Half-off day at Goodwill is the kind of morning that makes a reseller set an alarm. Thrifter @thriftdudediaries almost skipped it, then headed in anyway and dug through the toy bins with a cart and a plan.
By the time he walked out, he had spent a total of $17.10 and filled the bag with plush, little figures and a few surprises. His take: “We’ll definitely be well into the profit.”
@thriftdudediaries
“I Think This Is Going To Flip” The Plush With No Tag
Early in the bins he lifted out a plush and got excited. “Oh my gosh. I think this is going to flip from Pocahontas. Look. I think that is who that is, dude. No tag, but that’s Pocahontas.”
He admits he is terrible with names and cannot recall what the character beside her is called, but he was happy with the grab. It is the actual plush version, which he found pretty cool, though it is missing its tush tag.
Plush with the tag still attached usually sells better, and he knows it. A missing tag is the first thing a buyer will ask about.
Little People, A Bluey Car And Five Or Six Farm Figures
The bins were a pile of mixed toys. He pulled out a Switch box and wondered whether the empty boxes themselves are worth anything. He says you can sometimes sell just the box.
He grabbed a Little People set he thought was for Wheelies and said he would look up its worth later. Before he finished, he had five, six, maybe seven Little People in the pile, along with a Douglas, a few Toy Story pieces and Pixar cars from the Radiator Springs line.
One of his favorite grabs was a little Bluey sitting in a Bluey car. He found farm animals too, but he only wanted the animals and left the rest of the set behind. He figures they will sell well as a lot.
He also took a Star Wars playset with magnets, a fire truck, a monster truck, an Angry Birds figure and a bit of Hello Kitty. None of it, he says, will cost much, and some of it is simply fun.
A Furby, Four Warmies And Slime Still Sealed In The Package
Near the end of the haul he found a Furby. If it works, he says, it looks like Furbies go for between $30 and $50 on eBay. That is a big return from a half-off toy bin.
He also took home four warmies, a Toy Story Jessie, a couple of pom-poms, one of them new with tag, a Pokemon item, a bear and some Sponge Bob pieces. He says he found a Patrick figure the week before, so those can be sold together.
Then he spotted slime. It was still sealed. He says he knows nothing about slime, but he picked it up anyway because he figured someone would want it. His reminder to anyone who tries it: play with slime outside, or it will end up all over the house.
A Friend In The Parking Lot Steals The Show
As he was leaving, his friend Rachel called him over. “Look what I found,” she said. Her find was a huge plush in really good condition. He says plush like that normally has the fur all locked up, but this one looked great, and he told her he had never found anything like it other than bunnies.
He had left his glasses camera behind that day, so he made a note to record a short snippet on his phone.
How A Half-Off Toy Run Actually Works
Toy bins reward patience. Most of what lands in them is common, so the trick is to move quickly, scan for characters and brands that collectors recognize, and set aside anything worth a closer look once you are home with a phone and a search bar.
This is the bread-and-butter side of reselling, and it is worth borrowing. He calls it “just normal bread and butter stuff.” Nothing in the pile was a lottery ticket, and the profit comes from many small flips.
Here is what stands out from his trip:
- Shop on discount days. Half off turned a pile of toys into a $17.10 haul.
- Sell in lots. Farm animals, Little People and character figures often move better as a set than one at a time.
- Check boxes. He points out that sometimes the box alone sells.
- Look things up before you buy. When he was not sure what an item was worth, he grabbed it and planned to research it at home.
- Keep sealed items sealed. His slime was still in the package, which helps with a buyer.
He sells much of what he finds on live auction shows, and he says the toys from this trip will be part of his upcoming sales. He is also running giveaways for new-with-tag Jellycat plush on his Facebook page.
His closing note shows the other side of the hobby. The video had been recorded the week before it was posted, and he ended with a quick message that he loves his followers.
For anyone thinking about trying toy flipping, the lesson is the same one he lives by. Showing up on the right day and keeping the cost low means even a modest haul can pay for itself.
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