What possesses people to sell broken/dated junk?

[Anonymous]

These posts drive me nuts!! I'm always tempted to comment that no one will buy their crappy dirty "just needs to be vacuumed " stuff, but I don't.

If I had all the time in the world I would love to circle back to ridiculous posts and ask if they ever sold their ridiculously priced junk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$75 plus 9 shipping for these babies right now on MoCo yard sale on Facebook

There are literally professional sneaker sellers that do well specializing in certain makes, models and brands of high end, in demand sneakers. Knowing the trends, they would not bother with this crap. Donate or toss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend buys gently used stuff and when they are done, resells at a profit. I’ve seen her do this with everything from kids’ dress clothing to kitchenware to exercise equipment.

Translation: her time is worth nothing, and her husband thinks she is "making" money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And overprice it in the process!

Someone I follow on FB this morning posted a lot of junk! $20 for a set of chipped and stained cups and saucers, $350 for an outdated floral three-piece living room set, $50 a piece for yellowed 80s-style art prints in sagging frames.

You’d do better buying brand new at IKEA! Do people really buy junk like this for those prices?

A lot of hoarders buy these items. I worked in Bed Bath and Beyond during college and one of the regulars used to come in and buy the cheapest stained discounted items she could find and use her 20% off coupon. She got a rush from the act of shopping no matter what she bought. I spot these people at yard sales and they will buy virtually anything just to get a rush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And overprice it in the process!

Someone I follow on FB this morning posted a lot of junk! $20 for a set of chipped and stained cups and saucers, $350 for an outdated floral three-piece living room set, $50 a piece for yellowed 80s-style art prints in sagging frames.

You’d do better buying brand new at IKEA! Do people really buy junk like this for those prices?

A lot of hoarders buy these items. I worked in Bed Bath and Beyond during college and one of the regulars used to come in and buy the cheapest stained discounted items she could find and use her 20% off coupon. She got a rush from the act of shopping no matter what she bought. I spot these people at yard sales and they will buy virtually anything just to get a rush.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And overprice it in the process!

Someone I follow on FB this morning posted a lot of junk! $20 for a set of chipped and stained cups and saucers, $350 for an outdated floral three-piece living room set, $50 a piece for yellowed 80s-style art prints in sagging frames.

You’d do better buying brand new at IKEA! Do people really buy junk like this for those prices?

I absolutely think people should sell broken/dated electronics. Not only are they easy to repair, but when corporate servers discontinue a line, parts get hard to find. It behooves companies to buy a bunch of extra broken models so that when a part starts flaking they have the FEW EXISTING replacement parts. Why would this be an issue when they are HONEST about the condition?

Speaking of dated furniture, I am desperate for a mint or as close to it condition sleigh chair from the 70s/80s. They slide under the table, and slide out with ease! Legs like this: but with any kind of top. In your junk site, have you seen anything like this? Please post it here if you have, and especially if it is nearby and I can sit in it.

Try Daniel Donnelly Designs in Old Town Alexandria for both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend buys gently used stuff and when they are done, resells at a profit. I’ve seen her do this with everything from kids’ dress clothing to kitchenware to exercise equipment.

Translation: her time is worth nothing, and her husband thinks she is "making" money.

Maybe she is. There isn't a huge difference except for scale between what she does and what a pawn shop or even an auction house might do. Buy used items cheap and sell for a profit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in a wealthy area and never have the wealthy had more money than today. Maybe somebody buys it, maybe they don't. What does it matter to you? Do you also go through the lists of local lawyers and become distressed why so much money gets shoveled into their bank accounts?

Why do we care you live in a wealthy area? Has nothing to do with OP’s question.

[Anonymous]

There are some people that buy junk like that. Some artists use chipped pottery to create things, some people like the design of sofa and chairs and will recover them, and others might like the prints and will reframe them. To each his own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a wealthy area and never have the wealthy had more money than today. Maybe somebody buys it, maybe they don't. What does it matter to you? Do you also go through the lists of local lawyers and become distressed why so much money gets shoveled into their bank accounts?

Why do we care you live in a wealthy area? Has nothing to do with OP’s question.

+1

Agree. I think selling crap is how some people try to justify their staying home. In reality, you are much better off getting an actual job instead of spending time collecting crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend buys gently used stuff and when they are done, resells at a profit. I’ve seen her do this with everything from kids’ dress clothing to kitchenware to exercise equipment.

I do this via TotSwap, though not with everything. My net spend for kids' clothes has been very low, as I'll find, say, a really nice Lily Pulitzer or Tea Collection dress at the thrift in excellent used condition for $2 + tax. If it ends up being one my kid doesn't wear a ton before outgrowing, I can often put it up on TS for $7-8, it sells fast at that price, I get 60% of that and I'll technically walk away with $1-3 profit. I wouldn't do this as a one-off, but once a year, I gather everything up, and I "make" $20/hour for my time and trouble with stuff that was a sunk cost for me anyway. It actually makes sense for me, because I only make $25/hour at my job anyway, and can't just add random hours whenever I want.

But I then witness the same phenomenon the OP describes-- TS isn't supposed to take junky stuff in poor condition, but you do see things like good (but not like-new) condition Carter's tee shirts priced at like $6 or even $8 sometimes. I've learned not to raise my eyebrows too high, because sometimes they sell!


Why?

-Compulsive shoppers/hoarders.

-They replace the exact item someone used to own, or owned in another size.

-They happen to be just the right color/style/animal print/whatever for a costume or play or something. Or they just LOVE things with watermelons on them or w/e, so they're willing to overpay a little. Or their kid has sensory issues/etc. and only wears this kind and brand of shirt, etc.

-Someone who doesn't know what Carter's (or w/e) normally sells for new thinks it's a fine price. I see this with H&M a lot. People will see a NWT cotton tank dress with the actual price obscured and be willing to pay $6-8 for it-- when that dress literally sells new in the store for $4.99. But these people usually shop a little bit upmarket, where something like that would retail for $20 or $30 or even $40, so it seems like a decent deal-- which it kind of is IMO, since those dresses hold up okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And overprice it in the process!

Someone I follow on FB this morning posted a lot of junk! $20 for a set of chipped and stained cups and saucers, $350 for an outdated floral three-piece living room set, $50 a piece for yellowed 80s-style art prints in sagging frames.

You’d do better buying brand new at IKEA! Do people really buy junk like this for those prices?

A lot of hoarders buy these items. I worked in Bed Bath and Beyond during college and one of the regulars used to come in and buy the cheapest stained discounted items she could find and use her 20% off coupon. She got a rush from the act of shopping no matter what she bought. I spot these people at yard sales and they will buy virtually anything just to get a rush.

I feel like I might catch hoarding like a cold so I NEVER go to yard sales.

[Anonymous]

Some people think it's wasteful to throw away something that someone else could use. I don't get it, the landfill isn't in my backyard and I'll be dead within a few decades anyway, why should I care if we destroy the environment.

I wish there were some way to easily dispose of items that could be repurposed, but aren't in good enough condition to donate or sell. The biggest category of clutter in my house: things I no longer want, doubt anyone else wants, but feel guilty about trashing, so they just stay there taking up space until I magically figure out how to match them to a new home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people think it's wasteful to throw away something that someone else could use. I don't get it, the landfill isn't in my backyard and I'll be dead within a few decades anyway, why should I care if we destroy the environment.

I wish there were some way to easily dispose of items that could be repurposed, but aren't in good enough condition to donate or sell. The biggest category of clutter in my house: things I no longer want, doubt anyone else wants, but feel guilty about trashing, so they just stay there taking up space until I magically figure out how to match them to a new home.

Yes you can giveaway for free 95% of things and avoid the landfill. Either through free local groups or donations to thrift stores. Trying to sell your used items is usually a waste of time unless it’s an antique or in demand. Used shoes, clothes, couches, etc are not worth the time and effort. Especially if you have to ship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend buys gently used stuff and when they are done, resells at a profit. I’ve seen her do this with everything from kids’ dress clothing to kitchenware to exercise equipment.

I applaud people who do this. Maybe I put too high a $ tag on my own time? I can see sitting at a yard sale table for 3 hours before I can see myself selling multiple items on a platform like FB marketplace and answering questions and exchanging messages with strangers.

The reselling is easy, but I mostly only do it for bigger ticket items. Smaller stuff, I list on Buy Nothing, which is just as much work/messaging, except there is no expectation that I have to figure out payment. Sometimes I list things that don't go in my buy nothing group on FB marketplace for $5, but then just tell the person not to worry about the $5. (Listing things for free attracts too many messages and also flakes. I want someone who wants stuff enough to be willing to commit $5.) My motivation is mostly anti-capatilist / minimalism, but I also do like getting value for my money.

I just resold an unopened box of diapers on Marketplace (potty training snuck up on me), this was really to save me time. It took me less time than going back to Costco to return them, and the discount helped out someone else. I still felt weird taking her $30, though, because I would never miss that $30.

Broken/dated stuff... Agree with OP. My neighbor tried to sell some old blank VHS tapes. There may be a market for that (???), but it is pretty esoteric and probably should try Ebay...