Tee Shirts - Cotton Spun into Gold
This is where Unicorns live
There is crazy money to be made in tee shirts if you are willing to dig through a bunch of sad and sometimes nasty shirts. On a recent search of sold, used shirts on eBay, the first 150+ sold for over $1,000!
This was the top seller there is some chance of finding it in a thrift store or garage sale.
Ten of the top twenty most expensive (as of this writing) were vintage bands. Two were Nirvana and three were Flaming Lips.
It isn’t unusual for a full-size thrift store to have 500 to 1,000 tee shirts for sale. These include everything from the fire department give-a-wayway 5K sponsors shirts, to holy grail items like above. Few thrift store sorters spend time looking at a tee because 97% are worth no more than the two to four bucks they are asking.
Aah, but that 3%.
It isn’t unusual for a full-size thrift store to have 500 to 1,000 tees for sale.
I didn’t even count how many sold for $100 or more on eBay. Needless to say, there is money in this category if you know what to look for.
Vintage is the key most of the time. There are exceptions, like Taylor Swift. Maybe not likely in a thrift store yet but you never know.
Looking through the top hundred or so there were bands and genres that I did not recognize and might have passed over myself.
That’s important. If I just look for what I know I would miss value right in front of me. So dig in, and do some quick research when you find these things:
The Swiftie outliers aside, these are some key things to look for:
Graphics. What do the graphics say or represent? Do they pop? More than anything that is the game.
A date on the graphic or label that indicates vintage-ish.
XXXL and larger sizes are harder to find.
All over prints. Often there is a central graphic with additional art over the rest of the shirt. Like the one below.
Cross-branded items, also like the listing below.
Vintage will be worth more sometimes a lot more. Some bands and artists have toured for a long time. Elton John, for example, has been famous since Rocket Man debuted in 1972. He just quit touring, or that’s the plan.
Themes worth an extra look:
Sports, including surfing, skateboarding, X sports, fishing, hunting, racing and more. Don’t get hung up just on Baseball/Football etc. Attention to this detail alone will put you ahead of the game.
Some sports adjacent brands.
Vintage Disney and Disney Spirit. Not all Disney resells for a big premium.
Super Heros
Blockbuster movies, original
Military
Branded Camo, like RealTree
High-end designer brands
Silk, linen, and unusual fabrics. Most tees are cotton or a cotton blend, an unusual fabric should always be investigated.
Anything bright and colorful.
One brand to always check out is Patagonia.
Details to watch for:
The maker/care label that is yellowed with age.
Single stitching was more common than it is today.
Made in the USA. Yes, we used to make stuff.
Heavier fabric is a tip off.
Overall condition, just how much has it been worn? Are the collar and sleeve ends stretched out? Has it been washed one or ten too many times? Still might not be a deal breaker for that rare vintage item.
As always, stains, tears, rips, other blemishes. If it’s vintage enough it still may be worth money, but factor that into your consideration.
To me, it isn’t worth the time to buy a shirt for $1.99 and sell it for $4.00. Technically it’s doubled the money, but the time invested is worth more than two bucks.
A shirt you can buy for $1.99 and sell for $21.99 will at least get you $20ish. You get more value for your time, which is the real name of the game.
Avoid:
Event shirts, camp, 5K, not-for-profit single events
Local businesses like Joe’s Garage at 10th and Main.
Giveaways
Slogan shirts
Ask yourself “Who would care”?
Counterfeits
This happens. In today’s world, anything can be duplicated. Sometimes well, sometimes poorly, but still it’s out there. There are also legitimate reproductions, they may look cool but do not command a premium price. So really look hard if you think you have found a unicorn. Coke, for example, is really good at repurposing old ads and slogans.
A few years ago I bought a large lot of what was represented as an overrun of new Tommy Hilfiger tee shirts. It was a reputable company I had bought from many times before. Long story short, The Hilfiger company got involved, and it turned out they were all counterfeit. Yes, that resulted in a number of days of drama and the destruction of a lot of inventory.
Thanks for reading,
Tim Gebauer. Thrift Retailer.
You can find me on LinkedIn I would love to connect!
Check out my Thrift Merchandising e-book
Or my Online Sellers book on Amazon
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