Originally Posted by
Uncle Erik 
I haven't sold for awhile, but I used to bring in a fair amount selling things I found at junk stores. It's hard to say exactly what to look for, but once you know your way around a few antique/collectible categories, you can usually spot bargains. Some stores are getting more savvy about checking eBay for prices, but I still find occasional bargains. Recently, I picked up two old Stanley Bedrock planes for $110. I knew they were worth about $700 total.
One rule of thumb is to look for stuff that's around 40 years old. For whatever reason, people start to get interested in things around 40 years old. Between 40-60 years, a market develops, and then by 100, it's a serious antique. That's one reason I've stashed away a small supply of old Macs. In another 15 years, I think they'll be more interesting than e-waste.
I found the best pickings in rural areas. Look around the small shops and garage sales.
What else... you might want to look around some auto junkyards and see what you can find. Trim pieces like moulding, headlight rings, side mirrors, badges, etc. often bring good money from collectors that need the parts. The mechicanical stuff is different, since you'd need to know its condition/repairability to bring top dollar in sales.
My brother-in-law and a friend make some extra cash buying surplus computer gear from a few tech companies. See if there's a tech company or school system that sells off old hardware periodically. There's often money to be made.
I looked into reselling new stuff, but that's a tough market to enter. Someone can eat your lunch over a dollar or two and eBay seems flooded with people trying to resell new stuff. It's better to have old stuff, because if someone desperatelly needs a non-reproduction engine badge for a '58 Fairlane, he won't be able to turn you down.
Have you thought about offering a service of some kind? Maybe you could learn how to rebuild carburetors or master cylinders. You could pull them from the junkyard, rebuild/make pretty, offer a warranty, and sell it for a profit. If you become known for reworking bits for a particular make or model, you might start pulling in business from all over.
Anyhow, there's a few ideas. Hopefully something will work out for you.
