Andrew looked at the gathered crowd. Apparently, they thought that things that were not for sale at the online store or the auctions were incredible and special, and they needed to be seen in person.

This was good for Andrew. Nowadays, he only added ten new things for the auction and was scrapping the barrel when it came to the online store. Karl was trying to supply him with new things currently, but word got out how he made so much money so fast, and his normal suppliers were trying to charge an arm and a leg.

And, people no longer came to the shop to sell. They only came to buy. The store looked like someone robed it and, as a woman took a vase and made her way to the counter, Andrew concluded that it would look even worse as the days wore on.

“How much for this?” Andrew looked for a price tag. He found it stuck on the bottom.

“That would be thirty dollars. Which is a steal, Madam. If it was on one of our auctions, it would have fetched more,” the woman agreed with him, for she forked over the thirty dollars and Andrew quickly packaged the vase. “Have a nice day.”

The woman was out of the shop and Andrew was left back on his musings. Maybe he could try to help Mr. Roman get some more merchandise? But, from where? He sent the customers a glance and noted that they were too far gone in their shopping to come to the counter.

Opening his laptop, he typed in the search engine that he needed cheap merchandise. Antiques, preferably. The first couple of results showed much the same that he was doing. But, there, in a site that showed liquidation, were cheap looking knickknacks.

Their price tags were cheap looking, at least. The things were genuine, as far as Andrew could see. Sure, it was a risk. However, he saw some old-looking paintings for twenty dollars, no lesser than William’s things.

Dialing Karl, he waited until the call went through.

“Karl, hello. I found a site that sells cheap antiques. The shop is closing up. There is only one hitch. They are in Austria, currently,” he heard a hum from the other side of the line.

“I don’t speak German, Andrew. Maybe try to find something that is more local?” But, Andrew was not giving up.

“I have a B2 in German. I can talk to them and get the deal for all the merchandise. The site is in German, but the pictures are well-made. Do you want me to send it to you?” There was a moment of silence and then, Karl spoke.

“Sure. I will first see what they have on offer and then give my verdict. The store looks like it is half empty, these days. What if word gets out I am closing? I will lose so many clients. Andrew, you keep a good watch on everything. And send a link to the site as soon as you can,” Andrew smiled.

“Yes, sir. I will. Right away,” the phone call ended and Andrew copied the link and then went to his mail and forwarded it. His eyes found the customers again. One had been staring at a grandfather clock for the past three minutes. Andrew made his way to him.

“Hello, sir. This clock is authentic. It was made in Switzerland,” Andrew pointed at the stamp in the bottom-right corner. The man turned to look at him.

“It looks a bit new,” well, he had Andrew there. It was made to look old, but, it was made just last year. Still, it was not like it was mass-produced.

“It is indeed new, but, as you see, all the traditions were up kept during the crafting process. Do you see these carvings?” Andrew began to speak about things he had only read in Wikipedia before. By the end, the customer had gone home with the clock. Well, mostly, he had paid. And Andrew had added another thing to the list of things Karl had to send somewhere.

Andrew got an email during his downtime between three and five. Even now, when there were so many shoppers, he didn’t get anyone in during that time. He checked the email and saw that it was from Karl.

Buy as soon as you get the chance! Don’t dally. This is a treasure trove.

Andrew grinned, and he dialed the phone number he had written on a sticky note. A woman responded in German, and he began to negotiate. He, in clunky German, first assured her that he was serious that he was buying.

No, he was not the owner, but the owner of the shop had given him a green light. Yes, he wanted to buy everything and wondered how soon it could be delivered and that, if the delivery cost can’t be left off.

She had told him that the delivery had to be on them, as she was closing her store and needed all the money. Andrew was slightly disappointed, but he didn’t want her to close on him, so he agreed.

Apparently, everything could be shipped soon, and it would cost them a thousand dollars. But, the cheapness of the antiques made up for that steep price. Andrew wished the woman a nice day and told her she could call him on this number to finalize the deal. And so, Andrew filled the store again. Maybe the things will come by in a month, but they still have plenty left until then.

Andrew called Karl to tell him everything was done, and they required only to pay before they got the goods and his day finished. He packed his laptop, helped the last couple of customers buy their things, and got out.

He wondered what Erin had been doing. Furthermore, he told him something about getting papers today. Andrew didn’t like that, but, Erin had explained to him that people could be after him.

They couldn’t risk for Erin to be carted off to a government facility. To be dissected, or worse. So, despite not liking it, Andrew kept silent. He just hoped everything would turn out fine.