Oh what a day! Talk about down in the dumps to euphoria, today was the day. As I mentioned in my last entry I had been collecting aluminum soda cans for quite sometime. I finally decided to cash them in with the idea that I would take the proceeds and go off to the auction wars and see if I could turn the proceeds into a nice retirement income. Fun, exciting, did I mention discouraging. I took my three shopping bags full of cans. By my estimate somewhere near 500 cans. I had heard that aluminum prices were high and was anxious to get my cash and get started. What I had not taken into consideration was that aluminum weight is low!!!. To my chagrin my three bags full weighed in at less than ten pounds and the entire proceeds amounted to $3. I considered rushing home and deleting my blog but what the heck, nothing ventured nothing gained.
My plan was to visit three auctions. So after conducting some morning business I arrived in Salisbury NC. at 11:45 in a pouring rain only to discover that the auction was outside. Thats right 49* and pouring rain and a few hearty souls huddled under umbrellas waiting for the auctioneer to remove the tarps from the treasures piled in rows on the ground. By this time I'm really wondereing if my idea wasn't a pretty dumb one. With my three dollars burning a hole in my pocket I used good judgement and headed for the Golden Wok in Albemarle to plan my next move. After some delicious Chinese I decide to continue my quest so I set out for Oakboro and auction number two.
As I arrived at the auction house, yes this auction was inside, once again I was discouraged as there were only three cars in the lot and a sign leaning against the building that said " Auction Sun". Oh My! Tell me I hadn't just driven 60 miles and the auction isn't going to happen for another three days. I entered the building and was pleased to find lots of interesting things on the tables and yes there was going to be an auction today. You've heard the saying, "it only takes two to make an auction" well this auction was going to put the phrase to the test. As the auction began there were only 17 bidders present. Fortunately for the auctioneer there were three ladies present who all seemed to have the same tastes and the bidding between the three was brisk. The gavel banged down on lots of neat things, but none within my budget. Go figure! However, let me be quick to point out that if you go a little early, do your homework, you may still be able to pull off that little gem. As I said earlier, down in the dumps to euphoria. Well after a very disappointing, and depressing day things suddenly turned my way. Tune in next time to get the low down on the exciting finds that I came up with withing my $3 budget. I will also be posting some pictures and give you some information about how you can become a part of my wonderful adventure if you would like.

Cans-to-Cash one man's journey through nooks and crannies ,auctions and Ebay

Welcome to Cans-to-Cash. We’ve all heard the stories about “trash to cash”, and now I’m going to give it a try, and I thought it would be interesting to bring you along. The plan is simple. I’ve been accumulating a stash of soft drink cans and I’ve decided to cash them in today and attempt to turn whatever I get into a retirement income. This morning I’ll be delivering my three shopping bags of aluminum cans to my local recycling center, and then taking the proceeds to three auctions and see what kind of treasures I can accumulate. I will share with you the plan as it formulates daily. The basic plan is to try to find treasures at the auctions and turn them into more cash by offering them on Ebay or other sales venues. As each item sells, the proceeds will go toward acquiring more gems and antiquities and see if it is really possible to turn a bag of cans into real wealth. I’ll share the experience in both words and pictures. Come along and enjoy the fun. Check in and see how it goes.