The Thrill of the Chase

It all started in a conversation with a friend.

"You do what, now?" I asked.

My experience with the eBay marketplace began like many people, as a consumer hoping to avoid counterfeit items at ridiculously low prices. I had never considered selling on the site. The people on the other side of the transaction were, well, people. Conceptually, it clicked, but I never humanized it. I saw the items and if I liked and could afford the items, the thrill for me was in acquiring things I wanted, for a bargain.

The day my friend humanized the process for me, was the day my perspective changed. Actual people do normal people things by finding things to sell to other people. What a wonderful venture!

The process is simple, but like with anything worth doing, the process comes with its own learning curve, challenges, and celebrations.

This is different than selling things you already own for some walking around money. This is, discovering things you did or did not know existed from people you know or don't know and then reselling them on the marketplace for a profit. You then reinvest the money in chasing and discovering other goods to make more money.

For me, the satisfaction isn't in the money, it is in the process.

The thrill of the chase.

When I started, I wouldn't have described it this way. It wasn't until I learned of the elderly millionaire Forrest Fenn and the legend of his buried treasure where I found the language capturing the description of my hobby.

His memoir is titled, "The Thrill of the Chase."

It is estimated over 2 million people participated in the search for his treasure. For the sake of the thrill, Forrest put together a treasure trove, buried it, floated on the Internet a number of cryptic messages, riddles, poems, etc. for people to engage with, unlock, and point them in the direction of the discovery of a lifetime.

The idea of searching for something like that gives me all the right feelings of possibility and imagination. Unfortunately for me, someone discovered it, and it was something to behold.

However, my chase is similar and a lot less dangerous. People take their throw away treasures, put them on tables (or donate them to thrift stores), and advertise the relinquishing of their belongings for others to discover.

Garage sales or yard sales are a big thing here in Central Illinois. It's so big, towns coordinate their townwide sales around other towns' sales so as to maximize the amount of available people to visit and spend money. These sales are perfect places for people to discover things they didn't know they needed.

And we are all looking for different things.

Here's the process:

1) Find your item.

2) Discover it's potential value on the marketplace.

3) Weigh the cost to profit risk/ratio.

4) Purchase item.

5) List item. Notifications set to "on."

6) See your item sell. $$$

7) Pack your item.

8) Tape the box shut.

9) Print shipping label.

10) Grab some scissors and cut out the label.

11) Tape the label to the box.

12) Ship item.

Rinse. Repeat.

For someone who comes from a family of recovering addicts and is aware of their propensity toward addictive tendencies, these twelve steps are a healthy and thrilling alternative.

My early years involved entry level items. Anything vintage. I still do a lot of vintage finds, but back then that's all I looked for. With each item I researched, my memory bank and know-how increased. It really was like learning a new skill or language. I don't know how many times I would gloss over something that wasn't shiny or attractive, only to--out of the sake for curiousity--discover someone somewhere has paid top dollar for an identical piece. Cha-ching!

I am going on seven years of this fun hobby. Bless my wife and the times I had 100+ items stacked up in our small apartment. However, the occassional five dollar find would turn into a $100+ profit and we would go out to a nice dinner.

It's funny how trendy things emerge and the crowds have increased.

Especially in light of the pandemic, more people are getting into the buying and reselling game.

For years, serial entrepreneur GaryVee has touted the thrill of the chase and challenge to make $1,000 in a weekend of garage sale treasure hunting. He's a millionaire that has people he can pay to scour website marketplaces like eBay for him and pay whatever the price to score priceless treasures. Instead, he insists on being in the race, with videos of him negotiating prices on all sorts of items while following up with what he later sold it for on eBay. He's a great motivator!

One of my favorite experiences involved a mother in Canada. She set out across the digital marketplace looking for a set of paperback books that were no longer in circulation. They were favorites of hers as child and she wanted some for her daughter. She happened upon my listing and reached out to share her story. It was my pleasure to not only decrease the price of the books, but to also throw in some extra books that I didn't have listed.

She was so thrilled and thankful!

My hobby blesses me, my family, and others on a regular basis.

Some of my favorite finds and sales include: limited edition Little Mermaid pins, 1970 Tonka Fire Department Trucks Set, and pair of original Kobe Bryant VI shoes in like new condition.

I have found and sold over 300 items. As my kids get older and other interests gain traction, I chase and sell fewer items these days. However, like GaryVee, I will always be on the lookout for an unique find that I can sell to someone across the country for way more than what I paid for it.

It's a lot of fun and now I too get to hear my question echoed back to me from other people,

"You do what, now?"