I am a bit frustrated with Thrift shops marking items at ridiculous prices!

I absolutely love sourcing for my closet.  My goal is to try and purchase items for less than $5.  Hopefully, closer to $3 or less even! I need that so I can make some money on the items.  If my price point is $20, Poshmark takes $4 and if I give $4.99 shipping, there goes another $1.50.  I'd make $14.40. Not bad.  But, most things sell for a lot less than $20.  In fact, to give you an idea of some typical sales, here's what's happened recently:

A top sold for $8 and I made 5.50.  Subtract $3 as an average of what I spent on it.  And, the net is only $2.50.

A pair of capris sold for $12 and I received $7.55 from Posh.  Subtract $3 and I made $4.55.

A bundle of 2 shirts sold for $19 and my earnings were $13.70.  Subtract $6 for what the two items cost me, and my net is $7.70.

Occasionally, I do make a big sale but the majority result in getting my money back for what I spent on them and a little income.

So, what Salvation Army and Goodwill think they are designer outlets, I get frustrated.

Yesterday, I went to my local Salvation Army.  On Wednesdays, four colors (they color code the tags) are 50% off.  Just about every time I found a NWT item of a decent brand, they had tagged it for $24.99!  Even at 50% off, I could not make money on that item.  I even found one item that had a original store tag that had $22.99 as the retail price and Salvation Army tagged it at $24.99!  Are you.......kidding me?

Moreover, many of these items they had priced out of my preferred range (6.99 or less) were not even great brands.  They had overpriced Shein, Forever 21, Rue 21, and Fashion Nova.

They already have tons of Zara that they sell at half price and most of it is junk because they are all flawed with things like broken zippers and tears!

Goodwill does this to some extent too.  I guess it is ok for people looking for a bargain and are buying for themselves but for resellers, it's a bummer.

Thank goodness I still have Plato's Closet and my local SPCA shop here in my hometown and the Curiosity Shop and Teen Challenge in my real hometown.  I've tried God's Thrift before but I remember their prices for secondhand to be outrageous with no deals.

I have so much inventory right now that I do not need anything else but I still love getting great deals with the hope of making more than a few dollars on them.

Conclusion:  Remember my reason for doing this is to keep me busy and focused on something meaningful so I have a distraction from all my worries.

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

My closet: https://poshmark.com/closet/leprof_74?sort_by=added_desc&all_size=true&my_size=false 

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 30% off your item or bundle. 

Better than Goodwill!

I spent the weekend at my Mom's house.  I miss her often.  It's great that I can stay in her home whenever I want.  It came in very handy when I started taking care of my grandsons because it is only fifteen minutes away from my son's house.

I like being on my own.  Making my own decisions.  Not having to worry what anyone else may want.  No second guessing.

I just chilled and did some sharing and following.  I added a few new listings.  I did go shopping.  Bought some things for myself for a change.

There's this store in my hometown called Label Shopper.  ( Label Shopper)  It's great.  Name brands for up to 70% off.  I found two sweaters, two tops and a pair of capri jeans for myself for about $20! (Liz Claiborne, LC Lauren Conrad) It could be a good place to source as well.  Sometimes, you may find things for as little as $3!  That's better than Goodwill!

I have also bought items for my grandsons from Spyder, Champion, Under Armour.... They carry home goods and clothing for men, women, and kids. I want to go back and shop some more just by talking about it!  Addicted to shopping much?

On the closet front, I went to the Curosity Shop on Saturday and found a few bags and one Cat's Meow item. Then, I took a road trip.  Just because I could!  It was cold but sunny.  I cannot wait for top down weather! I have a Buick Cascada convertible and love my top down road trips.  

On Sunday, I stopped at a Goodwill before going home.  I was there before they opened!  This man started pounding on the door five minutes before 11.  Wow! Can you imagine? Who is that impatient to get into Goodwill?  I did find a few items.  

There was a seamstress mannequin they had priced at $50.  It had a yellow label so it would have been 50% off.  I considered it because having a mannequin would help my items look better in pictures.  But, it looked damaged, old and really ugly.  So, I decided against it.

Then, I went home to the same old same old.  Not much happens after forty years of marriage and getting up in years.

So, a relaxed weekend.  It's nice to have that once in a while.

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 25% off your item or bundle. 

Success at the Salvation Army vs Goodwill Disappointment

Let's start with the positive.  Saturday, I decided to go out of town to another Salvation Army.  I found a few good items including a few brand new cosmetic bags from Estee Lauder.  I can either list them or hold on to them to use as giveaways, if I ever get the nerve to do a live show.

Then, on Monday, I went to my usual Salvation Army.  What luck!  The manager decided to try to get rid of all the Zara items at $5.99 each!  Most had issues like broken zippers or missing buttons.  However, I did find three good items:  1 pair wide leg shorts; 1 faux leather 5 pocket jeans; 1 flat front flare leg faux leather pants.

 Also, on Saturday, I decided to go stay at my Mom's house.  A little alone time is nice once in a while.  There are several thrift stores near her house.  I went to the one that supports a local organization called the Curiosity Shop.  Ihey were having a 50% off sale on all clothes, shoes, and purses.  I found a Liz Claiborne purse for $4.00.  It is new with tags and in excellent shape.  

Now for the disappointment.  On Sunday, I met my sister at a Goodwill near her. Yet another town!  I look forward to going on Sunday because they are supposed to have 50% off a certain color tag.

The last few times and this one included all the certain color tags are few and far between! Apparently, what they do is remove all the outdated items of the speacial color and take them to the back to be discarded. 

What sense does that make?  Why not let it go one more day so people can take advantage of the 50% off?

None of our Goodwills within decent driving distance have bins.  The least they could do is put the outdated items in a bin for a few weeks and then discard them.

My idea- put them in bins and mark them 99 cents!  I mean really.  What do they have to lose?  I understand they need to keep new merchandise coming in and need to make room for it.  But, do they have to throw perfectly good stuff away when it could be something we could use?  I wouldn't think so.

All in all, a successful sourcing weekend.  Today, I'm taking pictures and making listings, a little at a time.

Want to join Poshmark?

It's easy.  I recommend downloading the app and it will lead you through the steps.  Be sure to use this code to receive $10 of your first purchase:

LEPROF_74

See something you like in my closet? Comment that you read my blog and I will give you at least 25% off your item or bundle.