware. But you know, if you get good at it and you know how to scan the item and really kind of look it over, typically you know you can't fail and also the margin of error isn't as big. Right, because I'm spending maybe two to five dollars on an item and you know you don't want to bite that loss. But it's better than going and getting a $250 item and then whatever it's. You know you can sometimes lose and a lot of times I'll try to fix it. If I can't fix it, I just call it the $5 loss and be like I need to be more mindful next time.
Speaker 1:And speaking of that in terms of a loss, I mean scams and fraud exist on every corner and I can remember in the early days when eBay, you know, became a thing, I had just had my son, CJ, and I was obsessed with finding a record player because I wanted to be able to do the turn the page for Pinocchio and all of these little stories, and I found one on eBay.
Speaker 1:Again, ebay was not that household name at that particular time, but I was really, really leery. You know, is this real? Am I going? You know, if I have to pay first, what's the guarantee that I'm going to get the item, not so much that it was going to be in working condition, but that maybe this was just some person scamming me and taking my money. And so, for me, I only spent what I was willing to lose, which was probably about $20 at that time and thank goodness it was real.
Speaker 1:I actually got the record player. Probably used it all of about two times. I still have it. But how often have you run into situations where maybe there was fraud and you never received the item? Is there any recourse with a purchase like that online, whether it be with eBay or some other retailer?
Speaker 2:So I actually have never experienced fraud in the sense of not receiving my item. We did. We ordered a similar thing. We ordered a little clock for Lenny, our daughter. That was a clock that Eric had when he was a kid. It was like a hungry was a green giant, you know. No, no, like the green giant, like from the peas and the and the vegetables. Oh OK, it was like a clock that I think you could like collect things and then mail in and get the green giant, like from the peas and the vegetables. Oh okay, it was like a clock that I think you could like collect things and then mail in and get the clock. And so Eric had that clock when he was a kid and he was like I want Lenny to have that clock because it would make it, would say, in the morning, whenever the alarm would go up, it was like have a whole lot of fun today. And it had little things that it was, it was the jolly green giant J.
Speaker 1:Oh, a lot of fun today and it had little things that it was a jolly, jolly green giant, that's it.
Speaker 2:But he was like a little one and so we got that for her for Easter, like two years ago, to put in her Easter basket. And you know, it came and it didn't work. It wasn't saying what it was supposed to say, the buttons weren't working. But the issue is you have to look at the return policy. So every eBay store and every eBay seller has their own return policy and you're allowed to set that and some people their return policy is like you buy it as is ask all your questions up front and you are able to message sellers and ask them questions about the item. If that's not in the description, you're like, hey, does it work, this, that and the other, granted, if you ask does it work? And they answer yes, and they don't have a return policy. Ebay is actually really great about working with sellers and buyers to resolve issues, so you can reach out to eBay. They do have 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. We did not ask specifically if it talked, so we couldn't return that.
Speaker 1:So, being a self-made expert, what would you consider maybe red flags. If I'm looking at an item and I'm very interested in it, what are some things that you just automatically look for or consumers should look for, that would be a red flag that may allude to the fact that it's a scam altogether, or that maybe this is just not a worthy item to purchase.
Speaker 2:That maybe this is just not a worthy item to purchase. So I always you want to look at reviews. So they usually sellers have like a rating, a percentage rating. So you'll see, you know a 98% that's a good rating. Obviously, not every transaction is going to be smooth. People are going to have issues here and there. But if they have above a 90, 95% rating, that's good. They're also their communication turnaround time. So usually if it says responds within a day, that's a good sign. Right, because they're active on their account. You know they're doing things.
Speaker 2:It's not just like stuff that's randomly sitting there that nobody, there's no one to communicate with. You know also, just read the reviews. You know if you have a bunch of people who are like, oh, I ordered these things and it didn't come as promised, you know obviously that's going to be a huge thing. I also hate to say this, but especially if you're looking for designer items on eBay, you know eBay does have an authenticity guarantee on certain items, but you have to get that through eBay. You send your item to eBay, they authenticate it and then you know you get that seal. Those items are going to be more expensive. Japanese designer items those are not authenticated in the same way. I just know through experience that Japanese doesn't really deal Japanese. You know market doesn't deal in knockoffs. If you're ordering from China, if you think you're getting a brand new Prada bag for $300, you're not girl, get away. So also looking at that, where's the item coming from? The location Oftentimes China you're going to be getting knockoff items.
Speaker 1:So you mentioned, of course, when you're shopping here locally, you're in a bliss with other thrifters or their clubs or their other resources online to educate yourself especially if you're looking for vintage pieces, if you're looking for the best place to shop or their Instagram clubs, social media clubs that you could join to maybe learn more social media clubs that you could join to maybe learn more.
Speaker 2:So I'm not part of any clubs or anything like that. I mean, a lot of the stuff I do is like I'll watch YouTube videos and TikToks and things like that Instagram stories about other people's thrift experience and kind of like their tips and tricks, and that really helps. And then, you know, I share with my friends. A lot of my friends, just personally, are also big into thrifting and we like will go together. That's another big thing. It's like I like thrifting a lot by myself. It is like kind of my zen moment. But when you're with the right person and the right friend and both of you are having your zen moment, it's great because you have two people covering a whole store and I'll pull stuff for them and they'll pull stuff for me and be like oh, I saw this and this is like a vibe for you, you know, or this is your size, you know, and all is fair in love and thrifting.
Speaker 2:But you have to. A lot of people talk about the thrift gods and you have to like repay the thrift gods. So you can't be selfish at the thrift store. You can't be like buy things that don't fit you necessarily just because you're like, oh well, one day, you know, a lot of times, like I said, I'll buy things at the thrift store and then I'll gift them to other people and I don't say like here, do you want to buy this off of me? I got it for 20 bucks. It's like, oh here, I saw this and it made me think of you and I always think that the thrift gods reward me kindly.
Speaker 1:So I think when we hit YouTube, you'll have to take me thrifting and we'll bring Chad to come and video us.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, kim, I would love to take you thrifting so we can learn the art of thrifting, so you don't just thrift just to find a good bargain for a shirt or a pair of jeans or something for the household. There's also profit that can be made, because I know that there is a market where people are looking for that $300 purse and then, because it's worth $5,000, you can turn around and sell it for $1,000 and make a profit. So tell us about your experience with doing thrifting and then being able to resell and make a profit.
Speaker 2:Yes. So again, you know, I'm just always doing my little side hustles and just like, because I do thrift a lot, I bring things into the house and my husband's like get it out of the house now. And so, yeah, I started selling things on eBay and actually Poshmark, and then another app called Depop. Depop is kind of more Gen Z, the younger people, the young people trend, so I don't necessarily list everything on Depop, but Poshmark and eBay I'll typically list items on both. But yeah, so there's actually a whole other subgenre of YouTubers that are just resellers, so they buy only to flip. And I go to thrift store for myself a lot. But if I see items, you know name brands that usually go for a lot and I'll say this typically like outdoor gear brands are like kind of like huge bread and butter of eBay resellers. So if you see Patagonia, north Face, vuori Keens, like things like that, people scoop that up online.
Speaker 2:Also, I've told you before, because you say you got some closets full of things with tags, go through your closets If you have stuff that you're not wearing.
Speaker 2:I do this often, like I'll go through stuff I'm not wearing and I'll make a pile and I'll be like this isn't stuff that's going to be even worth it to sell, right? Maybe I would get five bucks for it after it being on eBay for like six months. But there are certain things, especially when Eric cleans out his closet men's clothes do really well on eBay and Poshmark. So if you've got a polo brand shirt or if you got JCrew slacks because men aren't like out here trying to like, you know, always look super fly Like sometimes they're like I just need a new pair of work pants and I don't feel like paying full price and I don't feel like and I know I'm a size 30 and they go and they search up your little pants and they buy them for 20 bucks, you know. And so to me it's like my husband wore those for a couple of years. They don't fit him anymore out the door and I still get, you know, 20 bucks, so you get a couple of years.
Speaker 1:My son calls me every week. I need a new suit for this. I need a new suit for that, like what happened to the old suit.
Speaker 2:What happened to the old suit? You know. You know that's what we'll do. We even got you know, we got a new mattress recently and we got two pillows as a free gift to the mattress. But they came in and they were queen-size pillows and Eric called and he was like hey, we're supposed to get king-size pillows. And the guy said go ahead and keep those queen-size pillows. And immediately we looked at each other and we said go ahead and list those on eBay, list those on eBay. So we listed the queen size on eBay. You know they're sitting there right now patiently waiting for an owner 50 bucks a piece, for $200 a piece pillows originally.
Speaker 1:So maybe get a hundred bucks out of that and I guarantee you, if our consumers just take a pause just for a moment and just kind of get up and go walk through your house, go walk from room to room, we all have stuff that we have bought and we don't know why. It seemed like a good idea at the time and it's just sitting in the closet, sitting in the corner, taking up space. That is money. That is one of the tips I definitely use when individuals come in and they're like I want to be debt free. Well, we all do. But if it is not in your budget to rapidly be able to pay off that debt and maybe you're not in a position to go get that second or part-time job, start at home. I guarantee you that is something. I am confident that we all have stuff. If you just go look at those lamps, those little figurines oh my God, the latest and greatest air fryer, ninja blender, we all buy these things.
Speaker 2:Everybody has the box, the dusty box, above their fridge that has the dehydrator that they swore they were going to make their own beef jerky. You didn't do it.
Speaker 1:Just last week somebody had to go in our attic to do some work and there is a juicer that my husband got probably five, ten years ago for Christmas. He used it for about a month or two and then I hate things on the counter. So where did it go? Probably five, ten years ago, for Christmas, he used it for about a month or two and then I hate things on the counter. So where did it go? In the attic? In the attic, you know, he brought it down. He's using it this week and next week, but I'll bring it to you to put on eBay.
Speaker 2:All right, I got you Another week.
Speaker 1:So definitely, I think no matter who you are, everybody has stuff, and so maybe there is a market for you to be able to go and sell things. I believe there were a couple of things maybe that you've told me about before again.
Speaker 2:My big dollar items that I found. So you're 100% right, kim. If anybody's interested in reselling, the number one tip, the first tip that any reseller would give is start at your house. Don't go buy inventory. Don't go to the thrift store to find things to sell. Sell the things that are in your house, not everything. Don't sell everything. Keep things in your house that you use. But if you're not using it, you know, kids clothes is another great thing Do bundles of kids clothes, you know, and sell them for like 10 bucks right, and get it out of your house and onto somebody who can use it. Because that's another big aspect, you know, is trying to be less wasteful and I think a lot of people are really into thrifting and buying secondhand now because they don't want to necessarily be over consuming and it's a good way to, you know, to keep items in the flow of life as opposed to ending up in a landfill. So it is kind of a way to combat that. But yeah, start at your house, but then if you feel like you're loving it and you're having the high that I get off of selling things off of eBay, then you can kind of start looking at the thrift stores, but being a good thrifter goes hand in hand with being a good reseller, because you have to kind of have the eye for it and have done it for long enough to where you can tell like things that could be special, but you're not sure. So this is another story. The same thrift store that I found the Versace glasses at I mean this was probably like six to eight months ago I spotted this black little teapot like just a ceramic little teapot, black with a gold tip, and I was just like that's so interesting, like very unique. Another great tool at the thrift store that you'll see a lot of people using now is Google image search. So you can actually take a picture of an item and then search it on Google and it'll show you other items like that. And if there's a lot of that item in existence, then you'll probably see a lot of it pop up On the Internet.
Speaker 2:I scanned this one item, I took a picture, I put it up and I found it being sold on a vintage housewares reselling website that's kind of a higher end one called Cherish, for $800. Wow, and it was $2. It was $1.99 at the thrift store and I was like, well dang. So you know, I scooped it up, I went home, I talked to my husband and some friends about, like you know, what price point I should list it at. Because the other thing that I really believe again in service to the thrift gods is like I'm not trying to get the $800 for it because that teapot's going to sit there for a long time at $800. I'm trying to put it in the hands of somebody who can handle it. So if I can get $300 for it $200 for it if I paid $2 for it, but it's off my shelf, it's out of my house quicker. That's what I want to do. So I ended up selling it for $300, an item that I got for $2.
Speaker 1:That's a pretty cool profit. So today, since you've been doing this for quite some time, what is the maybe the best bargain or even just the weirdest thing you've ever purchased in terms of a thrift store? And then what's the weirdest thing that you've ever sold that you just didn't think anybody would purchase?
Speaker 2:I think we've got to start with item that I've sold and I'm going to actually go to my eBay right now and see in real time because, oh, you know what I know, one of the oddest items that I've sold and again, I got this tip from watching a YouTube video a different reseller's YouTube videos about what they do. Another good place to get items for personal use a lot of vintage, cool items or for reselling is estate sales, right, especially the last day of an estate sale. I love a Sunday 50% off at an estate sale because it's the dregs, you know, but you don't have to look through as much. You're not fighting with anybody because like, barely anyone's there and you know. And then there's just random little things and you know, a lot of times you would overlook the like little, you know. There's like the little drawers of junk kind of thing.
Speaker 2:Well, a woman was like a big thing that sells well on eBay is actually vintage razor blades for old razors, but like if they're new in the package, not used, but like you know, a 1950s, 1960s, like chic razor blade, right, and I was just like, I just put that in my mind.
Speaker 2:I was like interesting, good to know, know, and I went to this estate sale in my neighborhood and there was like a giant like plastic bin full of razor blades, really, yes, and but still new in the package, like but vintage, old, like oh, and the round ones, you know, the round like Norelco type shavers that it's like yes, anyways, and so I listed them and almost all of them went, and actually it was really cool because a lot of people messaged me and they're like oh, like, my dad has this vintage razor that he used when he was in the army and we've been looking for these you know, um, you know shaver replacements and we haven't been able to find them and we got these from you and my dad was able to successfully use his shaver from the Army for the first time in like 20 years.
Speaker 2:So it's kind of cool because you're also like giving people the opportunity to like use items that they haven't been able to use or fix things that they haven't been able to fix. Whenever you like, go out and find things and just sell them.
Speaker 1:And so thrifting is more of a new term. I would think you know, if you go back 20, 30 years ago, it was just a plain old garage sale. Do you still come across garage sales as much as you do in estate sale?
Speaker 2:You know, not really, unfortunately, because I love a garage sale, because a garage sale is where things are a dollar and I think estate sales get marked up. But if I ever see a garage sale, you know I'm pulling over, you know I'm stopping, even if there's piles of junk on the side of the road. We took a family walk this weekend with the dogs. We walked by this old, big, rusty, old cabinet thing and Eric said no, ma'am, keep walking, because I just you got to scan everything. And actually I have another good story.
Speaker 2:I told you this one too that there was an estate sale in our neighborhood and I wasn't able to make the estate sale. I think we were busy that weekend. But then after the estate sale they just started piling stuff up on the side of the road. My friend was driving me back to the house it was like nighttime, it was like seven, it was dark was driving me back to the house it was like nighttime, it was like seven, it was dark, and I said wait, stop, there's a bunch of stuff on the side of the road. I said, leave me here, let me just look real quick. And then I found a cowboy hat. It had a little some staining on it.
Speaker 1:But again, I don't know, you just get a little feeling, a little tingle in your chest. You're like huh interesting, kind of looks like it could be something. Bring it home, check it out and I ended up selling that thing for 350 bucks. Now, definitely online. I would say 210%. Use a credit card if you have one, because credit card companies tend to give you a little bit more protection in the event that it is a scam. But when you're going to thrift stores, when you're going to estate sales, should consumers expect that they're going to have to use cash?
Speaker 2:So not anymore. And still, sometimes there is and sometimes there's a discount for using cash, like you don't have to pay those credit card processing fees and things like that. But typically nowadays most estate sale people will take cash. They'll take Venmo and a lot of will have a card reader on site. But, like I said, cash is great, especially too because you can kind of negotiate better with cash. Like you can say I only have five bucks and if an item's seven bucks, you just say I only have five and they'll be like whatever you can have it for five.
Speaker 1:So on average, since you're also doing this in terms of making profit, how much time do you spend? Would you say a week, a month? How much time would a person need to invest if they really want to be able to make a profit, if they want to be able to add some income?
Speaker 2:So let me say this Right now I'm kind of in a pause moment with my eBay. It comes and goes. For example, I listed pillows this weekend and that was kind of it, and I haven't really listed much since then, when I was really really going for it for a couple months there. I mean you probably kind of need to spend at least like five to six hours a week working on it. Really the big time consuming things is taking pictures, images of your items and then listing your items. But once you do that, you're actually it's kind of set it and forget it. Like there was like a while where I probably had like 30 to 40 items listed and you kind of just let them go and as they sell you just drop things at the mail and so I am due for a re-up of my store. This conversation is actually making me realize I actually have bins of things in the garage that are waiting to be listed. So maybe tonight I'll go on a little listing spree.
Speaker 2:But yeah, even if you can commit to listing like five items a day, you know, spend one day taking photos of all your items and then just save five items a day. The eBay platform, I find, is the easiest and best way to do it. That's why I like eBay. The eBay platform, I find, is the easiest and best way to do it. That's why I like eBay. You know, they've been at it such a long time that they've kind of like made it foolproof. They even now use AI to help you write the descriptions, so you don't have to really write descriptions. You can use AI and then go back in and kind of update, fix things that you want, but probably to list one item, you can do it in less than a minute, as long as you already have your pictures.
Speaker 1:And let's talk about pictures just for a minute before we wrap up. How important are photos and even the background, because maybe I have a really, really great item, but if I just stick it on my kitchen table and I've got, you know, dinner behind it, how important is the picture and the scenery in terms of making it attractive?
Speaker 2:So it's important to have a clean background that's like not you know, not like with your family in the background eating dinner and all that stuff. So what I like to do a lot of times is I'll place the item on the ground and take a picture above it. But I did not. I didn't invest in a light box, I didn't invest in this, that and the other.
Speaker 1:No, ring camera no ring camera.
Speaker 2:I use my iPhone and I will. Sometimes I'll put a blanket down on the ground and take pictures of things. A lot of times with clothing items, I'll just put it on a hanger, hang it on a door and take a picture of it. That's you know, I'm doing the lazy girl eBay way but, like I said, I'm not necessarily trying to get top dollar, I'm just trying to get items in and push items out.
Speaker 2:Some sellers are swear by you need to remove the background of the picture and it has to all be done a certain way. But those are also people that their entire career is reselling on eBay. I'm lucky. It's just something I do for fun, for a little extra cash, for the high, honestly, more than anything probably, and so I don't really like spend a ton of time with those semantics.
Speaker 2:You just want a clean background where they can see the item. You want to make sure you photograph any aspect of the item that's damaged or that they could have an issue with, because, again, if you show it, then they can't really come back to you and say anything Like if you're like there's a hole in this blouse right here and here's a picture of it, or there's a stain right here and here's a picture of it. Then if they try to say, hey, there's a stain, it's like, yeah, there's a picture and in the description it said there was a stain. So that's kind of how you save yourself. But I also find, since I come from the thrift background, I like to buy from sellers where the pictures are kind of like not as good, because I know that I'm getting the best price.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, great tip. Well, this is definitely going to have to be continued. Definitely, I think that we're going to have to go out, do some thrifting, show the ropes, and then I will come back in a couple of months and do a report to see hey, did I find some good bargains that I could keep, but did I also find some good bargains that I could sell?
Speaker 1:So, definitely listeners be listening. That's going to be a part two. Hopefully we'll have it on YouTube so that we can show you what I've been able to find as I go around with my coworker and soon-to-be thrifting tour guide and mentor, miss Betty. Hey, thank you Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Miss Betty, thank you. Thank you for having me. Inflation is hitting everybody, so if you are looking for a really easy way to save money when you're shopping, or even make money by reselling things around your home, thrifting might just be for you. But here are a couple of tips to consider. For starters, if you have a credit card, try and make your purchases with a credit card, because credit card companies tend to give you a little more protection than a debit card. Do your research before you go out shopping. Definitely start at home.
Speaker 1:You don't have to go out and make purchases in order to sell things. I guarantee you, if you look around the house maybe even the trunk of your car you're going to find some things that you can sell. Look for red flags, obviously. If something seems a little too good to be true, then maybe you shouldn't do it and definitely don't buy anything more than what you can afford to lose, just in case you're scammed. And if you want to learn more, check out neighborsfcuorg for slash financial education to learn more on how to use the money you have, make the money you need and save the money you want.
