This is the ultimate roundup of my top 20 sales of 2019! See what my highest value items were and learn what you can flip for profit!
Some of these items have already been featured in my Top Sales of the Month Series. Each month from 2019 can be found here (since I started this series in July):
Flipping For Profit
Did you know there are countless “resellers” who make a living (even full-time income) from reselling pre-owned, used items?
While I’m not a full-time seller (I am a stay-at-home mom), I have been able to make a steady, reliable income from reselling (mostly) clothes. Just last year I was able to make almost $20,000 from flipping thrift store items for profit, all during naptime!
If reselling online sounds like something you would be interested in, you’re in luck! I’ve put together a FREE 5-Day Course called “Reseller Bootcamp” to help you get started making money today!
Reseller Bootcamp
If reselling online sounds like something you would be interested in, you’re in luck! I’ve put together a FREE 5-Day Course called “Reseller Bootcamp.”
You can sign up and get the course delivered straight to your inbox. In it you’ll learn my exact methods and how you can do it too! You learn:
- What kinds of items you can flip.
- The best places to sell to maximize your profits.
- 6 keys to taking professional looking photos.
- The 5 components to get your items sold.
- How to turn flipping into a steady and reliable income.
Top 20 Sales
Back to the Top 20 Sales of 2019! Without further ado here are my TOP 20 SALES OF THE YEAR! They are based on the dollar amount excluding shipping costs. Prices are approximate (unless otherwise noted) as I generally pay for items by the pound.
From least to most….here they are!
20. Vintage Men’s Blazer
I often grab items out of the bins by feel. With some experience, you can easily tell wool apart from other types of material. That is why I grabbed this blazer.
In addition to being wool, this blazer jacket had two other things going for it:
1. It was union made in the USA
2. It has a unique print
It isn’t a brand I’ve heard of before, but based on the aforementioned items, I decided to take a gamble on it.
And that gamble (all of about $4) paid off. It did take a couple of months to sell. Like the Peruvian Connections sweater, this sold as a promoted listing and on sale for 10% off.
Paid: approximately $4
19. Peruvian Connection Men’s Sweater
This is my first experience with this brand. It is definitely a BOLO brand.
Since I’m not too familiar with higher-end brands, I usually go off the feel of the material as I’m going through the bins.
When I first touched this one, it definitely felt like high quality – both in construction and material.
The next thing I do when I find something that seems high quality, is to look at the material tag. Alpaca. Yes, please!
My final step is to check comps. All that means, is I look up similar items and see how much they sold for.
This was listed for about 2 weeks before selling. It sold while on a 10% off sale, through a promoted listing.
Paid: approximately $2
18. Filipino Men’s Shirt
This shirt was a total gamble. It seemed like it was a quality-made shirt in like new condition. I didn’t really have any comps to go off of to see if something like this sells well, or to price it.
It sold for full price within a week! Sometimes you never know until you list it!
Paid: approximately $1
17. Vintage High Sierra Herman Miller Duffle Bag with Leather Trim
I found this bag at a thrift store I don’t normally visit. Again, this one didn’t have a lot of comps to go with it, but I did notice that vintage leather trim bags of various brands were selling for decent amounts.
The store I was visiting had a flat $2 price for bags like this, so I was willing to give it a shot.
It ended up taking about a month and a half to sell.
Paid: $2
16. Eric Jarvits Hat
Often, even when the bins have been picked over, there is still good stuff left! This is one of them!
It sold the first time for $45 (free shipping) and the buyer didn’t pay. It was relisted and sold for $50 plus shipping. I had to wait 2.5 months for it to sell the second time. In all, it was about 4 months to sell.
Paid: $1
15. Duluth Men’s Bag
This is another item that seemed to be left over in the bins! When I looked up comps, I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t find anything similar, but it is a small bag, so I priced it relatively high for the size.
I believe I set the price at $69.99 and ended up taking an offer of $50. It sold in just a couple weeks!
Paid: $1.50
14. Vintage Gunne Sax Dress (Pink)
I wouldn’t have known to grab this dress except my friend was thrifting at the same time and found a Gunne Sax dress. I asked her what it was and her reply was “Money.” A couple minutes later, guess what I came across? Not just one, but two! The other sold for quite a bit more (Number 3 on this list!) as it was unflawed.
This dress had a ripped seam that could be repaired. It also had a large stain towards the bottom of the dress that looked like gasoline. Not sure what it was, but it definitely wasn’t coming out. It also had a distinct vintage, musty smell even after soaking in a vinegar/tea tree solution.
As long as you up front about the flaws, there shouldn’t be any problems. I sell flawed items on a regular basis and it has never been an issue for me.
I received several offers on this. I also sent out several offers on this with no luck. So off to auction it went. I started bids at $49.99.
Paid: approximately $1.75
13. Tula Baby Carrier
The day I found this, there were several baby carriers in the bins. I ended up getting three! This was the best one out of them.
Our Goodwill doesn’t sell baby gear for liability reasons, so it will often be in the bins. (If they see it when you donate, they will tell you they don’t take it). I’m assuming these may have come in in a large bag or box and wasn’t noticed at the time of donation.
Anyhow, I sold this one with a fun cherry print for $60 with free shipping. For the purpose of this list, I deducted out the $7.99 shipping I normally charge for priority mail, for a price of $52.01.
Paid: $1.50
12. Tourmaster Men’s Armoured Riding Pants
A lot of times, heavy, bulky items get left in the bins. This was one of those! If you have room for storage, don’t be afraid to pick something like this up.
I’ve had pretty good luck with armoured riding gear selling. It usually sells for a fairly high price. So I’m willing to pay up (since the price is weight based at the bins).
It sold in about a month.
Paid: $4
11. Henry Lloyd Waterproof Pants
This is yet another item that seemed to be left over in the bins! It wasn’t a brand I was familiar with or had even heard of. But when something looks like a specialty item (fishing gear, hunting, motorcycling, equestrian, etc), I look up comps. When I looked up this one, it was a no-brainier for me to pick up!
It sold in just a couple weeks!
Paid: $2
10. American Eagle Women’s Jeans “Boho Flare”
This was a total shock to me! I put these on 10-day auction while we were on vacation. They ended up in a bidding war at the last minute for a total of 23 bids! I thought for sure the buyer wouldn’t pay, but just a few minutes after the auction ended I received payment!
Goes to show you never know what will happen with auctions!
Paid: $1.50
9. LL Bean Men’s Duffle Bag with Leather Bottom
Are you sensing a pattern here? This is the third bag – all men’s bags with leather on this list of my Top Sales of 2019! Leather trim bags are such a timeless trend!
And I feel like a broken record, but yet again, this was found in the bins after they had been picked over!
Comps on similar items were closer to the $100 mark, but this had a lot of wear, scratches, and some staining, so I got a bit less for this one.
Took about two months to sell.
Paid: $1.50
8. Birkenstock Women’s Sandals
And yet another item that did well on auction! This doesn’t happen to many auctions, but when you have a good brand and an item that is in season, it can do well.
That was the case with these. Sold in 7 days (listed on auction right off the bat),
Paid: $1.50
7. Eileen Fisher Women’s Cardigan Velvet Shirt
Eileen Fisher is definitely one of those brands all resellers are familiar with. However, I rarely come across it. So imagine my surprise when I pull this out of the bins. Not only Eileen Fisher. But new with tags!
This shirt actually sold two times. The first time it got returned for fit. I accept returns for 30 days on the condition the buyer pays return shipping. So no loss to me.
After getting it back , I did have another offer for $50 including shipping. Fortunately, I held out and it sold for the price I wanted (more than the first sale!).
In all, it took about 3 months to sell.
Paid: approximately $2
6. Pikolinos Women’s Boots
I was so blessed to have a couple people gift me some of their used clothing.
I hadn’t heard of this brand before (what I get for shopping at stores like Target!), but I was pleasantly surprised when I looked it up. I know, it’s one I should probably know! But now I do, so I will definitely be keeping my eye out for this brand.
These boots sold in one day for full asking price!
Paid: FREE (not counting a Starbucks giftcard I gave as a thank you to the gifter for giving me several items I listed)
5. Vintage Princess Kaiulani Dress
This dress! Just look at it! So unique. Vintage. Made in Hawaii.
I looked it up while at the bins to see if it was worth buying. And yes, this brand sells well and for decent prices.
Most comparables were much lower priced, but I saw that several unique designs sold for much more.
So I priced this high ($99) and accepted this offer a couple days into the listing.
Paid: approximately $2
4. Street & Steel Women’s Armoured Riding Jacket
Sale Price: $80 + $14.35 shipping
I cannot find a picture for this one to save my life! It was new without tags. Found in the bins, again after being picked over. A lot of sellers don’t like to pick up heavier items. Many outlets have a max price for unmarked items. Ours is $5. So you don’t need to worry about paying an outrageous amount even for the heaviest items.
And once again, any type of riding gear does well. Women’s does particularly well, because there’s not a lot to choose from.
This sold in about a month.
Paid: approximately $5
3. Gunne Sax Dress (Blue)
This was the other dress I found at the same time as the one that is #14 on this list!
This one was in very nice vintage condition, so I got quite a bit more for it. I priced it at $99.99. I received many low offers on it. It sold by sending out offers to watchers of $89.99.
Paid: approximately $1.50
2. Vintage Stuart McGuire Men’s Boots
These boots were a gamble for me. Not a BOLO brand, but they definitely have a cool vibe.
They are also leather and made in Italy, so I decided to pick them up. And I’m glad I did.
It took a few months for them to sell. They sold on a 10% off sale for nearly $100.
Paid: approximately $4
1. 1960’s Filson Men’s Single Mackinaw Coat
This was pretty much a find of a lifetime for the bins. I found this the day before Thanksgiving 2018, when not many people were shopping. As soon as I touched it, I through it in my cart and quickly covered it up, because I was pretty sure I had come across a Filson!
Once I had a chance to inspect it, it was indeed Filson. But the stitching wasn’t perfect like I expected. I thought maybe it was not legit.
It also had what looked like heavy wear around the neck. Otherwise it was in good condition – no moth holes or nipping, no stains, or tears. Even if you do come across pieces with these sort of flaws, get them. They still sell!
This is what it looked like prior to dry cleaning. I snapped this picture on my bed as soon as I got home, since I was so excited! (You can sort of see the white around the inside back of the neck).
I decided to pay for dry cleaning (a first for me for thrifted items). And guess what? It was worth every penny! The “wear” around the neck was just staining and came out perfectly!
And as for the weird stitching, I did some research on it. I called the Filson customer service line and they had me email in some pictures. The person reviewing my email called in his co-workers to show them this coat as he hadn’t seen one like this before. They determined it had to be from the 60’s and was hand stitched. (Which is why the stitching didn’t look perfect)!
As for selling, I got a TON of low offers ($50-ish). I held out. I tried auctions starting at $199 nothing. I put it on fixed price and sat on it. It sold once for $212.50 and got returned for fit (buyer paid return shipping). It ended up selling for $249.99! (Glad the first sale got returned)!
I listed it in December, and it sold in March. So 3 months to sell!
I don’t know if I’ll find another like this, but this has definitely been my most fun sale!
Paid: approximately $5 (plus $17 for dry cleaning)
Reseller Bootcamp
If sales like these excite you and you want to start reselling, make sure you sign up for Reseller Bootcamp!
Well, those are my top 20 sales of 2019!
Definitely thankful for all these amazing sales!
Again, to see my other top sales, they can be found here:
- July 2019 Top 5 Sales
- August 2019 Top 5 Sales
- September 2019 Top 5 Sales
- October 2019 Top 5 Sales
- November 2019 Top 5 Sales
- December 2019 Top 5 Sales
Thanks again for sticking with me through all 20 sales!
-Lee
P.S. Here’s some other things you can check out:
- Check out my Revenue & Expense Reports where I share my actual income with you!!
- Be sure to check out my How-To’s.
- Read about my crazy goal to pay off more than $100,000 in mortgage debt by reselling thrifted items. Find out how I’m currently doing on meeting that goal.
