1. Thrift Stores - A lot of people are under the misconception that thrift stores are only clothing. While some thrift stores do sell only clothes, the majority of them sell a variety of things including housewares and furniture. On many occasions, we have found things like Ironstone, antique crocks, and other valuable goods. We recommend you shop at the mom-and-pop type thrift stores. They are much cheaper especially if they are in a smaller town. They are not competing with the corporate stores so they can offer things at a much lower price.
2. Yard Sales - These are great places to find inventory especially the church-run yard sales. Our favorite time to hit yard sales is in the Spring. People have been cooped up all winter and now they are spring cleaning and getting rid of things. These are generally the first yard sales of the year and I always have better luck when going to these.
3. Estate Sales - We try to avoid going to the professional run sales because they are splitting the profit with the family. The prices are a lot higher and it leaves no room for profit. Sometimes, I will go on a Sunday because that's when they mark prices down to 50% off. However, going on Sunday means things are going to be picked over and you will not have as much to choose from in this case.
4. Auctions - This is one of my favorite places to source. Again, smaller towns come into play here. You will have larger crowds than the ones in bigger cities and the prices are going to be a lot higher.
5. Antique Stores - This is our least favorite to find items, but every now and then you can find some good stuff. You never know when a dealer is going out of business and they have a 50% off sale in their booth. Once again, I have to mention going out of town and shopping in those smaller towns. I used to buy merchandise from small-town antique shops and bring them back to my booth in the city where I could command a much higher price.
6. Friends & Family - Let the people in your life know what you do. When people realize what you do, they will give you stuff just to get rid of it.
7. Offerup, Let Go and other Apps - I used to like Offerup and Letgo back before all the ads were on their app. Now there seems to be a lot of scammer on there too. But I have found good stuff on these apps.
8. Facebook Marketplace - This is a goldmine. I love scouring my local FB marketplace ads. Also, be sure to look in the free section. I have scored a lot of good stuff on here FREE.
9. Etsy, eBay Poshmark & Mercari - I have found some good deals on these platforms, but you have to remember you will pay shipping prices, and depending on the item/s it may not be worth the effort. I always check my local listings. Sometimes people will meet you in a public place and sell their items.
10. Wholesale - Most stores require you to have at least 75% vintage and antiques in your booth and 25% can be newer items. These items are usually pillows, throws, and other home decor items. If you are looking to purchase some newer items we have a wholesale list available. We do endorse these stores. This is a list we compiled several years ago. Click here to see the wholesale list.
A word of advice - if you are new and have never sold or bought things in person you will want to take a few precautions. We have been doing this for years and have never really encountered any problems. Just make sure you are meeting in a public place, in a well-lit area, with lots of people, or security cameras. We always take someone with us.
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