You really need to listen. One time at a place I worked, I overheard a fellow employee talking to someone about his parents moving. He even said they were selling some stuff. It must have registered in my mind a few days later, and I asked him, “Dave, are your parents still moving?” He said, “No, they are gone” I asked what thy did with all of their old stuff. He said much went to secondhand donations, some was sold, etc. We talked about what they had, Vintage tube audio equipment, Klipsch Speakers, turntables, and other (valuable) collectibles. I missed out by not really listening. This was a “lead”. You need to follow-up on leads!
Another time at this place I worked, I just happened to be talking to a fellow employee about my collecting of radios, when the stock boy walked by and heard some of the conversation. He said, “If you like old radio stuff, I’ll bring in something for you”. He brought in an old Vibroplex “bug” telegraph key his grandfather used while working on the railroad. He sold it to me for $20. He quit a month later, and died within that same year. I found out much later, this key was so old, it was the first generation that Vibroplex made, and probably a prototype. I showed it to an expert, who said it must be, because this did not have the serial number they always put on their devices. A wonderful find. And the chances happening when I got it were one in a million!
I was also at a thrift store, and overheard the following:
Customer, “you’re late!”
Girl, “Sorry, I know I’m late, I told you the cart would be out at 11:30”.
Girl, “You called and complained about me hiding the books you want in the clothes dryer out on the floor”
John, “I was there, they were gone…”
Some real strange things go on in the work of picking. Pickers really need to look and listen. You’ll find out a lot of information.