Bin Store Apps and Tools for Tracking Prices
The right apps and tools turn a casual bin store visit into a data-driven treasure hunt. Here's the essential tech toolkit for serious bin store shoppers.
Technology Makes You a Better Bin Store Shopper
The difference between a casual bin store visitor and a skilled one often comes down to information. Skilled shoppers can look at an unfamiliar item and quickly determine its retail value, its resale potential, and whether it's worth buying at the current bin price.
Most of this information lives on your smartphone, accessible through a few essential apps. Building your technology toolkit before your next bin store visit will make you dramatically more effective.
Price Research Apps
The Amazon App (Essential)
The Amazon shopping app is the single most important tool for bin store shopping. Here's how to use it:
Barcode Scanner: Open the app and tap the camera icon to scan any barcode on a product. This pulls up the exact Amazon listing, giving you the current retail price, product details, and user reviews.
Visual Search: If an item has no barcode or the barcode is damaged, tap the camera icon and point it at the item. Amazon's visual search will often identify the product and show you the listing.
Benefits: Instant access to current Amazon pricing, which is often the most relevant benchmark for bin store value assessment.
Google Lens (Essential)
Google Lens is available through the Google app or by long-pressing the camera button on many Android phones. iOS users can access it through the Google app.
How it works: Point at any object — with or without a barcode — and Google Lens identifies it and provides shopping links showing where to buy it and at what price.
Benefits: Works on items without barcodes, identifies products purely from their appearance, often faster for visual assessment than the Amazon scanner.
eBay App (Essential for Resellers)
The eBay app allows you to look up items and filter by "Sold" listings — showing you what buyers have actually paid, not just what sellers are asking.
How to use at the store: Search the item, filter by "Sold" listings, and see the real market value. This is the most important pricing research tool for resellers because it reflects actual transaction prices.
Benefits: Sold listings reveal real market value. Asking prices are optimistic; sold prices are reality.
Specialized Price Research Tools
Keepa — Amazon Price History
Keepa (keepa.com, with browser extension and mobile app) tracks the price history of Amazon listings over time. When you scan an item at a bin store and find it on Amazon, Keepa tells you:
What the item's price has been over the past year
Whether the current price is the normal price or an anomaly
When Amazon-sold vs. third-party pricing diverges
Why this matters at bin stores: An item listed on Amazon for $40 that normally sells for $80 is different from an item that consistently sells for $40. Keepa reveals which is true.
PriceCharting.com
PriceCharting tracks prices for video games, trading cards, toys, and collectibles across multiple platforms (eBay, Amazon, specialty marketplaces). This is a must-have for bin store shoppers who focus on:
Video games (Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox — all generations)
Trading card games (Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, sports cards)
Toys and action figures with collector value
Comic books and similar collectibles
The mobile site works well enough for in-store use.
Whatnot / COMC (For Trading Cards)
If you encounter trading cards, Whatnot shows live auction prices and COMC (Check Out My Collectibles) shows recent card sale prices. These more specialized tools give granular data for high-value card categories.
Tools for Condition Assessment
Flashlight / Phone Flashlight
Your phone's flashlight is invaluable in the dimmer sections of a bin store. Use it to:
Inspect the interior of electronics ports and battery compartments
Check for fine cracks or damage on screens and surfaces
Examine clothing for stains not visible in overhead lighting
Verify serial numbers and model numbers in low-light areas
Loupe or Jeweler's Loupe
Compact loupes that attach to a keychain allow close examination of:
Trading card condition (tiny edge nicks and scratches)
Jewelry and gemstone condition
Fine print on labels and authenticity markers
Battery compartment water damage indicators
A simple 10x loupe costs $5–$10 and fits in any pocket.
Tracking Your Purchases and Profits
Profit Tracker Apps
For resellers, tracking what you paid, what you sold items for, and your net profit is essential. Several apps serve this purpose:
InventoryLab (subscription, popular with Amazon FBA sellers): Comprehensive inventory and profit tracking.
Flipwise: Designed specifically for eBay resellers. Tracks purchases, sales, fees, and net profit with a clean mobile interface.
Simple spreadsheet: Google Sheets or Excel can serve this purpose for lower-volume resellers. Create columns for: item description, bin price, sale price, platform fees, shipping, net profit.
Photo Organization
Resellers who photograph many items need an organized photo system. Options:
Google Photos: Free, searchable, automatically organized by date
Amazon Photos (free with Prime): Similar to Google Photos
VSCO or Lightroom Mobile: Better editing tools if you're processing photos for listings
Bin Store Locator Tools
BinStoreLocator.com
A directory of bin stores, Amazon return stores, and liquidation shops. Search by city or state to find stores near you.
Google Maps
Useful for finding stores not yet listed in specialized directories and for navigation once you have an address.
Search "[your city] bin store" on Facebook to find store pages and community groups with current store information.
Building Your Toolkit
You don't need all of these on day one. A recommended progression:
Start with: Amazon app, Google Lens, eBay app Add after a few visits: Keepa, PriceCharting (if you encounter collectibles) Add when reselling seriously: Flipwise or spreadsheet tracking, photo management system