Keep the Best, Sell the Rest: Lessons from a Life of Buying and Selling

“Finding a gem where others see junk is the essence of antique buisness”

I am often asked how I got started in the antique business. I started out in life in the late 1970s, married with a baby on the way. I did not earn enough to support my family and had to find ways to make extra money to meet my obligations. Little did I know that this necessity would spark a passion that would last a lifetime—the thrill of the hunt, the score, and the payoff.

The real spark for me came from noticing potential in things others had discarded. Relatives who were antique dealers had taught me the thrill of the hunt: finding items others overlooked, discarded or no longer wanted and turning them into something valuable. The lesson was clear: opportunity often hides in plain sight.

Before online marketplaces like eBay, Poshmark, or Amazon existed, earning outside a regular job meant moonlighting—taking on a part time job or odd jobs leveraging skills you already had. I started small, doing restoration work like bathroom tile and caulking. Each job paid a few hundred dollars. But I quickly realized I didn’t enjoy working in someone else’s home—the work was messy, unpredictable, and the risks were too high.

In the very beginning, I started by picking up discarded items from the trash—anything I thought I could restore and sell. Bikes, furniture, household goods, artwork—you name it. The items were free, so there was no risk, just the excitement of discovery. That first taste of success was thrilling, but soon I realized that the real learning curve wasn’t just finding free stuff—it was understanding value.

Selling items back then wasn’t as easy as posting a photo online. The only options were newspaper classified ads, free selling papers, holding a yard sale at your home, setting up a booth at a flea market or antique mall, or taking items to a local auction house. Every sale required effort, patience, and a willingness to meet buyers in person. It was a far cry from the instant transactions we take for granted today.

The antique business was even tougher. Before the internet, there was no way to look things up instantly. Learning the trade required countless hours attending local auctions—not necessarily to buy, but to learn what was valuable—plus buying reference books to research items and brands. Antique dealers guarded their knowledge like lawyers or doctors do today. They rarely shared the true value of items brought to them, and mistakes were part of the learning process. Today, all that has changed: one snap of a picture with a smartphone and a Google search can identify even the rarest antique and tell you its value. Secrets are gone, and everyone is trying to get into the buying and selling business.

Once I learned the basics of the antique business and began to recognize what was truly worth money, I shifted my focus from scavenging in the trash to buying items at yard sales and flea markets. Paying a few dollars for something of hidden value allowed me to find higher-quality items and greatly expand my potential profit. The thrill of the hunt became paired with strategy—knowing what to buy, how to restore it, and where to sell it.

When online marketplaces emerged, I became one of the first sellers on eBay in the late 1990s. My very first sale? A single Coke bottle for $8. Gradually, I transitioned from finding free items to buying and reselling intentionally. Some of my most memorable finds included:

• An antique crystal chandelier discovered atop a trash can, which sold for $2,600.
• A small antique Persian prayer rug purchased for $5 at a yard sale, sold for $500.
• A clarinet I found at a flea market for $15, which sold for over $1,800.
• An oil painting by a listed artist purchased on Marketplace for $40, which sold at auction for $7,600.
• And my biggest find—a genuine Cartier watch I got at a yard sale, later given as a gift, worth over $10,000.

The thrill of these discoveries hooked me—the hunt became just as addictive as the profit.

Eventually, I made a big leap: leaving corporate America behind to follow my dream of opening my own antique store. The store allowed me to combine everything I had learned about finding value, restoring items, and connecting with buyers. From classified ads and flea markets to eBay and Facebook Marketplace, the journey had come full circle. Over the years, I’ve sold well over a million dollars’ worth of items, not counting the money saved by buying things for myself at a fraction of their value.

For me now, buying and selling isn’t just about making money—it’s about doing what I love. It’s the thrill of the treasure hunt, the excitement of discovering the next big score, the joy of hitting the jackpot. It’s like being at a casino: every time you pull the lever on the slot machine, it pays off. That feeling of anticipation and reward never gets old.

The broader lesson is simple: keep the best, sell the rest, and never waste time teaching those who don’t want to learn. Focus your energy on what matters, recognize opportunity when it appears, and don’t be afraid to take risks to follow your passion. Buying and selling isn’t just about making money—it’s about seeing potential, taking action, and embracing the thrill of discovery.