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Here you don't get bargains as they simply don't make it to the shelves,
I donated a couple of boxes of Motorhome & Caravan DVD's to one of the local oppies as well as some
other stuff and the guy that took them put them on a bench that hid them and put the rest of the items on
their sorting tables.
I've never seen any of those DVD's in the shop.
IMHO a lot of "good" stuff ends up with the "volunteers" or as it was with one case in Portland,(in the hands of
a family member that had an antigue shop in another town).
Then they got a bookseller in to help with their pricing and the bookseller ended up with all the good books
and the shop thought they were going to do well when she priced Enid Blyton bookclub books for $8 plus,(
most weren't even in good condition.
Large soft and hardcovers became $7 plus except for the smaller ones that went from $20 plus regardless of
condition,(they have half price book sales and they still don't sell them).
When I informed them what the bookseller was doing they simply said that she was a "godsend".
Their book sales are the worst I've ever seen for an Op shop as the same books sit there year after year.
Garage sales have been better for the past five years as I've picked up a few bargains from them,(including a few that I wasn't certain about but bought anyway because something was telling that I should).
Garage sales have been better for the past five years as I've picked up a few bargains from them,(including a few that I wasn't certain about but bought anyway because something was telling that I should).
Hmm, garage sales. We have a house in the Southern Highlands outside Sydney. When we came here 20 years ago the Community newspaper used to have 20-30 listings every week for garage sales on the next weekend. We joked about hiring a mini-bus and doing “Garage Sales Tours”. Also had several very profitable garage sales ourselves many moons ago (having an old house definitely helps attract buyers.) These days there would be an average 3-5 sales advertsied each weekend, and they are mostly of the used clothes, toys, household goods type. You find very few selling the types of items I generally collect and sell (say pre1970.) Why? Well probably because pre1970s items have already been through the sales process at least once before – people move, people die, items that were inherited / collected have already been moved on. And of course anyone who thinks they have something old or collectable is probably doing what I am – trying to sell through eBay (or Gumtree or similar) where they IMAGINE they will do much better than at a garage sale. Or when all else fails, send it to a real life auction house where they have expert knowledge and do all the hard work and seller’s fees may only be around twice eBay’s FVF. So I say well done anyone who can regularly source “bargains” from garage sales – perhaps it depends where they are situated.
By the bye, anyone who has an interest in police force collectables should see the collection being put up for auction by a Sydney auction house – described as “Extensive Single Owner Collection Police Memorabilia & Militaria From Australian and World Police Forces. Collected Over 50 Years by the Vendor. Over 580 quality lots!”
It is a truly mind-boggling collection, and I am sure that the vendor had a lot of fun putting it together and displaying it – would have needed a BIG space. I wish them all the best – it is such a specialised area, and the collection is so vast, that I cannot imagine how it will sell (though as always with this auction house the opening bids for most items are quite modest.) It is precisely the same dilemma which faces any aging collector. 
I’m sorry for that horrible experience – I think you will find that both the other “Op Shop Chains” you mention have paid managers (some may also operate on commission.) The type of Op Shops I remember from my young days seem now mainly confined to regional and country areas where they may target some specific local cause. I will just mention that the “Hospice” Op Shops in the Southern Highlands are flourishing atm; they now have 4 separate stores in Bowral (Men’s, Women’s, Homewares, Furniture) and when we drove down this morning I saw a Furniture Hospice store had also opened in Mittagong. The prices in the Bowral Hospice stores seem reasonable, if you want / need what they are selling. Of course it does help the quality of your items when you have a fairly comfortable donor base. I have a friend who buys really excellent vintage clothing (to wear) at ridiculously reasonable prices from a North Shore Oppie (but then she IS size 😎 
Redders - I put my father onto the epley manouevre, his vertigo has nearly gone.
(All about putting those little crystals back where they belong)
Nah you'd prob need a stout or two.
Paid $5 for the copper pic btw.
@kopenhagen5 wrote:Nah you'd prob need a stout or two.
Thanks for the advice Kopes, I'll take the medication as advised.
"One for All" young Muskie.............
