They say holding on to something, or someone is sometimes not worth it, and you should learn to let go. Well, many of us have become hoarders, stuffing whatever we no longer use but somehow think it can be of use later in life, in the garage or the attic. You never realize how much unnecessary stuff you have until you are moving and you have a box labeled “old stuff” ready to be shoved into the moving van. You do not have to get to that point because two people, Frank Fritz, and Mike Wolfe, have made it their business to help you get rid of what you do not need. Before you rush to pack whatever it is you no longer use for Mike and Frank to pick up, there are some basic rules to ensure that your stuff will feature on their show, American Pickers.
1. Your stuff has to be unique and old
If they could get it from anywhere else, they would not bother driving across the country looking for it. Whatever you are selling the pair has to be unique, and mostly they go for vintage stuff since they are rare. Some of the things you can have featured include old toys, musical equipment, traditional clothing, early firefighting equipment, and such items. They stress the need for antiques since even some of the modern stuff can be interesting. However, American Pickers are all about vintage. Therefore, the minute the manufacturing date shows that it is a recent item, your item will not feature on the show.
2. It has to be from your private collection
You cannot sell what is open to the public such as stuff from museums, auctions, stores or the flea market. Your treasure has to come from your private collection, and whenever you have any antiques, you can reach out to American Pickers producers by sending details such as your name, location, phone number and photos of the item, to americanpickers@cineflix.com.
3. The item should not demand too much repair
As much as Mike and Frank are into buying old stuff, they are in it to make money. Therefore, since they are also prudent businessmen, the cost of repairing should not exceed the profits they will get. So, if your item demands a lot of repairs that will dig deep into their returns, then it might not make it to the show.
4. Your vintage items should not be fine antique
Although Mike and Frank have made the American Pickers show to focus on antiques, they are not interested in fine antique. Beautiful furniture and dinnerware could be antique, but the pair prefers something that needs cleaning. They like to discover the buried treasure and therefore want items falling in the category of “rusty gold.”
5. Stuff has to be made in America
Just like the show suggests, American Pickers is about discovering the history of America through vintage items. Consequently, the items have to be made in America to enable Mike and Frank to teach people American history, while learning a thing or two themselves.
6. Stuff should not have too many replacement parts
Similar to wanting cost-effective repair jobs on antique items they find, Mike and Frank want the items you sell to them not to have too many replacement parts. This principle came after Frank spent $8,000 buying an original Lionel train set thinking it was in good condition. Unfortunately, he had to spend $ 4,600 in buying replacement parts meaning he did not even get to keep half of the buying price. However, this principle does not hold if the replacement part itself is also an antique, for instance, a vintage car engine.
7. Your item should not have been massively reproduced
No matter how old your item is, as long as it was massively reproduced it cannot feature on the show. The essence of the show is for these relic hunters to find something that will give them a profit. A massively reproduced product lowers the price as the law of supply dictates because if at a lot of people can quickly get the product, they will not be willing to pay a considerable amount for the item.
8. Stuff should not have a criminal history
To avoid incriminating themselves by selling stolen goods, Mike and Frank do not buy anything that has a criminal history. Doing so would also make the History Channel liable for their actions.
Follow Us
