Wholesaling

I've never had a problem with wholesaling merchandise. 

Retailing is much harder...but I have/will cover that in other blog posts.

I LOVE a quick sale! 

The item/lot is gone, you just forget it and go buy more stuff. You have cash in your pocket, and if you have bought it right, you paid for your time and hopefully done even better than that.  
 
Remember all the work that goes into retailing items. Leave the cleaning, researching, handling, shipping, packaging, storing, preserving, restoring, marketing etc, etc, etc, to the buyer....who is likely also a steady reseller.

 Photo: Gerry Frost of Crazy Horse Antiques (Calgary, Alberta) and 

the Author, with part of a bulk purchase "The Driftin' Cowboy" made. 

 If Gerry happens to look familiar, you may have seen him buying and 

selling at various western Canadian antiques shows over the years,

 and most recently he has appeared on "Canadian Pickers"

(aka "Cash Cowboys" in the US and other markets) doing appraisals,  

and seen attending some of  sales put on by the two TV pickers that we in the

 business tend to refer to as "The Boys" (aka Scott Cozens & Sheldon Smithens)

Other resellers can be far better customers than the general public and/or collectors.  Selling to other pickers, dealers, second hand shop owners, etc creates steady and ready customers...and, just as importantly, are not so heavily influenced by such lines of thought as:

"I already have one of those in my collection."

"I only want one, not all 10."

"I just need that one to complete my set, not the whole set."



"I just want the 3 best condition ones, not those 20 others."


If you have been reselling anywhere, you know very well that this list can go on and on and on and on.

I also try not to wholesale to the general public, unless they actually are resellers themselves, and are willing to buy in bulk. They could become your future steady customers.   

 I do keep my "retail" prices pretty reasonable, but bulk buyers certainly get even a far better deal from me than Joe or Jane Schmo buyers. "Bulk" means different things to different people. I regularly encounter J. Q. Public that seems to think "bulk" means that their buying 5 items, under-priced at $6 each, means I should be readily giving them a 70% discount...and absorb the taxes.

There are other used goods/surplus goods/antiques/collectibles resellers who don't subscribe to the same philosophy as I do,  but usually they have another source of income, thus do not need to turn over inventory to pay the bills.....or they are newbies, and when they stay dedicated to that mantra of "retail only, minimal discounts, no wholesaling" they tend to not be in this sort of resale business long term.


Hang in there when it comes to those sorts.... 

Ten, five, two or even just a year from now, you may end up buying all their inventory, fixtures, supplies, etc; for pennies on the dollar, at some storage locker auction!

If you are really lucky, and keep reading this blog, maybe even buying my book(s) (when they get done!), you may well end up PAID to haul away the inventory you were wanting to buy!

Happy Picking, Folks!



 

Thrifting As A Professional Picker/Antiques Dealer

Yes, I am a picker, and yes I do go to thrift stores.

 I'm a hardcore picker...I do it all!

And why not?  Thrift shops are sort of like a daily garage sale, but indoors...and when it is -20C outside, shopping in a heated environment is welcome!

When I am out picking, and happen to be cruising through a little town, I keep my eyes open for such places, and take note of them for next time I am in the area. This includes second hand stores, consignment stores, etc, etc. I will stop in and check them out, if convenient, and they are open. If they are closed, I will check for a phone number posted in their window, which is usually an invitation to call and have the proprietor/proprietress open up. Usually, I do weigh the possibilities of the place, my schedule, and will pass of the store if other places in the area that may hold more potential at that moment.

I have done well from such places, especially in more rural areas where many/some/certain antiques & collectibles are/may not be recognized as having value, and not immediately snapped up left, right and center.

Last week, en route to pursue up a lead, I stopped in at one such country thrift store.  I suspect I spent about 3/4 of an hour there, as it was one I have never been in before, so I didn't have a set "search pattern" already in mind as I was looking around.  I left with 3 bags of items, as well as a a few bulky things.

 As part of the $42 (and change) that was spent I acquired some neat items, including:

2 bunches of 100+ year old, glass trade beads. 

 

 Yes, of the type that were used for trading for furs and such during the Fur Trade period in North America. What most people do not know, or not realize is that these were also used for the same sort of trade in Africa and other nations during that period. Being found here, though, their intended purpose was for trade with the native population here, over 100 years ago.

Cost? 

$1.00 for the lot.  (These I have already been sold, by the way...so you won't see them for sale in my inventory.)

These were a fun and cool find, and the oldest item from that buy, but not the most profitable.  I also bought a hand tinted photo, done by a noted, and heavily collected, Eastern Canadian Photographer.  It was $15. My retail price is $75.   Am thinking I may also be able to work a decent trade with a local collector of his works. If not, it will go with me to a show, or maybe it will end up sold at a wholesale price to an eastern Canadian dealer.  Also in the purchase was a painting that may turn out to be of decent value, but am still researching it. 

Also as part of the finds, I bought 2 large, heavy, well made, shallow, bowl like plates....which are actually collection plates.

 No, not "collector plates"... I do mean collection plates, from a church!  They are only from the mid/late 1950, but for $3 each I couldn't leave them there!  

Maybe I can use them in my new picker cult!

Wanna join? 

Toss your $50 bills in this plate please....'cause I need it to go pickin'!