When a buyer messaged a thrift reseller to say she had owned the same book as a little girl and absolutely loved it, the seller did something sweet. She was already shipping a signed Ruth Rimple book that sold for $150 on eBay, and she decided to tuck in a free Diamond Pottery kitty cat as a surprise.

The reseller is Misty, the voice behind the YouTube channel Thrifter Junker. She called it the best sale of her week, for a couple of reasons, and she shared her whole run of sales and a Goodwill haul on the same day.

It is a reminder that reselling is not only about the money. Sometimes the best part is knowing something you found at a thrift store is going home to someone who will love it.

The $150 Book With a Personal Touch

The book was an origin story of the Rimple pottery figurines made by Diamond Pottery. What made this copy special is that it was autographed by Ruth Rimple herself and dedicated to George, with the date August 1st, 1960, and the words “Best wishes to George.” It had come from Misty’s own personal collection.

She listed it on eBay with the wear and condition in the description, and it sold for $150. Then the buyer sent a message. She explained that she had owned this book as a child, that she loved it, and that she wanted to treat herself to it.

That message warmed Misty’s heart. She says it made her feel good that the book is going to someone who will really appreciate it, and she decided to include a Rimple Diamond kitty cat as a little extra. “Maybe she’s got it already,” she said. “I don’t care. But I’m sending that to her.”

A Week of Small Sales That Add Up

The book may have been the headline, but the rest of her list shows how a reseller makes a living on little things. Everything below sold in just two days, she says, with very little effort and no hours spent on live sales.

• A little Sir Topham Hatt car sold on Vinted for $9 on a best offer.
• Hand sanitizers from the bins sold on Vinted for $8.
• A Fisher-Price Little People drummer boy from a Fourth of July set sold on eBay for $15.
• Tupperware bowls without lids, from the bins, sold on eBay for $18.
• A set of 1950s embroidered, framed postcards sold for $24 plus shipping. She did not have the heart to split up the set.
• Poly resin shelf sitters in an orange and pineapple theme sold for $17 plus shipping.
• A Thomas the Tank Engine toy sold for $12 plus shipping. She says she paid about 50 cents for it, maybe a quarter at the end of the day.
• A new-in-the-box business card holder finally sold for $18, after about six years of being listed on and off.
• A well-worn Gucci purse sold for $50 on a best offer, along with a matching wallet she had already sold.

Misty says she picks up toys, action figures and figurines from the bins because they sell and it adds up. “I like to dig through trash,” she says with a laugh. “I like to find things that are quirky.”

Her Selling Tips

A few habits stand out from the video, and they can help anyone who sells online:

1. Leave a little room on price. On Vinted, she lists items about $3 over what she wants so she has some wiggle room for offers.
2. Know the platform’s rules. Vinted does not want resellers, so she mostly lists things she has had for a long time or personal items there. It has no selling fees, but nothing can ship priority, only ground.
3. Be patient. The business card holder took six years to sell, and she sometimes ends and relists items to refresh them.
4. Look for collectibles. She says a 1970s Mattel doll sells for about $25, but she has seen ones with clothes sell for $80, which is what gets her excited.

She also tested a buyer’s choice sale on one platform, offering a whole board of tiny items for $25. When nobody bought it, she decided to list them individually, where each could sell for around $10.

What She Found at Goodwill

After shipping her orders, Misty showed off a Goodwill haul from a store in Bedford. She spent $60, and the prices were friendlier than in the city. She says the Under Armour shirts she found for Mark, one new with tags at $5.99, would be $14.99 or $9.99 at the Indianapolis Goodwills.

Some of the other things she brought home:

• A crocheted strawberry purse for $4.99, which she plans to carry at flea markets and in the bins.
• An OshKosh dinosaur outfit for a baby boy in the family, for just a few dollars.
• A mustard button-up for herself, and wide-leg pull-on jeans from H&M.
• A brass frame and a Christmas gift for her mother-in-law, each at 99 cents.
• Black leather Vionic dress shoes at $6.99, which she says sell for about $35.
• Simply Southern sandals with sunflowers at $6.99.
• A primitive snowman candle holder from Pigeon Forge Pottery for $4.99. She checked eBay, and similar ones sold between $19 and $25.
• A grab bag of 1980s and 1990s craft magazines for $5.99, because crafts from those decades are what people want to buy now.
• A bag of action figures for $5.99, which she plans to research.
• An Elvis Hawaiian shirt for $4.99.

Why Small Gestures Matter

The kitty cat is not a line on any profit sheet, but it tells you what kind of seller Misty is. In a business full of quick sales and short messages, she took a moment to answer a stranger’s kind words with a gift.

If you sell secondhand items, the same idea works for you. Read your buyer messages, notice when someone has a story, and add something small to the box. It costs very little, it can create a loyal customer, and it feels good. As Misty put it, it adds up.

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