Treasure hunting has changed tremendously over the last 30+ years.
There was a time when I could head out any day of the week, hit a few thrift stores, maybe stop at a yard sale, and come home with a car full of things I knew I could sell (or fill my van)
You can still do that. But if you're buying to resell, I think treasure hunting today requires a little more planning.
There is simply too much information available to us not to use it.
I Start Hunting Before I Leave the House
My treasure hunting usually starts online now.
Estate sale listings, online auctions, Facebook groups, flea market schedules, antique shows, auction companies and even Google Maps can tell me where inventory is going to be before I ever put gas in the van, or car. This planning can save gas, time, and sometimes your sanity!
For example, this week I have everything from a huge antique extravaganza with more than 2,000 advertised vendors to a packed estate sale less than five miles from home.
There's an auction ending nearby with Royal Doulton, Fenton, vintage glass, Russel Wright and Byers' Choice.
There's another sale advertising a house packed with 1970s treasures.
And there is a wholesaler offering items I might be interested in, who knows.
The thing is, these are four completely different kinds of treasure hunting.
And that's exactly the point.
The Biggest Sale Isn't Always the Best Sale
The Springfield Antique Extravaganza is happening this weekend, and there will be thousands of vendors, which could be good, it could be high priced, if you go at the right time you might find deals.
There is a difference between finding great vintage and finding great vintage at a price that leaves enough room to resell it.
That distinction matters.
At a large antique show, many of the sellers already know what they have. You're often buying from another dealer instead of buying from someone simply trying to empty a house.
That doesn't mean there aren't deals. There are.
But I have to shop differently.
I might look for dealers with boxes under their tables, things that don't really fit their booth, bulk deals, items that have been sitting around awhile, or sellers who would rather make a deal than pack everything back into the truck.
And sometimes the best day to shop isn't opening day.
Friday may have the best selection.
Sunday afternoon may have the best prices.
Part of treasure hunting is knowing the best times to go, when you might find the best deals, and when you might find the best selection. Plus, which matters more to you?
Estate Sales Are About Reading the Clues
I don't just read the description of an estate sale.
I study the pictures, closely, most of the estate sellers on-line are bad about calling out issues, and that can cost you $$$. There is nothing worse than buying an item for a hundred dollars, expecting it to have a resale value over $400, only to discover damage that runs the price back down to what you paid.
If a listing says "packed house," that gets my attention, but I want to know what packed means.... Is it packed with things I sell?
A nearby Washington Township sale has vintage lighting, barware, purses, clothing, artwork and small decorative pieces. Those are categories that immediately interest me.
Another sale in Hamilton is advertising 1970s treasures.
Now we're speaking my language.
But Hamilton is 40-plus miles away. I'm not driving that far because somebody put the word "vintage" in an ad.
I want to look at the pictures first.
What kind of glass is sitting on the shelves?
What's on the kitchen counters?
Can I see lamps in the background?
Are there linens folded on a chair?
What's hiding on the garage shelves?
Sometimes the item that makes me drive to a sale isn't even mentioned in the description. It's the item I spotted it in the corner of photo #37.
That's treasure hunting.
Don't Ignore the Last Day
One of the easiest ways to stretch your sourcing dollars is to pay attention to discount days.
A Miamisburg estate sale this weekend is advertising 50% off on Saturday.
That's when a sale that wasn't terribly exciting at full price can suddenly become interesting.
A $20 item I can sell for $35 isn't something I want.
At $10?
Now we can talk.
This is especially useful when I'm buying inventory for live selling or my antique booths. I don't need every purchase to be a $100 home run.
Sometimes I need a bunch of interesting $5, $10, $15 and $20 items that I bought cheaply enough to make money.
Online Auctions Have Changed Treasure Hunting
Online auctions are probably one of my favorite sourcing tools because I can treasure hunt at midnight in my pajamas.
This week there is a local auction with Royal Doulton figurines, Toby jugs, Fenton Silver Crest, vintage glassware, sterling silver, Russel Wright stoneware and china.
I don't have to wander through an auction house hoping they have something interesting.
I can look at every lot from home.
I can research pieces.
I can decide what I'm willing to pay.
And most importantly, I can lose.
Learning to lose an auction is an important reseller skill.
If I need to pay $80 for something that sells for $100, somebody else can have it.
There will always be another treasure.
Flea Markets Still Have a Place
I still love flea markets, but they serve a different purpose for me.
I'm usually not walking into a flea market expecting every booth to have a hidden $500 collectible for $3.
I'm looking for sellers who are cleaning things out.
I'm looking for boxes.
I'm looking for unusual items.
I'm looking for inexpensive merchandise I can put in a booth or start at a few dollars during a live show.
Most importantly, I'm looking for people.
A good sourcing relationship can be worth far more than whatever you buy that day.
If someone has the kind of inventory I sell, I want them to know what I buy.
"Do you get more of this?"
"Do you buy estates?"
"Do you have stuff at home you haven't brought out?"
"Here's my number."
That conversation can turn a $20 flea market purchase into thousands of dollars of future inventory.
The Best Treasure Hunt Has a Plan
This may be the biggest change in how I source today.
Finding more stuff isn't an issue. Finding more stuff that will sell, at a good price, can be an issue. But, finding the time to spend sourcing all of the items correctly, that is the issue. Time is money, and I'm always out of time!
The thing is, Most established resellers don't need more stuff.
We need the right stuff.
Before I go sourcing, I try to know what I'm looking for.
Right now I might be watching for vintage glass, pottery, quirky 1970s and 1980s décor, lighting, barware, jewelry, linens, holiday items and merchandise that works well in live shows.
Your list might be completely different.
Having a list doesn't mean I won't buy something unexpected.
Of course I will.
That's half the fun.
But it keeps me from coming home with a van full of things simply because they were cheap.
Treasure Hunting Is Still Treasure Hunting
For all the technology, research, apps, auction websites and planning, the best part hasn't changed.
You still never know what you're going to find.
You can research 20 estate sales and find nothing at the one that looked amazing.
Then you stop at a little thrift store on the way home and find the best item of the day sitting on a bottom shelf.
You can spend hours digging through a flea market and come home with one thing.
Or you can walk into an estate sale 20 minutes before closing and buy an entire table because they don't want to pack it up.
That's why I still love doing this.
The hunt has gotten smarter.
But it's still a hunt.
And somewhere out there, sitting in a basement, tucked behind something at an estate sale, buried in a flea market box, or badly photographed in an online auction, is the next thing I'm going to find.
I just have to go looking for it.
See you on the Backroad.