11/12/11 --- Tips from my recent shopping trip at Goodwill! ~ TheItMom.com: Coupon and Freebie Deals

Last Saturday (11/12) I went to Goodwill to find a nice variety of super cute Christmas decor and BRAND NEW toys for the kiddies. Guess what our color theme is for Christmas this year? Lavender and Purple! We also found a few packages of brand-new, unopened Marvel Legends figurines complete comic books and collector's cards! TOTAL SPENT: $40 (Retail $170)

Shopping Tips:

1. The BEST place to start for rare finds or seasonal products is Goodwill or Salvation Army Superstores. They oftentimes receive overstocks from retailers that are then sold at Goodwill for 50% off or more (just like all the NEW items pictured here).

2. When shopping at Goodwill - there are 3-very important colored price tags you'd need to know. Yellow, Red, and Daily Sale Colors. Yellow price tags show that the items are brand new and came from a retailer. Red price tags show that the item has been verified as "high-end" or "brand name" or "collector's item" that cannot be found elsewhere and is worth BIG BUCKS. The Daily Sale Colors are randomly chosen price tag colors (like orange or blue or green) that they've decided to offer for sale at an ADDITIONAL 50%-75% off! Oftentimes, they offer 2-colors for sale too.

3. When shopping for Collector's items or items that you think may be worth something - ALWAYS take advantage of Google or an app like Ebay to search for the actual value. The Marvel Legends shown here were $15 at Goodwill, yet selling for $50+ on Ebay! And never be afraid to seize the opportunity to buy them, even if they seem pricey! In these situations, you get WAY MORE than you pay for --- We've sold many items that we bought from Goodwill for far more than what we paid!