- #1
Thread Owner
Here is a lesson for the new pickers that might be on our board:
If you are out picking and see an item that you might be interested in, go ahead and physically pick up the item, and put it in your cart, take it to the check out counter for holding...or whatever.
I can't tell you how many times I've looked at an item, especially at a train show, set it down, and within 5 minutes, someone has already bought that item. Recently, at an indoor flea market, I missed a hot selling model kit at a flea market for $10. That kit would have brought $60 to $85 on ebay, but I stupidly walked away from it for 10 minutes "until I come back to get it."
Today, listening to my own advice has paid off in spades:
We have booth space at a swanky antique mall in the big city. We never have time to walk the place when we go to restock, but I always check out one particular booth. The woman that has that booth has a style and flair that I just love. If I ever hit it big, I am going to hire her to decorate my house. We also joke to ourselves that "booth 487 is slowly redecorating our house, one piece at a time."
Well, today, I walked into her booth, and couldn't believe my eyes. She had an item that has been hot on ebay for years. You don't see them every day, and when you do see them, the sellers want $400+. These items aren't marked with a model number...you just got to know them when you see them.
I simply couldn't believe that this seller missed this item. She had it marked $47.50. It appeared to be too good to be true. Even as I type this, I can't believe that she didn't know the market value of this item.
My gut reaction was to let the item sit until we got done restocking. The place was dead, with very few shoppers, but that little voice in the back of my head said "pick it up now!!!", so I did.
As we got done restocking our own booth, a guy walks up to us, in a frantic state, sees the item on our cart and says "Hey, I want to buy that." He was followed by another guy, who looked pretty ticked. We chatted for a minute, and I told him that it was as good as sold. I prodded him for a bit, wanting him to confirm the model and the value, which he did. He claimed to collect items by that manufacturer, which I interpreted as "I collect that stuff, and sell it on ebay when I get home."
Anyway, I asked for a 10% discount at the front counter, since I was paying cash, which brought my total to 45.70, including tax.
I have to make sure that it works perfectly. If so, I'll list it for $450ish. I'm not into counting chickens before they hatch, but I am happy with this buy!!!
If you see an item that you like, get that sucker secured as quickly as you can. It doesn't matter if it is an old model kit, a kid's Carhartt coat for your nephew, or a post war Lionel engine...get that thing in your possession. You can always change your mind before you check out of the mall or indoor flea market.
If you are out picking and see an item that you might be interested in, go ahead and physically pick up the item, and put it in your cart, take it to the check out counter for holding...or whatever.
I can't tell you how many times I've looked at an item, especially at a train show, set it down, and within 5 minutes, someone has already bought that item. Recently, at an indoor flea market, I missed a hot selling model kit at a flea market for $10. That kit would have brought $60 to $85 on ebay, but I stupidly walked away from it for 10 minutes "until I come back to get it."
Today, listening to my own advice has paid off in spades:
We have booth space at a swanky antique mall in the big city. We never have time to walk the place when we go to restock, but I always check out one particular booth. The woman that has that booth has a style and flair that I just love. If I ever hit it big, I am going to hire her to decorate my house. We also joke to ourselves that "booth 487 is slowly redecorating our house, one piece at a time."
Well, today, I walked into her booth, and couldn't believe my eyes. She had an item that has been hot on ebay for years. You don't see them every day, and when you do see them, the sellers want $400+. These items aren't marked with a model number...you just got to know them when you see them.
I simply couldn't believe that this seller missed this item. She had it marked $47.50. It appeared to be too good to be true. Even as I type this, I can't believe that she didn't know the market value of this item.
My gut reaction was to let the item sit until we got done restocking. The place was dead, with very few shoppers, but that little voice in the back of my head said "pick it up now!!!", so I did.
As we got done restocking our own booth, a guy walks up to us, in a frantic state, sees the item on our cart and says "Hey, I want to buy that." He was followed by another guy, who looked pretty ticked. We chatted for a minute, and I told him that it was as good as sold. I prodded him for a bit, wanting him to confirm the model and the value, which he did. He claimed to collect items by that manufacturer, which I interpreted as "I collect that stuff, and sell it on ebay when I get home."
Anyway, I asked for a 10% discount at the front counter, since I was paying cash, which brought my total to 45.70, including tax.
I have to make sure that it works perfectly. If so, I'll list it for $450ish. I'm not into counting chickens before they hatch, but I am happy with this buy!!!
If you see an item that you like, get that sucker secured as quickly as you can. It doesn't matter if it is an old model kit, a kid's Carhartt coat for your nephew, or a post war Lionel engine...get that thing in your possession. You can always change your mind before you check out of the mall or indoor flea market.