Thrift 2 eBay: Tip #2 - Baseball Bats

[Gold_Hunter]

Batter Up!​

A few bats I have waiting to be listed​

**PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR OWN ADVICE TO THIS TOPIC! I WILL ADD YOUR ADVICE IN A SUMMARY IN THE ORIGINAL POST SO IT IS EASY TO FIND.**

Did you know baseball bats can do quite well on eBay?
Baseball bats are items that people have no problem buying used. Especially when they have a certain bat that they REALLY like which may not be sold in stores anymore! Major brand baseball bats often sell north of $200. The ones you will most often find at garage sales and thrift stores are composite or aluminum bats. EASTON, Miken, Demarini, Combat, and Louisville Slugger are some brands to get you started.

In fact, some used EASTON brand bats can do EXTREMELY well on eBay. By doing a quick search of sold listings for "EASTON bat", you will see some USED bats reaching nearly $1,000! Now this is a very specific model bat we are talking about, but do not be surprised if you find a bat that sells for around $60-80 used! Bats are often overlooked by thrifters, and many thrift stores or garage sales neglect to do the research on their value.

Finding an EASTON Z2K bat and you might figuratively hit a "home run"!

Condition of the bat
Their are a few things that can take away from the value of a bat. The biggest one is a dent. Some dents can be hard to see. Check to see if their are any dents by running your hand across the surface. Check the cap on the top of the bat for damage. Check the grip to see how much wear it has. Aluminum bats should have a nice ring when you tap them on something hard. Composite bats do not usually ring.

Some things that may not affect the value of the bat would be small paint chips or scuffs. Many scuffs can be removed very easily to improve the look of the surface. I have taken a few pictures to compare an uncleaned bat and a cleaned bat. The grip is another area that will wear down, but this does not affect the value of the bat much.




The scuffs were removed using a "magic eraser". Something you can find easily at a department store (or maybe even your thrift store). The magic eraser makes cleaning the surface of the bat extremely easy.

It is important to take many photos of the bat. Your photos help iffy buyers make the decision to bid on YOUR auction! Here are a few photos I took for example:







When listing your bat, make sure to have the brand, model, length, and weight of the bat in your title.

Member tips and contributions: Have something you want to add to this topic? Post it and I will add a summary of what you said below
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Thanks for reading. I enjoy sharing my advice with all who want to learn! We can help each other by sharing advice because we all have different experiences!

- Frankie

 

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[palidin20603]

What do you think about WORTH bats? Have you had any luck with little league bats? I have seen that they sell for much less. HH

 

[clovis97]

Thank you for sharing about the bats.

I'm not into sports, but the whole sports equipment thing baffles me. For instance, a new golf club will retail for $300, and a nice example will sell on ebay for $200. The almost exact version of the club, but four years old, will sell for $30.

I've found the same thing to be true with skiing equipment, bicycles and baseball bats. Back about 10 years ago, when I was shopping for a used bike, it was easy to pick up a US made Trek that originally retailed for $1,000 for just $200. I bought one with $500 worth of upgrades for $100.

Do values really fall that much?

 

[jerseyben]

That is why I avoid stuff like this at all costs.

 

[Joe777Cool]

Gold Hunter - great post! Like everything else, there are clearly some diamonds in the rough. Next time I pass by that bin of sporting good stuff I'm going to take a peak at the bats!

 

[Baltimore]

Thank you for sharing about the bats.

I'm not into sports, but the whole sports equipment thing baffles me. For instance, a new golf club will retail for $300, and a nice example will sell on ebay for $200. The almost exact version of the club, but four years old, will sell for $30.

I've found the same thing to be true with skiing equipment, bicycles and baseball bats. Back about 10 years ago, when I was shopping for a used bike, it was easy to pick up a US made Trek that originally retailed for $1,000 for just $200. I bought one with $500 worth of upgrades for $100.

Do values really fall that much?

Yea, I'm a skiier, cyclist, and hockey player, and I know in every one of those sports the value of equipment plummets basically right away. If its not the current or last model year, the value plunges.Its great for me though, I gan get perfectly good 2011 equipment for basically nothing! Its crazy, I usually stay away from sports stuff because of it. The bats are a good tip, most of the thrift store bats I see look like they spent a decade or two hitting rocks.

 

[diggummup]

That is why I avoid stuff like this at all costs.

I have to agree with you there, especially when it comes to golf clubs. If I had a nickel for every set of clubs I've seen at sales, I'd be a rich man. The only sports equipment I buy are fishing or hunting related. Except the old wooden Ted Williams Baseball bat that sits at the front door in the umbrella stand with the canes and walking sticks. That is for a "just in case" scenario.

 

[Atlanta Mi Dave]

I have to agree with you there, especially when it comes to golf clubs. If I had a nickel for every set of clubs I've seen at sales, I'd be a rich man. The only sports equipment I buy are fishing or hunting related. Except the old wooden Ted Williams Baseball bat that sits at the front door in the umbrella stand with the canes and walking sticks. That is for a "just in case" scenario.

The last yard sale my wife and I ever held I put my old Hogan's for free in the sale and they still sat there most of the day before someone took them. I see ball bats at sales quite often and never pay any attention to them, maybe I'll start taking a closer look!

 

[clovis97]

Interesting thread.

I have sold a ton of bats at the flea market. I look them all up on ebay beforehand to make sure I don't have a winner. Most bats that I've gotten weren't worth listing.

I've also scrapped a bunch of bats too. They don't pay much since they supposedly have a filler inside the bat.

I'd guess that most of the bats that I've sold were for personal protection and not for hitting baseballs.

 

[Gold_Hunter]

Thanks for the great comments guys!

As with any niche, you'll find diamonds in the rough. I have done really great on Combat Baseball Bats and EASTON bats. I haven't ran into a WORTH bat yet, but I see that some models used sell for around $200! That would be a nice flip. My most recent bats that sold were a DeMarini and EASTON bringing $29.99 and $40.00 (plus $14.99 shipping). I payed a little too much..$5.00 each. But that is still a nice $69.99 from a $10 investment.

Increasing your shipping price by a little helps neutralize the fees you pay to sell. And especially with these bats, I put "Economy Shipping" as the only service. This way I have flexibility in comparing quotes from UPS, USPS, and FEDEX.

 

[DGfinder]

Funny thing the other day I read this thread right when it was posted then went to the one sale that was in my town and I found this for a dollar. Its not in the best of shape but hey who doesn't need a nice aluminum bat right? If anyone has any info it would be greatly appreciated and thanks for the tip and all the great info and crazy how this stuff happens.

 

[Gold_Hunter]

Funny thing the other day I read this thread right when it was posted then went to the one sale that was in my town and I found this for a dollar. Its not in the best of shape but hey who doesn't need a nice aluminum bat right? If anyone has any info it would be greatly appreciated and thanks for the tip and all the great info and crazy how this stuff happens.

Those marks look like they would clean up nicely with a magic eraser! And get that old adhesive off there too. Try to find markings on that bat which might lead you to the model. The length can be measured and the weight can be taken from a digital scale. All of that is key information to get it sold.

- Frankie

 

[clovis97]

The closest 'home run' I've had with a bat was a youth bat that was a few years old. Someone had paid $200 for it a few years prior. Similar models were selling for $40 on the bay. I got $30 at the flea market, but it sat for months at that price.

Like I said, the whole sports equipment thing baffles me. When I was a kid playing Little League, we had exactly two bats for the entire team. I will never understand the "$200 bat that is worthless 3 years from now" mentality.

Nonetheless, thank you for sharing with us Gold Hunter. I've learned a few new things!

 

[Baltimore]

Like I said, the whole sports equipment thing baffles me. When I was a kid playing Little League, we had exactly two bats for the entire team. I will never understand the "$200 bat that is worthless 3 years from now" mentality.

I totally agree. My little league team had three bats in a duffel bag, they were so used that they were just plain aluminum colored, ratty electrical tape around the handle. Any writing or brand name had been worn off years ago, but we played with them and did fine. I kind of understand with some things, but I feel like baseball bats don't actually become obsolete...

 

[tennessee digger]

Thanks for taking the time to make this post, I appreciate your knowledge. Never thought much about bats.....but will now.