Searching thrift merchants, flea marketplaces and estate product sales can be overwhelming. With the sheer quantity of stuff, how do you know where to start out? How do you spot gems amid all the junk?
As a skilled reseller who has been combing via thrift stores for the better portion of 30 many years, I can assist. If you’re all set to slice your purchasing time in half, score even bigger bargains or walk absent with brag-deserving finds you can flip for hard cash, examine on.
From hard-to-locate residence things to resale cash-makers, everything featured in this sequence qualifies as a BOLO (“be on the lookout” for) merchandise. When you locate it, purchase it!
Showcased Obtain: Texas Ware mixing bowls
The 1940s introduced us the Slinky, Tupperware, M&Ms and the 1st glimpses of the midcentury modern aesthetic which is nonetheless influencing style these days.
And late in that ten years, the Plastics Manufacturing Co. of Dallas commenced generating kitchen solutions out of a new style of plastic known as melamine. Offered less than the name Texas Ware, the company’s full line involved almost everything from cups and saucers to faculty lunch trays.
But Texas Ware’s significant hit was its line of multicolored mixing bowls informally dubbed “confetti ware” or “spatter ware.” These strange items had been developed by incorporating a random assortment of brightly colored melamine pellets (aka “confetti”) to a heated mold. The result? Modern day, mass-generated bowls that highlighted fully unique designs of colour.
Why acquire it
In addition to getting lightweight and nearly indestructible, Texas Ware bowls are the epitome of midcentury optimism. I necessarily mean, who can be cynical all over confetti?
These are not bowls you disguise in the back again of a cupboard — they are bold, colourful statement parts.
And for resellers, locating a Texas Ware bowl in a random thrift retail outlet is actually a confetti-worthy moment. As I pointed out in this post on Heller dinnerware, lots of secondhand stores undervalue anything at all created of plastic. Poor for them, but great for eagle-eyed discount-hunters like you and me.
Final week, I purchased a huge Texas Ware bowl at Goodwill for $1.99 and quickly flipped it to a collector I know for $45. Resale possible is even superior on line. On Etsy, this 11-inch mixing bowl is on sale for $65. And this 10-inch bowl not too long ago introduced a whopping $104 on eBay.
Professional idea: If you are getting Texas Ware bowls for personal use, comply with two easy procedures:
- Never nuke it. Melamine will shatter in the microwave.
- Never put it in the dishwasher. Significant heat and weighty detergents will lead to the materials to dry out and come to be brittle.
What to seem for
Real Texas Ware is easy to discover. Identified on the underside of every piece, the elevated brand reads “Texas Ware” encircled by the words “Plastics Producing Co. Dallas, Texas, Usa.” On bowls, the maker’s mark will also contain a range that suggests size. (Bowl diameters might range slightly.) These marks incorporate:
- 111 — an 8-inch diameter bowl
- 118 — a 10-inch bowl
- 125 — an 11-inch bowl
Professional idea: Resellers, it is not unheard of to obtain a vintage confetti-design and style bowl without a maker’s mark. Obtain it anyway. Although branded items fetch increased price ranges, there is a robust current market for unbranded bowls.
Texas Ware also built in bowls in reliable colours, but customers want the confetti pattern. To get leading resale dollar, look for:
- Exclusive hues: Some hues are hotter than others. In my expertise, customers spend a quality for bowls that characteristic environmentally friendly, blue or yellow as the predominant color.
- Substantial-distinction coloration combos: Texas Ware collectors prize bowls in superior-contrast colours. Search for items with flecks of black, shiny pink or navy blue.
- Full sets: Texas Ware bowls were being developed in three graduated sizes, so they could be nested for quick storage. Even if the colors really don’t match, full sets command greater resale costs.
Purists beware: The level of popularity of Texas Ware’s classic bowls has inspired various modern knock-offs. Rachael Ray’s line of Garbage Bowls has a really equivalent seem and Zak! Types features a line of recycled melamine products marketed less than the brand name title Confetti.
Disclosure: The facts you read in this article is usually objective. Having said that, we often obtain payment when you simply click backlinks in our stories.
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