What do you look for?

Sivarticus

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I wanted to start a thread where people could share some things they look for or have found that maybe everyone else doesn't know to look for or wouldn't think to pick up while out searching at thrifts/yard sales/flea markets etc. What do you look for?

Some good examples that even I'm not sure about but I have heard mentioned are MLP plush, scarce PC games, and toys. I think if we are better informed, we all win in the long run. Of course if you want to keep your trade secrets, I respect that.

My first contribution would be NASCAR Racing 2003 Season for the PC. You wouldn't think it was worth anything but if you look it up it is.

I'll try to think of some more. Maybe some of the rest of you think this would be good too?
 
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I wish I knew more about stereo receivers and old cameras. I see lots of them at yardsales. Do most people have just a set amount they will offer for a receiver just knowing it will work out in the end (get a dud or two, but then find a homerun)?

 
Honestly, this might sound silly but my girlfriend got me looking for them- Womens Shoes.

She pick up a pair of Vincent Covoto shoes for like 6 bucks and flipped them on ebay for like 50. You would have to research what is worth a lot and pay close attention to any damage, but it could work nicely in your favor.

I always look at cds. I listen to weird shit and collect cds, but I have found some very pricey ones. Emily autumns first cd goes for about 60 bucks (even though I don't like her stuff, it was worth the purchase to flip it). Keep you eye on cds if you know what to look for.

 
I actually look for boomboxes and radioes. I'm just too lazy sometimes to rss feed and download podcasts and the like. But I never find what I really want anyway, since I'm very picky about brands.

Most of the time I just browse. I would consider books, but where I work, there's just too many of them.

 
Good ones for me are iPods, select speakers and audio equipment (BE VERY SELECTIVE) and jewelry. They always help me bridge the gaps between video game scores. You would be amazed how many people sell gold jewelry for $1-20, I bought a big gaudy gold necklace for $10 that no one would wear these days that scrapped for almost $1200. Any new category of item you buy though it really takes awhile to get thoroughly used to buying and you should be prepared to make mistakes and waste money (best way to learn is to buy and even make mistakes, I know I remember my mistakes more than my scores). For example it may be easy for most people to recognize a 14K Gold piece for cheap is a score, but it takes time and experience to be able to tell pieces that are marked differently or not marked at all or whether or not you should spend good money on something. Gold filled should be bought CHEAP (less than $0.25 a gram if you want to make money) and gold plated shouldn't be bought at all. Some pieces obviously are worth more whole versus scrap depending on age, style and brand.
 
Games obviously. But I'll also look for electronics like stereo receivers and speakers for my dad (since he actually builds them and loves audio equipment) and also since they fetch a nice price. But you need to be selective and know what you looking for and relative value prices. ie: a person try to sell me Sony (nothing special receivers like 2 yrs old) and expect near what they paid for minus maybe 50 to 100 off. Vintage audio tube amplifiers too bad those are hard to score around here.

One time i saw someone selling a blood pressure monitor for 20 got him down to 15 when it was worth alot more. Also yeah its considered bad luck but also grabbed some wheelchairs 2 for 50 on a whim also knowing they could be resold for much more or at the least donated for a write off.

I usually ask for electronics but those seem to be kinda rare around here. Thing with electronics is that either there isn't any to be found or the person remembers what they paid years ago when they bought it and expect to recuperate the price instead of just offering 20 or whatever

 
I dabble in a bit of everything. Video games are the major niche, but older power ranger toys typically do well also. However, it's usually the morphers that go for the most.

Guitar Pedals. My rule is that if they are $5 or less, they are worth it. Ibanez, DOD, and Danelectro are the brands I typically see.

Also Musical Instuments are worth picking up for $5 or so. I've found probably 10 flutes for $10 or less and have flipped them on average for $100 each.
 
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I dabble in a bit of everything. Video games are the major niche, but older power ranger toys typically do well also. However, it's usually the morphers that go for the most.

Guitar Pedals. My rule is that if they are $5 or less, they are worth it. Ibanez, DOD, and Danelectro are the brands I typically see.

Also Musical Instuments are worth picking up for $5 or so. I've found probably 10 flutes for $10 or less and have flipped them on average for $100 each.
I second all these
 
College Hoops 2k8 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 is worth quite a bit depending on whether it is close to March Madness or not. If you wait until college basketball interest is peaking you can get about $25-$30 for a copy.

Its worth pointing out that NASCAR 2003, MVP Baseball and College Hoops are all worth money because gamers who are fans of those don't have any better options. With the NCAA Football series being cancelled I'm guessing that NCAA Football 14 will go up in value over the years as it becomes harder to find sealed copies of. It might be worth stocking up on a few if you get them cheap enough.

 
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College Hoops 2k8 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 is worth quite a bit depending on whether it is close to March Madness or not. If you wait until college basketball interest is peaking you can get about $25-$30 for a copy.

Its worth pointing out that NASCAR 2003, MVP Baseball and College Hoops are all worth money because gamers who are fans of those don't have any better options. With the NCAA Football series being cancelled I'm guessing that NCAA Football 14 will go up in value over the years as it becomes harder to find sealed copies of. It might be worth stocking up on a few if you get them cheap enough.
Continuing with that, The Bigs 2, NCAA Basketball 10, and Blitz: The League 2 are ones to grab cheap as well.

 
College Hoops 2k8 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 is worth quite a bit depending on whether it is close to March Madness or not. If you wait until college basketball interest is peaking you can get about $25-$30 for a copy.

Its worth pointing out that NASCAR 2003, MVP Baseball and College Hoops are all worth money because gamers who are fans of those don't have any better options. With the NCAA Football series being cancelled I'm guessing that NCAA Football 14 will go up in value over the years as it becomes harder to find sealed copies of. It might be worth stocking up on a few if you get them cheap enough.
This. Grabbed a copy of CH 2k8 about 2 months ago and plan on sitting on it till March 10 2015.

I would also advise picking up copies of NCAA 14 while you can (ie before this fall when they will surely go up in price and become scarce).

 
Continuing with that, The Bigs 2, NCAA Basketball 10, and Blitz: The League 2 are ones to grab cheap as well.
I had forgotten about NCAA Basketball 10, I think that actually goes for a little bit higher of a price than 2k8 since it's a newer game. I also forgot to mention Madden 08 for the PC as well but since Amazon offers a digital download of it the price might drop soon.

 
I thought of this too. Any Role Playing guide books are a good find. I typically find them around $0.50 - $1 each and less if you bundle them.

Kinda feel like this is more a guide for others at this point but hey, I have no other CAGs in my area at all.
 
I'm sure you all know this but I figure it bears mentioning again just in case but if you ever see Yu-Gi-Oh duel disks, pick those up, they go for a pretty penny. Power Rangers toys too as I've seen mentioned. Also keep an eye out for the metal tonka trucks.

And graphing calculators. But did anyone not know this either?

I really appreciate you guys sharing though, I've gotten a lot of good tips so far. I know I'm a lot more thorough now when I'm out looking than I used to be.
 
I'm always on the lookout for tools at yard sales, a lot of times you'll see 25 cent each buckets full of tools, or toolboxes for 10-20$ that are packed full of stuff, got about 250$ worth of tools for under 40$ a couple weeks ago, they may be kind of hard to re-sell though, I keep all of them.

Snap-On, Mac, Ingersol-Rand, Craftsman, and Matco are what I really keep an eye out for.

 
Hate to be that guy, but every time a flip thread pops up on CAG it mysteriously gets harder to find everything mentioned inside. Use caution when revealing your favorite secret items - while there may not be any CAGs from your area that actively post there could be 30 that lurk.

I think CAG single-handedly destroyed the market for PS2 network adapters back in the day. I'm kind of bitter about that so apologies for the lack of communal spirit. :)

Just to not be a total dick, I'll reveal one item you'd never think to bother with (I've only found it once in the last 7 years): Madden 93 Championship Edition for Sega Genesis. Sells for $50+ cart only.
 
Just to not be a total dick, I'll reveal one item you'd never think to bother with (I've only found it once in the last 7 years): Madden 93 Championship Edition for Sega Genesis. Sells for $50+ cart only.
I appreciate the contribution! I can understand the apprehension, and I don't blame you. Thanks to everyone who has shared so far. I've gotten lots of tips.
 
I don't really know if its a secret but Star Wars Battlefront 2 on Xbox has spiked in value recently (Its around $40 loose right now).  I just stumbled across a copy at a thrift store for $3 so it can't be that hard to find.

 
I wish I had secret finds that I always know to pick up.

Nothing to surprising but I guess I will toss in models. Unbuilt models to pretty well - especially Japanese anime ones like Gundam, EVA, etc.

Also - sometimes sealed puzzles can do well. FX Schmidt puzzles sometimes sell for very good money. I've sold probably 4 the last 2 years for anywhere from 70 to 100 each. Other puzzles sometimes do okay, but I usually end up using them as trade fodder at swap meets and stuff. Sam thing with lots of more recent action figures. Pick up a few recent Transformers or TMNT figures and you will probably be able to trade them for some decent stuff at like anime and comic swap meets.

 
Guitars and guitar related stuff. 4 of the guitars I've bought could be flipped. Some for more than others, but I love my guitars too much to just flip them for a profit. I'm always looking for guitars JUST to flip, though. :)

 
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Oh yeah - forgot about the Lego Minifigs.

Another thing that most people know, but I guess I will mention are board games. Strategy games like Axis and Allies, Dominion, etc. are always worth a good amount. If you get one and it isn't really worth the hassle to mail it they are also very good trade fodder and anime or comic cons with swap meets, etc.

On the topic of board games - I will specifically mention Pokemon board games. Pokemon Monopoly and Pokemon Gotta Be a Master fetch a decent price and are things that I've found multiple times at yard sales. If they are only missing a few pieces you can usually pick up replacements on eBay and then sell your complete for a good price.

 
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