AuctionZip

My years of experience on eBay has piqued my interest in actual, old school LIVE auctions. I have never attended one for my own purposes-although I once accompanied my brother in law to a Sotheby's auction years ago. I remember the adrenaline rush of watching him bid and win the watch of his dreams. Now that I have the time, and a legitimate business purpose, I am thinking of giving it a try.

Of course, I want to start small and local. I have discovered a great tool for locating live auctions in any given area. AuctionZip is a site where you can search for auctions within any given miles of a zip code. The results can also be limited by category if desired. The results are presented in a useful calendar format. What really caught my eye are the self storage auctions in my area. While I have never attended, I have heard that one box (which may or may not be representative) is opened from each room. This is what the group bases their bids on.

Bidding on a room full of mystery boxes of junk is my idea of a good time! Especially after Paris Hilton's overdue balance of $208 on her storage locker caused its contents (sex tapes, diaries and other scandalous items) to be auctioned off, and chaos ensued. A perfect example of how ANYTHING can be in those boxes...

AuctionZip looks like a keeper for finding such events. Within each box lies potential treasure (or at least a good read a'la Ms. Hilton's diary) . I will certainly report back should I "slip though the eBay lookinglass" and attend a real LIVE auction.

How Hardcore are you?

So, you think you are a serious thrift shopper? Are you ready to put your love of junk to the test? Then perhaps you are ready for Goodwill Outlets, which are the "thrift shop's, thrift shop". Here, merchandise rotated out of regular Goodwill retail outlets comes to rest, and is sold for $1.39 per pound (may vary a bit by location).

Now, you know I LOVE thrift shops. I find the digging relaxing, almost meditative. NOT HERE. I had the opportunity to recently visit a Goodwill Outlet in West Palm Beach Florida (the 1887 Old Okeechobee Rd Store). I was not prepared for thrifting as a full contact sport!

Picture a big warehouse filled with tables piled with junk. Watchful customers circle like vultures, awaiting the arrival of new merchandise, which comes out about every hour. My companion was a regular, and recognized most of the other shoppers as people who spend all day, every day awaiting the arrival of fresh prey.

The new merchandise arrives in a giant bin on wheels. So aggressive is the crowd, that the employee just launches it into their general direction, and the mob (including my companion) pounces in an insane feeding frenzy around the bin. I have been told that sometimes they pounce too hard, and the police must be called. My companion was able to literally wrestle out a vintage pure cashmere Mark Cross robe, then a jeweled St. John jacket. I have no idea how items of this caliber slipped through the Goodwill cracks, but it seemingly happens all the time. This is why a cult like following of folks are ready to do battle at these shops.

In chatting with other shoppers between incoming bins, I was told that in some outlets there is a line drawn on the floor shoppers must stand behind while the bins are emptied onto the table. The employees then utilize a hand signal to indicate GO, and the shoppers stampede and throw merchandise around like piranhas at feeding time.

Since I value my dignity (despite what some may think), as well as my safety, I chose to shop only once the alpha dogs had their fill. I was still able to pluck a few interesting items from the pile, but clearly- if you want more then leftovers, you must be willing to rumble.

I am afraid that I do not pass the hardcore thrift shopper test. I will stick to a zen-like perusal of the racks. However, it is worth a visit just to see the underbelly of the thrift shop world, and to find out if you are a true combat ready shopper!

INSIDE INFORMATION!

Here it is- the HOTTEST TIP ever!
Mark your calendars for the GRENVILLE BAKER BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB ANNUAL SALE, in Locust Valley, New York.

This sale is like nothing else I have ever seen. It has been held for some forty years. The Locust Valley community includes some of the wealthiest zip codes in America, such as Upper Brookville, Lattingtown, Matinecock and Mill Neck. The residents of these communities are extremely generous and empty their closets each year and donate to this sale. Even folks who have since moved out of the area still ship their high end clothing and accessories to the sale. I have seen drivers come in from Manhattan bringing their employer's donations. Thus the ratio of Hermes, Chanel, Fendi, St. John, Versace, Brioni, and Lilly Pultizer to Levis is the highest you will find anywhere.

The New York Times spilled the beans about this heretofore well kept secret in this 2001 article.

The event is not for the faint of heart. I have taken friends who have spun around on their heel and run screaming. It is a huge gymnasium and a few auxiliary rooms filled to the ceiling. Dress comfortably, and be ready to dig. For those who know, this is truly the most wonderful time of the year!

The sale is run by a group of volunteers who do an extraordinary job of processing, pricing, and managing this massive sale. All proceeds benefit the Grenville Boys and Girls Club, which has serviced the youth in this community, and the far less swanky neighboring communities since 1947. It is really the "positive place for kids", and you can feel great about any amount of money you drop here. Probably not as good as you will feel wearing the timeless couture treasures you pull from the rubble.

The sale this year runs from THURSDAY MAY 8- WEDNESDAY MAY 14
10 AM -8 PM
SATURDAY 10AM - 4PM
(CLOSED SUNDAY)

135 Forest Avenue, Locust Valley NY 11560

You folks out in cyberspace now owe me- please share your favorite junking events by posting a comment!! I can also be reached via email at info@electric-estate-sale.com.

eBay Allows Me to Live Like a Rock Star

The eBay community may have its issues with the seismic changes in policies rolled out in the past few months. However, the fact remains, that there is nothing else like the depth & breadth of the eBay marketplace, ANYWHERE. Yes, fees are going up, but the cost of doing business remains nominal compared to a brick and mortar, or any other establishment or advertising medium of comparable reach.

I actually have found eBay to be rather responsive to my needs over the years (for a huge multi-national corporation). Nowhere is the somewhat small town feel of this corporation and its community more evident then at their national conference, eBay live.

I have attended the past two eBay-fests, in Las Vegas and Boston. I have already signed up for eBay Live 2008 in Chicago. If you have never attended, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is really worth the trip for buyers, sellers or anyone contemplating either activity. It is a celebration of all things eBay, but really it is all about networking. I was able to mingle and share my thoughts and concerns with many eBay executives. Perhaps more meaningful was being able to speak with a number of Platinum and Titanium level eBay Powersellers, who were making a major living doing what they loved. (for example- a Titanium Powerseller must sell a minimum of $150,000 per month on eBay). The folks I met were enormously generous with their time and expertise, sharing the systems and procedures utilized in scaling their business to these big money levels. It was eBay live 2006 which planted the seed to take the plunge and eBay full time, and by 2007 I had made up my mind.

Again, there is something for everyone at this convention, and at $75 for three days, it is far less expensive then any professional conference I have ever attended, and is every bit as substantive.

Should you care to take a look at what I have been up to since I jumped ship from my job as a research librarian at Hofstra University School of Law (one of the best jobs in the free world), my eBay account names are Electric-Estate-Sale, and Urban-Anthropology. You can visit my eBay stores here and here. I have had the Electric-Estate-Sale account since 1999 (ancient history in eBay land, as the first item ever sold was only September 1995), and have over 4,000 feedbacks. I am now using this account for my nascent consignment business. Urban-Anthropology was opened in 2006, I have over 1000 feedbacks on this account, and am a silver level Powerseller.

The flexibility running my own business has afforded is incredible. The ability to turn my hobby into a full time job - PRICELESS

Diamonds in the Drop Box

Welcome!
I am a long time lover of thrift shops (as well as estate & garage sales). I have recently left my day job in order to indulge my love of treasure hunting full time. This also gives me the time to write this blog, where I hope to chronicle my findings for others who understand that you can use select thrift shops as your own personal Neiman Marcus or Saks!

TOP FIVE REASONS TO LOVE THRIFT SHOPS:

1. CHARITY. Non-profit thrift shop proceeds benefit worthy causes. Think Goodwill, Salvation Army, and St. Vincent De Paul.

Even a for-profit thrift shop will usually buy its merchandise from a charity, thus supporting it's mission - Think Savers, which benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters.

2. ECO-CHIC. Recycle, Reuse, Restyle. Green shopping is good for the planet.

3. VINTAGE COUTURE. Not everyone wants to look the same. Vintage couture is always in Vogue, yet you will not see yourself coming and going. Big name classics are always to be found in the clutter.

4. RECESSION. While experts may disagree whether we are in one or not, these are clearly not the best of economic times. You can really stretch your wardrobe dollar without sacrificing quality or style.

5. TREASURE. Not just personal finds that bring you back to your childhood and make you smile. I am talking about actual, real deal treasure. I left my job to eBay for a living. I have two accounts, Urban-Anthropology (for my own thrift and estate sale finds) and Electric-Estate-Sale (for my consignment business)- more on this later. I am able to make a good living from the garden variety treasure I run across. However, remember that actual, "change your life" caliber treasures are out there. For a recent example, see Michael Sparks, a Nashville music equipment technician who paid $2.48 at the Music City Thrift Shop in 2007 for what turned out to be a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence. It sold at auction for $477,650. Such things are possible!

So please bookmark this site, or join my RSS feed. I know a national overview of thrift shopping sounds ambitious, but I hope to scour the country one area at a time, and report back to you!! Any reports from the field that you would like to add are also MUCH appreciated!