What I Look For: Golf Shirts

I am a HUGE golf fan.  Have been since I was 5ish years old.  I may be the only person you know that begged his parents for a subscription to Golf Digest magazine at the age of 9.  I used to watch every tournament on tv every weekend.  Why do I bother telling you this?  Because I sell golf shirts I find at thrift stores.

These simple shirts are a staple in most men's wardrobes.  Lots of men wear them to work, play, or just cruise the house on a Saturday.  Polo shirts look nice under a sportcoat or with a nice pair of bermuda shorts.  Heck, they even look good with blue jeans.  They are worn by almost everyone everywhere.

That said, they are NOT created equal.  There are materials, brand names, plackets, open and closed sleeves, logos, and extended tails.  There are simply too many style choices to cover in this short blog entry.  However, here is an easy way to spot one in a thrift store that has a decent shot at reselling for a profit.

1) Condition.  Is the collar frayed?  Is it missing buttons?  Are the button holes stretched out?  Does the shirt collar have that annoying crease in it that you can't iron out no matter how hard you try?  If the answer is "no" to these, you may have a winner.

2) Brand.  Brand names sell!  Polo by Ralph Lauren will likely never go out of style.  However, many brands fluctuate in popularity.  As of 2013, Nike, LaCoste, Under Armour, Adidas, Cutter & Buck, Ashworth, Tommy Bahama, and Hugo Boss name a few that practically sell by themselves.  And, you can actually afford to gamble a bit with the condition of the shirt if you find one of these.  On the contrary, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Eddie Bauer, American Eagle, and even Banana Republic look to be more difficult to sell these days unless you group them together in "lots."

3) Point of interest.  Here is where the rubber meets the road.  What does your shirt bring to the table?  What will catch the buyer's eye?  The logo.  Business men travel.  And, most play golf.....some when they travel.  This is your chance to offer them that shirt they didn't buy when they were in Wherever, USA.  Commemorative shirts and famous golf courses sell VERY well.  Iconic places like St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Augusta National, and former US Open sites do very well.  Your rinky-dink, small-town country club likely won't.  However, that doesn't mean you give up on it.  Is the logo really neat looking?  Men tell stories, too.  If you can tell the buyer where that golf course is located, he may buy it and tell his buddies he played there once.  You just never know.  Things I notice don't sell too well:  Big, obtrusive logos that most people won't recognize haven't done well.  Also, beer and liquor logos have failed for some reason.

Those are the main points to consider from my experience.  If you see a golf shirt that meets these criteria in a thrift shop, you can likely sell it for a decent little profit.