What’s Still Selling During Summer Slow Down?

Hey there everyone! I’m hopeful you’re not having too bad a summer slow down so far! I know I am. *cringe* Today, I’d like to dive into what is still selling during summer slow down and what to be on the lookout for during yard sales, estate sales, and your favorite thrift stores of course. Let’s get started!

• Related: If You Only Had 10 Minutes in a Thrift Shop, Where Would You Begin?

Keep It Simple

That’s right! The simpler, the better. Of course, every seller and their niche or business plan will be different, this is just mine in particular. (So please keep that in mind and make sure you’re making the changes that are best for you and your business!)

I’ve come to find that no matter what I have in stock at the moment, some things just keep on selling year-round like clockwork. Your basic “bread and butter” brands are what I’m referring to.

What Exactly are “Bread and Butter” Brands?

These are your run-of-the-mill, typical everyday items that sell through and through, without question. They’re your mall brands, your basics, those everyday items that don’t fetch a high profit but always stay consistent in sell-through rate.

Here’s a few to get you started when you’re out searching for these items!

1. Calvin Klein
2. Tommy Hilfiger
3. Ralph Lauren
4. American Eagle
5. J. Crew
6. Gap
7. Under Armour
8. Nike
9. Adidas
10. Champion

This list could really be endless, but here’s the top ten that come to mind when looking specifically for items with a good, consistent sell-through rate.

• Related: 5 New to Me Brands That Sold Quickly

How to Source Smarter (When You’re Looking Specifically for Bread & Butter Brands!)

It may be a little hard to pick these up sometimes, especially if your local thrift store is asking for high prices per piece. That’s why these items are best suited for picking up during summer when yard sale season starts!

If you can spend a little time planning out a good route in the morning or the evening before you take off, this will set you up to stay organized and give you more time to actually source rather than find which place you need to go to next.

Yard sales and garage sales are usually much more affordable than the thrift store prices these days, especially with all of the inflation going around. *cringe, again!*

Many folks will even work with you on bulk pricing, which gives you leverage to negotiate your way to a better price per piece.

Since those bread and butter items don’t always sell for a high dollar, you’re going to want to keep your costs as low as you can, while still offering your seller a good price for the lot.

• Related: 8 Things You Need to Do to Decrease Your Expenses While Increasing Your Profits

What Other Places to Source for Bread & Butter Items?

Obviously, you may not always have yard sales to attend. So, what do you do then?

During your sale visits, I highly recommend bringing some business cards with you. This can help you collect new leads for different times in the future if someone is looking to get rid of any other items.

Always buy in bulk if you’re able! Many times, this is the best way to reduce your cost per item. Sort through everything when you get it back to your office and pull out anything that may be best suited for the donation pile. This will save you some dollars and will save your seller some trips to the local thrift! Win, win!

• Related: My Super Secret Top 3 Online Bulk Sourcing Places

Another good place to source for bread and butter items would of course be the Goodwill Outlets (or bins, as some like to refer to it as). The Bins are an excellent place to save big since you’ll be paying by the pound instead of per piece.

Don’t Spend Too Much Time Overthinking!

When you spend too much time overthinking each item, that cuts into your expenses as well. Time is money as the old saying goes and that stays true to sorting through new goods to potentially purchase.

Once you get further down the road of reselling, you’ll start to get a good feel for what sells quickly for you and what doesn’t. You’ll then be able to spend less time looking up comps and more time getting through bigger piles of new inventory.

Make quick decisions and go with your gut, if you have to second guess it, it may not end up being worth your time in the long run. Also, be sure to keep a keen eye out for any flaws! These items are not significant enough usually to pick up if they have a flaw, since they’re already such bargains, to begin with.

Summer slow down may be giving us all the blues, but keeping these tips in mind will help you navigate through the season a little easier and *hopefully* with a little more revenue to start out the next quarter with! Good luck in your search and make sure you keep track of your expenses! It will be much easier to track as you go instead of having to backtrack during tax season.

• Related: Did You Stay on Top of Your Taxes?

Happy hunting!

Thank You!

A giant thanks to everyone that has supported me this far into my journey! I greatly appreciate you returning to read my posts and hope that you will continue to drop by in the future.

Please feel free to drop any comments below that you would like to add! I am always open to advice, suggestions, or even hearing related stories of your own!