What's selling right now
Three of this week's five categories are in a genuine multi-week climb — not a one-week blip, a sustained move you can act on right now. But the real lesson this week is that price alone doesn't make a score; the variant, the label, the union tag, or the exact model number is what separates a $20 flip from a $150 one. Know the qualifier before you pick it up.
Pokémon Cards ~$38.50
The median is $38.50 right now, up 60% week-over-week and climbing for multiple weeks straight — this is a durable move, not a blip. The range runs $3.75 to $249, and the gap is entirely about set and condition: Base Set Unlimited holos, Shadowless first-edition cards, and PSA-graded 10s are where the ceiling lives. At a sale, flip every binder — the $249 cards look identical to the $4 ones until you read the set symbol and the edition stamp in the lower left corner of the art box. No stamp = Unlimited; small stamp = 1st Edition. That one detail is the whole game.
Signed Costume Jewelry ~$48.99
Median is $48.99 with a comp-proven spread: signed Trifari, Juliana, and Eisenberg pieces are clearing $72.95 against a common $48 — a confirmed 1.5× on 8 comps. The week-over-week move is +18% but flagged as a spike, so treat this as a body feature rather than a headline. The tell is the signature itself: flip every piece and look for a cartouche or a stamped name on the clasp or back plate. 'Trifari' with a crown above it, 'Eisenberg Ice,' or 'Juliana' (usually paper-tagged, not stamped) are the three to know. Unsigned rhinestone pieces sit at the floor; signed ones move fast.
Vintage Carhartt ~$104
Median is $104 with a comp-proven spread: Union Made Detroit jackets are clearing $158.85 against a common $94.99 — a confirmed 1.7× on 19 comps. The week-over-week move is +27% but flagged as a spike, so feature in the body. The tell is the union label sewn into the collar or interior: 'Made in USA' with a union bug (ACWA or UNITE HERE) on a Detroit-cut J18 or C01 chore coat is the piece you want. Post-2000 offshore Carhartt is common; pre-1990 union-made is the score. Check the tag stack — country of origin is always there.
Vitamix ~$78.93
Median is $78.93, up 6% week-over-week with a confirmed rising trend. The range runs $10.49 to $290, and the model number is everything. A 5200 or 7500 with the original tamper and a clean container clears $200–$250 on a good day; a no-tamper, scratched-container 3500 sits near the floor. The tell most people miss: check the container base for a date code stamped into the plastic — containers over five years old are harder to sell separately, which tanks the bundle value. If the container is clear, unscratched, and the tamper is present, you're looking at a $150–$200 flip on a machine you can buy for $25 at a garage sale. The motor base alone is worth checking: the 5200 has a narrow, tall profile; the 7500 is shorter and wider with a low-profile container.
Collectible Books ~$24.99
Median is $24.99, up 19% week-over-week with a confirmed multi-week climb. The range runs $3.56 to $249.99 — a 10× gap that lives entirely in edition and condition. The tell: a true first edition, first printing carries 'First Edition' or 'First Printing' on the copyright page AND a number line that includes '1' (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'). Book club editions — which look identical on the outside — have a small square indentation on the back cover's lower right corner and no price on the dust jacket. Book club copies are worth almost nothing; a first-edition first-printing of a collectible title in a clean jacket is worth multiples of the median. At any sale, open the copyright page before you look at the cover.
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