General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Are Thrift Shop Resellers Getting Rich? [View all]MineralMan
(146,189 posts)I specialized in early technology items, and did pretty well. What looked like an old radio or calculator to everyone else was something I recognized as having historical and collector value. I have a very good memory, so I recognized things that had significance to collectors, and bought that stuff.
Another of my huge successes was a $10 find at a garage sale. It was the very first AM/FM radio receiver produced by Philco. Amazingly, it still worked, so I didn't have to do any electronic restoration. I recognized it, based on my early interest in radios and electronics as a child. I knew what it was on sight. Sold it to a collector for $1000.
I lived for that kind of find. There are people out there who collect first examples of almost everything technological. If you can find them for cheap, you can do very well. Problem is that most of them ended up in a landfill at some point.