Baby It’s Cold Outside
I’m not a thrifter. I don’t have the ‘thrill of the hunt’ instinct, I don’t experience thrifting withdrawals if I haven’t thrifted in a few days or even weeks, I simply don’t posses the thrifting traits that so many die hard, seasoned thrifters do. But I love a good source for great inventory with very low cost, so I thrift when the whim hits me.
I don’t search the whole store over like most people. I browse the men’s section for t-shirts, Hawaiian shirts and jeans, I look for a few things here and there, books, VHS, etc. I never hit the woman’s section except for the jackets and coats. I love to thrift both men’s and women’s jackets and coats. Living in Arizona I can usually find some good ones during the summer months when those that moved from much colder climates are fooled into thinking it never gets cold in these parts.
I particularly like this flip because of the markup value. You can buy most average jackets or coats for anywhere from $7 to $25 and I rarely sell one for less than $50 and often in the $100+ range. I’ve got one listed now at $249.99….it’s a pretty cool explorer looking, very warm, coat.
While thrifting with a group on a conference trip to Rhode Island last March, I came across several coats and purchased as many as I thought I could get home in a 50 pound suitcase or dufflle bag. I had my pile of jackets in my cart and I was going through them, checking them over as I waited for the others to finish up and get checked out. One woman from our group had a gorgeous full length, brown hooded DKNY down coat in her arms that she was contemplating because of the $24.99 price tag. I tried to convince her that she could get 4-5 times that when she sold it, but she decided against it and offered it up to me. I was happy to take it off her hands.
I got it listed on July 26th and it sold on November 11th for $174.99 plus $24.99 to ship to Canada….a nice little profit!
I try to get them listed as soon as I get home as I have found that they sell all year round. There is less competition in the off season months when many sellers think it’s not the right season to sell them. Here’s a tip, seasonal stuff sells all year round on eBay. Here’s another tip, make sure you are shipping internationally; remember when it’s summer here it’s winter in Australia.
Here are a few more coats and jackets sold this quarter.
L.L. Bean Women’s Brown Suede Leather Jacket Listed 11/14/15, Sold 11/30/15 $44.99
Men’s Mackintosh Weatherfair Trench Coat Listed 11/29/14, Sold 10/9/15 $135.99
Moda International Woman’s Pink Herringbone Wool Blend 3/4 Length Listed 11/26/15, Sold 9/30/15 $64.99
Mens Long Wool Olive Green Coat Made in Italy Size 52 Trench Listed 9/2/14, Sold 10/18/15 $140.99
Men’s Cabela’s Outdoor Gear Coat Gore-Tex Hood Listed 11/14/15, Sold 11/20/15 $114.99
Womens Columbia Sportswear Coat Jacket Purple Teal Listed 11/29/14, Sold 12/14/15, $74.99
Mens Free Country Jacket Mountain Extreme Size XXL Gray Coat Hood Listed 11/29/14, Sold 11/14/15, $54.99 plus $19.99 shipping to Canada
A Collezioni Men’s Brown Suede Leather Coat Size XL Made in Italy NWT Listed 7/26/15, Sold 12/4/15 $139.99
Winter boots are also a good thing to look for in AZ.
Great tip…I never look at shoes!