eBay Sales

The past few weeks I haven't been listing a lot on eBay. My life has been crazy and eBay took a place on the back burner. But this past week I made an effort to list as much as possible every spare moment I got (which weren't many). My sales weren't incredible but I'm very happy with them.

This was actually a toy Muno (from Yo Gabba Gabba tv show) guitar I bought for my Princess at a garage sale around 6 months ago. I paid $1.00 for it.  She played with it off and on for the first month but then she got tired of it and it ended up in the bottom of the toy storage bin. I rescued it and listed it BIN for $15.00. It sold 2 days later.

These Lego Duplo train tracks I found in the bag of toys I bought this past weekend at a yard sale. There were 14 curved pieces. I had no idea if these would sell especially considering they were all curved pieces. They sold in 3 days for $10.00 BIN.

I have gotten into selling designer jeans. I'm not sure how this happened but they are sellingg well for me. I picked up this pair of Miss Me jeans for $4.00 at my local Goodwill. I had never sold Miss Me jeans before but from hearing my nieces talk I knew they were a good, and expensive, designer brand. This pair sold today auction for $29.00. Miss Me jeans are definitely going on my "Too Look For" list.

I also sold some Boyds bears for $12.99 that I paid $2.00 for  months ago (I'm glad to see them go), a Rainbow Brite Hammy Sprite Toy from the 80's sold for $10.00 that I bought for $0.50, a pair of True Religion jeans for $36.00 that I paid $6.00 for, a pair of Seven for all Mankind mens jeans I paid $3 dollars for sold for $24.99, and a lot of 4 My Little Ponys I paid $0.75 for sold for $6.00.

Total sales for the week $143.98. Out of pocket expense $18.25. That is a great sales week for me. 

My First Unpaid Case

Since I started selling again on eBay in July I had been very lucky and had great buyers. I had a few who didn't pay right away and I had to send them an email. But as soon as I did they apologized and paid right away. But not this latest one. I let it go over a week before I opened the case. Why do I feel a little guilty? It was only a $15.00 sale.

Hopefully this will have a happy ending. If not I will just relist my item and life will go on.

Yard Sale Finds 11/19/11

The past few weekends have not been very successful yard saling weekends. Yard sale season doesn't really wind down in California since we don't get the harsh winters other states do. But we do get rains and that tends to keep sellers in bed on Saturday morning. Last night rained so I didn't have high expectations for today. But that wasn't going to keep me from looking.

The very first yard sale we stopped at I found these 4 Department 56 North Pole Series houses and people. At Christmas time when I lived in SoCal I would go to Downtown Disney and wander around the Department 56 store and stare in awe at the gorgeous displays they had. I also stared in awe at the price tags on these homes. I have never tried selling these on eBay but I got all these for $5.00 so I knew without researching them that this was a good buy. At the same garage sale I bought a bag of misc toys for my nephew for a dollar. These are scattered all over the floor already so I couldn't get a picture.

The fourth garage sale (there were a few in between I didn't buy anything at) I bought this Little Einsteins rocket. The seller could only find one figurine. I had read on Yard Sale Mommy's blog that these were a good seller on eBay. For a $1.00 I was willing to take the risk

These are for me. I bought two boxes of fake fruit for $2.00. This is the first year that I'm going to have a Christmas tree and a two year old in the home so I'm concerned about breakable ornaments. I thought this would be a good alternative and a great deal. 

Not pictured items I bought: A Stephenie Meyer "The Host" book for a $1.00 (I am a huge fan of the Twilight series so I'm excited to read this), a baby doll bassinet for my Princess, a stack of clothing for me that I bought for 10 cents each, and a few random odds and ends.

All in all I went to a least a dozen garage sales and had a car full when I got home and was only out $15.00. Now that's a success yard sale day.

Black Friday Is Coming

A week from today we will be enjoying a wonderful turkey dinner with our loved ones trying not to think of all the Christmas shopping we haven't done yet. And I had such good intentions this year but I have only crossed off half the names on my list.

This is my first time selling on eBay during the holiday season. I have been collecting toys and designer clothing to list hoping to take advantage of the holiday eBay shoppers which I keep hearing so much about. Of course today I didn't bother listing anything for auction. I figured no one will be online bidding on Thanksgiving day when they have yummy turkey to eat and a food coma to get through.

I have a stack of different size boxes and envelopes, bubble wrap, tape, Ziploc bags (I put everything I can fit in a Ziploc bag before I mail it. I figure this will keep it a little safer especially with the rain coming), labels, and every imaginable mailing supply you can think of stacked in my garage.

I think I'm ready for this holiday eBay selling season. Let the bidding begin!

Starbucks Deal

Starbucks is offering a buy one, get one free Holiday drinks beginning today thru Sunday November 20th. These are available from 2 pm to 5 pm.

With the chilly weather we have been having around here (and I live in sunny California) this is a great time to invite a friend to join you for a cup of coffee and catch up.

That hardest thing to save

Sometimes the hardest thing to save is my sanity.

What To Sell on Ebay

This is a no brainer. We all know it's the holy grail of toys. And it's almost as hard to find at it would be the Holy Grail. I'm talking about Vintage Barbies.

I have been shopping at yard sales for many years and until a couple months ago I had never found any on my adventures. Then one ordinary Saturday morning I walk into someones garage and the first thing I see are FIVE vintage Barbies. I approached them slowly fearing they were a mirage. As I reached out for them I realized that they were very real and authentic vintage Barbies. I quickly grabbed them before anyone else could and asked the woman selling them "How much?" She starts out by telling me that they are very old. She played with them when she was young. That vintage Barbies were very collectible... and on and on. The more the spoke the higher I saw the price going. Finally she gave me the price: $5.00 each. Being a veteran yard saler I of course had to to counter with a lesser price. After much back and forth between us I finally ended up buying all five with some extra clothing for $15.00.

You would think I would have ran home and listed them right away. But no. They sat in my garage for a couple months. I couldn't decide if I wanted to list them separate or as a lot. Also, a few of the dolls had some issues.

This doll had the dreaded green ears. Apparently on some of these dolls when the earrings are left on the metal in them cause the ear area on these dolls to turn green.

A week ago I finally decided to list them as a lot including the above Barbie, two Midge bubble cut Barbies, a slightly newer Barbie, and a Skipper doll. I took pictures of all the issues the dolls had. My starting bid was $40.00 and the first day I got a bid. I also got 15 watchers. My listing was set to close on Saturday afternoon. On Friday night when I went to bed I had 55 watchers and 7 total bids with the highest bid being $75.55. Not as high as I was expecting but I knew I still had most of the next day to go.

On Saturday morning when I awoke I ran to my phone to see if I had received any more bids. I had!! My dolls were at $199.00. I almost fell over. They had surpassed my expectations. But the story doesn't end there. By the time my listing closed I had 70 watchers, 25 bids, and I had sold my Vintage Barbies for $306.89. And the best part about it was the buyer paid right away!

Now I will admit I know nothing about vintage Barbies and who knows if I could have received more if I had listed them differently. But for a $15.00 investment I am ecstatic about my $306.89 sale.

So even though I probably don't need to tell you, be on the look out for vintage Barbies.

Saving For Christmas

One of the hardest thing for me is saving money during Christmas time. Every year I say I'm going to start shopping early and every year I'm still shopping on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately this means that I grab the first thing I see and I'm not too concerned about the price. But this year I really want to follow through on shopping early and saving as much as possible.


This morning bright and early I made it to Target. Target has Transformers Dark Side of the Moon toys on sale for $6.99. I paired that with a five dollar off coupon available here and I got two toys for my nephews for $1.99 each (remember you can print 2 coupons per computer). I will add these to my stash of cheap (costing) gifts I'm getting for the kids.

I also ordered some collage prints to use as part of the gift for sister through Walgreens. If you use coupon code CLG8X10 to check out and pick the picture up at your local store the 8X10 collage print is FREE.

I'm proud of myself for actually starting shopping early this year. Now I just need to finish shopping early.

Selling on eBay

Lately it seems like I have moved away from buying and selling toys and even children's clothes and have been purchasing a lot of designer jeans. I will admit I know NOTHING about designer jeans. I just can't see myself paying over $100 for a pair of jeans. But I have seen my niece do this several times and have made note of some of the brands.

I'm having partial success with this. So far I have sold a pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans for $27.00, two Diesel jeans for $19.00 and $22.99, a pair of Not Your Daughters Jeans for $29.00 and a pair of Bebe jeans NWT for $24.99. These were all sold auction. I only paid between $1.00 to $3.00 for each pair of jeans so it's a great profit. But they aren't selling as well as I was hoping. I have 4 auctions up right now and only one pair has a bid. If they don't sell I might change them to BIN and hope they sell better.

Listing a pair of jeans takes me at least twice as long to list then a toy or other items. I have to measure the inseam, waist, front rise, back rise, hips, and leg openings. In the listing I always make sure I include any details on the tag (and on some jeans that is a lot). This keeps me from receiving countless emails from potential buyers asking for more details. I also make sure I take pictures of the front and back of the jeans and a picture of the tag. Because these jeans are so expensive there are a lot of knockoffs that look authentic and usually you can tell by the tag.

Even with the extra time and the so so sales I think I will continue to sell designer jeans if I find them at a good price. These are the brands I look for:

Seven for all Mankind
True Religion
Diesel
Hudson Jeans
Citizens of Humanity
Not Your Daughters Jeans (NYDJ)

I would love to hear of any designer jeans that sell go for you.

Rite Aid Shopping Trip

This Sunday morning I woke up early (shocking!!) and made it to Rite Aid to take advantage of all of the great deals available in their ad this week. (See For the Mommasfor a full list of the Rite Aid deals and coupon matchups.)

I had 5 separate transactions and paid $9.96 out of pocket. I have one single check rebate to send in for $5.99 and a $1.00 Up Reward left over for my next visit so my total for all 11 items will be $2.97 which comes out to $0.27 per item. That made the early morning worth it.

I purchased:

Transaction 1:

1 Comtrex Severe Cold and Sinus for $3.99

1 Prep H Wipes 10 count $3.00

Paid $6.99 out of pocket and received $6.00 Up reward towards next purchase

Transaction 2:

1 Chloraseptic Lozenges  $3.99

1 Cepacol Lozenges $2.50

1 Burts Bee Throat Drops $1.49

Total $7.98

Minus $6.00 Up rewards

Paid $1.98 out of pocket and received $6.99 Up rewards

Transaction 3:

1 Hylands Cold and Cough $5.99

1 Rite Aid Hand Sanitizer $1.00

Total: $6.99

Minus $6.99 Up rewards

Paid zero out of pocket and received $6.00 Up rewards

Transaction 4:

1 Blistex Lip Ointment $1.49

1 NeilMed Nasa Mist $5.00

Total: $6.49

Minus $6.00 Up rewards

Paid $0.49 out of pocket and received $6.49 Up rewards

Transaction 5:

1 Zarbees Child Cough Syrup $5.99

1 Rite Aid Hand 1.00

Total $6.99

Minus $6.49 Up rewards

Paid $0.50 out of pocket and received $1.00 Up reward for next visit.

The Zarbees Child Cough Syrup is a Single Check Rebate so I’m sending that today and should have a check for $5.99 from Rite Aid in the next month or so.

I'm stocked up for the upcoming cold season! I usually go shopping during the week but I find a lot of items have sold out already. There was a lot of selection on Sunday morning and no one waiting in line (which was good since I had a lot of transactions). I think this Sunday morning shopping is going to become an ongoing thing.

Free Sample

I only found one good sample today but it's one of my faves:

Free Huggies Sample from Sam's Club. No membership necessary.

Weekly Goals and Update

I guess it's time to see how I did on my goals this week. I'm not looking forward to this.

Motherly Goals:

1) Work more on colors. Find better strategies.  We have been working a lot on this but we still have more work to do

2) Go to the pumpkin patch this weekend   We made it to Swank Farms in Hollister this weekend. The kids and I had a blast. I was glad there was plenty to do for both the little kids and the older ones.

3) Spend quality time with my Princess  I did spend quality time with my Princess but I won't cross this off since it's a never ending goal.


Saving Goals:

1) Put more money in my emergency fund  I added $30 more dollars to the fund. That brings me to $325.00. Only $675.00 more to go!

2) List 40 Items on eBay total (minimum) I didn't do this (again). I had 35 listed and then I sold 8 (HOORAY!!!) and 2 ended without bids (boo) so I have 25 currently.

Personal Goals:

1) Organize garage (this sounds familiar) Don't ask. Just notice that it isn't crossed off (again)

2) Try to contact April I was finally able to talk to her and I think we both feel better for it. I miss my BFF

3) Wake up 30 minutes early to have some alone time Let me start out by saying that I'm not a morning person. I did manage to wake up 3 times 20 minutes early. That's a great start for me.


This weeks goals are:

Motherly Goals:

1. Work on fine motor skills with Princess.

2. Take Princess to her appointment. We have a speech assessment next week so hopefully that goes well.

3. Spend quality time with my Princess

4. Find more indoor activities to do with Princess since it's raining here and we aren't able to go out and play.

Saving Goals-

1. Add more money to my emergency fund

2. Have 40 items listed on eBay

3. Go coupon shopping at Target. I always forget my coupons when I'm near there.

Personal Goals-

1. Organize garage

2. Wake up 30 minutes early at least 3 times this week to have some quiet alone time (more manageable I think)

3. Make time to reconnect with old friend in Sac

Hopefully you did better on your goals this past week then I did.

Daily Samples

I found a few good samples available today:

Free Cream of Wheat sample. My baby will love this one.

Free sample of Aguafresh tooth paste available thru Walmart.

Yesterday I was very excited to see a free sample in my mailbox. I finally got my sample of Downy Unstopables. Can't wait to try it!

Free Samples

I haven't found or ordered any samples in a couple weeks. Nothing has caught my eye. But I did find a few this morning:

Free Sample of Lacoste perfume

Free Sample of Zantac . These I keep in my purse. You never know when heartburn will hit.

Hopefully I will start getting little surprise samples in my mailbox again.

My Princess

My Princess is the love of my life. I will admit she is slightly spoiled. But I've waited and wanted her for so many years that I go a little overboard sometimes.

You see I can't have children. My ex and I figured that out after trying for many years. I was very sad and discouraged. But after a lot of tears and praying I finally realized that even if I couldn't have a child that didn't mean I would remain childless forever. There were lots of children who need some one like me.

I started the adoption process in OC. But after my ex and I separated I moved back to Salinas. It took me a while to settle in to my new life. Once I was settled my family encouraged me to continue trying to adopt even if I was single. I was apprehensive at first. But after a lot of discussions and praying I decided to try again.

The process from orientation to getting a child took a year. Mostly because in the middle of the process I had to put it on hold to find a home for us.

On January 21 I received a call that there was 20 month old little girl. I was given the details about her family and the reason she was removed. I agreed to meet her the next day and fell in love on the spot.

This has been a difficult process and it's far from over. When you try to adopt a child through the county you are a concurrent foster home at first. Even though the social services is trying to reunify the child with their parent(s) if they determine that there is a chance the child will not be returned to the parents they want the child in a home where they can move straight to adoption if and when parental rights are terminated. Sometimes a child is returned to their parents after being in a concurrent home for an extended period of time. I know couples this has happened to and its heartbreaking. Unfortunately its a chance you take.

We go to court next month for my Princess and the social worker is recommending termination of parental rights. Part of me feels bad because I'm "taking" (or hoping to take) a child away from her parents. But I remind myself that my Princess was removed for a reason and that had nothing to do with me. I want the best for her. And if her parents aren't able to turn their lives around to give her a good home I'm blessed God put her In my life to provide a good life for her.

eBay Sales

This past week hasn't been a good sales week on eBay for me. But I'm happy with any sale I get. Extra money always helps.

I sold 3 Cabbage Patch Kids outfits I bought at a garage sales. I spent $3 on a doll and several outfits. I sold 3 of the outfits for $16.00.I'm keeping the doll for sentimental reasons.

I bought a pair of Rock & Republic jeans a few weeks ago for $5.00 and finally got them listed. They sold auction for $20.00. I had 20 watchers on this listing and only ended up getting one bid. Can someone please explain watchers to me?!?! Do they frustrate anyone else?

A couple weeks ago I purchased 2 big boxes of Burger King kids meal toys for $3.00. I sold my first lot of toys for $7.00. I have to finish going thru the boxes and separating them by character.

I picked up a Hanna Andersson fleece jacket a couple months ago at a garage sale for $1.00. I listed it auction and had no bidders. Then I listed it BIN and right when my listing was going to expire it sold!!!

Last weekend I found 3 snow suits at a garage sale for $1.00. I listed 2 of them so far and one sold yesterday for $20.00. It's on it's way to New York.

And my final sale, I purchased a Bebe pair of jeans at a Goodwilll store for $4.00. It sold right after I listed it for $25.00. It still had the tags on it. I might have been able to get more but I know nothing about this brand and will admit I was too busy to research it. But I am more then happy with my $21.00 profit.

I guess now that I listed my sales I did have a good week. I just didn't have any big ticket items.

Hopefully eBay sales are picking up for everyone else.

Goals

So I set weekly goals last week. I tried really hard to get them all completed. But I fell a little short. Here is how I did:

Motherly goals -

1) Take my Princess and niece and nephews to Santa Cruz Boardwalk this weekend (been trying to take them all summer) Didn't make it to Santa Cruz. They decided on Monterey instead.

2) Work on Colors with Princess. We aren't doing very well on them We worked on them but we still have more work to do

3)Take Princess for a walk after dinner (trying to take advantage of the nice weather). This also helps with the colors (red truck, green tree, blue car ...)
4) Spend more quality time with Princess. There never seems to be enough time

Saving Goals-

1) Actually make it CVS and Walgreens this week to use my coupons and build stockpile I actually made it to both stores last week. WOO HOO!!

2) List more things on eBay. If I'm not listing then I'm not selling. My goal is to have 40 things listed this week. I have 19 so far I didn't complete this goal. I only got to 32 items. My Princess didn't nap on Saturday and that was when I was planning on doing most of my listing.

3) Put more money in my emergency fund. I have $250 so far. My goal is $1000. I was able to put $45 dollars into my fund!!


Personal Goals-

1) Attend Monthly cluster group for concurrent parents I did attend and I'm glad I did. It's good to be around people that understand what you are going thru.

2) Organize garage I didn't even attempt this

3) Get my hair done (I need it). Sometimes I forget to take time for myself Done! No more grown out roots or dry ends.

4) Send thank you note to Patty Done

5)Work on on dealing, forgiving and letting go of hurt feelings caused by Princess's family criticizing my parenting skills. I will pray on this. I feel much better about this

6) Check in with April. Her recently had a heart attack. Miss them both so much. She's my sister from another mister. My BFF. I haven't been able to make contact with her. But I will keep trying.


This weeks goals:

Motherly Goals:

1) Work more on colors. Find better strategies.

2) Go to the pumpkin patch this weekend

3) Spend quality time with my Princess


Saving Goals:

1) Put more money in my emergency fund

2) List 40 Items on eBay total (minimum)

Personal Goals:

1) Organize garage (this sounds familiar)

2) Try to contact April

3) Wake up 30 minutes early to have some alone time

Hopefully I will do better this week.

Relaxing day with the kids

This is what it's all about.

My Babies

People always look us strangely when we go for walks. My Princess doesn't mind sharing her stroller.

What To Sell On eBay

I'm 27 years old. Or at least that's what I claim to be. Why 27? I'm not sure. But that seems like a good age and I think I will stay there for a while.

Now even thought I'm 27 I will admit I was part of the Cabbage Patch Kids crazy in the early 80's (don't try to do the math. Just go with it). I had to have one those dolls!! Of course so did every other child in America. I begged for one. I pleaded. I bargained. I threatened. I did everything humanly possible at my young age to get one of those dolls. And I finally did. I don't even want to imagine how much it cost my parents.When I finally got that doll in my hands I think I heard music, angels singing. It was a dream come true. She went everywhere with me. I loved that doll.

Recently I went to a garage sale with my mom and she spotted a Cabbage Patch doll that looked just like the one I had growing up. I inquired about the price. Only $3.00 with a bag full of clothes. That seemed like a great deal to relive my childhood. On a whim I looked the doll up on eBay. They appear to do ok. Some better then others without rhyme or reason. So I decided to keep her for my Princess.

But then I decided to look to see how well the clothes are selling. I was surprised to see that they sell better then the actual dolls sometimes. Especially actual CPK clothes (there are other doll clothes that will fit these dolls that weren't originally marketed for them). I looked through the bag of clothes and was disappointed that most of the outfits were too small to fit the doll. Out of the entire bag full there were only 3 actual Cabbage Patch outfits. I took some pictures and listed them earlier last week. The three outfits sold for $16.00 total. Not bad for a $3.00 investment. And I still have the doll for my Princess to play with.

I don't know about your area but around beautiful Salinas I see CPK dolls and clothing for sale all the time. They usually sell a bag full of clothes for a couple dollars. I would always pass them up without a second look. But I can assure you from now on that's going to be on list of things to look for to sell on eBay.

eBay Sales

So last week I pushed myself to get more stuff listed. If it's not listed it can't sell. I guess having more stuff listed really worked because I sold several items.

Flounder sold. I bought this costume several weeks ago. He was listed BIN for about 2 1/2 weeks. I bought him for $3.00 and sold him for $60. Gotta love Little Mermaid!!

I sold a Robosapien robot I bought several weeks ago. This I listed auction. I only got one bid. Bought it for $10 and he sold for $35. I'm happy with that.

I bought an American Girl dress for $0.50 and it sold for $11.00. This is a child's dress not a doll dress. I didn't even know they made real clothing.

I bought a girls Gap winter jacket several weeks ago for $1.00. Sold for $22 BIN.

Finally sold the last of the Kiddle dolls I bought the same weekend as Flounder. Paid $2 for 3 of these vintage dolls. They sold for a total of $33.

I sold a Wilton wizard cake pan I picked up at a garage sale for $2 for $25. I'm still amazed people actually bake. I really need to turn on my oven one of these days.

My favorite item sold was a model for an airport I found at a church sale two weeks ago. It was sealed in the box so I wasn't sure it was complete. For $2 I took a chance. It was complete! I took a $75 best offer on it.

This was my best sales week since I started eBaying again. So the moral to this story is ... List more!!!

Goals

I met with Parents As Teachers for my Princess' twice monthly meeting. Before Diane (the wonderful PAT teacher) left she asked me what my goals for the next two weeks are. I paused and had to think. I have goals in mind but I never bother to write them down or even speak them out load. She reminded me that you are more likely to try harder to reach your goals if you don't keep them to myself. So I'm going to share mine:

Weekly Goals:

Motherly goals -

1) Take my Princess and niece and nephews to Santa Cruz Boardwalk this weekend (been trying to take them all summer)

2) Work on Colors with Princess. We aren't doing very well on them

3) Take Princess for a walk after dinner (trying to take advantage of the nice weather). This also helps with the colors (red truck, green tree, blue car ...)

4) Spend more quality time with Princess. There never seems to be enough time

Saving Goals-

1) Actually make it CVS and Walgreens this week to use my coupons and build stockpile

2) List more things on eBay. If I'm not listing then I'm not selling. My goal is to have 40 things listed this week. I have 19 so far

3) Put more money in my emergency fund. I have $250 so far. My goal is $1000.


Personal Goals-

1) Attend Monthly cluster group for concurrent parents

2) Organize garage

3) Get my hair done (I need it). Sometimes I forget to take time for myself

4) Send thank you note to Patty

5) Work on dealing, forgiving and letting go of hurt feelings caused by Princess's family criticizing my parenting skills. I will pray on this.

6) Check in with April. Her husband recently had a heart attack. Miss them both so much. She's my sister from another mister. My BFF.

Not too big of a list.

Hopefully I can cross something off my goals list next week.

Yard Sales Finds

This past Saturday I had to work. Horrible tragedy! That meant no Saturday garage sales. But that wasn't going to stop me from going to the few I could make it to.

Since I worked on Saturday I had Friday off. There were 2 community yard sales that looked promising on Friday. So early Friday morning I packed my Princess in the car, picked up my mom and off we went in search of treasures. Unfortunally what we found was lots of trash. One of the community yard sales only had 2 people selling and one of those was only selling edibible goodies. My mom was happy because she hadn't had breakfast yet. But I left empty handed. After driving around town for a couple hours we made it 6 yard sales and I only bought one thing.

I bought this rocker for $3.00. My Princess saw it and ran right to it, climbed on top and refused to get off. She is 2 1/2 and not small for her age. This rocker is much too small for her. But for $3.00 how could I refuse my Princess?

Sunday morning I consulted Craigslist and found 3 yard sales in my area. I packed Princess and Mom in the car again and off we went. The first one was selling their used items for new prices. Bought nothing. Second yard sale had great prices but nothing I needed. Just when I was started to lose hope I found this at the 3rd yard sale.

I know you are probably wondering "what the heck is that?". Well I bought TWO boxes full of Burger King kids meal toys. This is just a small portion I pulled out of one of the boxes to check prices on completed eBay listings. I paid only $3 for both boxes. Even if I can't sell them I know the kids will get at least $3.00 worth of entertainment from them.

How was your yard sale hunting this weekend?

Linking up to The Thrifty Momma

eBay Sales BIN vs Auctions

I have a hard time deciding whether to list something at Buy it Now or auction on eBay. I think making that decision takes me longer then actually listing an item.

When I'm first considering listing an item I'm usually at a yard sale or thrift store. I will do a quick check on my eBay App to see if an item is worth selling. If I decide it is I buy it and cross my fingers I made a good decision. Once I get the item home (or a week later) when I get ready to list it I do more research on the item. I check to see what an item has sold for. Whether it sold better on auction or BIN. How many of these items are currently on sale and how are they doing on auction. Then I decide what I would like to make on an item.

If I decide to go auction on an item I always start off the item at the lowest price I would be willing to sell the item for. I want to make at least $5.00 or more on it so that's what I usually start the auction at. I know a lot of people start their auctions at $0.99 but I have seen a lot of auctions close at this price and I would rather keep an item then lose money on it. I always do 7 day auctions. Once I have it listed I cross my fingers and hope for the best.

If I decide to do BIN option on an item I usually list it a little below what other BIN have the item listed for. I know that's bad but I figured they will buy mine before the other persons. I always do 30 days for BIN. I'm willing to wait to find a buyer for my item. I just went back to eBay after being gone for several years. And so far since I started listing again only one BIN didn't sell within 30 days. Not bad.

Which option do you prefer?

Daily Samples

I've found a few available samples today:

Emergen-C is offering a free sample of Emergen-C kidz here.

Free sample of Rachael Ray Nutrish Just 6 Dog Food here.

Free Sample of Kleenex Cool Touch available through Target here.
Hope you enjoy them!

No free samples in the mail yesterday. How sad. Maybe today some will be waiting for me.

These are a couples samples I found today:

Twinings is offering 3 tea samples here.

Free sample of Icy Hot available through Walmart here.

Enjoy!

Daily Samples

I was very excited when I got home yesterday. In my mail box was a free sample of coffee from Nescafe. It was a package of 8 multi-flavor single servings. I also had a box with Suave travel size hairspray, lotion and body wash. I love coming home to free samples.

There are a few free samples available today. Even if you can't use them you might know someone who can:

Walmart is offering a sample of Poise hourglass pads here . Walmart samples are some of my favorites.

Free sample of Joe Coffee which I've never tried is available here.

Yard Sale Finds

This weekend was a bust for yard sales. There were quite a few but most of the stuff they were selling was either too expensive or too old/used. I was able to find a couple of things to sell.

I've read on eBay underground that hot rollers are a good thing to sell on eBay. People buy them for use a pageants especially. I found this set still in the box with the original instructions for $2.00. Hopefully they will sell.

I also found two of these new in package Wilton Wedding  Cake Cathedral Kit for $1.00. I've already sold one of these for $38.99 BIN. Who knew people liked to bake. I don't think I've used my oven since I moved in a year ago.

At Savers I found this vintage 1978 Superman Underoos. I almost cried when I saw them because they brought back so many memories but mostly because they made me feel old. I couldn't find this exact one sold on eBay but hopefully it will sell well.

I also bought my Princess a couple of Childrens Place outfits and a few dresses for a dollar each..

How was your yard saling?

Visit The Thrifty Momma to see her great yard sale finds.

Freebies for the day

I found a couple good free samples today:

Prilosec is giving away free samples. Now I use this everyday so it's great one for me.

Playtex Sport is giving away free samples and you even get to pick what kind you want.

It's been a slow week for me on samples. I haven't received any yet. But the week isn't over.

What to sell on eBay

If there is some magic formula for what to sell on eBay I still haven't found it. It's pretty hit or miss on my part.

I am a mother of a two year old and I like to make sure she is always dressed to the nines especially when we go out. But I just can't seem to be able to bring myself to pay retail for her clothing. Even going to Target and finding the clearance rack isn't good enough for me. About 90% of her clothing comes from garage sales. And most things I pay a dollar or less for. So it really shocks me how much parents are willing to pay for their child's clothing.

Recently I purchased four Matilda Jane dresses at a garage sale for $2.00 each. This was a splurge for me but they were adorable. On a whim after I purchased them I looked them up on eBay. They were selling for a pretty penny. So being a resourceful mom I decided to list them on eBay instead of letting my Princess wear them. I have already sold two of the dresses for $35.00 each and one for $25.00.

Now before you think I'm a horrible mom for not letting my Princess wear the dresses, let me tell you she has a closet FULL of clothing. My mom (who watches her for me) keeps asking me to go thru her closet and get rid of some of the clothing because they don't all fit in her closet anymore. And with the $95.00 I have already made on these dresses I can buy my Princess another closet full of clothing.

So if you ever see any Matilda Jane dress while out at yard sales or thrift stores, make sure you pick them.

Free Samples

Today's free samples are:

Eucerines Everyday Protection SPF 15 Lotion

Dove Rebalance Body Mist

Make sure you sign up for your samples!!

Couponing

This week I haven't had a chance to go shopping to use my coupons. I don't do as well as the ladies (and a few gentlemen) on Extreme Couponing but any little bit saved comes in handy.

Money Saving Mom is the first place I usually look for coupon match ups. They have most of the local stores. But beware that the match ups might not reflect the store policy we have locally. For example, Safeway locally doesn't double coupons but in other States they double and sometimes triple the coupons so it's easier to get free or cheap items.

I play the drug store game for coupons though weekly (or try to) because you can get really good deals on those. One of my favorite sites to check on the local deals is Passionate Penny Pincher because not only does she give you the weekly match ups but she will also give you scenarios to use so you get the best deals. Less thinking for me is always a good thing.

Now if only I would stop losing my coupons.

Daily Samples

I found a great sample today. Free sample of diapers!!! Usually they send two in the package.You can request them here: free sample of Huggies on Sam's Club . You don't need a membership card to get one.

Another free sample available today is a free sample of Hugo Boss fragrance. You can get that here: Hugo Boss fragrance sample .

Did I ever mention how much I love free samples? So far this week I received diapers, Kotex, and cereal. And the week is far from over.

Free Sample

Did I mention how much I love free samples? Here is a new one I found today. If you have dogs it might be a good one to check out:
Rachel Ray Just 6 Sample

This week I have already received free dog food, free cereal,  and free diapers. And it's only Wednesday.

Ebay Sales

This weeks eBay sales were OK. I had my highs and lows.

Highs - These little guys have to be my high. Just in case you don't know what they are (especially from the horrible picture) they are called Battle Beasts. They are 2 inch tall figures from 1986-1987. I bought 9 of them at Savers for $2.00. Final bid was $36.00. Woohoo! They are now on their way to San Diego. When I saw them I had no idea what they were. But I thought "for $2 I will take a risk". I do have the eBay app on my phone but they were all wrapped up in a bag so I couldn't read the markings on it. This time my instincts paid off.

Lows - I had several items close with no bids. But I only try to buy things I could use if I don't end up selling them so it isn't too bad. I also sold a child's dress BIN for $34.99. But when I went to mail it off I noticed that the top button was missing. I inspected the dress before listing it but the collar was open and I didn't notice it should have a top button. Not good. I offered the buyer to refund the money or a discount on the purchase. She took the discount. I only paid $2.00 for the dress so it isn't entirely a low. I think I was just upset I didn't look the item over better. Live and learn.

How are your eBay sales this week?

Free Sample

There is a great Kashi free sample still available. I received mine a couple weeks ago and my princess loved it. Hurry and get yours.

Yard Sale Treasures

This weekend's yard sales (or year-d sales as my niece would say) were not very good. I think I'm giving up on the annual neighborhood yard sales. The last few I've gone to have not been good. I only had a couple hours to hit the yard sales because we were going to the Oakland Zoo later that day so I thought a community one would be my best bet. I think I hit 10 yard sales but only bought something at two.

The above picture is of 3 Mattel Liddle Kiddle dolls (sorry for the horrible picture). I bought all 3 for $2.00. I'm going to list them on eBay later this week. The completed auctions look pretty good. Especially for a $2.00 investment.

I also found a Little Mermaid Flounder costume. I couldn't find any completed auctions for the one that I bought. It only cost me $3.00 so I'm willing to take the risk. If it doesn't sell my princess will have a new dress up outfit.

How did your yard sale hunting go?

Sometimes It's OK To Splurge

I am all about saving money any way possible. Buy once a month I splurge on myself and get a pedicure. I know it's an overindulgence but really it's one of the few times I spend money on myself. So I do it guilt free.

I think that sometimes as moms we forget that we are women too not just mom or mommy or momma. But if we don't take the time to take care of ourselves every once in a while who else will? Take some time to refuel. Or in my case a chance to sit back, relax, let someone else take care of me, and forget about the mortgage and bills and diapers and everything else for a half an hour. Then I get up from the pedicure chair and become Mom again.

For those of you wondering where my princess is at while I get my toes all pretty, my wonderful sister and I have a deal. I take her daughter, my niece, with me and gets pretty nails too and she watches my princess. Isn't family great?!

There's no such thing as a free lunch

Or so the saying goes. But apparently there is such a thing as a free steak dinner because last night Outback Steakhouse was giving away 1,000,000 (yes that is one million) free steak dinners. And within 4-6 weeks I should have my coupon to redeem my steak in our wonderful Salinas Outback. Combined with my $25 gift card I haven't used since Christmas this should make for a good time!

I never realized how many free things are out there. All you have to do is ask. Or sign-up. This week alone I have received 4 free diapers, a free shout wipe, 2 samples of Prilosec, and a 7 day sample starter kit of Align Digestive Care. And the week isn't over yet.

You are probably wondering where can you find out about all these great freebies. AllYou Magazine has a list of daily free samples. That's my first stop each morning. Then I go over to MoneySavingMom. Not only do I find out about samples but I also find all the coupon match ups for my local stores and what new coupons are available on this website. Love it! Of course there are tons of wonderful websites out there to find this info but these are the two I follow.

Because most companies ask for your email address in order to send you free samples I set up a separate email account to use just for my freebies. This might be something to consider. Remember it's all about saving a buck wherever you can.

MY DVR is ruining my life

So maybe it's not actually ruining my life. But it's putting way too many ideas into my head. I know what you're thinking "why do you record them?" I will let you know when I figure that out.

Extreme Couponing made me think I could get everything for free. Where do these people live that they get such deals?! But I'm going to throw my hat in the ring. I will let you know how my stockpile goes.

And then you have Storage Wars and Auction Hunters and a half dozen other shows that find hidden treasure in just about every nook and cranny. I don't think I'm going to run out and buy a unit but you never know.

All these shows are make me see zero dollar grocery bills and million dollar finds around every corner. I will have to see how reality lives up to it all.