if i may ask, what year is your son's truck
have you ever thought about an EMP ( ya never know )
nowadays, i wouldn't even look at a vehicle unless it was pre 1980
too much electronic/black box crap
i wouldn't care what it looks like
just as long as it's mechanically sound

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Dear Agnut,

Long time reader, first time poster(on this thread). You are a wealth of sound advice for these interesting time. The main reason why I check GIM is your thread, you really should write a book. 2007 was a banner year in terms of me getting my house in order financially, with expectations, and priorities. Keeping up with the Jones' is so 2004. Even my parents are seeing the light when it comes to frivolous spending. Your sensible attitude and obvious forethought about your career has actually motivated me to take up auctioneering school at night. I figure a lot of things are gonna change hands(one way or another) and I might as well diversify my abilities to catch some of the transaction costs. Also I enjoy when you muse about sensible automobiles. Mine is a paid-off 1994 jeep cherokee(great year for this model) with 150000 on it. I know it is not a long term answer and love hearing your opinions on the diesel vw, diesel mercedes, early camry, light toyota trucks or any solid gas efficient model. I would love to own a car with an Agnut transmission. Do you have a current specialty? Me and my wife are small time horse traders and incorporate the wisdom from this thread into a lot of weekend garage sales and auctions. Our specialties are jewelry, 19th century furniture, antique clocks, watches and many other. I can say that the good times we have had making an extra buck on the side has strengthened us. Thank you Agnut. Your voice has enriched my life on many levels and I look forward to more..

CB

P.S. I know Elmer is banned, but I always wanted to ask him if he was swimming naked for the upcoming tide

Hi Me Co. Glad to hear of your success with the silver halves. I am surprised that there are any Franklin halves in the boxes you go through. Guess it shows how oblivious the public is regarding real money.

So if I am reading you correctly, 25 ozt. at about $16.25 per ounce is $406.25 in silver at spot price. Not too shabby. And Turk said in one of his articles that silver may be $30 by the end of the year. My opinion is that anything can happen so I don’t make many predictions; I just follow the long term trends I see unfolding. I will caution you that if silver is $30 by the end of the year, you may have much more competition in finding silver halves. With that said, I would recommend that you redouble your efforts from here forward while the spot silver price is low.

One prediction I made a while back, “At some times and at some places, real estate will be worth less than zero”, was recently mentioned in another article on the internet. This occurred in the last depression and history has a way of repeating itself or at least rhyming as Mark Twain once said. Historystudent’s postings are really appreciated as they help get a perspective on where we are going. The past is prologue to the future, or something like that.

This is only the middle of January and you already have $406.25 in silver. If you were to continue at this pace, you would have $9,750 in silver at the end of this year ! Maybe this extrapolation out to a year’s effort will wake up some readers as to the significance of what you are doing.

Some readers here may feel that they don’t have much money to spare in acquiring silver but you have clearly shown what can be done with some imagination and a little capital.

I have pyramided money into a fortune and your silver half search method is sheer genius for anyone wanting to start with a small amount and make it grow. Nothing to lose since you have the coins in hand at face value. No risk; a win-win situation.

If a person were to start doing what you are doing, he/she could start with one box of halves and then continue to pull off the valuable halves until he/she had enough silver halves to turn in for 4x for the 40% and 10x for the 90% and then be able to get more than one box at a time. This selling silver halves would only be necessary in the beginning since there are only so many boxes you could buy and go through at a time. And you would turn in ANY silver halves only if you had to; maybe one time in order to increase opportunity. Maybe two boxes at a time is all anyone could handle.

Do you mark the boxes you go through so that you won’t get them later and waste your time ?

My bank refuses to get me any boxes of halves and I am thinking of opening another account elsewhere. This would be for my younger son and would be right up his alley.

Anyway, great story and I love to hear of your successes. Keep ‘em coming.

Best wishes,

Agnut

As an experiment with the next box of half dollars. Use one of the electronic scales with a precision of 0.1 grams or less. Weigh all the rolls before searching for 40 or 90 percent coins.

The weights for half dollars are:

90 % silver Franklin = 12.50 grams
40 % silver Kennedy = 11.50 grams
0 % silver Kennedy clad = 11.34 grams

The weight of a 20 coin roll of clads would be 226.8 grams plus the wrapper. The presence of a single Franklin would increase the weight by 1.16 grams to 227.96 grams plus wrapper. The presence of a single 40% Kennedy would increase the weight by 0.16 grams to 226.96 grams plus wrapper.

Maybe weighing the individual rolls could tell you which rolls to open and which rolls are a waste of time thus reducing your time and increasing throughput. Also eliminates the time of rewrapping all the coins.

Here’s something to consider. I was talking to Ponce the other day and he said that he had gone to a local thrift store and they were having a one dollar a bag day. All the clothing items that could be stuffed in a grocery bag would cost one dollar.

He got 36 pairs of pants in three bags for $3 total. That’s 8 cents per pair of pants. Eight pairs of Hagar slacks like new. Six pairs of Levis also like new. The rest were high quality pants. A rough price for all these pants would cost over an estimated $1,400 if bought in a retail outlet.

Next he got 15 sweaters in two bags for $2 total. Hanes, Polo of Beverly Hills, etc. Also like new. Even if these were only $25 each in a retail outlet, they would have cost $375 total.

Three quality suits for $1 each. No need to figure what they would cost new; a bundle.

So let’s see; $3 into $1,400 makes a 467 “bagger“. The pants.

And $2 into $375 makes a 187 “bagger“. The sweaters.

For those of you who don’t know what a bagger is, it means the number of times the purchase price the item would cost otherwise. Also it means the number of times someone sold an item for against what he paid for it. An item bought for $100 and sold for $1,200 would be a 12 bagger.

One way to look at it.

Hardbound books are a quarter at his thrift stores. Some of them are old and first editions. A few are even signed by the author.

Also old vinyl 33 1/3 records for a quarter.

Best wishes,

Agnut

P.S. Credit card companies are offering $15 if Ponce will begin to use his credit card. “Pleeeease charge something; anything to get you into debt.” They feel that every card user is a gambler and this offer is yet another enticement to get him back into the game.

I went through 17 boxes last week and 25 boxes since the first I am about at my limit (no redoubleing efforts allowed haha). There are alot of us doing this- alot more than I know of. One forum I get on had a thread we all posted our totals to- totaled to over 8000 ozt silver. I found the silver getting slimmer sos I took a quote from the penny forum and used it- "If your percentages are low, sort more!" I don't expect to keep this up even for this whole year but as long as I'm gettin a little and enjoying it I'll continue. I spend alot of time and burn some extra gas running around but I'm having fun. Besides what else do I have to do? Don't have wife and kids demanding my attention and time.
As to the weighing of rolls there's a guy 100 miles north of ME who does that but he does it to turn back in the skunk rolls to discourage his competition- or to be a dick haha. I have to open all the rolls anyways to cash them in via coin counters anyways so I won't be doing that- besides my digital scale only goes to 125 grams and I'm not buying a new one.
Coin roll hunting is a huge roller coaster ride, I don't exactly know why but I imagine is has something to do with all the dumps going back to the fed at once with little silver mixed in from J6P and then we have to wade through that crap to get to some better stuff.
Then there's the fact that noone wants to pay $hit for 40% and certainly not melt. The guy north of ME is a jeweler and sent his stuff to refiner- I think after all the fees and such he said he got 90%. Best I came accross was shipping the stuff clear accross country and waiting 2 weeks for 80% but have to have $500 face.
The best part of this hobby for ME is... having $$$. Remember in July I had $100 madd money to ME name, and 6 months later I'm sittin on $3000 and 250 ozt. junk silver (mostly 90% as I keep selling the 40%). BTW I still got 2 coffee cans of coppers from ME penny searches LOL. Thanks again, HH Mark

I've made over $500 FRNs off Ebay that I can buy PMs with, just selling my old comics and some old vinyl albums!!!!!

*Borat voice*
VEDDY EXCITE!!

Congrats Wakeness.

__________________

Thanks, FasTTcar!

Now that the bidding is over, and I know the final price - $727.87!!!
For 27 albums and 19 comic book lots!
To think this stuff has beensitting my my basements collecting dust for > 20 years....
No I can buy SILVER that will collect dust for > 20 years!

Thats cool. I need to clean out some of my clutter and learn how to work ebay I guess.
Got 5 more ounces out of ME halves today, face value of $13.50.
HH Mark

Hi Canadian-guerilla. My son’s truck is a 1987 Toyota with the 22RE engine. I know, I know; it has the electronic ignition and I cringe when I think about it. I am old school and greatly prefer older cars with points, carburetors and no computers. And my favorite, the early diesel cars and trucks that have mechanical fuel injection. The early Dodge trucks with the 12 valve Cummins diesel, the VW diesel Rabbits and the 240 diesel Mercedes. I haven’t owned an Isuzu diesel but I have heard that it was a great car in its day.

It sounds like you know what is sensible transportation for the future; especially if we experience an EMP “event”. Right now I have this old 1982 Datsun king cab diesel pickup truck. It smokes when I start it up cold but after it runs for a couple of minutes it stops smoking and runs great. It is not common like the VW diesel cars and may be hard to get parts in the future, a serious drawback in my estimation. I would sell it now except I don’t have any of my three Rabbit diesels running and don’t want to be caught without at least one diesel runner. Heck, I might anyway. I have the right to change my mind, don’t I ?

Tonight My son and I are going to pick up a pair of Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 cylinder heads for $50. I don’t know what I can sell them for but I have this gut feeling. Maybe I’ll look around the internet and try to establish a price. I may even have a buyer for the heads; I’ll contact him when I have them safely in my garage. Also we are to check out a 1987 Ford Tempo 4X4 for $150. It has a bad left rear axle but can be driven home and in front wheel drive until I can figure what to do with it. The body and interior look clean. The Ford is not by any means a sure deal, just another possibility.

What a blessing to have so many choices; this comes as an additional benefit of deal making. It opens all kinds of possibilities. It is a feeling of freedom; an empowering in my own life.

You will know that you are hooked when you are finishing one deal and having several others waiting in the wings. And knowing and anticipating when the newspapers and bargain sheets come out is another sign that you are hooked.

This is not difficult; it just takes a bit of being sick and tired of letting life grind you into the ground rather than your running your life for all its worth. Complaining about life’s difficulties is a waste of time and more importantly, a closed loop from which there is no exit except by consciously realizing it and getting off the complaint treadmill to nowhere.

We all know the economy is in sad shape and getting worse. But if we learn sharp deal making, we will be able to better survive the coming difficulties. And most likely, thrive while others are going down the tubes. Don’t ever feel that you are taking advantage of someone; you are merely buying something at an agreed upon price at that time. It is not your fault that they are selling an item for cash which they obviously need more than the item.

Best wishes,

Agnut

Hi corinthian bronze. Thanks. I am but one of several members at GIM who know some ways to make and save money that most others don’t. No problem sharing the “secrets”; only a few who read will act and change their lives. So I am not worried about competition. HaHa

Your auctioneering idea sounds like you will be positioning yourself in the mainstream of deal making. A great place to be for the future I foresee. With the specialties you already have under your belt, you sound to be well on your way. It’s a never ending learning process, isn’t it ? And that may be what holds my fascination, never knowing what is next.

I would write a book but who would buy it ? Sounds like a lot of work and ass kissing to get it published anyhow. Easier to just write when I have time and motivation. I have to admit that this thread does take a bit of my time and I will be getting busier soon so I hope that others will take the bit and run with it.

Here’s a story of what happened about a week ago :

The sand blast machine went out the door the other day. I figure I had paid $300 plus trailer rental of $50 plus gas for the truck of $20 for a total cost of $370. I sold the machine a few days later for $1,700 and figure I netted $1,330 for my efforts. I feel that both I and the buyer got a bargain. The buyer looked over the machines and said, “ You got these for less than $500 ?“ I just smiled and we both laughed. It was a funny moment and I’m sure he realized that I wasn’t doing this for the exercise as well as he was getting a good bargain. I could have sold it for more but turnover is important. I had originally bought it for my own use but it was too big. And when I bought it, I was mindful that it was a screaming bargain. So I knew that if I had to later sell it I would come out ahead. This is what we should be thinking in ALL of our purchases, not just deal making. It is an attitude that will stretch our bucks and empower us to control our finances rather than let them control us.

Now that I have my $370 cash investment back as well as my $1,330 profit, what should I do with it ? I could take a nice vacation but after that I would be back where I was before. Also the time on vacation, while fun, could instead be used to find new deals. There will be plenty of time for play later but it is crucial to first build a bankroll for opportunities. When I was young I pined for deals that I could have bought and simply stored them and I would be a multimillionaire today. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing great deals and not having the cash to acquire them.

We shouldn’t treat every good buy like it is the last one we will find but rather we should get it sold for a reasonable profit.

I probably could have sold the machine for $2,500 or more but it may have taken several months to find a buyer at that price. The selling price is partly determined by how fast you may want to sell an item. And crazy as it may seem, a high beginning sale price may be more effective than a lowball beginning price. Remember that when you offer an item, you can’t demand a higher price. So set your initial price above what you really want to get and leave a bit of bargaining room for the buyer.

And remember what I said, that you should be in control whether buying or selling. Honest dealings are amicable and open. If someone thinks that you are making too much money on a deal, it is really none of his business. The bottom line is whether it is priced for sale at what he is willing to pay. It is of no consequence what you paid. If you got the item for free, should you also let the buyer have it for free ? See how stupid this line of thinking is ? If you ever get someone who isn’t happy with dealing with you, get them to go elsewhere before making any transaction with them. I have learned that they are missing something between the ears. Dealing with such people can lead to problems later. There aren’t many of them but you can usually spot them if you listen closely to what they have to say.

Did I mention that I had bought 5 French Hermes silk ties for $10 ? Well, I put them on Ebay and got $132.50 plus shipping. I netted about $120, a 12 bagger. Not too bad for something I bought that I didn’t know the value but had a gut feeling.

I just picked up an early Craftsman table saw for $20, It is the heavy cast iron type I was looking for. The seller also had a 5 HP Craftsman garden tiller that I couldn’t refuse for $40. And later my son is going to pick up a 5.5K gas generator from the same seller for $100. Maybe some crab traps too.

I cannot emphasize enough the necessity to ask a seller what else he has for sale. The sandblast machine deal came about because we were buying the two Mazda trucks for $50. That’s right; I asked what else he had for sale and he took us into his garage and there was the sand blaster. I would have never known if I hadn’t casually asked.

Don’t be shy about asking sellers what else they have for sale. In my experience, they have always, without exception, been all too happy to consider what else they can get rid of. I mean, I’m right there and have just paid them cash for the items I came for. What seller wouldn’t jump at the opportunity ?

There ! I’m almost caught up with my posts.

Keep up the great postings Corinthian bronze and welcome to GIM.

Best wishes,

Agnut

P.S. Elmer was good for comic relief; I still can’t understand how someone with children could be so narrow minded. He was joking, wasn’t he ? Lordy, I sure hope so !

I'm trying to brainstorm an idea and could use some feedback.
My grandmother is in her 80's and bless her little heart she just can't sit still and she is addicted to buying junk- I mean she has no money but she will wander the dollar store and thrift stores for hours- if its a dollar or less she's bringing it home and giving it to ME or my mother. We have tried to talk to her about buying stuff that is at least useful but no she buys nicknack $hit and broken $hit. Not only was it the waste of money that was the problem- we were getting burried in $hit, so we started hauling it off, dam if some of the same $hit didn't pop up again.
I thought since it doesn't matter what she is buying- I may grubstake her into some CRH, at least she would be buying money. Mom says thas not a good idea but I still may take her around and show her the ropes.
Second idea I had was since she likes the thrift store so much maybe she could look for old sterling silver, silverware, platters... this may be a little harder since I don't know much yet either.
Anybody else have any ideas of things my gramma could look for and buy that would at least have some RETURN and not wind up in the garbage? She is also limited to her side of town and how far we will let her drive- she gets lost when she gets too far away haha.
Since I will have to grubstake her little treasure hunting Mom says it won't work- she will forget what she is there for and still come home with the headless teddy bear but I think its worth a shot. Any input would be appreciated.
HH Mark

Maybe you could have her go to her local bank and buy a box or two of pennies every week. Get her a nice magnifying glass light and have her sort the pre 1982's and the wheat pennies out. Return the rejects to another bank. Wash, rinse, repeat. Move her addiction from buying junk to sorting pennies.

Otherwise whatever she buys you that you don't want but can sell at a flea market or garage sale, do it. Take that money and use it for CRHing. The rest donate to charity for the tax break.

__________________
I wasted my time till time wasted me. - Jon Oliva

Part of her being addicted to shopping for knick knacks is likely due to the walking and exercise she gets, and the change of scenery. You may find she's not interested in sorting pennies all day....

Pennies are out. Gramma isn't able to carry boxes of anything. I was thinking of letting her go to banks in her area and asking for halves and she could get a couple rolls at a time and put them in her purse. I thought also maybe she could find some sterling silver silverware at the thrift shops for below melt- that would be more fun for her and profitable too.
Keep the ideas coming I know there's a brighter idea out there that we haven't tapped yet. HH Mark
BTW she just has to get out of the house- we wouldn't mind if she just windowshopped but she can't do that without spending.

I would just like to thank Agnut for his timely and pertinent posts. This website really is a godsend to us reform sheeple(like me) looking for answers. It's a lot like living in a fog, in mainstream America. The news wants us to think one thing, the advertiser want to explain to us another, even the television shows are skewed to teach us improper fiscal management(live great now, while your young). Only a serious wakeup call will wake up this Britney Spears world. Its coming, like it or not, we as nation will have to deal with our arrogance and ignorance. I feel honored and gratefull to have a head start on the coming storm. Many things discussed on this thread i have done. Hoarding pennies was an early introduction to the power of savings. Get one $25 dollar box per week and see if you don't feel like Scrooge Mcduck after two months. A ton of pennies looks like a safer bet than my 401k. Searching for silver halves at banks is an art form. In the last two years competition has increased at least five-fold. That doesn't discourage me from asking each and every time i visit any bank or place of business(mcdonald's is a wealth of free silver) if they have any half dollars. They say that "Luck" resides at the intersection of opportunity and preparedness. Well this thread will bode up the preparedness side and opportunity is still abundant in this great country. So get lucky(according to your sheeple friends). And make it happen, because no one will do it for you.

CB

P.S. Agnut your writing style remings me of a great author i am just discovering, Gene Logsdon. I would love to hear if you have read anything of his.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinthian_bronze

“Here’s a post by Shane, a gifted writer, from Timebomb2000 that I thought would be good to consider :

"The Great American Garage Sale!"

They should begin to explore owning only those tangible basic goods and preps that will sustain life, or save them money on essentials that'll always be needed, or possibly make some money regardless of the economy. And, with any little left over dollars, after that, then exchange some of them into some gold/silver.

All other investments and goods, with few exceptions, if not already unloaded, should be sold now while it can still get a fair price. A few toys reluctantly released, I consoled myself with remembering that, I'll be able to buy back bigger, better, later, and so much more cheaper, if I still even want to then.

Most all fellow Americans will be forced to try and liquidate most everything, too, eventually, but when they do, it'll be in a mass panic and far past any hope of ever getting anywhere near a fair price then, as everybody else will also be dumping everything at the same time, too, with many just trying to scrape together enough funds to cover their next mortgage, insurance, or tax payment to keep a roof over their heads.

This will be the coming shocking cover photos of our national magazines and TV exposes, one of row upon row of suburban houses with tons of stuff (second cars, boats, jet-ski's, 4-wheelers, big screen TV's, exercise equip, etc.) all out front with for-sale signs, though with nothing much at all selling; "The Great American Garage Sale!" they'll all sadly document and proclaim.

Bottom Line: Sell now everything that does not sustain life or save money or make money, and do it while you can still get a fair price for it.

And, with that money, then pay down debt and/or buy what truly will sustain your family or save/make you money during the 'coming to a town near you' national economic/financial/monetary crisis.

Panic Early, Beat The Rush!

- Shane”
============
Shane has over 3,000 posts and has a lot to say about preparations. I recommend Timebomb2000 highly as a resource for your preparations ideas. Lots of great people there just giving away valuable info.

Liquidating unnecessary possessions now will not only free up capital for opportunities in the future but very possibly command a much greater sale value now rather than when "The Great American Garage Sale!" takes place. I anticipate this happening this summer. A gar(b)age sale without parallel.

So now seems to be a great time to get rid of things you don’t need in order to have the cash for this summer and fall. I’m taking my own advice and selling several items on Ebay for the sole purpose of holding the cash for this summer. And I may find a few quick deals while I am waiting to “stab a fat hog in the ass”. It’s a good feeling knowing that there is an extra cushion of cash, money derived from getting rid of things we may regret not having sold before this “Great American Garage Sale” comes to a neighborhood near you. Have you been watching the previews ? They are all around. I began warning about this disappearing of discretionary money last July.

As our economy has been spiraling downward, the prices and availability of good items have gotten better. There is a point coming that may well freeze up the buyer/seller relationship. Comparable to the real estate market wherein there are houses for sale up and down the street now. As things deteriorate, and sellers have to drop their prices, buyers will have bought what they want and then there will be even less sellers. After all, if you have gotten a grand piano, you won’t be in the market for another grand piano, will you ? When demand dries up at any price, items for sale become worthless. Not just worth less but worthless. Even worse, large items like furniture and appliances that nobody needs will be worth less than nothing because they cost money and time to haul them off to the dump. I know this may seem like an extreme example but it can happen and I thought I should mention it to cover all bases.

My first wife and I lived in Erie (as in dreary Erie, the mistake by the lake) in the early 1970s. At that time the town was full of antique furniture and I heard stories of people busting up antique furniture fore firewood. Distressed oak, Walnut and other hardwoods that can take generations to grow and mature. Talk about a fire sale ! The point is that items’ desirability and perceived value chang over time. We all have to flow with the current and not become a stick in the mud. Those antiques that were burned years ago are worth thousands today. Some 38 years later, a secondary burn for those who lacked the foresight !

We own nothing in this world but only have use of it for a time, for we are mortal. A quote I made for myself to remind me to not get caught up with “owning things”. Things are to be used, not sit around in storage. Selling now is getting ahead of the curve. You know, the curve in the road ahead that will throw millions over the precipice.

Lately my son and I have been looking to accumulate generators and garden tillers. We are getting a 5K generator for $100 and already got a 5HP Craftsman tiller for $40. There are a couple of generators out there that need repair and we may pick them up too. By the way, they are free if we will but haul them away. So why am I not patching out the driveway to get them ? Time is money and they can wait until I am free from better deals.

In a few months it will be time to begin planning to prepare gardens for planting. With it being January and all, and with people not thinking ahead (as usual), garden equipment is available cheap. Just got a 15 HP Craftsman riding mower for $50. A bit rough looking but it runs good and should be perfect to pull the 5 HP Craftsman tiller I bought the other day. Funny, a $50 riding mower pulling a tiller that cost almost $1,000 new (I paid $100 for the almost new tiller).

And the old cast iron Craftsman table saw I got for $20 was amazing yesterday. I had to cut some 1 1/8” thick plywood sheets (Yes, it really does exist) and the table saw did it ! Not without some grunting and groaning and stalling due to my ineptitude but also to the sheer (shear ?) weight of the plywood sheets. By the way, I was making a soundproof box for my air compressor that had been running me out of the shop whenever it kicked in. RandyMatt, who has done soundproofing for musicians’ studios, advised me to build it heavily and soundproof the inside well with soundboard and other materials. I didn’t have any lead sheeting; as I had lost Lex Luthor’s phone # sometime back in my youth so I made do with what was laying around. The plywood sheets had been scrounged for free from a local moving and storage company. The soundproofing and 2X4s were leftovers from another project. And my throbbing fingers can attest to all the ten penny nails I straightened. So this project didn’t cost hardly anything (and it looks it too !). But now at least I don’t jump and cover my ears, running out the door like a girlie man every time the compressor decides to cycle.

See, every project we can do for ourselves is an opportunity to save/make incredible money. Think of it this way. What would it have cost to have a carpenter come in and build the soundproof box ? Do you think he would have been thrilled with my used/scrounged materials ? Straightened nails ? I can only guess but it would have cost around $300, probably more, if I had hired a pro and told him to have a go at my bank account. And that $300 or so ? I would have had to earn about $600 before taxes in order to so generously donate half to all the needy government workers and their so necessary programs. I am the first to know how hard $600 is to earn (being the lazy bastard that I am). So an afternoon of saw buzzing and hammering to a Bob Marley CD while saving all that dough (sorry govt workers and Home Depot), wasn’t such a bad idea. I just wouldn’t want to make a career of it.

Sure it ain’t real purty but it works. About now you’re thinking, “yeah, about as good as wiping your butt with a pinecone”. Some truth there but as I have been hammering (hush, my little flattened fingers) home in my posts, we are moving from form to function and we better all learn to get used to it. And make it work for us ASAP.

I would be remiss to not mention that you can often fix your own car and save a bundle. Shop mechanics in my area charge anywhere from $60 to $90 per hour plus parts. And the parts are heavily marked up. Besides, you may be able to find used parts for a fraction of their new price. I do this all the time with ads in the papers and wrecking yards. You would be surprised at all the car nuts out there who specialize in one type of car. For instance, there is one guy who has about 30 old Corvairs and a barn of antique parts.

Form is for suckers; it took me most of my life to figure it out for myself. Function is first and foremost and if you have any money left over you don’t know what to do with, by all means buy some pretty geegaw to salve your ego. But I warn you that it won’t make you happy and you are really lacking imagination with what to do with any extra investment money.

On CNBC right now there is a company called 1-800-GOT-JUNK ? They haul away your unwanted junk. $158 million in business this year. 13 franchise partners right now. Man who started the company is 39. Not sure if I want the competition with all the junk my son and I already pick up. Oh well, there looks to be plenty of junk to go around. Funny that I used to hear that America was the “land of plenty”, I just never thought it would one day apply to plenty of junk.

Next they had a Mr. Garnier who started a shredding company. Cars, tires, plastic, you name it. His dream is to make a shredder that can handle a mobile home. So look out rednecks ! You have been warned.

And finally they had Mr. and Mrs. Gold who started a 99 cent store. They were concerned that others would compete with them right away but nobody did for 20 years ! Imagine having an exclusive market for 20 years. With their chain of stores and franchise, they are worth waaay over 100 million. Sort of a Sam Walton retailer for the serious bargain hunter (or dirt bag like me).

Best wishes,

agnut

hey agnut

i just saw that tv program too
it makes ya think,
no matter how stupid, or off the wall

" all it takes is one good idea "

i've learned my lessons too
everything i wear is second hand ( socks & underwear are brand new )
i have one good pair of dress pants ( for weddings and funerals )
i've learned to invest in things that can't be taken away
knowledge - handyman skills - your health

i'll get a kick out of seeing some kid standing in a food line wearing $200 Nike shoes
and i'll always be thinking about the " Elmers " of this world

__________________

Hi Wakeness. Congratulations ! Love those Ebay deals. Bargains buying AND selling. At least that’s the way I see it. Been doing it for many years. Also a great price reference resource for all kinds of items.

I have a collection of hundreds of records and don’t know what they are worth. I have checked out some of their catalog prices and end of auction prices on Ebay and noticed that the Ebay prices were about half of the catalog prices. The early jazz and rock and roll are at the top of my list. I also look for the Deutsche Grammophone classical records. They are of the highest quality and sometimes I can pick them for as little as a dime. Worthy of mention are the RCA Red Label recordings and the Columbia Masterworks. They aren’t hot sellers and won’t probably be worth much in the future; I just enjoy listening to them. My sons are getting an education in classical music and it’s hard to put a value on that.

While I am on the subject, I also recommend getting some of the old classic movies on DVD. Bogart, Gable, Betty Davis and many others. My younger son has opened up to these old classics, mostly in black and white. It was so gratifying to see his amazement in discovering that there was a world of cinema that he did not know existed.

If you are like me and collect DVD movies, I would want to accumulate cash and wait until the Blue Ray high definition DVD system becomes popular (if it does). Then the used regular DVDs will become more available and therefore cheaper. Don’t stop looking for bargain DVDs now; they are there but not often.

I can only speculate on the future value of books. I have hundreds and plan to accumulate more. It is possible that old books will be in demand someday. Even now some old books can command prices in the hundreds or thousands of dollars. Don’t expect to find these books easily; the nature of something worth a fortune is that it is RARE and therefore like finding a needle in a haystack. You may happen on such a goldmine (that’s if you have the sense to sell it and buy gold) but I don’t go out explicitly looking for such high dollar books. What is important is to be out looking as you educate yourself in what is desirable and valuable. You may find someone selling a home library of books and some may be worth $20 to $50 and can be bought for as little as a quarter. That’s an 80 to 200 bagger !

I suspect that percentage wise, books offer one of the greatest potentials. Check out Abebooks.com for price comparisons. And note that many books are offered for as little as one dollar with $3.50 shipping added. They make most of their money on shipping with these cheap prices. Just be mindful that time between buying and selling has become more important because of our unstable economy. A collapsed economy may also collapse the market prices for most books. An exception may be self help and handyman books.

Best wishes,

agnut

Are X men or Batman comic books worth anything?

Darn straight Curtman !!!!
Check out an Overstreet Price guide at the bookstore or
check out Ebay if you have some from the 60's or 70's
or even older...
Haystackneedle

Yeah Agnut, it's pretty cool making some extra money on Ebay.
I am a collector in a pretty big way. Whenever I get into something, I go crazy and collect, whether it's comics, CDs, DVDs, Miniatures, or whatever.

But - Now that I have been introduced to the world of PMs, I'm going to sell off absolutely everything that I have collected over the years and buy PMs.
The last batch bought me silver, the next batch will be my first foray into gold. Looking forward to buying some gold.....

I think my wife is going to be happy that I'm going to be interested in gooing out to the garage sales this summer! lol

This is just a shout out to Agnut This is my favorite thread here at GIM. You deserve a pat on the back for opening our eyes and helping us get prepared.

Well I pull 50ozt in January on the cheap, face value of $121.50. Pickins are slimmin with lots more competition but you can't win ifn ya don't play. HH Mark

agnut,

First off, please allow me the opportunity to humbly introduce myself, as I am a new member to GIM.

While I have been reading GIM for quite a while, I've decided to join because I've tired of being a passive learner. I've realized that, to advance to the next step of wealth protection - and even, dare I say, creation - I must be a more active learner and afford myself the opportunity to ask questions from the likes of you and so many other wise posters here at GIM.

So here I stand, I can do no other.

I have found this thread in particular to be not only enlightening, but also reaffirming as I have been bartering and horse trading in one form or another my whole life without even realizing it. As a child it was baseball and basketball cards, or video games. Now that I am a man, I've put away such childish things - but only for play, not where profit is concerned.

Indeed, I have found that many of the toys I had as a child are now big sellers on eBay, and realizing what is truly wealth I have begun trading plastic for gold and silver.

Like water for chocolate I have not only cleared space in my humble abode (room for preps!), but turned my old toys into precious metals and real wealth. A friend of mine cannot believe that people are willing to pay as much as they do for some of these toys - and I think he is secretly kicking himself for having thrown his own away so long ago.

I must admit that at first I was reluctant to part with these old toys for sentimental and generational reasons. I had thought that I would pass these toys on to my children, and imagined that they would appreciate them as much as I did. However, after much reflection, I have come to two opinions on this that have been the impetus to sell: one is that my children may not appreciate my old toys as much as I did, and thus it would be foolish to keep them; and two, that, were my children to actually appreciate them, and given the coming economic crisis that I and so many here at GIM expect to occur, it would be better to sell my old toys now to convert the profits into precious metals, and then convert the precious metals back into even more toys of the same type later on after financial catastrophe hits the world.

Well, thanks to your many posts on the subject of bartering and horse trading, I realized that I might be able to expand this effort beyond my own long-held toys. And so I began hitting up yard / garage sales in my area last summer looking for deals. Sure enough, I found many great items that I have been able to re-sell for much profit and in turn purchase even more precious metals!

For example, a popular video game - that someone was selling because he had already gotten many hours of enjoyment out of it - was sold to me at a yard sale for a mere $2.00. I took the risk of buying it without knowing the exact market for such games, but eventually found someone else who was willing to buy it from me for $18.00. The way I look at it is that I am now able to buy an ounce of silver for two bucks as late as 2008!

In another case, I was able to purchase a rare Lego set for a ten-spot, and turned it around for nearly $230! At the time it was about 4/10 of an ounce of gold for the low low price of ten bucks!

While the profit margin on these deals may be astronomical, I'm sure you know as well as most that not all deals enjoy such a spread. Sometimes a mere 150% profit is all one can garner - still, even this is a profit and worth pursuing.

I am looking forward to the yard / garage sale season in 2008. However, as I stated above that I joined GIM to empower myself so that I can pick the brains of some of the finest minds on the Internet, I would like to ask you, agnut - and anyone else who would like to contribute - two questions.

The first is this: since yard / garage sale season doesn't really start up in my part of these here united States until late Spring, where should I be looking for deals in the mean time?

The second is this: what impact do you think the current (and growing) economic / financial crisis the united States is facing will have on this year's and future yard / garage sales, as well as bartering and horse trading?

Cheers,
Saoirse (Gaelic for "Liberty")

PS: If Elmer or his kind are reading - you can call me a "dirtbag" for bartering and horse trading if you like, for ontologically that is what I am as a pilgrim in this world as the good Lord said:

"in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Genesis 3:19).

As many others have mentioned, this is my favorite thread on this great forum. Sometimes I'm disappointed when days pass and no new information is posted. So, just like Saoirse, I've decided to participate in the thread.

I often cross the line with my paranoia of a "greater" depression, hyper-inflation, or even prolonged deflation. My wife usually keeps me in check by looking at me like if I was from another planet.

A few months ago I started buying a few extra items of food during every grocery store visit. I've also been buying gold for a few years (slowly).

I have one question and would welcome any input.

Are there any sites that mirror the ideas in this thread?

I've tried Timebomb2000 and for some reason it doesn't like my ISP's IP address and it tells me that the IP has been banned. There is an email address but it bounces back. Any thoughts?

thanks!

I told my wife anytime you see any canned or non perishable item on sale buy 4 or 5 instead of one. If you'll notice there are fewer and fewer 2 for ones now.

__________________
" Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss."

Thanks Corinthian bronze. I agree that with all the mainstream media, we have to slog through loads of info to find the truth. News has become entertainment and propaganda. If it were not for the internet we would be in the dark. And we have to ask ourselves just how many of the population have been awakened by the internet.

Always remember that the internet is not mainstream news and has to be accessed by the active interest of its participants. On the other hand (the left or sinister one), we have the mainstream media news. It is what I would call passive absorption; it is on the radio and TV interspersed with entertainment and can’t help to be taken in at the same time. In fact, if you will watch closely, even the entertainment is peppered with subtle and some not so subtle social “rules for the behavior” ( a line from Casablanca).

We all need to exercise our critical thinking when watching the boob tube. Someone said, “The TV is the best instrument for turning gray matter into brown matter”. ‘Nuff said.

There will be detractors around as you change your life. Oh, yes ! These people are the kind who always see the negative side and why it can’t be done. So how do you handle these naysayers ? Simple; don’t tell them what you are doing until it is all over. And maybe even not then. Your successes are yours alone and best considered a treasure box to be shared at your discretion. Remember, it ain’t braggin’ if you have done it. Just a fact.

They say that the best revenge is success. Not personal revenge; revenge on what is holding you back from your dreams. The focus of this thread isn’t to make you rich in dollars and things although that is what usually happens. The deeper purpose is to show a way to be more in control of your life. To affect fundamental change in our lives.

I suggest that we all have a notebook of daily activities we want to accomplish. On each page is the day of the week. And below that are the things we want and need to do. A numbered list. But on the left margin are large numbers of the order of importance we attach to each task. That way we know what needs to be done first and the lower priority ones can be done as time and energy permits. If we don’t organize our time, we have less hope of serious accomplishment. So get those thoughts swirling around in your head committed to a notebook where they can be put in their place. An uncluttered mind is cleared and available for growth while a cluttered mind is like a room where you throw all your junk you don’t know what to do with and you don‘t even want to open the door.

I began preparing in 1998 for the Y2K potential catastrophe. It included reading all sorts of articles not directly referring to Y2K. And that is when my eyes were first opened to the many tools that were literally unavailable to the masses only because they were too distracted.

There are lots of boys running around in men’s bodies. It has been too easy for so long that most haven’t had enough trying experiences to gain a realistic perspective. So when hard times come, the ones who can come up to speed fast will have a better chance. There seems to be a sort of Darwinian survival of the species going on in the financial world. And what he said about the success going to the most adaptable to change rather than to the swiftest or smartest. After all, what is smart without the wisdom and motivation to bring it into the world ? Smart is like a 1,000 horsepower engine. It can rev up and roar until our ears fall off. But if it isn’t put into gear and pointed in the right direction, it is all show and noise. A lot of wasted gas.

A 100 I.Q. means that half of the population is below you. And the half above you are mostly oblivious anyway. Deal making is so simple that a child can do it. In fact, many deal makers began in their childhood. I did.

What I want to say here is that thinking you are not smart enough to become a successful barterer and horse trader is illogical and a dead end. I spoke with my older sister the other day and told her of the success that Me Co was having with the 40% and 90% silver half dollars. Boy, I haven’t heard her that excited in a long time ! She would have hung up on me and rushed to the bank if it was open at that time. The point is that we never know what response we may elicit; we are all different but similar in many ways. Extending hope with opportunities has the potential to change others’ lives.

And make no mistake; this bartering and horse trading thread is life changing stuff. The only roadblocks to success are denial and inaction. And there should be enough examples given here to negate all deniability.

Funny (not HaHa funny) that last July I began cautioning readers to hold back as I had noticed discretionary money becoming nonexistent. I think we hit the bulldozer blade last summer. Like in the movie “Vanishing Point”. And at the same time last summer, the story of the subprime mortgage debacle hit the mainstream news. Notice how as the news filtered in, it got worse ? I believe they knew but the impact was so all encompassing that it had to be slowly fed to the public so as not to cause a panic and crash. And today as I write this I am appalled at the enormity of our macro financial Waterloo. We are still in the process of wrapping our minds around just how bad the blowback will be. As Ponce says, “The government will tell you what they want you to know AND what they can no longer conceal.” So there is much, much more to come.

Remember that we don’t even hit the peak of the subprime mortgage refinances until March. And look how unraveled things are now. So imagine how things will be this summer and fall as the impact and fallout filters through our society. It is as if a dirty bomb had been set off in our financial world. A long lingering poison in many areas of the economy. I’m sure you can identify some with some reflection.

And what will be safe to invest in in the future ? It will be things you and others need.

This necessitates a change (as in adaptability; see how I not so cleverly tie in other thoughts such as Darwin ?) of thinking of how and what we choose to buy and sell.

Corinthian bronze, I did look up this Gene Logsdon. Some of his books are hard to find and collectable. He has a strong following and must be one very special person. Thanks for the complimentary comparison but I am a non professional writer, a Joe lunch bucket kinda guy.

Here is one of his quotes :

If information highways are the wave of the future, then I will build information country roads on which the traveler can reach the truth faster by going slower."
- Gene Logsdon

Pretty insightful, huh ?

“All Flesh Is Grass“, a book by Gene Logsdon . Is that where the expression came from, “Your ass is grass” ? HaHa

Best wishes,

agnut

P.S. I haven’t written for about a week and need to respond to Canadian-Guerilla, Wake-ness, elephant and others. Saoirse, a new GIM member, wrote a wonderful lengthy post that deserves rereading several times.

Just a thought here but as I read others’ posts I can’t help but feel that I am getting a rare insight into the hearts and minds of some very special people. This is just one of the benefits of having begun this bartering and horse trading thread some 13 months ago. I can’t believe that it has gone on so long and well. I really appreciate those who have picked up my slack when I was too busy to write. By the way, I am a hunt and peck typist. So realize that it takes me a lot of time to post. I have two pages hand written while I was out in the shop smoking a stogie and will have to type it up for the next post.

A secret of giving is that you usually get back more than you give. It comes back in all sorts of ways. Rather than think of it as giving, think of it as sharing and investing in others. It is actually selfish but in a good way. We must become the change we want to see in the world.

I just found this forum a week ago and just found this thread today..

I skimmed over a few pages...and then this last one....Good stuff!

I Love Ebay!

I have been Buyin and Selling on Ebay for bout 10 years!

Baytrader-ken is My ID

I met My wife in the Ebay Cafe!

She is an artist and she Curently makes and sells Lampwork Beads and does quite well...

No Ressesion there as far as I can tell

Great Fourm and thread Guys!

Im Learning alot here!