Thrift Store Score - Smith Corona Typewriter

Talk about an obsolete item in today's society - a typewriter? It is nearly impossible to even find ribbons for them anymore. As my teenagers said, "What does it do?" Thanks for making me feel old, kids. But, they hold their value on eBay. Below is my listing for a vintage Smith Corona typewriter with case. This was marked $10 at a thrift store.

The typewriter sold for $129.97. This is a case of waiting for the right buyer. I had placed the item on auction for 7 days and did not receive any bids. Then I listed it on fixed price and it sold in 3 days. The listing only had 25 page views. Click here to see the completed listing.

Typewriters can bring really good money on eBay. Here are a few completed listings for typewriters that sold at astronomical prices:

Vintage Royal Typewriter - sold for $611

Vintage Underwood Typewriter - sold for $600

Vintage Olivetti Typewriter - sold for $455

So there you go. Old obsolete items can be a gold mine on eBay. For more ideas on vintage items to sell on eBay, check these two blog posts, which are updated regularly:

List of vintage items to sell on eBay

List of thrift store items to sell on eBay

Smith Corona Typewriter Ribbons - 81% Sell Through Rate

Here is a cool item you may find a garage sales, thrift stores, or estate sales. Typewriter ribbons - specifically, Smith Corona typewriter ribbons. According to Terapeak, these have an 81% sell through rate when offered on a fixed price listing:



You will notice that the price of an individual ribbon isn't very high. Most sellers are offering these in lots of 2 or more, such as in this listing:



You will also see some listings where Smith Corona typewriter ribbons are being sold with the actual typewriter. Add this item to your BOLO list for when you are out scouting items to sell on eBay.

Happy Selling!