What Are The Most Popular Selling Items at Uncle Stan's Military Surplus?

Uncle Stan's Military Surplus is part of a dying breed.

Unlike ordering from a catalog or on Ebay, Uncle Stan's is the store where you can buy vintage uniforms sold literally from the backs of soldiers who have served in various wars on behalf of the American people over the decades.

Like waves of soldiers in a charge, the uniforms and patches denoting unit and rank come in generations of surviving soldiers who have visited Stan's and sold their wares: WW2 getting rarer and rarer and Korean War gear is getting scarce, while Uncle Stan's still sports a healthy Vietnam section; newer items from Iraq and Afghanistan keep in, coming along with Cold War gear and military trinkets foreign and domestic.

I visited Uncle Stan's on Thursday to slate my own curiousity about the place, as I have driven by flag festooned establishment several times and never had a good reason to go in.

There I spoke with a clerk named Redbird, 44, of Cedar Rapids. Redbird is his real last name, and he said he'd just prefer to go by Redbird in the article, since that's what he's gone by since he was Private Redbird during his stint in the army.

"If you put me in there as (name omitted) people will probably wonder if they've hired somebody new," Redbird said.

And that would be a surprise, as ______ Redbird has worked with owner Keith Post for almost 13 years now. He said the store has survived 21 years and continues to attract customers from as far as two to four hours away due to its adherence to the old school model that buys from former soldiers and treats them fairly so they'll tell their friends to come back and sell some more. 

Still, another challenge modern challenge presents itself:

"We've gotta be cheaper than eBay. That has become the new baseline, we can't have there be another place out there where customers can go and can get it cheaper somewhere else," Redbird said.

It also means that Uncle Sam's is a place where you can get items that aren't available most other places. A fact Redbird himself is reminded of when he sometimes discovers upon a new find that even he didn't know about among the cluttered shelves in the depths of Uncle Sam's, currently packed to the gills with army coats, gas masks, and other military gear.

Now, at last, is the list of the gear Redbird told me sells the best at Uncle Stan's currently:

1. Boots and other footware (military style)

2. Military trinkets, such as unit patches and other items.

3. Camouflage pants. "It can be pink camouflage, or it can be regular camouflage, that always does well here."

4. Duct tape.

5. 550 Cord, which, I was interested to learn, is now popular as it can be used to make survival bracelets. Uncle Stan's also has kits available or already made bracelets for the non-DIY inclined.

6. Vintage uniforms. These can vary widely based on the rarity of the uniforms, the metals and adornments on them, and the quality that they have been kept in. The price range could be say $12.50 to over $100 for a pair of pants.

7. Winter survival and camping gear.

8. Mering wool socks (a loyal Uncle Stan's customer vouched for these and said they are quite a deal there. He even rolled up his pant leg showed me the mering socks he was wearing at the time)

As for the store's namesake, Uncle Stan, there actually is a story behind that as well, as well as a real Stan who helped found the business almost 21 years ago.

But I'll save that story for another visit and another day.