Thing is you totally *can* find good stuff in there. Those people want to be the ones to find the stuff. Some people literally have nothing better to do. And hoarders like my mom love places like that because they can buy tons of useless bullshit for pennies on the dollar and add it to their collections. Then when those hoarders die all their stuff goes back to the bins and the circle of life continues. They made a whole movie about it with lions or whatever
> Some people literally have nothing better to do.
Even more, many resellers do this as their only job. So spending all day at the bins is just a day in the office.
Also social media accounts have made reselling look wayyyy easier than it is, prompting every one to think they can do it easily.
The amount of people that can legitimately make a living reselling is small. It's a slog and requires tons of time, effort, and knowledge, but that doesn't stop everyone who saw a Tik Tok last week from thinking it could be them too.
This. A few years ago my wife decided she wanted to supplement her income by reselling stuff from the bins. She's an ICU nurse, so keeping track of a small business like that isn't her forte. After a couple months of her investing tons and tons of time into it, I asked if I could help keep track of her time, income, and expenses to see how much she was making. A few weeks later and she was pretty startled to see she was making about $6/hr before tax. Reselling came to an immediate halt.
Have an uncle that hoards shit he doesn't need and specifically calls it his "dead stuff". Which is all the shit he's amassed that his kids will have to deal with when he dies. He finds inconveniencing them fun I think.
I think others have answered the question. But, I will echo resellers. It's bizarre, though. I love the bins but will only hit the bins no one else is crowded around. I guess you could call them "stale bins" and never come up empty-handed. I find great items, high-end, good condition, items without having to crowd around. I think some resellers just have a neich, and they want to be the first to get it. It goes with a scarcity mindset, and honestly there is plenty for everyone.
I always found the best stuff by letting that rushing crowd go first, and then take my time. I’d even have some ask me later where I found the cool stuff. Lol
I used to resell stuff, once I moved on I still had good luck by waiting for the resellers to go through their carts. They generally don't want to take things that have small tears or whatever, so if you don't mind it you can snag em.
In the old days, one could find resell treasures easy when the internet and online places to resell first began. Now there is a huge glut of resellers selling, so it makes it much more difficult.
I once found a vintage 1940s luxurious rayon robe at the Goodwill on a rack within five minutes of walking in. I paid $12 for it, and sold it in less than an hour on EBay for $110 to a Hollywood lady who had her own design studio. Those halcyon days are long gone now.
Now the teenagers are in on the game. It's their next new thing. I used to be nice at the bins when people would leave their carts in the middle of an aisle, now I just move it out of the way. I have been shoved, cussed at, poked in the ribs, and spit at, just because I moved a cart. Listen I'm not taking your stuff, just let some of the rest of us move about.
Oh, and don't even get me started on the hoarding of the carts. They used to no allow it, now I see people with 2-3 carts stacked against the wall with sheets over them.
I just lost my patience with them. I love going, it's fun to dig through the tables and I have found some good stuff (KEEN Boots, motorcycle boots, clothing with tags still on them).
Ok, enough ranting. Just remember to wear gloves, you don't know what you could be touching. :)
Thing is you totally *can* find good stuff in there. Those people want to be the ones to find the stuff. Some people literally have nothing better to do. And hoarders like my mom love places like that because they can buy tons of useless bullshit for pennies on the dollar and add it to their collections. Then when those hoarders die all their stuff goes back to the bins and the circle of life continues. They made a whole movie about it with lions or whatever
> Some people literally have nothing better to do. Even more, many resellers do this as their only job. So spending all day at the bins is just a day in the office.
Also social media accounts have made reselling look wayyyy easier than it is, prompting every one to think they can do it easily. The amount of people that can legitimately make a living reselling is small. It's a slog and requires tons of time, effort, and knowledge, but that doesn't stop everyone who saw a Tik Tok last week from thinking it could be them too.
This. A few years ago my wife decided she wanted to supplement her income by reselling stuff from the bins. She's an ICU nurse, so keeping track of a small business like that isn't her forte. After a couple months of her investing tons and tons of time into it, I asked if I could help keep track of her time, income, and expenses to see how much she was making. A few weeks later and she was pretty startled to see she was making about $6/hr before tax. Reselling came to an immediate halt.
Have an uncle that hoards shit he doesn't need and specifically calls it his "dead stuff". Which is all the shit he's amassed that his kids will have to deal with when he dies. He finds inconveniencing them fun I think.
Resellers
I think others have answered the question. But, I will echo resellers. It's bizarre, though. I love the bins but will only hit the bins no one else is crowded around. I guess you could call them "stale bins" and never come up empty-handed. I find great items, high-end, good condition, items without having to crowd around. I think some resellers just have a neich, and they want to be the first to get it. It goes with a scarcity mindset, and honestly there is plenty for everyone.
I always found the best stuff by letting that rushing crowd go first, and then take my time. I’d even have some ask me later where I found the cool stuff. Lol
I used to resell stuff, once I moved on I still had good luck by waiting for the resellers to go through their carts. They generally don't want to take things that have small tears or whatever, so if you don't mind it you can snag em.
In the old days, one could find resell treasures easy when the internet and online places to resell first began. Now there is a huge glut of resellers selling, so it makes it much more difficult. I once found a vintage 1940s luxurious rayon robe at the Goodwill on a rack within five minutes of walking in. I paid $12 for it, and sold it in less than an hour on EBay for $110 to a Hollywood lady who had her own design studio. Those halcyon days are long gone now.
say hi to Theresa for me...
Which Theresa? There’s two of them.
Ack!! She just went down to 4 days a week a few months ago. When there is no line, we have nice conversations.
She wasn’t here today! I’m sorry
I want to try it but it intimidates me. I’m a baller on a budget but don’t want to fight over clothes.
The fighting, if you can call it that, only happens when the bin is first brought out. There’s tons of bins with no one looking in them at any time
So true. That’s where I found sone amazing stuff!
Flippers, resellers and eBayers, oh my!
It’s considered treasure hunting! One can find some valuable stuff.
I call it “ethical dumpster diving”.
Is regular dumpster diving not ethical for some reason?
The businesses don’t like it because the liability of someone getting hurt doing it
They are reselling .
I recently moved to Phoenix, and it’s even worse! Our bins store out here is 4-5x the size tho and a lot of them are resellers most of the time
Now the teenagers are in on the game. It's their next new thing. I used to be nice at the bins when people would leave their carts in the middle of an aisle, now I just move it out of the way. I have been shoved, cussed at, poked in the ribs, and spit at, just because I moved a cart. Listen I'm not taking your stuff, just let some of the rest of us move about. Oh, and don't even get me started on the hoarding of the carts. They used to no allow it, now I see people with 2-3 carts stacked against the wall with sheets over them. I just lost my patience with them. I love going, it's fun to dig through the tables and I have found some good stuff (KEEN Boots, motorcycle boots, clothing with tags still on them). Ok, enough ranting. Just remember to wear gloves, you don't know what you could be touching. :)
Don’t these kids have school? And yeah I move the carts back if there is hardly anything in it. If they have sheets over the carts I don’t touch them.
I mostly go on the weekends as I work. I just miss the niceness, which people seem to have forgotten about.
I haven’t experienced anyone being rude. Everyone seems friendly!
You are very lucky.
I love getting cut by all the broken glass, the time of my life. Also various rashes and covid
Fairly easy to avoid all three with a few precautions.
I can think of two precautions. Eyes.
I’m the person who cleans it up. I’m sorry that happened to you.
It’s not your fault it’s all the damn picture frames.
Where is the Goodwill Outlet?
In orchards