Sometimes, Rudy Vrtiska hits the jackpot purchasing items such as above-ground pools or refrigerators, and other times he unknowingly buys cases of adult diapers, horse hay or doorknobs.
Any find is possible in the niche business of buying and reselling liquidated return items.
The 21-year-old junior at Nebraska Wesleyan University started pondering the possibilities of the resale market after months of casually auctioning used items from estate sales to make extra money.Â
"My dad was a little more understanding because we had gone to estate sales together," Vrtiska said. "But, when they heard semi-trucks and warehouses, they thought it was pretty out of hand."Â
Vristka had more free time then he was used to, similar to many people, when heightened COVID-19 restrictions began around mid-March. His university business administration studies went remote and his track and field practices were paused.Â
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Using this time to research and network with business contacts, Vristka discovered that he could buy truckloads of previously returned merchandise from big-name stores and flip the items for profit on the resale market. Vrtiska Brothers Auction Group was born.
Any merchandise returned to retail giants including Amazon, Target and Lowe's could be inside a truck. Vristka uses Facebook and an auction website to hold the sales.Â
"Some loads have a manifest, but they are not always accurate. A lot of the times you don't get one," Vristka said. "We've gotten some strange stuff."
The items are resold by the truckload because companies do not want or have the time to sort through each returned item, some of which are brand new while others are too damaged to restock.Â
His model is similar to the shopping treasure hunt featured on a new show "Extreme Unboxing," set to premiere in August. People buy products for pennies on the dollar, with the high-risk business sometimes offering high rewards for a lucky few.
Vristka will spend anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000 on a truckload. Some trucks come with a list of products, some have themes such as appliances or electronics and some are shots in the dark.Â
"You can get loads up to $30,000, but those are a little out of my price range," he said, jokingly.
Vristka combined the support of his family and the inspiration of his grandfather's entrepreneurship to create the independently run business with close family ties.Â
His parents loaned him the seed money to invest in his first semi-truck. The name and logo are secondhand from his grandfather's old cattle business, Vrtiska Brothers, suiting for a company that specializes in selling items for a second time. His warehouse is also right across the street from his grandfather's old house in Table Rock.
"It's a little bit of history behind it, the logo and the name," Vrtiska said. "People always ask me who the other brother is, but it's just me. I'm the only brother."
Now that he is returning to Wesleyan in the fall, it will become difficult to balance being a student and a business owner. But, the Vrtiska Brothers Auction Group is worth the time and effort.Â
"It's been really profitable for me, and I'll find a way to continue to do it," he said.
Some ideas, in commerce and in life, that may sound crazy to some are just ambitious enough to work for others.Â
No matter how weird a business idea might seem, it should be pursued if it is a strong concept, Vrtiska said.Â
"Just jump right in, feet first," he said. "If you hesitate, it might never happen."