A week in the life of a thrift store "auminer"

Well.... sadly.... all good things must come to an end... Maybe.

Seems one of the honchos at this thrift store went to some thrift shop conference or another & some yayhoo there put on a presentation about all the easy money that thrift stores throw away in non-working electronics & non-resellable metals. Sooooo... the big thrift shop I've been getting all these goodies from has decided to jump into that easy money gravy train & cut me out of the deal. :(

At least they weren't silly enough to ask me what to sort, how to sort it, what to break down, what not to break down, how to break down what you break down, how NOT to break down what you break down, how to re-sort all the stuff you just broke down, where/how/to whom to resell all the stuff you didn't break down, where to take/send/mail what you did break down, and where not to take/send/mail what... etc, etc, ad infinitum... I'm sure they'll magically figure all those little minor details out on their own. ;)

I made sure they still have my number, and I've got an ace in the hole contact on the board of directors that I'll be having a chat with Monday to see if I can derail that gravy train before it leaves the station.

C'est la vie...

Resurrecting my old thread for a post about ebay.

Everybody likes to hate on ebay (feebay?) but I gotta say that it opens up an opportunity for someone with reasonable expectations.

A few months ago me & the missus were headed to the grocery store. Passing an alley, I turned my head to look. (you all know what I'm talking about!) and there was an electric oven out for trash.

\Of course, I picked it up and loaded it into the truck. Instead of just taking the whole thing lock-stock-and-barrel to the scrapyard, I decided to try something.

I removed the inside oven light fixture, the knobs, and the racks and listed them separately on ebay. I still have the knobs, but the light fixture and the racks have sold for 26 and 40 respectively. Between shipping & fees, I netted 10 or so on the light fixture, and I'll probably realize a net of maybe 20 on the racks. The bulk of the stove fetched maybe 5 at the scrapyard.

It took awhile, but I have a wall of shelving units in my home office where I keep my ebay stuff organized. So a couple of months of storage is all the trouble I went to to GREATLY increase my income from that curbco find.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/WP7801P173-...oAAOSwK~da3ll1

Quote:

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Originally Posted by auminer

Resurrecting my old thread for a post about ebay.

Everybody likes to hate on ebay (feebay?) but I gotta say that it opens up an opportunity for someone with reasonable expectations.

A few months ago me & the missus were headed to the grocery store. Passing an alley, I turned my head to look. (you all know what I'm talking about!) and there was an electric oven out for trash.

\Of course, I picked it up and loaded it into the truck. Instead of just taking the whole thing lock-stock-and-barrel to the scrapyard, I decided to try something.

I removed the inside oven light fixture, the knobs, and the racks and listed them separately on ebay. I still have the knobs, but the light fixture and the racks have sold for 26 and 40 respectively. Between shipping & fees, I netted 10 or so on the light fixture, and I'll probably realize a net of maybe 20 on the racks. The bulk of the stove fetched maybe 5 at the scrapyard.

It took awhile, but I have a wall of shelving units in my home office where I keep my ebay stuff organized. So a couple of months of storage is all the trouble I went to to GREATLY increase my income from that curbco find.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/WP7801P173-...oAAOSwK~da3ll1

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I have been looking myself and there are some good opportunities if you have space to store stuff. Knobs etc. not bad but I don't have space for bigger items like controller boards. If I ever clear out my garage I hear there can be good money in it.

Nice find at curbco today!

https://www.frontgate.com/cast-iron-...MaApvgEALw_wcB

https://i.postimg.cc/65TdVpP6/76597-main.jpg

I like your resurrection thread.

I still don't like ebay.

;)

Sirscrapalot - Invasion!

Sorry buddy, your thread needs a goat.
http://crossfitinconceivable.com/wp-...resdefault.jpg

That's not going to get ebayed. It's found its new home.

$750 retail. I don't see any damage at all. I just don't understand some folks, but I appreciate their wastefulness.

I'd never no-way-no-how spend 750 bucks on something like this, much less toss it to the curb when there ain't a thing wrong with it.

But I'll sure give it a home!

https://i.postimg.cc/7P0kFVvR/20181124-174834.jpg

Sum total cost of all the fireplace hardware you see above:

A whopping $0.00

The dog's water bowl I don't know about, but the brass bucket holding the kindling was from the thrift store that started this thread. Same with the tall brass coal hopper bucket. Same with the brass andirons. The brass fireplace sets ... there's an amalgamation of two different sets... curbco. The boot that usually holds tall matches: curbco. The screen you know about.

Actually, there is one thing that was bought. Right beside the boot is a brass hearth cricket . Supposed to be good luck. My wife bought me that, but it was a gift & I don't know what she gave for it.

https://i.postimg.cc/tJMmcJdW/20181124-180212.jpg

You need a brass goat to keep your grasshopper company.

I shall pass this on to your wife. Your welcome.

I remember a post about the boot...maybe a different boot? Such confusion.

For you folks new to Auminer's thread...he has a nose for this kind of thing. Plus...he find's some neat things. Like the boot.

Yes out of all that..I like the boot the best. You can't drink beer out of a fireplace grate in an emergency.

Jus' saying.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...v6_WLPxcTYHIug

Sirscrapalot - Das Boot! - some crazy drunk at a Oktoberfest near you.

This goat, perhaps? From your favorite online venue:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRASS-BOTTL...0AAOSwfINbeavD

https://i.postimg.cc/L6Y3325d/s-l1600.jpg

You gotta admit it would be a nice accoutrement for the cooler!

I wish I still had access to the old pics at the beginning of this thread.

C'est la vie.

Thursday I found a decent chunk of old transmission cable... yielded a NICE 26.5# bunch of #1 once I stripped it. Not cashing in just yet. Maybe if we take a vacation next summer I'll take it in. If not, I'ma hang onto it & hope for $3 or better at the yard.

https://i.postimg.cc/9McKyKxL/pounds.jpg

Nice find Auminer. Are you a member over at Kitco too? Seems I remember and Auminer over there.... Maybe not. I do love the name.

I look at scrapping and garage sale and thrift shopping as AU mining, too. I buy, I flip, I find, I sell and then to the coin shop where the really amazing alchemy goes on. The base metals and flipped items actually turn a putrid shade of green that can actually be transformed directly into silver and gold. I just love the hunt!

I don't think I have ever been active at kitco... But I have used 'auminer' every website it's been available at since the mid 90s. I could see where someone else might want that particular moniker at kitco, though. ;)

I use it as homage to my favorite hobby of the late 80s and early 90s of gold prospecting in the mountains of Colorado.

As for "" alchemy "", that's been my strategy as well... Got a few dozen pounds of silver in an ammo box along with the little bit of Placer gold I pulled out of French Gulch in Breckenridge.

I actually have a box of gold ores from around the world left to me by my mom from my grandfather. I'm not sure what to do with it. Seems a shame to just keep it in my closet to get thrown away when I die.