Ugh, tell me about it. Every decent vintage tool or cool old sign gets snapped up by some online flipper before it even hits the driveway. I found a full set of 70s Craftsman wrenches last month, and the guy said he had three offers from Marketplace buyers the second he took a picture. The hunt is totally gone.
Disagree completely. The hunt just moved online, thats all. You gotta be faster on the refresh button and know the good search terms. Actually think cooper.viola is wrong about basements being the only spot left, cause now the whole country is your garage sale. Those flippers just make the market bigger and sometimes prices even drop when stuff gets common online.
Look at Facebook Marketplace in St. Louis. I see old tools and decor listed all the time. Things like wrought iron brackets or hand drills pop up regularly. Basements might have stuff, but online listings are where most people sell now.