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How Can You Determine the Resale Value of an Item in a Thrift Store?

by Jerry JuaMaking Money

Jun 25, 2020

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Sometimes you will come across rare items where it doesn’t make sense that they would be in a thrift store. Which means you would want to find out how much you can resell them for. So, I did some research on how to get a reliable estimate for what you can resell an item for that you find in a thrift store.

So, how can you determine the resale value of an item in a thrift store? You should look at what the item previously sold for on eBay or Amazon, and take care to note any specific differences between the price that it previously sold for, and the item you are looking at.

Though e-commerce stores can list items at a fair price, you can’t necessarily trust that this item has sold or will sell in the future for this price. Therefore, you should use specific features on eBay and Amazon to find an accurate estimate. So, below I will explain exactly what metrics to look at on eBay and Amazon, as well as, some categories of items that can typically be flipped for a good profit, and some unbelievable items peoples have found in thrift stores.

How do I find valuable items for resale at thrift stores (updated for 2020)?

If you find an item that you think could have good resale value, you should do some research on eBay and Amazon on what this item previously sold for. If you look at the current listings this can be misleading, however, because people will often list items significantly above the market value.

You should look at the previously sold tab, to see what the price item has actually sold for recently, you can do this in-store using your smartphone. I will cover both eBay and Amazon below.

Determining the resale value by looking on eBay.com

You should navigate to the advanced search page which can be accessed by clicking here. Once on this page towards the top there is a checkbox which you should check which says “Search Including”. Below that, you have three options “title and description”, “complete listings”, and “sold listings”. You should check only sold listings. I have included a screenshot below.

Complete listings are listings that have expired but do not give any information regarding whether the item sold at this price or not. So, disregard this checkbox.

When you search for an item under this heading it will tell you what price the item has sold for and when. This will give you a reliable estimate as to what you could sell the item for in the future.

You should bear in mind that market conditions can change, and it is not a guarantee that you can sell the item for that price, but it allows you to make a better-informed decision as to whether the item will sell well or not.

Determining the resale value by looking on Amazon

The feature to see what items have sold for is unavailable on Amazon. There is, however, a feature called sales rank, which lets you know how well an item is selling but doesn’t give you the specific price. Amazon does not disclose how sales rank is calculated. So, Amazon should not be sued to check what price the item you are looking at sold for recently. You should use eBay instead.

How do I find valuable items at thrift stores?

There are various categories of items that typically do well when thrifting. According to vitaldollar.com, these include:

Wood furniture
Upholstered furniture
Collectibles
Vintage electronics
Clothes and shoes
Vintage eyewear
Concert t-shirts
Bicycles
Sports jerseys and memorabilia
Books.

They included other items that can be found in other places such as yard sales and liquidation lots. For the purposes of this article, they have not been included.

Below, I will list why certain categories are good to resell. We suggest you look through the list above and choose one or two which you think would work well for you.

Click here for the top items to look for at thrift stores to resell.

Learn how to make an extra 1000+ a month thrifting.

Wood furniture

Wood furniture lasts for 10+ years if not battered around too much. Wooden furniture often includes expert craftsmanship which can sell at a premium. You should try to find what brand of furniture it is or do some preliminary research about what types of wooden furniture to look for.

Upholstered furniture

Upholstered furniture is similar to wooden furniture in that it can last for many years, and can have expert craftsmanship. Often these items are discarded because the upholstery becomes dirty or worn. If you are willing to reupholster them they can be sold at a generous profit. Again, the research you do in this area will help you find the best items to flip.

Collectibles

This includes a wide range of items. These include vintage board games, boy scout memorabilia, figurines, soft toys, vintage signs, old cellphones, dinnerware such as fine China, VHS tapes, dolls, paintings, vinyl records, and old apple products. People have an emotional attachment to such items and therefore are willing to spend beyond what they would typically be worth adding them to their collection.

Vintage Electronics

This includes vintage walkmans, iPods, cd players, DVD players, and console games. These should be tested to ensure they work. But, if you have found that they are going for very high prices it may be worth it to buy it, and repair it. There have been cases where old Sony Walkmans have been sold for as much as $1000. So, you should definitely search for the recent price of these on eBay if you come across them.

Clothes and Shoes

You will often find famous brands at thrift stores. These include brands such as Nike, Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, and similar. They make their way through the selection process and end up on display somewhat surprisingly. These are a good find if you can find them cheap enough. Some stores are wise to this and mark up their prices, which makes them less attractive to resell, but you can definitely find them, and I myself have found $300 jeans for $20. Though, I kept them for myself these could be easily flipped for 3-5 times the price.

Concert t-shirts and sports uniforms and memorabilia

Certain bands and sports teams have fans who are so into the sports that they are willing to pay exorbitant prices for the right items. These include soccer teams such as Manchester United, basketball teams, and famous bands tour t-shirts. The reason is these items are often limited edition and people like to frame them or display them around their homes.

If you come across these items you should do a search on eBay. You could also look into what types of items for various famous sports teams and bands made that are in high demand beforehand, so you can spot them more easily.

The website you are on now is an online marketplace, we offer a free account that gives you up to 3 listings on our website. If you are interested in listing your items with us then click here to create go to our create account page.

Conclusion

To determine the resale value of an item, you should check what price they recently sold for on eBay. This will give you a good indication of what the item will sell for. There are various categories of items that you should look for, which have the potential to have very high markups. These are wood furniture, upholstered furniture, collectibles, vintage electronics, clothes and shoes, vintage eyewear, concert t-shirts, bicycles, sports jerseys and memorabilia, and books.

There is always a risk associated with purchasing items, and you should do your best to mitigate this risk by doing thorough research.