Garage Sale Diamonds in the Rough, and a Bad Fake
One of my weekend rituals is heading out to some local garage sales to search for some treasures I can flip on eBay. Most of the time I strike out as there really isn't anything I think is worth the gamble. Some of my favorite items to watch out for are LEGOs and anything that might be silver or gold. However, every now and again you find a deal that's just too good to pass up. That's how I ended up with a load of shoes!
At one sale a few weeks back the woman had bunch of J. Crew women's shoes that were in the original boxes. There were 10 pairs and she was asking $15 a piece, I offered $100 for all of them and she threw in a bonus. Some red Gucci shoes...
On the J. Crew shoes I figure I could sell them from around $20 to $50 each, it will take some time since they are "vintage". But the red Gucci sneakers I won't be selling at all. They were complete fakes which I realized almost right away when I looked at them. But I didn't buy the lot for them anyway, so no great loss!
One of the problems when buying anything second hand is the number of fakes that exist of name brand items. Gucci sneakers can sell easily for $700 or more. But the fakes always have some problems that give them away. I'll point out a few in this pair that is headed for the trash!
At first glance they may not look too bad. But keep in mind that name brands are very exact in their stitching and even a minor flaw isn't going to pass quality control. First off notice the back of the sneakers how they are slightly wrinkled and the insole in the right shoe is folded. Talk about a bad fake!
Here I circled the areas if you couldn't see them!
Then once again the back of the sneakers, just poor stitch work everywhere...
The insole once again...
And then a side view. When the shoe attaches to the sole you shouldn't see through the sole, just plain bad work...
Counterfeit items aren't just limited to shoes, purses, and clothing. There are even counterfeit silver and gold coins that are produced in China and Russia and passed off as real. So always know your seller well, and test any silver or gold before you buy! With name brand items the fakes will come with shoddy workmanship which is a dead giveaway. The stitching and material used make it easy to tell the difference in cheap fakes which make up the majority out there!
Always be a smart shopper out there. Even thrift stores frequently will have knock off items. So a little experience will help you avoid buying a fake item which you will never be able to re-sell. Unless of course you don't mind and plan on wearing them! These are headed to the garbage where they belonged from the get go!
I do hope you enjoyed my post today. This is a departure from my usual material, but it keeps me from getting burned out. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below, and thank you everyone for all of your support. It truly is greatly appreciated! Have a great day everyone!
Disclaimer
I am not a financial planner and this isn't financial advice. Please always do your own research before investing your money. You worked hard enough to earn it!
All pictures are mine taken today with my old Samsung phone.
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It's a good idea to look for treasures like this, who knows, you might find something that's really valuable. I'm thinking of Pokémon cards, which have been a good source of value and resources, or even old game cartridges or discs, all of which can fetch a good amount of money.
You never know! Any collectible item at a good price is never a bad bet! I've sold a couple pairs already and made over half my investment back on this one. I could end up with a really nice profit off of this deal!
!BBH
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I would have guessed they were a different brand. Are they like Adidas made for Gucci. I mean if they weren't fakes! :)
They probably have association with other brands like Adidas I'm sure. I know more than I ever wanted to about "luxury" goods thanks to the ex wife's expensive tastes. What a waste of money... I have found real high end name products in thrift stores before that were genuine, so I guess I learned something of value out of the experience. Although she pretty much robbed me blind! lol
I've heard that happens... :P
Good catch on that counterfeit my friend!👍😀
Years ago Chinese panda silver coins we're being counterfeited! I checked with my local dealer, and he said that he always guaranteed that the Chinese pandas he sold were authentic and he would buy them back in a heartbeat!
Good to have a reputable coin shop in town!!
I won't buy Chinese pandas anymore for that reason, you have to be careful with just about all coins anymore. It's sad that the world is so full of scammers these days, I suppose it always has had some, but it seems like there are more now than ever!
I agree with you my friend, I skipped on buying any pandas back then I still don't have any....🙄
Not too long ago I heard about the mint Ohio precious metals and the possibility of some of the OPM rounds I own not being pure.....🙄🤔
These Counterfiet item is abundance here in my place. I bought some of them, especially when I was younger and wanted to have some branded item with cheap price. But yeah, it is can be easily spotted. Now I am more a fan of a thift item.
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The fakes just never last very long, built poorly. Thrift stores are a great way to find great deals on just about everything. I've found brand new dress shirts with the tags still attached for cheap in the past. I almost always check out the dress clothes in my size when I'm in one!
!PIZZA
!BBH
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Poor quality work is always the dead giveaway of a fake product.
I still find the odd gem Thrift shopping, and lately many Thrift shops know how to spot them too. Many shops are changing into a boutique style of customer experience, however, the prices go up more for the new upscaled experience.
!PIMP
I've seen the same here in southern California, the small thrift shops are turning more into boutiques and are much more expensive. That's usually when I cross them off my list of places to shop! There are gems to be found still, I have found them many times over the years. I have noticed now that money has become tighter people are acutely more aware of an item's value even at garage sales. It's made it more of a challenge than it used to be!
!PIMP
I bet they are imported... some countries are infamous for producing counterfeits!
I guarantee they are imported junk from southeast Asia somewhere, they didn't even bother to do a good job. I have seen fakes that look pretty close to the real deal, but this one was one of the worst I've ever run across!
!BBH
!LADY
!PIZZA
Now that's the kind off post with images I was talking about! 🙂
Thanks! I'm glad you like it!
Read all of the post. Took me a moment to google out my doubts before writing my comment.
I would think its a fake too, just noticing the Gucci sneakers are marked with a 'bonus' - the Adidas logo improving its sales quality. (Well, after I made a recearch I found out it is quite legit - as the product was a cooperation between two brands...) !LOLZ & !BEER
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Playing the devil's advocat for a minute ... If the Gucci shoes are fakes that were thrown in as a bonus, you are sure none of the others are?
Yeah they were shoddy to say the least, I remember in Africa there were fakes everywhere, at least if they are dupes with a slightly different name then it is acceptable, but pure counterfeits like that, I would crucify the makers it I could catch them.
The others were the real deal, I checked them out carefully. The Gucci one's didn't interest me at all to be honest, J. Crew vintage women's shoes in box can bring in some decent money. Most to the women's shoes also had been used, so even less likely to be fake, and why fake J Crew, Louis Vuitton would make more sense!
Gucci, Louis Vuitton are household names so easier to have loads of fakes. Well glad the rest are legit and I hope you managed to make a few bucks on them.
I remember in the states people had yard sales all the time, here it is not really a thing. You do it at organised events.
Most of those counterfeits seem to be pumped in southeast Asia, although I'm sure there are places in Africa that do so too. Lousy scammers!
I blame China for everything, even their legit stuff is so shitty quality. In the oil industry we had amazing traceability, and if any steel etc was found to have Chinese origins then supplier was struck off.
Very smart move, even their steel is subject to scrutiny and poorly done. The only items done well are those for their defense industry, and all the best materials go there. The rest get sent out to us suckers around the world!
Yeah we had a spate of valves from European countries that all used Chinese steel, and they were all pissed off they got removed from bidders list. Even had a couple of Ambassadors getting involved. But yes all the best goes to their military.
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