Hi everyone. This Tuesday Tips post will be about “taking chances” on items at the thrift. Whether you’re shopping at the thrift for business or pleasure, there’s going to be a lot of times you might buy something based on incomplete information or merely a good hunch. As we’ve said before, the iPhone isn’t always going to be the answer… Sometimes you just have to take a chance on things.
I guess the nice thing about taking chances on items at thrifts and estate sales is that the cost to do so is often low. I’d be a lot less likely to take a chance on a picking an item that costs $100 versus one that costs $10 – like the Tempron Taste Tempters set by Ben Seibel that we mentioned earlier. This is a case where I took a chance based on the look of the item, and the nagging feeling that I’d seen this set somewhere before. Turns out this line is pretty well-known. I just didn’t have it in my arsenal of thrifting-knowledge. I sure do now. =)
This type of thrift-picking is all about risk control. I usually have an internal price-point for different types of items we might pick up – and it’s based on a number of different factors. Some include:
A guess of potential for profit
Condition of item
Size of the item (storage concerns)
Possible rarity of the item
Country of origin, if known
Markings or labels, if any
And often most importantly – whether or not we would use it OURSELVES if it turns out it’s not something we can sell. You’ll make quite a few mistakes on the way to finding the good stuff. I don’t believe anyone who says that they’ve never made a mistake while thrift-picking. It comes with the territory.
One note – making a big mistake on buying something that turns out to be worthless can often be a great lesson for getting better at picking!
I have to admit that about 50 percent of the time, when I take a chance on the thrift it’s mostly on a hunch. I know that too many of these “hunches” can put you out of business super-quick, but I’ll still give in to them if the price is right.
Earlier, I’d said that I had a good idea who this giraffe was made by, even though it had no markings. I’m now pretty certain it’s made by Jaru Art Products. I’m pretty familiar with California potteries, because of that other site that we run. In addition, I’d thought I remembered seeing the giraffe listed a book – sure enough, it’s listed in Chipman’s California Pottery Scrapbook – although the glaze was metallic.
The ID was further solidified by seeing a recent auction with the same giraffe in orange, but with a Jaru sticker on bottom. Jaru often used paper tags – but I knew that these often look like price tags and are removed. Our giraffe had the remnants of what looked like a price tag on the bottom, which was another positive sign, so I just took a chance and bought it.
I could go on and on about things we’ve taken on at thrifts that turned out to have value. On the flip side, I could also go on even longer about the items we’ve found at thrifts that turned out to have NO value. It’s like controlled gambling – and one big reason why all those Auction Hunter and Pickers shows are so popular. People are just plain excited about the chance of finding things. The eternal hunt is almost greater than the actual find.
But we need to get back to listing our items – so I’ll just end it with this recent little gem.
I took a chance at the swap meet and picked up this vase. I just liked the color and shape, and the construction seemed rather solid. The glaze was nice as well. And this one was marked.
The guy selling it asked me if I knew who it was – at the time I had no idea. But now I’m fairly certain who it’s by. Though, I’ve been wrong before…
Actually, I’m not going to say who it is – I thought I’d throw it out there as a fun mystery to solve. Or, maybe you’re able to recognize it immediately. I will say this: the deciding factor on me taking a chance on it was the little “ä” in the word written at bottom. Yes, I know – that’s kind of crazy to buy a vase based on a single foreign letter! But I just had a hunch…
Do you take chances at the thrift store? I’d be interested to hear what your tolerance for risk is when buying, and what kind of items you’re more likely to take chances on.
April 5th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Great post! Like you I have the same approach when it comes to thrifting. When I move into a new realm of collecting I always make a few mistakes but if I’m not sure about something I like to keep it under $15. Glass has been where I’ve made my biggest mistakes because it’s rarely marked and dang Ikea ..well you know! I picked up a couple of duds but since they were cheap but a good form I was still able to sell them in my shop. With experience you just know something is good by the weight and quality and if it’s marked with any Scandinavian name I will buy it! My husband always teases me about running to the computer to research a new find. To me one of the best things about thrifting is the validation of the hunch.
April 5th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
It’s fun to take a chance – once in a while! I find it depends a lot on my mood, but sometimes something just calls to you. I agree, it’s a good rule to have a spending limit for these sort of things. I have been fairly lucky, I think I have a pretty good “eye” (I admit, this is not as special as it sounds – I am probably a lot older than most of you and even before really getting into thrifting, I had been to more than my share of sales, antique stores and just plain educating myself; I also have a phenomenal memory, which doesn’t hurt). I still have a lot to learn – but the employer at my “real” job doesn’t support me doing research during the day on company time about Scandinavian pottery and the dozens of other interests I seem to develop daily – some people have no sense of fun!!!
I also think that quality is quality and once you get a sense of what is special – it doesn’t matter where is came from.
I do have to try not to be too eclectic and I try and focus on just a few interests – this is not working out well for me. What about everyone else?
Well, I’ve just re-read this comment and I seem to sound like a conceited lunatic – but here it goes anyhow……………..
April 6th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
i found a yellow glass vase and had a hunch it was a good find. it was $3 so i bought. turns out it’s blenko from 1959.
usually, though, i just buy things if i like them. that’s my only criteria.
April 8th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Great blog. Here’s a great solution to a lot of problems. Thrift stores generally take returns, with the receipt, within 7 days. Do the research and if you are wrong or have buyers remorse, return it! However, I now spend less time returning and more time deliberating in situ. I agree, my policy is: only get stuff I like in case I get stuck with it. Also, I don’t buy anything damaged. Plus, if the store is doing it’s own research and pricing things too high to allow for some profit, I leave it. Yard sales-if it is cheap, not a bad risk, even if you can’t return it.
Had some great hunches. Funny, most of this first year has been intuition, because I didn’t know anything at first. I’ve learned a lot during this year, but I’d get the item and then learn about it. Painfully slow to list items this way. However, I paid $1 for something worth $500 at a yard sale. At a thrift store I paid $1 for glass worth at least $100, and $1.00 for a bracelet worth in the range of $100-300 (Still doing the research.) When I paid $10 for a watch worth $150, I knew that was steep for a thrift store, but I had a hunch it was worth a whole lot more. I got a purse that looked like something. I did the sniff test to make sure it was vintage. Sure enough it was. You just cannot fake or hurry that smell. You know what I’m talking about
As soon as I listed that item, it was gone. I probably underpriced it, but I had to remember what I paid for it and it was better than it sitting in inventory a long time holding out for top dollar. Hmmm, this is your blog, not mine. I think I’ve gone on too long. Anyway, this is fun stuff. Thanks for writing!-Beth
April 13th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
I love how much time & effort you put into researching all your items and then sharing your journey on this blog. I’m kind of lazy about researching my items as I am a collector, buy whatever catches my eye and don’t sell. I do, however, like to know that it’s vintage and not a newer fake or knockoff. One reason I don’t buy many primitive pieces is for this reason, I have a hard time knowing if it’s old or actually from a place like Pier 1– any tips?
Also I’m glad to know more info about that giraffe, I’m in love with it!