Now What Will I Sell

I live in beautiful sunny California. I have my whole life. But as I look out the window this is what I see:

Nothing interesting about this picture. My point isn't what's in the picture. It's what not . And that would be SUN. I live in California and there is no sun! And it's not even fall yet!

And how does this effect me? Lately about half of my eBay sales are for Hawaiian shirts. Do you know what some men will pay for really ugly Hawaiian shirts even if they are used? A lot. I can always make good money on them. I usually pick them up for a dollar or two and sell for upwards of $20.00. That's a great profit. And they sell consistently for me.

I sold this Hawaiian shirt this week. Paid $1.00 and it sold for $25.00. I must have underpriced it because it sold really quickly but I'm happy with at $24.00 profit. And the seller thank me for the shirt. Love that. I'm happy, he's happy. The hula girls on the shirt look happy. What else can I ask for?

Unfortunately today being our first gloomy day reminded me that the warm weather will soon be leaving us and with it my sales of Hawaiian shirts. I'm sure I will still be able to continue sell some but not in the numbers I have been selling them lately. So now what will I sell?

I never find owls like Becky at Treasures in Thrifting Land . She seems to do so well on them. The also does well with her local facebook group but there isn't a very good one in my area. I could try religious items like Lorraine at Clamco but I don't run into very many of those either. Plus I have a feeling my mom would try to keep most of them. Scott from Barry's Books and Other Neat Stuff does well with books, movies, cd's, even old computer programs. But I know nothing about any of this and I don't know if I have time to learn.

So since I can't steal any one else's idea I guess I will have to come up with my own. At least until next spring. It will give me time to collect more shirts. And maybe find a new niche I enjoy.

Sick As A ...Dog

I spent all last week sick as a “dog”. I can’t figure out who I caught my illness from. No one around me was sick except for my doggies. I kept looking at the accusingly but I’m pretty sure I didn’t get it from them.

To make matters worse not only was I sick but I was crazy busy. So eBay got put on the back burner and I only listed 3 items all week. My sales definitely reflected this. $82.00 for the whole entire week. But sometimes life happens. Like Monday I went to see my Uncle in the hospital, Tues I listed my only 3 items, Weds I had my concurrent parents cluster group, Thurs my illness kept me in bed most of the day (I only got up long enough to have the Parents As Teachers meeting), Friday we took the kids to the movies, Saturday I had a date, and Sunday I was too burnt out to think. I’m ok with a slow week because to be honest I didn’t even have much energy to mail things. And with eBay’s new one day shipping requirements I would have been in hot water. I am actually looking at this slow week as a good thing.

I did manage to squeeze in some yard saling. I didn’t find anything too exciting. I bought a bunch more plush. Nothing that’s going to make me a huge profit but I only paid a quarter or two per item so that’s ok. Plush are becoming my favorite things to sell because I can pick them up so cheap and are easy to list and mail. I also picked up some men’s shirts, a couple of long jean skirts I keep hearing are good sellers, a couple pairs of jeans, and this:

Remember these old floppy disks. I’m still not sure why I bought them except for the fact that there were ten cents for a case of 38 and I had a gut feeling. I looked them up and found these that sold for $50.00 but they were new sealed in box and had all 40. I listed mine for much less and I’m crossing my fingers that they sell. Just to prove that my gut can still pick things out on its own without an eBay app. Wish me luck!

I'm In a Rut

I started selling again on eBay almost a year ago. At first it was exciting. Everything I listed was auction. When I got a bid I would almost jump up and down for join. I have certainly lost that loving feeling.

I began selling the way I think most people do. I went around my house and got rid of things. I had a goal in mind (a new Iphone) so I was highly motivated. Once I reached that goal (much quicker then I was expecting) I had a new goal. I need to get my doggies fixed. That is one of my doggies on my profile picture wearing the cone of shame. The goals continued and so did the selling. I started looking for items to sell at yard sales and thrift stores and often got lucky.

I remember coming home from Savers with a bag of little toy figures. I had no idea what they were but for a couple bucks I was excited to find out. I opened the bag and after some research found out they were called Battle Beasts and they sold for $36.00. Not one of my biggest sales but certainly one of my favorites.

Since I began selling I have gone from selling mostly kids clothing, to toys, to jeans, to woman's clothing, to plush and now I'm selling mostly men's clothing. There is no guess work in it men's clothing. I know what brands to look for. I know about what they will sell for. No excitement.

How do you keep going every day? Do you ever get bored? Feel like quiting?

She's the reason I won't quit. I don't want her to ever need for anything. So off to measure some jeans and list more products I go.

Oh on a very positive note, the adoption papers have been sent! Hopefully my Princess will really be mine before the year comes to a close.

Am I The Only One ...

... who never gets the eBay announcements about free listings?

Today only list auction style with buy it now are free. If you anyone needs me for the rest of the day I will be stuck in my garage a.k.a. my eBay room listing my buns off.

Goals

Why do you eBay? Here is the reason I eBay:

My Princess. As a single mom living on a single paycheck with a mortgage, bills, and growing baby I need all the extra money I can get. And I have another little one on the way (sorta). But even knowing all this I haven’t found myself very motivated to list lately. I have the merchandise. Just not the drive. I actually haven’t listed in almost 2 weeks (gasp!!). But all that is going to change.

I’ve been told that if you have a goal you should say it aloud and tell as many people as you can because you will be more likely to follow through and fulfill that goal. No one wants to look like a loser to their friends and family. So here is my goal. I need to sell $300 within the next to weeks. My exact dates are April 23^rd thru May 5^th. The reason for this is that my little Princess will be turning 3 (sigh. They grow up so quickly). And the gift I want to buy her cost $300. I know this is a lot to spend on a 3 year old. But it’s something she’s going to use for several years and so will the new little one. In order to accomplish this goal I need to LIST LIST LIST!!! My goal is 5 items per day minimum. I know I can do it. When it comes to my Princess anything is possible.

Goal #1

Sell $300 in two weeks.  I’ve already sold an item for $17.00 so that leaves me with $283.00. I’m getting there (thinking positively).

Goal #2

List a minimum of 5 items daily. I didn’t list anything yesterday so that means I have to do 10 today (starting to lose some of the positivity).

Wish me luck.

What to Sell on eBay

What to sell on eBay? Well apparently not anything I’m selling because last week was my slowest week EVER. I only sold 3 items for very low amounts. But I made sure I kept listing as much as possible and my sales are picking up already.

But that’s not why we are here. Recently I read a post from Late Night Coffee here about a vintage Fisher Price security blanket. I almost fell over. I see security blankets at garage sales all the time. For very low prices. Of course I don’t recall ever seeing this one specifically but I decided to research these blankets on eBay and was shocked how much they were selling for.

Here’s a screen shot of one that sold recently. They don’t all sell for that much (unfortunately) but after reading this blog I decided to try it. The following weekend I went to a garage sale and picked this one up for a quarter.

It is a Carter’s Just One Year elephant security blanker. It sold for $15.00 within two days. Not a huge amount but I will be sure to pick these up when I see them for a low amount. And always make sure you include the word Lovey in your listing title. That’s what people tend to call these blankets. Cute.

Cha-ching and Quick Nickels

Is there anything in the world that sounds better then your phone making the cha-ching sound when you get a sale on eBay? OK I know there is. Like the sound of my Princess laughing. Or her calling me mommy. And many more things. But the cha-ching sound rates pretty high.

Lately all my sales have been on the weekend and on Mondays. Tuesday through Thursday are a black hole for me. No sound comes out of my phone. I often look at it to make sure I didn't accidentally turn the sound off but I find the sound is still on. I just had no sales. But then Friday rolls around and CHA-CHING, CHA-CHING, CHA-CHING.

Lately I've been reading a lot of about slow dimes and quick nickels on different blogs. I'm afraid I have been going for the quick nickels a lot lately. This is when you list an item for less then it's sold before or you could actually get for it because you want to sell it QUICKLY instead of pricing it higher and letting it sit for the right buyer to come along. When I opened up a store this wasn't my plan. But then real life intruded. They cut our hours at work for a few months through the slow season and I'm having to make up the lost income through my eBay sales. Being a single mom I want to make sure that money is coming in so I'm pricing things lower then I should.

Here is an example of a quick nickel. I purchased this Reyn Spooner Hawaiian shirt for $1.00. It had so many things going for it. It was a Reyn Spooner. It was a 2XL (big sizes sell well). It was a Thunderbird 50th anniversary shirt. And there were no others listed. I priced it at $20.00 and it sold in one hour. I know I could have gotten more for this but I was happy with my quick $19.00 profit. Until work gets back to normal I am very happy with hearing my phone cha-ching with my quick nickels.

So are you a slow dime or quick nickel seller?

Sshh Don't Tell

I have a best friend named April. She is a great person and an even better friend. She was one of the first friends I made when I moved to SoCal. Now that I'm back in Salinas it's hard to keep in touch but even when I don't talk to her she is always in my heart.

April is what you would call...hmm how do I put this... a little different. You never know what she will be wearing, what her shoes will look like, what her hair will look like. She has a style all of her own. She's brave and not afraid to try anything. I often wish I could be more like her as I sat with my all black outfit and plain black sandals.

A few years ago April started collecting Flamingos. She has flamingo EVERYTHING. A few days ago I was at the Salvation Army and saw this for a dollar:

Not exactly April's style but the flamingos were adorable and I figured she could do something with it. At least that was my plan. But as I was listing items today I realized I could sell this on eBay. So I'm ashamed to admit it but I listed it. If it doesn't sell I will send it to April. But I do feel guilty for trying to sell a gift I bought for her. 

Am I the only one who has ever done this? Bought something for a gift but ended up selling it on eBay? I hope not. Hopefully she will never know.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?