Purchasing thrift shops, flea markets and property gross sales will be overwhelming. With the sheer quantity of stuff, how have you learnt the place to start out? How do you notice gems amid all of the junk?
As knowledgeable reseller who has been combing via thrift shops for the higher a part of 30 years, I can assist. If you happen to’re prepared to chop your purchasing time in half, rating greater bargains or stroll away with brag-worthy finds you may flip for money, learn on.
From hard-to-find home goods to resale money-makers, every little thing featured on this collection qualifies as a BOLO (“be looking out” for) merchandise. Whenever you discover it, purchase it!
Featured Discover: Texas Ware mixing bowls
The Forties introduced us the Slinky, Tupperware, M&Ms and the primary glimpses of the midcentury trendy aesthetic that’s nonetheless influencing design as we speak.
And late in that decade, the Plastics Manufacturing Co. of Dallas started making kitchen merchandise out of a brand new sort of plastic referred to as melamine. Offered below the identify Texas Ware, the corporate’s full line included every little thing from cups and saucers to high school lunch trays.
However Texas Ware’s large hit was its line of multicolored mixing bowls informally dubbed “confetti ware” or “spatter ware.” These uncommon items have been created by including a random assortment of brightly coloured melamine pellets (aka “confetti”) to a heated mildew. The end result? Fashionable, mass-produced bowls that featured fully distinctive patterns of coloration.
Why purchase it
Moreover being light-weight and almost indestructible, Texas Ware bowls are the epitome of midcentury optimism. I imply, who will be cynical round confetti?
These aren’t bowls you disguise at the back of a cupboard — they’re daring, colourful assertion items.
And for resellers, discovering a Texas Ware bowl in a random thrift retailer is really a confetti-worthy second. As I discussed on this article on Heller dinnerware, many secondhand retailers undervalue something manufactured from plastic. Unhealthy for them, however good for eagle-eyed bargain-hunters such as you and me.
Final week, I purchased a big Texas Ware bowl at Goodwill for $1.99 and instantly flipped it to a collector I do know for $45. Resale potential is even higher on-line. On Etsy, this 11-inch mixing bowl is on sale for $65. And this 10-inch bowl not too long ago introduced a whopping $104 on eBay.
Professional tip: If you happen to’re shopping for Texas Ware bowls for private use, observe two easy guidelines:
- Don’t nuke it. Melamine will shatter within the microwave.
- Don’t put it within the dishwasher. Excessive warmth and heavy detergents will trigger the fabric to dry out and turn out to be brittle.
What to search for
Real Texas Ware is simple to establish. Discovered on the underside of every piece, the raised emblem reads “Texas Ware” encircled by the phrases “Plastics Manufacturing Co. Dallas, Texas, USA.” On bowls, the maker’s mark may even embody a quantity that signifies measurement. (Bowl diameters might range barely.) These marks embody:
- 111 — an 8-inch diameter bowl
- 118 — a 10-inch bowl
- 125 — an 11-inch bowl
Professional tip: Resellers, it’s not unusual to discover a classic confetti-style bowl with out a maker’s mark. Purchase it anyway. Though branded items fetch increased costs, there’s a robust marketplace for unbranded bowls.
Texas Ware additionally made in bowls in stable colours, however patrons choose the confetti sample. To get prime resale greenback, search for:
- Distinctive colours: Some hues are hotter than others. In my expertise, patrons pay a premium for bowls that function inexperienced, blue or yellow because the predominant coloration.
- Excessive-contrast coloration combos: Texas Ware collectors prize bowls in high-contrast colours. Search for items with flecks of black, vivid crimson or navy blue.
- Full units: Texas Ware bowls have been designed in three graduated sizes, so that they may very well be nested for straightforward storage. Even when the colours don’t match, full units command increased resale costs.
Purists beware: The recognition of Texas Ware’s classic bowls has impressed a number of modern knock-offs. Rachael Ray’s line of Rubbish Bowls has a really comparable look and Zak! Designs affords a line of recycled melamine merchandise offered below the model identify Confetti.
Disclosure: The data you learn right here is at all times goal. Nonetheless, we typically obtain compensation whenever you click on hyperlinks inside our tales.
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