I came across this picture last night.

A favorite topic of conversation among eBay buyers looking for inspiration is about the item(s) that brought the most money.

When we were first starting out, I bought a motorcycle helmet for a quarter at a garage sale. It sold for $125. That is in the top of our high profit sales. Some years ago, we also purchased some furniture from Goodwill for $50, used it heavily for a year, and sold it for $1500 or more (we can't remember and would need to look up records)

So what's up with the beat up binoculars? We bought these for $100 and sold them less than 48 hours later for $2000 AS-IS. These are WWII U-Boat Commander's binoculars with Carl Zeiss optics. While most of these binoculars ended up at the bottom of the ocean (and these appear to have come from there) and you may not find a pair yourself, two things to note: (1) there ARE great treasures to be found sometimes, and (2) just about anything with Carl Zeiss lenses is good money (cameras, etc.).

Our most recent sale over $1000 was a mobility device for a disabled adult (paid $250 sold within two days for $1400 cash on Craigslist). 

Happy hunting! Feel free to share your most impressive finds.

Here are some of the main things I look for in the sweaters sections. Happy shopping.

In the Christmas sweaters section: Michael Simon label (typically black; red don't necessarily sell as well)

Other good buys this time of year:
- fisherman sweaters - particularly made in Ireland, Aran wool
- sweater coats - maxi sweater coats are in general good buys at decent prices, as they are very popular. obviously brand and content will drive the price.
- cocoon sweaters (right brand)
- Fair Isle / Nordic sweaters, especially cardigans
- 50s pinup / cropped cardigans
- right brand cardigans - my most frequent finds worth buying are Anthropologie brands or Ralph Lauren (or one of the above).
- cashmere (many cashmere sweaters will bring at least $20), mohair, wool, angora
- other favorite features on sweaters in general (other than cardigan style): shawl collar, mock turtleneck (the thin wool/cashmere/silk ones for men in neutral colors are good to look for in the right brand), cable knit

Rare but valuable finds: Ralph Lauren bear sweaters, usually blue