If you’re ever visited a Goodwill Store, you already know they can be a treasure trove of great finds if you’ve got browsing patience and an eye for what’s valuable. It’s for that reason that many of the people who frequent Goodwill and Salvation Army stores are folks who can afford to shop almost anywhere but prefer the hunt for bargains and the rare find of something truly unique discovered in someone’s attic. Some people put their bargain finds on their wall, some put them in their wallet.
 |
| Old Bikes move quickly |
Meet Max Harris, a 20-something college student from St. Louis, who makes a tidy sum on taking one man’s trash and turning it into another man’s treasure. Max combs the dusty shelves and the tumbled, odorous bins of second-hand stores looking for valuables and resells them.
Now before you start to bristle at the thought that Max is profiting from charitable contributions meant for those in need, just take a look at the luxury cars parked in front of many of those outlet stores to see who’s really buying a lot of these second-hand goods. Most upper income shoppers prefer the home accessories like glassware or artwork rather than the used clothing and shoes truly intended for those in need.
That’s an important fact that Max Harris is well aware of as she searches for goods to resell. She skips the clothing racks and heads straight to the hard goods section looking for items like old cameras, bikes and golf clubs that she can resell to people willing to pay much more than she paid for them.
Max’s System
 |
| Violin in Excellent Condition sold on EBay. |
Not only does Max have an eye for what’s valuable, she has a system for knowing what items potential buyers are searching for. Using her smartphone or an internet connection, she scans the stuff “Wanted” lists found on EBay and Craigslist and goes on the hunt at estate sales or second-hand stores looking for specific high-ticket items that she knows a buyer is already primed to purchase. Smart Girl.
Check out the video of Max in action.
Not everyone knows how to make a dollar on something they paid much less for. Even Jesus disses the steward who kept but didn’t increase the talent (gold coin) entrusted to him (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-28) calling him “lazy and evil”. So even God wants you to make your money grow.
America’s system of capitalism has at its heart a process of buying low and selling high whether it’s McDonald’s or Morgan Stanley or Max Harris. She's a little go-getter who knows how to make a buck. Max does her homework, works the system and makes a profit. God knows she’s been blessed.
