Is there money to be made at thrift stores?

**jghilino** · 01-11-2013, 08:03 PM

Originally Posted by happyisthealero

how do you spot silver at a thrift store I have been fooled before. I bought some one time took it home and it turned out it was ferrous.

i dont think your gonna find any sterling silver at a thrift store, the employees inspect and price everything that comes in, and i can tell you that alot of the stuff that comes in does not make it to the sales floor. One of the perks of being a thrift store employee.

Look for markings or brand names, if in doubt write notes or take pictures with your cell phone, then you can check on the internet when you get back home.

I do find alot of name brand lead crystal that is priced very low and can be worth alot.

**tedanderson** · 01-11-2013, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by jghilino

Look for markings or brand names, if in doubt write notes or take pictures with your cell phone, then you can check on the internet when you get back home.

Or... if you have a smart phone with web access you can look up the stuff on fly. I carry a mobile hotspot with a deactivated 1st generation iPhone to look up stuff in the thrift shop. And when I don't, I have a buddy who is usually in front of his computer most of the day so I'll call him and have him look stuff up for me. It's amazing how quickly something can be sold in thrift shop.

But to answer the OP's question, YES. There is plenty of money to be made, especially when you know more about an item than they do. One location that I go to often has 500' and 1000' reels of old electrical and cable TV wire. They mark it at $5-$10 but it's worth $30 to $40 in the scrap yard.