A-Z Brands: P

Shout out to my lifelong friend Stephanie, who is taking the plunge into thrift flipping. I'm VERY excited to head to Jacksonville for a thrifting trip with my friend. Any advice you can give to Stephanie on her new adventure please comment on this post. Thank you! 

A-Z Brands: P 

Pendleton 

Pendleton Woolen Mills is the oldest brand on the list. Pendleton was founded in Portland, Oregon during the Civil War (1863). Two prominent families; one wool mill owners and one retail merchants joined through marriage in 1876. The families re-opened the defunct Pendleton Woolen Mills and expanded it to a textile mill. In 1896, Pendleton started making Native American blankets, robes and shawls for the nearby tribes. The blankets prior to 1909 had round corners. These blankets are HIGHLY collectable and valuable. 

Pendleton expanded by selling blankets in the American Southwest with the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni tribes. In 1912, Pendleton started production on a line of bright colored wool shirts. During World War II, Pendleton devoted most of its production to blankets, uniforms and clothing for the U.S. Military. After World War II, Pendleton started its women's line of clothing. 

Pendleton's wool shirts became very popular in the 1960's; as the Beach Boys were originally named The Pendletons. I love these little tidbits of interesting history! In 1972, Pendleton expanded to non-wool items for the warmer times of the year. 

Today, Pendleton is still owned by the original families. Pendleton operates 8 facilities and 70 retail stores.

There are a high number of Pendleton items on eBay. Currently 16,930 pre-owned Pendleton items are listed and 10,915 have sold recently. In the hierarchy of valuable Pendleton items, Native American style items come first, wool items second and everything else next. The blankets can be VERY valuable. Here are some recent Pendleton sales: 

Be on the lookout for this Pendleton sweater that was worn in the Big Lebowski. One of my least favorite movies of all time! It consistently sells for over $250.00. 

I find Pendleton items fairly often. They used to be an automatic buy, but I'm starting to re-think that position. Some of my first Pendleton buys just aren't selling. I might take a loss on some or just donate them. Being in Florida, I've never found a Native American Pendleton item; but I'm sure those out West could find them a lot more often. Here are a few a few Pendleton items I've sold and currently have listed. You can see my mistakes from the numbers below 😡: 

These cost me $5.99. Not my finest moment or selection. Lesson learned. 

This jacket cost me $3.00. Not totally sure why it hasn't sold yet. 

I bought this shirt in Naples for $1.50. It is not wool, which is my first mistake. 

I bought this tie in October for 80 cents. Still feel good about this buy. Won't make me much money, but I'm good making a few dollars off a tie. 

Basically if buying and selling Pendleton items look for Native American or wool items. Everything else: be cautious. 

A-Z Brands: P 

Patagonia 

Patagonia is an American clothing company started in 1973, which focuses on high end outdoor clothing. Patagonia offers clothing geared for climbing, skiing, surfing and more. Patagonia's fleece, rain jackets and coats are some of the most widely worn products in the outdoor apparel industry.  The company has received awards for National Geographic's "Gear of the Year" multiple times. 

Patagonia is a very unique company. Employees can take time off to go surfing and the company is a member of several environmental movements. Patagonia commits 10% of their profits to environmental groups. Since 1985, they have given over $46 million to grassroots environmental groups. Patagonia co-founded 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that commit at least 1% of total sales to the environment. 

The number of Patagonia items on eBay is even greater than Pendleton. Currently, there are 16,604 pre-owned items listed and 34,985 have sold recently. Jackets, fleece and any items made for extreme weather conditions sell for the highest profits. Most Patagonia products sell reasonably well. Be very cautious with warm weather or plain items; they can sell for very cheap prices. Here are a few recent sales: 

I've only sold one Patagonia item. I've seen others in stores, but the price wasn't right. Honestly, we don't get a whole lot of Patagonia items in Florida. Here is the one Patagonia item I did sell: 

I was given a voucher last May for a huge sale. The vouchers were given to be people of low income or those with disabilities. My voucher allowed me to select 5 outfits so 5 shirts, 5 pants, 5 jackets and 5 pairs of shoes. I kept one jacket for myself and gave my Mom 2 pairs of pants. Everything else was sold on eBay. These pants were found at that sale. They are women's hiking pants and making $14.99 out of nothing worked for me. 

Patagonia items can sell for huge profits. I'd just suggest looking anything up before you buy it. 

Next A-Z Brands: R 

Rag & Bone Jeans