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What IS That?! Specifying the Unspecified

What IS That?! Specifying the Unspecified

Posted by Michelle Carlson on 13th Dec 2021

Many times we acquire products that we are not sure what they are, much less whether we can reach those people who might be looking for just that exact item. Remember the 20 lb fat vest and the fried ice cream roll machine? I mean who knew??

Recently we were given a couple of “curbside” items which were self-explanatory, but also included was something none of us were familiar with. It was nothing extraordinary except that it was new, in the box, and initially an unknown.

It looked like a medium-sized pail—well a pail with a latched and hinged lid. And it was stainless steel. And it had holes in the sides with a sliding collar that opened and closed the holes. All in all, it reminded me of some elaborate minnow bucket, but I was pretty sure that would wrong. So I had to hunt.

The first thing is to Google the information on the box which would normally lead me right to the answers I was looking for. I searched for the product number and manufacturer. I included keywords from the box and other descriptors. I posted a picture on Facebook and asked if anyone had a clue as to what they thought it might be (btw--minnow bucket and camp stove were the top guesses). Still no hits! Finally, I had to resort to searching images and THAT was where I found my first clue.

Generally when something is stainless steel, it falls into one of two categories: food service or medical. The box mentioned “dressing” which theoretically could go either way, but we were fairly certain it had a medical purpose considering the items that it came with—besides the holes would have made it a poor salad dressing container.

After several word combinations, I finally found a picture of something similar which ultimately led me to the information I needed. It turned out to be a wound dressing container which could be used in a sterilizer as well as for storage. One photo was of a Korean version and at some point I came across a Russian version (although while writing this, I could locate neither photo nor listing, so maybe it was a mirage?).

Regardless, just a couple of hours after listing our “Stainless Steel Medical Dressing Sterilizer and Storage 12" x 12" Diameter” / minnow bucket, it sold. Talk about getting the right product in front of the right person at the right time! It doesn't always happen that way, but when it does, we are reminded why we love reselling in the first place.

Best Regards,

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