Realistic expectations on reselling

[wonkette]

Lately I've been fantasizing about quitting my job and filling the hole between my FIRE accounts and current expenses with reselling/flipping items from the thrift store. I honestly think I need someone to burst my bubble on this.

I was raised by someone who shopped for entertainment and though luckily I found MMM early enough to become a complete consumer sucka I can spend hours in a mall, thrift store, or garage sale weekend. When I had kids I started reselling a lot of their gear, even occasionally turning a small profit but overall I know I'm in the red on kid stuff. A few weeks ago I picked up some kids hunter boots at Goodwill that were three sizes too big for my oldest and put them on facebook marketplace. I figured worst case scenario I just hold on to them for a year or two, but I made $20.

I'm also being influenced in this direction by reels that are all over my feed about reselling businesses, mostly clothes. I've seen the inventory systems, photo set ups, label printers etc. Is it a huge pain in the ass to make more than $20 here and there or is it actually doable?

[TheFrenchCat]

I haven't done reselling myself, but it always seems like such a huge effort for not a big payoff.  Maybe if you live in the right area where people are donating high-cost items regularly, you could maybe make it work?  But I think I'd start it as a regular side-hustle before deciding to quit and just do that to fill the gap.

Also, remember that those people making the reels are probably making more money from the advertising than the flipping.  They're selling a dream.  I sympathize though, I do love Goodwill shopping and need to not do it too often so I don't over spend there on stuff I don't need.   

Is there a way you could switch or downshift your career and CoastFIRE instead?

[Paul der Krake]

I've used Facebook Marketplace a lot on both sides (buying and selling), and dealing with other people is the worst. No-shows, poor communication, lengthy back and forth that goes nowhere, etc. I still engage in the practice because I hate waste, but depending on this to make a living? That's a hard pass for me.

[Fru-Gal]

One of my kids has been making bank reselling as a teenager. I can’t believe the amounts kid gets for stuff found at thrift stores ($400+ for shoes, bags, “reps” or reproduction designer items). This is common in their social group. They use Mercari to sell, and often buy on FB marketplace. I prefer Craigslist.

Same kid got into mini motorcycles and has now rebuilt and sold three, and sold even the non-working engines.

The key is to work fast and in areas where you know there’s demand. Of course these change with the trends so you have to be able to pivot. And you have to avoid the money pit items, of course.

I am usually too lazy to do any of this but I did make $500 on one Etsy sale of antique jewelry.

It seems to me that antique and old book stores these days are basically warehouses for online sales. If you check one out consistently you’ll notice a surprising amount of churn, despite low foot traffic.

[Fru-Gal]

If you said, I need to net $100-300 a month as I coast-FIRE or take a sabbatical, is it doable, I’d say yeah go for it, have fun! If you needed 10x that then you are looking at needing significant cash flow to start and high volume to sustain.

So the first question is what is the smallest amount you could net per month and survive on.

[aloevera1]

Could you try doing it for a bit without quitting your job or relying on this income? That way you'll see if you want to do more of it or if it is a complete miss in your area. You can also figure out if you enjoy the re-selling part itself (as opposed to buying).

At first I wouldn't invest more money into this activity than any other small hobby. E.g. don't start by buying expensive things you don't fully understand the market for.

The fact that Jane from Instagram can do it doesn't mean it's for everyone even if they like shopping.

[ChpBstrd]

I looked at doing this too, but it's not scalable to a level you could live off of unless you locate a reliable source for products. I.e. if you sell a few things here or there, you could probably save just as much money by putting in the time to skip a restaurant meal or enduring the inconvenience of a one degree warmer thermostat in summer and one degree lower in winter.

It's not life-changing unless you find a supplier who's willing to sell to you at a price you can flip for a margin over and over again across thousands of transactions.

E.g. Take your income needs and divide it by the markup you earn on each sale. That's how many thousands of things you'd have to resell. Multiply that by the time it takes to sell each.

Plus it's extremely competitive. There are people buying truckloads of merch off of aliexpress and reselling them on ebay and amazon at cost, just to build up sufficient feedback to get promoted and be able to earn real margins. Similarly there are people scouring yard sales and flea markets for underappreciated antiques they can flip on ebay. The days of bargains are over.

One thing I considered is cars. If you are good at evaluating for mechanical problems, you can buy something filthy at auction, clean it to sparkly new, do the DMV paperwork, and flip it for a $500 profit each. And it's semi-scalable because you can somewhat outsource the detailing. But the risks are high. If you buy just one lemon that conks out before you can sell it, you're out the profits from 3-4 deals.

[Dave1442397]

I see a local guy posting on FB Marketplace all the time. He has accumulated a house full of crap and says he just closed his business. The stuff he's selling always seems to be priced at ten times the price I'd pay for it. In fact, most of it is stuff I would trash or donate.

If you find a niche, it can be good. A friend's teenager started picking up old hifi equipment from the '70s and '80s and fixing it up. He made enough from that to pay for college.

[Villanelle]

How large is the "hole" between your accounts and your expenses?  How much "more than $20 here and there" are we talking?  And how up are you on trends, brands that are about to explode but haven't yet, etc?  IOW, will you be able to spot a $4 shirt that can sell for $50, without googling half the items on the rack to check their pricing?  And will you stay up on Owala being the new "it" drinking container, or would you buy the Stanley thinking it's still "in" when it's on the way out and the market is saturated?  (That's just an example as it's one of the few trendee things I know.)  Can you spot a fake LV/Prada bag vs. a real one, or cut crystal vs. crap?  And are you willing to troll thrift stores around town (or three towns over if that's the one that tends to have higher-end items), a few times a week?  Are you willing to buy a stained Burberry trench for $20 and hope that you can get it clean so you can sell for $200 but eat the $20 if you can't get out the stains?  Do you have a specific skill, like the ability to repair electronics?

if not, or if you must have more than a few hundred dollars a month, I'd say you can find a better way to get it that is more reliable, less stressful, and less risky. Walk dogs, babysit kids, substitute teach, run errands for seniors...

[seattlecyclone]

Every thrift store has some stuff that's underpriced. I've noticed and resold a few such items. Trying to make a decent wage out of it week in and week out would be a grind, and one that I would find much less enjoyable than many other forms of employment. To each their own!

[Paper Chaser]

I've used Facebook Marketplace a lot on both sides (buying and selling), and dealing with other people is the worst. No-shows, poor communication, lengthy back and forth that goes nowhere, etc. I still engage in the practice because I hate waste, but depending on this to make a living? That's a hard pass for me.

Totally agree.

Clothing and other small thrift store goods seem like mostly small dollar items. You'd need tons of transactions to make any real income, and each transaction comes with multiple interactions with "tire kickers", flakes or unserious buyers. Every eventual sale would probably have 3-5 no-sale interactions taking your time/focus/energy. That would be exhausting for me, and would probably turn an enjoyable hobby into a stressful job really quickly. Especially if it were the only source of income.

If you're going to do it, I would think larger, higher dollar items would be the way to go. Fixing/cleaning the right vehicles, Upcycling/refinishing furniture, Repairing small engines/lawn equipment, etc. There's probably more labor involved in these endeavors than just flipping thrift shop bargains for slightly higher prices but there would also be way less dealing with flaky, annoying society at large because you'd need fewer transactions to survive. In general, low effort endeavors with low barriers of entry have lots of competition and low profit margins. You're going to have to find a way to add value in most cases.

Anything you can scale to some degree would be helpful as well. Doing similar, repeatable processes is key because it reduces your time spent on each item, and limits the amount of supporting equipment/tools/space needed.

[rosarugosa]

I've sold some items on eBay here and there.  I personally can't imagine scaling this up to a significant income stream.  I agree with others who say there are easier ways to make money.  That being said, some folks do succeed at this, and you could certainly be one of them.  I would suggest following Suzanne A. Wells on Facebook.  She strictly does eBay sales, but you'll get a good idea of high profit items to seek for resale.

[Fru-Gal]

Facebook Marketplace is just like Craigslist or ye olde classifieds in the newspaper. No middleman. It’s good for one-off sales.

The way my kid and their friends sell on Mercari is hands-off. Many of their listings sit for awhile, then hit big. The platform pays for shipping and no selling fees. Apparently it’s better for low-volume sales. My kid even bought some cheap jewelry from Ali Baba and resold it on Mercari at a 20x markup. Fewer protections than EBay.

The drag with EBay is the high fees. You’re also competing with bulk sellers. But it’s very easy to see what sells.

For tech items, Swappa is amazing. Our family has bought several iPhones and Mac laptops off Swappa.

[iris lily]

I enjoy Dr. Lori’s YouTube videos where she goes through thrift stores and finds items and tells you how much is their “worth “on the open market.

Her estimates of their “worth” is ridiculously, unrealistically high. I often go right to eBay’s SOLD and COMPLETED data to check her facts. Nope nope nope. Her high values remind me of those antique and collectible guides we used to have all over the library where I worked. Those books always gave super high values.

If you are watching YouTube videos like this, beware.

[evme]

A lot of it depends on where you live and if a renewable source of items is available that you can flip. Many thrift stores, particularly the national chains like Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc, mostly check their inventory and pull the good stuff to sell online themselves. If the items you are intending to sell do not have UPC barcodes then you may have a chance to find some good items to resell. Mostly, though, I think the time to make any good money doing retail arbitrage has passed.

[NotJen]

I have 2 friends that use eBay reselling as their retirement side-hustle (neither are FIRE folk, but retired on the early side of normal).  One was doing it well before she retired, and continued after.  She makes money on volume - buying and selling lots of crap.  The other friend only picked up the hobby after retirement, not necessarily because she needed the money, but wanted something productive, and it cures her of shopping for herself.  She looks for rare items at the thrift shops, and then asks RIDICULOUS prices for them.  But people pay these ridiculous prices because she manages to find obscure things that people still want. 

I don't know exactly how much they make, but I'm thinking >$20k/yr.  They do put in a lot of work, but also get lots of enjoyment out of it.

If you think you're interested, I'd vote for doing it on the side UNTIL the income can replace what you need before you quit your job.  And make sure you keep super detailed records about purchase price and expenses - so you know how much you are actually making, and to make tax time easier.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Every thrift store has some stuff that's underpriced. I've noticed and resold a few such items. Trying to make a decent wage out of it week in and week out would be a grind, and one that I would find much less enjoyable than many other forms of employment. To each their own!

This. I've sold things on eBay for years, but typically because I prefer to keep things in circulation, and donating often leads to items being tossed. (I also give plenty away on Buy Nothing, for items that are in high demand.) I track my profits, and they are always much smaller than you'd expect.

[wonkette]

Thanks all for all the good advice! This also prompted me to go back through my venmo and fb marketplace listings. YTD I've made $70 on marketplace and just over $200 at a consignment sale. This is all my kids' stuff and even though it was gifted, bought used, or on sale I would still say I'm in the red - but it helps!

To sort of answer one of the most fundamental questions- how much income would I need to retire? I am not sure. My wife and I have two little kids and it is hard to predict the future of what they/we will need. But by even the most pessimistic estimates we're halfway there. We have a little over $1M and I think we will need a little over $2M. Does one of us(me) take a sabbatical and find some play money through one or more side hustles? Hopefully!

You have all confirmed that it would be pretty tedious to grow this into a full time income. What I want to do is throw some extra items in my cart at the thrift store while I'm already there looking for my own family and sell them online. That is maybe going to get me enough cash to pay for my kids' berry eating habits.

I think for next steps I need to get more comfortable selling online with shipping, not just locally. I'll check out some of your recommendations for tutorials.

[wonkette]

I haven't done reselling myself, but it always seems like such a huge effort for not a big payoff.  Maybe if you live in the right area where people are donating high-cost items regularly, you could maybe make it work?  But I think I'd start it as a regular side-hustle before deciding to quit and just do that to fill the gap.

Also, remember that those people making the reels are probably making more money from the advertising than the flipping.  They're selling a dream.  I sympathize though, I do love Goodwill shopping and need to not do it too often so I don't over spend there on stuff I don't need.   

Is there a way you could switch or downshift your career and CoastFIRE instead?

yes the reselling influencers are making as much from the reels as from the sales in some months! Amber Waves of Brain is one I follow who posts what she makes from socials. But she definitely is moving a lot of product unless this is all a *highly* elaborate ruse.

Yeah that's another post entirely, but basically I need to stop working at the intersection of healthcare and politics because the stress is slowly killing me (I've seen the research!) but pursuing a different desk job would be a much more financially sound decision.

[wonkette]

If you said, I need to net $100-300 a month as I coast-FIRE or take a sabbatical, is it doable, I’d say yeah go for it, have fun! If you needed 10x that then you are looking at needing significant cash flow to start and high volume to sustain.

So the first question is what is the smallest amount you could net per month and survive on.

I would love to make $3000 a month, but I don't think I would like the trade offs. For one thing, where would I put all this stuff? The inventory systems people have are one thing that intimidates me. If I could keep this all in the pax wardrobe in my basement where I keep all my kids' out of season stuff/hand me downs that would be ideal. But then the ceiling on that is much closer to $300.

[Villanelle]

I think even $300/months might be optimisitic unless you are going to put in a lot of hours, especially once you account for the costs of buying and shipping, and any fees you might pay for listing (if you use ebay, consignment, Venmo G&S, etc.).  And after accounting for duds that don't sell or sell for even or a loss.  Unless you are doing something to improve the value of these items (like buying broken electronics and repairing them),  $300 seems high.

But maybe you have a knack for spotting gems and you know what's trending, and you could manage that.  You could start now and give it a few months and see how it goes, and how you like it, and then make a decision about whether it is scalable.

[wonkette]

I have 2 friends that use eBay reselling as their retirement side-hustle (neither are FIRE folk, but retired on the early side of normal).  One was doing it well before she retired, and continued after.  She makes money on volume - buying and selling lots of crap.  The other friend only picked up the hobby after retirement, not necessarily because she needed the money, but wanted something productive, and it cures her of shopping for herself.  She looks for rare items at the thrift shops, and then asks RIDICULOUS prices for them.  But people pay these ridiculous prices because she manages to find obscure things that people still want. 

I don't know exactly how much they make, but I'm thinking >$20k/yr.  They do put in a lot of work, but also get lots of enjoyment out of it.

If you think you're interested, I'd vote for doing it on the side UNTIL the income can replace what you need before you quit your job.  And make sure you keep super detailed records about purchase price and expenses - so you know how much you are actually making, and to make tax time easier.

Thanks for this info. I think I'm picturing something like your friends here and it is helpful to know the ceiling is lowish but not just pocket change.

[wonkette]

How large is the "hole" between your accounts and your expenses?  How much "more than $20 here and there" are we talking?  And how up are you on trends, brands that are about to explode but haven't yet, etc?  IOW, will you be able to spot a $4 shirt that can sell for $50, without googling half the items on the rack to check their pricing?  And will you stay up on Owala being the new "it" drinking container, or would you buy the Stanley thinking it's still "in" when it's on the way out and the market is saturated?  (That's just an example as it's one of the few trendee things I know.)  Can you spot a fake LV/Prada bag vs. a real one, or cut crystal vs. crap?  And are you willing to troll thrift stores around town (or three towns over if that's the one that tends to have higher-end items), a few times a week?  Are you willing to buy a stained Burberry trench for $20 and hope that you can get it clean so you can sell for $200 but eat the $20 if you can't get out the stains?  Do you have a specific skill, like the ability to repair electronics?

if not, or if you must have more than a few hundred dollars a month, I'd say you can find a better way to get it that is more reliable, less stressful, and less risky. Walk dogs, babysit kids, substitute teach, run errands for seniors...

The how much is the big question - if my wife stays at her job we're basically in coast mode and this money would be for extras. That would introduce some pressure if I, say, set a goal to take us on vacation to Italy, but wouldn't crush us. I think this thread is quickly disabusing me of the idea that this would be a viable replacement of even half my income. Which is why I posted!

I see my 'supply' as the affluent and transient population of DC - the college students, the pols on temp gigs, the workaholics who would rather put in the extra hours than deal with the annoyances of reselling. For example, there are handful of clothing brands I love for my own kids and there are certain items I would buy from the thrift regardless of size because I know they are "rare" and resalable. For example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/396271728135

But then the question becomes how much time would I spend trying to find these for $2 at the opp shop? And how many am I realistically finding per year? And how many niches like this can I realistically keep in my head? 5 or 6? 50 or 60? And what else could I be doing with that brain space?

This has all been excellent food for thought!!!

[mistymoney]

I used ebay to sell a few things for a parent when the family home was being sold.

Soooo much work. So little money gained, and the items hadn't even been purchased, were just in the basement. Not to mention shipping materials and driving to the post office.

yuk!

Would rather do 1 day a week at starbucks or something.

[ChpBstrd]

Would rather do 1 day a week at starbucks or something.

A temp agency would be the way to go if one wanted a short-term job to meet a little financial goal, like a vacation splurge, without the longer term sense of obligation or the trouble of looking. If you know any small business people, there can be intermittent opportunities to help them with various tasks.

There's also a case to be made that most of us have lots of fat that can be trimmed out of our budgets. Here are some ideas, and the amount of annual net savings that are possible without much effort:

• Shop for cheaper insurance ($300)
• Shop for a cheaper phone plan ($150)
• Shop for cheaper home internet ($300)
• Drop one streaming subscription ($150)
• Perform preventative maintenance, car ($1,000)
• Perform preventative maintenance, HVAC ($500)
• Avoid eating at restaurants once per month ($30*12=$360)
• Adjust your thermostat slightly ($150)
• Use cloth towels instead of paper towels ($50)
• Pay down debt (interest rate * debt)
• Hold onto your old cell phone one more year ($150-400)
• Hold onto your paid off car one more year instead of upgrading to a newer used car ($1,000)
• Weather seal and caulk your house ($100)
• Go without booze or cola for a month ($40)

Most tasks on this list could be knocked out with a week of effort. Could you earn as much in the same time?

[wonkette]

Would rather do 1 day a week at starbucks or something.

A temp agency would be the way to go if one wanted a short-term job to meet a little financial goal, like a vacation splurge, without the longer term sense of obligation or the trouble of looking. If you know any small business people, there can be intermittent opportunities to help them with various tasks.

There's also a case to be made that most of us have lots of fat that can be trimmed out of our budgets. Here are some ideas, and the amount of annual net savings that are possible without much effort:

• Shop for cheaper insurance ($300)
• Shop for a cheaper phone plan ($150)
• Shop for cheaper home internet ($300)
• Drop one streaming subscription ($150)
• Perform preventative maintenance, car ($1,000)
• Perform preventative maintenance, HVAC ($500)
• Avoid eating at restaurants once per month ($30*12=$360)
• Adjust your thermostat slightly ($150)
• Use cloth towels instead of paper towels ($50)
• Pay down debt (interest rate * debt)
• Hold onto your old cell phone one more year ($150-400)
• Hold onto your paid off car one more year instead of upgrading to a newer used car ($1,000)
• Weather seal and caulk your house ($100)
• Go without booze or cola for a month ($40)

Most tasks on this list could be knocked out with a week of effort. Could you earn as much in the same time?

We do some of this stuff, but we should probably shop for better car insurance. I take your point about temp agencies, though the major industry in DC is in a pretty tough spot right now. Something seasonal, maybe with one of the vendors at our bougie farmer's market? Does the booze and cola store need people? Because if I could get a discount on wine and sparkling water that might be the answer.

[NotJen]

I tried the “oh, just get a temp job through a temp agency” thing, and it didn’t work out - so this could be very area-dependent.  I signed up with 3 local agencies looking for office-type jobs (ie, not construction), and was active for 3 weeks with no leads.  Eventually it might have led to something, but I found a job on my own first.

Just a reality check that there is lots of competition for low-skill/part-time/temp work, and it might take longer to find something than you imagine. If you *need* the income, line something up before you quit your day job.

[yachi]

I just shopped for some summer clothes at two thrift stores near me, and my dad and other family do a lot of reselling.  What you're looking at doing is buying somewhere with generally lower prices, where something might be misspriced, and selling it somewhere you can get more. 

I find thrift stores are somewhat in the middle range of where you can find the best deals.  If your goal is like mine, to pick up a few pairs of shorts for the summer in a size that fits they area superbly convenient.  That partially drives the cost.  I paid about 40% of what a cheap pair of shorts would sell at Walmart, and it's about on par with what shorts cost on sale out-of-season.  It's also not at a level where reselling would be profitable.  I passed up gildan-branded t-shirts with random screen printing that sold for $5 or so that I can buy new online for $5.60. 

Cheaper deals can be found at:
In-person Auction houses (the less advertising the better)
Storage Unit Auctions - You'd have to have room to store bulkier items, and have a plan for discarding unsellable furniture, mattresses, etc.
Yard Sales
Flea Markets
Real Estate and Real Property Auctions (these are on-site auctions where the house contents are sold prior to the house sale)

As an example, my dad often pays $1 for a box of kitchen gadgets or old tools.  He can sell them for $0.50 a piece at a yard sale or flea markets.  Everybody ends up happy. 

My guess for your venture is that you'll be restricted by your thrift store's supply of underpriced high-end clothes well before you're restricted by the time you can spend looking.

[crocheted_stache]

I haven't tried this, but if I were going to, I would do this:

• Pick a niche I know and want to know even better.
• Pick something where I can potentially add value. This isn't necessarily a full-on furniture flip, but something where good cleaning and minor repairs can make the difference.
• Spend a lot of time looking at eBay listings that have already sold, to get a feel for what is selling and what is getting good prices. You can list any piece of junk and any price and that doesn't mean there is any market. It might just sit there forever.
• Start with a money and space budget I don't mind losing if nothing sells. $100 can go a long way at garage sales, and the next finds can be paid for from the profits if/when there are any.
• Also do not put a bunch of money into a camera or other gear for doing the job. Put a little time into learning composition and light settings and stuff instead.
• Don't quit the day job until the side hustle shows whether it's enough to make the needed money.
• Keep close track of money, time, and any other resources/inputs involved. This includes things like cleaning products, replacement parts, the poster board or tablecloth serving as the background for photos, and any fuel involved in visiting garage sales or collecting stuff.
• Figure out where to shop, and explore well beyond the big name thrift stores. They're getting pricey.

[Villanelle]

Would rather do 1 day a week at starbucks or something.

A temp agency would be the way to go if one wanted a short-term job to meet a little financial goal, like a vacation splurge, without the longer term sense of obligation or the trouble of looking. If you know any small business people, there can be intermittent opportunities to help them with various tasks.

There's also a case to be made that most of us have lots of fat that can be trimmed out of our budgets. Here are some ideas, and the amount of annual net savings that are possible without much effort:

• Shop for cheaper insurance ($300)
• Shop for a cheaper phone plan ($150)
• Shop for cheaper home internet ($300)
• Drop one streaming subscription ($150)
• Perform preventative maintenance, car ($1,000)
• Perform preventative maintenance, HVAC ($500)
• Avoid eating at restaurants once per month ($30*12=$360)
• Adjust your thermostat slightly ($150)
• Use cloth towels instead of paper towels ($50)
• Pay down debt (interest rate * debt)
• Hold onto your old cell phone one more year ($150-400)
• Hold onto your paid off car one more year instead of upgrading to a newer used car ($1,000)
• Weather seal and caulk your house ($100)
• Go without booze or cola for a month ($40)

Most tasks on this list could be knocked out with a week of effort. Could you earn as much in the same time?

We do some of this stuff, but we should probably shop for better car insurance. I take your point about temp agencies, though the major industry in DC is in a pretty tough spot right now. Something seasonal, maybe with one of the vendors at our bougie farmer's market? Does the booze and cola store need people? Because if I could get a discount on wine and sparkling water that might be the answer.

Do you have a college degree (I'm not certain it's required)?  Substitute teaching? 

[crocheted_stache]

Do you have a college degree (I'm not certain it's required)?  Substitute teaching? 

It might have been 2003ish. I was hanging out at the library and overheard a man tutoring calculus to a teen/young adult at a nearby table. When they were packing up to leave, I asked him about it. He had a master's in electrical engineering from Stanford and was making better money for his time ($50/hr, 20 years ago) tutoring than he would have as an engineer. At least around here, there are parents with money and high ambitions for their children.

I doubt my degree has quite the prestige, and I'd have to hop on Khan Academy and brush up on some subjects before hanging out my shingle, but I'd certainly consider a gig like that if I wanted limited-hour, flexible work to avoid having to draw down investments. Possibly also helping people write and polish technical resumes and college applications, which I've done occasionally before.

Are you eager to flip objects in particular, or is this more about creating an alternate income stream? Because there are many ways to do the latter, with entire blogs and podcasts dedicated to side hustles, talking to real people who do everything from pressure-washing to voice acting. Side Hustle Nation is one: https://www.sidehustlenation.com/

An important part of the approach is still to start small and not go wild with the setup.

[rosarugosa]

I previously mentioned following Suzanne A. Wells on FB.  She has another page, "eBay the Right Way with Suzanne A. Wells."  On this page, she has "Money Making Monday" threads, where followers post some of their better resales.  Looking at the thread each Monday gives you a good idea of items to watch for in the thrift stores.