Indeed!

I was at my neighborhood thrift store the other day and ran into a number of my thrifting acquaintances which is always fun. I spoke with Diane for a few minutes and she was complaining about the state of thrift stores these days–mainly that prices have gone up and there is more competition. “Everybody is on their phone looking stuff up. And the Discovery [American Cancer Discovery] store now has some full-on retail prices.”

I agreed on both counts.

The last time I was in one of my nearby Discovery stores (which are delightful) it was hard finding anything with “meat on the bone.” I spotted this lovely Chinese Canton enamel beaded necklace priced at $190! So pretty but were the beads “rare” as the tag indicated? Could I sell the necklace for more $190? Possibly, but possibly not. Just not worth the risk with my limited knowledge of this type of jewelry. Plus some were damaged.

In the end I bought one thing–an interesting, nicely framed architectural print. That’s it, but here’s how I made that purchase even feasible–framed art was 25% off, plus I got an additional 10% for senior’s day and I used $10 off loyalty reward money…and still it was $22!

I get that thrift stores need to raise money for their mission and that they have expenses too, but I don’t expect their prices to rival an antique store’s. And let’s not forget that all of their stuff is donated. Humph!

And Diane was right about competition. Go into a thrift store, at any time of day, and you’ll see dozens of people looking stuff up on their phones and filling up carts. The Covid pandemic unleashed legions of new folks into the reselling biz.

It’s a hustle as old as humankind: Get something on the cheap; persuade someone to take it off your hands for more. After the pandemic shut people in and wiped out jobs, the gig got supercharged.

Los Angeles Times, April 2021

Some of them won’t stick with it for long. At least not if they are selling online which requires a chunk of time/energy/patience for listing and later shipping items. And of course dealing with customers, some who forget they are dealing with a real person at the end of their snarky email!

My husband always reminds me that I don’t need to do this. And he’s right. I could quit and liquidate everything. But 75% of the time I love doing it–all the hunting, researching and writing. So I’ll bump along for a bit longer. Though I am glad it’s the last day of August. It has been a wild month and I’m ready to see the back of it.

And today I am content just listing things. No hunting. No dealing with people or traffic. Just bumbling about at home.

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Here are a few of the new offerings in my Etsy store–mostly things I bought a long time ago to resell but kept for a while!

This worn gold-plated brass incense burner is just the cutest. I bought her at the flea market a year or two ago. And the metal Tibetan? egg box studded with turquoise stones is an estate sale find from eight years ago. I’ve been displaying them both in my curio cubby. Neither are valuable, but fun bits of exotic boho decor that made me smile. I kept them longer than I expected!

I bought this hand-made primitive wood shoe shine box for myself about five years ago from a Craigslist seller. (I rarely buy from Craigslist anymore. Do you??) But I know my husband is not a fan of primitive stuff so I’ve decided to list it. (I adore the quirky decorative wood “bells.”)

I bought this 1918 book “Come Play with Me” at an antique store in San Francisco earlier this summer. It’s in poor condition but the illustrations are charming and would be perfect framed. I am loath to part with it, but I would rather it be more fully appreciated. (Though if I find cheap frames I may frame them myself!)

I bought this mod 1960s Korean brass bowl a few years back. I often have it on my mantel filled with vintage snaps, but decided I can finally let it go. Well, maybe. At least I have it listed!

So it’s been a lovely sort of day. Listing a few of my treasures. Tending to my garden. Talking to a dear friend on the phone. Enjoying the warm breeze.

I’ll close for now. Wishing you happy hunting,

Karen