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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

Ever since Covid hit, yard and estate sales have been far and few between.

 

Stuff has been bringing an insane amount of money at auctions, usually 5-10% less than eBay retail or sometimes even more than that.

 

I've never seen people in such a hurry to blow money.

Message 1 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

Nope. I have enough unlisted stuff here to last me a lifetime (or what's left of i).
Message 2 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

By a stroke of horrible luck, my inventory found me.  So I'm not really looking.

 

maybe you need to readjust what you are shopping for.

 

That said, Antique fairs have been closed for six months so if I didn't have all this extra stuff, I'd be hurting.

Good Moms let you lick the Beaters.

Great Moms turn them off first.
Message 3 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

yes

Message 4 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

I too have enough merchandise to last many years.

Message 5 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?


@quadcitypickers wrote:

Ever since Covid hit, yard and estate sales have been far and few between.

 

Stuff has been bringing an insane amount of money at auctions, usually 5-10% less than eBay retail or sometimes even more than that.

 

I've never seen people in such a hurry to blow money.


I kind of wonder where all this money people are spending is coming from. Oh well, I can't complain if they're spending it on my coins and tokens.

 

I'm sourcing stamps on eBay. I actually went nuts in December and January and scored some good deals when no one was looking (because people were occupied with holiday season), and in the past few months I'm having no luck getting a deal. Losing most of my auctions (and being the second highest bidder). I got a couple of half decent deals from a seller that's decided to take 3 weeks to ship. I'm willing to wait for the package because I got a deal on it.

 

But basically I'm looking at lots of auctions and I'm wondering how I'd get my money back if I tried to win... quite a few stamp albums went up to 80 or 100 pounds which is beyond what I want to spend in ordinary circumstances (and that's before 25 pounds in postage is added).

 

But I have had some free time on the weekends to process all the stamps I received in January, so maybe that will result in sales.

 

C.

Message 6 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

I still have plenty left for awhile, although I do have my best theory as to where people are getting the money from, and why they are buying a ton on here....

 

First, many people are still at home, and haven't gone back to work yet, and some of them are receiving the Covid unemployment bump.  In addition to that, many people are also buying items from the stores that are open, and during this time, the seasons changed.  Which left people buying summer and/or home & home improvement items.

 

So many stores, around here at least, are out of stock on many items.  Patio furniture, bedding, small household items, kitchen items, summer clothing, etc.  The stores are out of stock for 2 reasons, many people home & still buying, and choosing to 'improve' their home (which we were all stuck in, and could be again!), and that many of the manufacturers of these items are behind on making more items, due to either not being open yet, or not having as many employees to manufacture things.  So it's a double whammy that is depleting inventory of all things 'household' or clothing (which is just about everything! lol)

 

Sooo, they turn to looking for items on here, which also explains why auctions have been going for higher returns than usual, good old supply & demand!

Message 7 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

Sources are pretty dry here and my other ventures for obtaining invo haven't really panned out.  I'm resorting to going through my inventory and listing as new listings all the stuff eBay has dropped - I think I can get about 20 seasonal items out of that.  Hopefully in another month or two my sources will start coming back (we shut down in early March and are just reopening, but sanely and cautiously), but I've pretty much written off summer season and am preparing for transitional fall/winter.  Also, prices have jumped.


“The illegal we do immediately, the unconstitutional takes a little longer.” - Henry Kissinger

"Do not obey in advance." Timothy Snyder "On Tyranny"
Message 8 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

95% of my inventory comes from right here on Ebay, so no, no sourcing problems as of yet.

 

Well, actually yes I do have a problem...I need to STOP buying stuff. I don't have the time to list it all! It's a whole lot easier to buy than it is to list and sell lol

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.


We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell
Message 9 of 10
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Anyone else having issues sourcing inventory?

Some of you may know I rely on recycled aluminum cans for my business.  I'm OK right now on can stock, but problems may lie ahead sourcing certain brands.  I hear the big companies are only making their most popular brands right now.  

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