A reseller from North Idaho walked into a privately run estate sale with a plan, a stack of boxes and a very short list of what he was willing to pay. He walked out with a pile he values at more than $2,000, and a story about a tractor that vanished while his back was turned.
The reseller, who posts as North Idaho Picker, says the sale was not run by a company and looked privately held. “So, hopefully it’s not too crowded,” he said as he and his wife split up to hunt.
His first stop was the book room, where the sign said five for a dollar. He ended up with a whole box of them for $2 in the first tally, and says some of the older titles are worth $20 to $50 apiece.
He Scanned A John Deere Tractor Worth Over $80, Then Walked Away For Under A Minute
Next came the die-cast models, which he says sell well. He scanned a John Deere tractor to check its value and the app came back at over $80, so he grabbed it quickly.
He then set it on top of the stack with his other finds, right on a pressure canner, and left for what he figures was 30 to 45 seconds to scan a couple of remote controls. “I laid it right on top of the pressure canner, which I probably shouldn’t have done,” he says. “But you know, you kind of trust people at these sales.”
He did not notice until he got home. Reviewing his own video, he saw the tractor was gone in under a minute. Somebody saw him set it down and snagged it.
He says it was not a one-time problem. “I’d like to say this is an isolated incident, but it wasn’t, because it happens two more times.” By then he was buying plastic bins from the sellers just to hide his stuff behind everything else.
“I Don’t Want To Take Your Money In Case Anything Crazy Happens”
The sale got crowded fast. Shoppers were picking through other people’s piles, and he kept checking his stash. At one point he asked, “Did somebody take my other plane?” and found it still sitting where he had left it.
The sellers were friendly, and a few deals happened on the spot. A seller let him have boxes and packing peanuts for $10 for the whole works. Another offered a bin if he filled it up and promised to make him “a good deal.”
The final bill for a big pile of shelves, kitchen gear and more came out to $75 on the seller’s math. He says the pile was worth much more, so he handed over $100 instead. He joked that he did not want anyone thinking he was shortchanging the sale. The seller agreed to hold the items until he came back with a truck.
Over $2,000 Worth Of Stuff For A $100 Investment, By His Own Math
Back home, he went through the haul piece by piece and gave his own resale estimates. These are his numbers, based on what he says similar items have sold for, and he describes them as conservative.
- A brass ship’s oil lantern with its holder and original screws: about $100, since he says they sell for over $100.
- An Oliver tractor model: about $80.
- A new-in-box green power juice extractor: about $225, with similar ones selling for over $200 and close to $275.
- Two sets of religious CDs: about $150 for both.
- Religious books from the 1920s, 30s and 40s: about $150 for the lot, with single copies at $15 to $40.
- New shoes and boots with tags, including Merrell, Nike and Reebok: about $150.
- A new Presto pressure canner: about $80, since he just sold a used one.
- A new dehydrator with a $149.99 price tag: about $80.
The smaller items add up too. Brand-new chainsaw chains should bring $30 to $35 each, and Maxell 100-minute cassette tapes still in the wrapper go for almost $10 apiece. A Hawaii edition Monopoly game with a damaged box could still fetch $30 or more, since he says some sell for over $100 when new.
Even the shipping supplies count. He puts bags of packing peanuts at $20 a bag and the big shipping boxes at easily $100 plus. His total, with a glider model that might bring $80 to $100 or more, lands at over $2,000.
What Estate Sale Shoppers Can Learn From The Missing Tractor
Resellers have a simple rule that this story proves the hard way. Never leave a good find unattended, even for a minute, and keep valuables on your person or in a closed container.
If you are shopping for your own home, the same habits help. Carry a tote or cart, bring cash in small bills, and ask the sellers if you can keep your pile at the checkout table while you keep browsing.
His other tip is to scan before you buy, and to look at what has actually sold instead of what is merely listed. He notes that a Rubbermaid food storage set listed at $75 had no recorded sales, so he priced it at $25.
Finally, he says it pays to be fair. A bundle priced at $75 felt too low, so he paid $100 and still calls it a great deal. Sellers remember that, and it keeps estate sale doors open for the next trip.
He says he plans to list the haul online and try the live-selling app Whatnot for some of it.
More Stories You May Like
- Psychology Today Writer Says Pressure To Downsize For Your Children’s Sake Can Backfire, After Two Basement Floods Taught Him He Could Live Without Some Treasures
- 6 Laundry Products You Can Stop Buying Without Missing Them
- 1,100 Clothing Donation Bins Looked Like Charity But Fed A For Profit Reseller That Settled For $700,000