Why Wait

Last spring and summer I went to garage sales and bought and bought and bought (yes I have a problem) seasonal items like Halloween costumes and Christmas decorations with the intention of saving them until that season got here. Then I planned on listing like crazy to get them all up (and hopefully sold) before the season was over. Unfortunately things don't often go according to plan around here.

When Halloween season started I couldn't find the storage containers with the costumes (I'm a little disorganized). When Christmas season got here I had so many personal issues that listing was the last thing on my mind. But then one day I realized "I have a store. Why wait?" So ever since then I list no matter the season.

I understand that items will probably sell quicker and for more when the season gets here. But at that time eBay will be saturated with sellers that also waited and are listing their items. I would rather be one of two or three sellers with an item now then one of a dozen later.

For those of you thinking "I don't want something to sit for months" you would be surprised what people will buy all year long. This past weekend I sold a Jasmine costume for $40.00 minus shipping and a baby's first Christmas from 2001 for $20.00 minus shipping. The costumes people buy for pretend play or themed birthday parties all year long. The ornaments I'm not sure about. Maybe theirs broke when they were packing it up after the holidays. All I know is that I'm glad it sold.

The ornament came from my $20.00 yard sale challenge a few weeks ago. So far my $20.00 investment has yielded me $120.00 profit. Three of those sales were holiday items, a costume and two ornaments.

Can I Make A Living

Today I asked myself "could I make a living off of eBay?" I know there are people that do this full time or almost full time and support themselves with the income. Would I be able to do the same and continue living the life I am living now.

The reason I wonder is because the company I have worked for so many years (too many to think about) was bought out recently. The new company is making so many changes. I don't know if my job is secure. So for the first time in ... well ever I'm having to wonder about my future with the company. If I do lose my job could I fall back on eBay until I found something new? I don't know. And that is a little scary.

Does anyone know someone personally who sells online for a living? Maybe I just want reassurance that it is possible.

Come Out Come Out Wherever You Are

I lost something very important. Have you seen it? I’m very worried. It’s been missing for a while. I’ve lost my eBay sales. I can’t seem to sell anything and I’m very worried. OK so I might be slightly to blame for sales being gone. I just haven’t been listing the way I should. But I’m determined to do better. And to make myself accountable I’m going to make, and share my goals.

eBay Goals for March:

1. List at least 14 new items a week. That breaks down to 2 items per day. I was aiming for 5 per day but I’m just too busy for that most days so I’m being easier on myself and saying 2 per day.
2. Go thru my existing inventory and list or purge. I really don’t need to do anymore shopping but I know I will. My goal this month is to go thru everything I already have and get organized.
3. Sell $600.00 in March. Not a big goal but that is a lot of money for me. Especially when I do this very part time.

Just 3 little goals. I can do it. I am trying to make March the month of change for myself. Like a personal spring cleaning. I think I really need it. So on top of eBay goals I also have a goal to loose 4 pounds this month, and (this is a big one for me) cut out most of my frivolously spending and put more money into my emergency fund. Let me tell you if I had an emergency right now I would be out of luck. I might have enough to cover an emergency pack of gum.

I’m really motivated to do well. Today I brown bagged it to work so I saved about $7.00 already. And on my eBay front I’ve sold 3 items so far this month totaling $60.00.

This beauty sold for $25.00 at auction. Buyer paid for shipping. I paid $1.29 for her on February 22nd. I was really hoping I would get more but auction ended with only one bid. She is kinda creepy and not in the best condition so I’m happy I got one bid.

This weekend all my purchases came from a single yard sale. We filled up a big, black garbage bag with toys and clothes for $24.00. I came home and listed several items including Pooh. He sold the same day. I probably under priced him at $20.00 since he was new with tags but plush is bulky and takes up more room to store so I priced my lowest. I split the cost of the bag with my mom so I’m already making a profit.

The third item I sold was a mens shirt for $15.00. I had an oops moment on this item. I meant to list if for more but I only paid $1.25 for it so still making plenty of profit.

This month I will be the little engine that could “I think I can, I think I can”.

Yard Sale Finds

Last weeks $20.00 thrift store challenge made a second appearance this weekend. I decided to see what I could get at yard sales for $20.00. I was lucky because it stopped raining Friday night so there were plenty of sales to choose from. I don't have photos this time because most of it is in the washer. But this is what I got:

Yard sale #1: A mans Kahala Hawaiian shirt for $1.00
Yard sale #4: 3 men's 4XL shirts. Includes one Tommy Bahama and two Ralph Lauren. $3.00 total.
Yard sale #5: 2 kids books for my Princess $0.50 total.
Yard sale #7: 2 tutus, a new with tags bathing suit, a couple of infant toys, and 2 costumes for $2.50 total. Only the costumes are for eBay.
Yard sale #9: 10 Christmas ornaments and a pair of women's Diesel jeans. Total spent $6.00. I have never tried selling ornaments before but my sister has had good luck with them. They include Lennox, Waterford, Spode and several other well known brands.
Yard sale # too many I lost track: My remaining $7.00 were spent on a costume, a tutu, a jacket, two tops, a doggie purse, an electronic American Girl thing (no idea what it is but I threw it in the pile) and a pony. No not a real pony. A rocking horse that is adorable. It makes noise and moves its head. My daughter fell in love so I had to get. And she wouldn't get off of it so it was either leave her or take the horse.

Most of my money was spent on things for the girls but I should still be able to make a good profit on the resale items. I kinda like this $20 challenge. It makes me stay on a budget and actually keep track of what I bought. Plus mom was with me with extra cash just in case I found a need to have item I couldn't afford.

Update

I re-read my last post and realized I forgot to mention Salvation Army was having their 50% off all clothing sale. That's why I got so much for only $20.00. Most of their children's clothing is $2 or less and men's shirts are $3.25. So half off is a really good price. And I already sold one item and almost made back my $20 investment.

I also sold my Steiff doll I had posted about recently. It sold for $60.00 auction. She's on her way to Texas. Between both Steiff items I paid $3 and sold them for $120 total this week. I wish I could turn $3 into $120 all the time.

$20 Challenge

Recently Margaret at Live Like No One Else wrote about a “Only Got $20 In My Pocket” challenge. She took a ride to the thrift store to see what kind of treasures she could acquire for $20.00. She hasn’t posted her finds yet but I did decide to take that challenge.

Today I walked into my local Salvation Army with a goal of only spending $20.00 and finding as many items I could find that I could turn around and sell for a profit on eBay. This challenge was actually hard for me for several reasons. The main reason is that I have very little time to shop. I usually go on my breaks and spend at the most 30 minutes shopping. Most trips I only buy one or two items and spend about $5.00. So finding enough time to shop and purchase $20.00 worth of items was going to be hard. But the Thrift Store Gods smiled down on me and there was plenty to choose from in the two sections I had time to look through, mens shirts and jeans. I actually had to put back a few items to keep within my $20.00 budget. So what did $20.00 buy me? Well …


7 for all mankind jeans

A Kahala Hawaiian shirt

A mens Patagonia shirt

Reyn Spooner Hawaiian Shirt


Boys Ralph Lauren Shirt



Two Tommy Bahama shirts



Cubavera Shirt. I’ve never sold these before but I thought I read somewhere that they sell well.


Hudson Jeans


Janie and Jack child bathing suit

That is 10 items for $20.00. Well actually $20.50. The best part is that I got all of it listed already. I wonder how much profit the $20.00 will bring me. I will keep you updated.

Feeling The Excitement Again

Since I opened up a store on eBay I rarely do auctions anymore. It's easier to let something sit til it sells. I dictate the price I want. I'm sure often times I short change myself but when I buy items for a dollar or two, or often times less, I'm happy with my profit.

This week past week I put two items up on auction. I know very little about these items and couldn't find the exact items for sale so I thought it would be best to let the consumer dictate the price. One of the items was the Steiff doll I mentioned in a previous post. The other was a Steiff Ralph Lauren bear I bought for a dollar at a garage sale two weekends ago. I started the bear at $50 and got no bids for 6 days. I did at one point have 11 watchers. Last night I finally got a bid. And this morning two more. It's up to $61 dollars with an hour to go. I love the feeling of auctions, the excitement. When my phone tells me I got a bid I run to check it and see how much. So why don't I do this more often? I think I'm going to start doing at least one auction every couple weeks. Keep the excitement in the relationship alive.

Here is a picture of the bear. It's missing its hat and another accessory and the coat closure is loose. Other Ralph Lauren bears have sold for much more but they were in like new or new condition. No matter what it closes at I am happy with the profit I have already. Not bad for a dollar investment.