<aside> ⚡ Objective: Build multiple sourcing channels and master the relationship strategies that give you inventory access before your competition.
Time to complete: 10 min video + 45 min action
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Every book seller starts in the same place: retail thrift store shelves, competing with everyone else for picked-over inventory. Some stay there forever, grinding out modest profits. Others discover what Kyle calls 'going upstream'—finding sources where competition is minimal and inventory is untouched.
Kyle's best sourcing story came from asking a college maintenance worker a simple question: 'Hey, do you have books?' The response: 'Do we ever?' He was led to a warehouse full of brand-new, unopened textbooks about to be thrown away.
The difference isn't luck—it's strategy and relationships. One good upstream relationship can be worth more than visiting 20 thrift stores.
Downstream (where everyone fishes): retail thrift store shelves, public library sales, Facebook garage sales. Easy to access but heavily picked over—many thrift stores now scan their own books and pull the profitable ones. Upstream (where the big fish are): direct relationships with receiving docks, college staff, bin stores, estate cleanout companies, wholesale auctions. Harder to access but minimal competition.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dWFcEO3EyBV0QUfNYzjXx-g9hEG9UCuM/view?usp=sharing
<aside> ✏️ 🛠️ Worksheet #1: List every Goodwill, Salvation Army, and thrift store within 20 minutes:
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Your answer:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w1gpi_bIMNZNKCP_YbOnYZQhZ3zIVf09/view?usp=drive_link