If you regularly shop at garage or yard sales for antiques and collectibles to sell on eBay you know there are plenty of days when you go home empty-handed. However, if you are willing to take a little more time at each sale, you may be surprised what you can find that will make a “day-without-antiques” profitable.

Here are ten things that regularly show up at garage sales that will pay for your gas and make you a nice profit when sold on eBay.

1. Adult Halloween or Holiday costumes. That big pirate, Easter Bunny, or Minnie Mouse costume that no one else is paying any attention to can easily bring $50 or more when listed on eBay.

2. Current college textbooks. It’s amazing how many of today’s college students will pay $125 for a text book and then put it in a garage sale at the end of the school year for two or three dollars. If you live near a college or university campus watch for these. Most any textbook with a copyright date of either the current or the previous year will bring $30 or more on eBay. Just hold onto them and list them in August before the school year starts.

3. Rich Dad Poor Dad books. There are more than twenty different titles in this series of books by Robert Kiyoski. Individually, none of them do well on eBay. But buy them as you find them and list them in lots of eight to ten or more and you will have an easy $50 to $75 or more.

4. Bright And Early Beginning Readers for children. Often referred to as Dr. Seuss books, but the series includes titles by other authors also. Just be sure the cover has the Dr. Seuss Reader logo on it. Buy them individually and list them in lots. A lot of 10 to 15 can easily bring $30 to $40. Lots of 40 or more will often exceed $100.

5. Calvin & Hobbs books. For some reason, people are crazy about these. Again, individual copies won’t do well, but put together a lot of a half dozen or more different titles and watch the bids go up.

6. Homeschooling material from A Beka. Nearly anything related to homeschooling will sell on eBay, and A Beka is the premiere name for texts and curriculum material. When you find it there’s usually a lot of it and it’s cheap. Buy it all, break it up, and sell it in lots by the school grade. Results will vary, but a $10 purchase can easily bring $75 to $100 or more.

7. Precious Moments and Prairie Schooler cross stitch pattern booklets. Once again, individually they often don’t do well, but put together a lot of 10 or 15 or more of either one and you will make a nice profit. Do check any Prairie Schooler booklets you get on eBay before listing them in a lot. Some of the earlier booklets will bring $50 or more individually.

8. Magic Crochet magazines. There are many different crochet magazines, but this is one of the more sought after ones. Another case of not doing well individually, but lots as small as ten or twelve will do well, with larger lots often bringing $50 or more.

9. Plastic Canvas pattern booklets. Another case of buy them when you can and list them in lots of 25 to 30 or more. As long as you don’t pay more than ten or fifteen cents each, you will pay for gas and make a profit.

10. Weight Watchers cookbooks. The ones to look for are the soft cover cookbooks that have copyright dates within the last five to seven years. Buy them when you can for $1 or less. Check the individual titles on eBay as some will easily bring $20 or more by themselves. Save those that don’t and put them into lots of eight to ten titles and they will sell for a nice profit also.

Photograph by Jeremy Atkinson.

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