an easy thrift store find for eBayers...

[Neecy]

You've possibly passed these up hundreds of times in thrift stores, and they're hidden gold.

There are many, many thousands of people who roast their own coffee. While many have commercially made home-use coffee roasters, many also use hot air popcorn poppers to roast coffee with very good results.

Two models of air poppers are highly favored by coffee roasters. They're both made by Westbend and both carry the Poppery model name.

By far the most popular is the original Westbend Poppery. I've picked these up at thrift stores for as little as five dollars and sold them on eBay for close to $40. I also use one to roast coffee. Here's what it looks like so you can identify it:



The Poppery II doesn't sell for as much, but they're much easier to find. I generally pay between two and four dollars for them and if they're in very good condition get around twelve to fifteen dollars for them. Here's the Poppery II:



When you list these, be sure to title your listing as follows:

The Poppery air popper and coffee roaster
Poppery II air popper and coffee roaster

This is important because the search term for them is usually 'coffee roaster'.

These sell easily and they're so easy to find in thrift shops that it's worth the time to check around and see if any are on the shelves. If a plug is available, plug it in and make sure it heats up. You'll make coffee roasters who might not have access to thrift stores in their communities very happy, and make a little cash on the side.

[grasswire]

1. what's the going price?

And what do you charge for shipping?

[Neecy]

2. depends on the condition

If they're very clean and look new, the Poppery can fetch around $40 and the Poppery II from 12-15. If you can find them in the original box you might get a few dollars more.

The Poppery is very heavy - the thing is like a tank - and I usually charge eleven dollars or so to ship it. The Poppery II is much lighter and I usually ship those for seven dollars or so. I don't add a lot to my shipping charges and I usually break even after the packaging etc.

I originally bought these for myself, because I roast a lot of coffee for family and friends, and then I ended up with so many I started selling off the extras because I know a lot of people don't have access to thrift stores in smaller towns.

[grasswire]

3. thanks for the tip

I'll look for one to try myself!

[Vinca]

4. Thanks for the heads up. I know I've seen them, but would never

have thought to buy them.

[InvisibleTouch]

5. Thanks!

I'll poke my head into the local thrift store sometime and see what they have. The store has a sale once a month, and I've picked up some collectible toys for re-sale, but hadn't thought to check out the small appliances.