June Money

Before I get to this month's money summary, I just want to mention my trip to the Goodwill Retail Center in Hampton, Virginia yesterday..

 

 

Check out that fellow thrifter's haul!

She and her husband brought out two more carts after that!

 

Yes that building does look familiar! It is an old Target. The inside is split in half, one half being a regular Goodwill store, and the other half being the regional Goodwill outlet.  

 

 

I paid $5 for the above haul; Chuggington train set, Leap Pad book, Playskool bugs, Little People, a couple cups, Bakelite spoon, and eye and nose shaped salt and pepper shakers. The Littlest Pet Shop guys were a bust (Happy Meal toys:/) Luckily they charge by the pound and they weighed almost nothing.

 

JUNE MONEY SUMMARY

 

# of Sales
80

All the numbers below are rounded:
Amount I spent on the items sold
$199

 

Avg Cost of thrifted item
 $2.40

 

Amount of Sales
 $1567

I just want to mention that the weeks were all different this month
1 - $420
2 - $350
3 - $190
4 - $515
5 - $50

Avg Sale Price
$19.50

 

Highest sold item
 Timberland platform boots $80

 

Lowest Sold Item
 Playmobil Slippers $1.50

 

Other:

One unpaid buyer case, closed and credited

GSP sales: 6

One 30% refund on an item that ended up broken -$23

 

Last month’s Goals:

Add 100 new listings (YES!)

Make over 125 sales (No, but my profit margins made up the difference)

Increase average sale price to $15.00 (YES! to $19.50)

No more $0.99 cent sales!!! (YES! - my two smallest sales where for very small Playmobil items, which I am fine with)

 

Goals for next month:

Reevaluate how I look at my profit margin (start paying closer attention to how much I spend each shopping trip). Right now I am looking at what I spend on each item sold. This method is not accounting for the duds.

Concentrate on listing more high profit margin items, like flatware

Decrease my avg price spent on items to $1.99 while maintaining an avg selling price of over $15/item

Learn the ins and outs of Go Daddy Bookkeeping which I signed up for this month and am happy with, however I need to get some details worked out

So how was your month? I'd love to hear about how things are going for you!

 

 

 

Lot-e-da

I've briefly mentioned Lot-e-da before on this blog, but I'd like to mention it again today.
It's a great company owned by a mom in Ohio. The website launched back in January, so they are still new. It's a website where you can buy and sell your kids (or thrifted clothing) by the lot. They accept most brands but it must be in EUC - and like always higher quality brands will sell better.

They have excellent customer service and I've sold clothes on there already. The listing is a bit more involved than eBay, when you do it yourself.  But they are now offering full service for a higher fee. I am definitely going to use this option at the end of this season when I go through all the closets - because I hate listing clothes - so this option is perfect for me.

 

I love this estimated value feature.

 

So if you have some kids clothes sitting around give Lot-e-da a try!

I did not receive compensation for this post, just spreading the word about a very cool business owned by a fellow work-from-home Mom!

Sum it Up Sunday 6/29/14

This week's sales were MUCH better than last week's. I made an effort to list a few items each day and it paid off. I also had a bunch of BIN items that ended. I think this is because eBay sends out "the item you are watching is ending" emails. I noticed a direct correlation between the items ending and selling; all the items with over two watchers sold. This definitely has me re-thinking my recent decision to start using the Good Til Cancelled option. 

 

 

I sold two sets of these Villroy and Boch Luxembourg Fine China Mugs

Paid $8ish dollars, sold $50

 

This set of six sold for $30, and another set of four sold for $20 to the same buyer in Australia. She paid over $80 to have them shipped there. I learned that you cannot combine shipping on GSP sales.

 

Sealed 1987 Dinosaurs Play-Doh Kit

Paid $.49, sold $30

 

Picked this up at the Habitat General Store a couple weeks ago (and on the off chance that some higher-ups at Habitat for Humanity come across this blog, your store has a terrible name - no one knows it is a thrift store or even open to the public! - good for me as a reseller, but not for the store in general.)

 

I spent $90 on new inventory this week. A bit high I think, but I got 15 Christmas ornaments, including an Elvis ornament that just sold on eBay for $40. Mine is NIB. I also bought the stainless flatware guide from Replacements eBay store for $22 F/S as I am moving towards listing more flatware. Speaking of flatware...

 

I sold this Big Bird spoon after two days for $25 best offer!

 

 

Check out the complete listings for Gorham Stainless Sesame Street

I could have held out for more, but I wanted the cash flow!

These are a BOLO for sure!!!

 

 How was your week? Sales picked up this week for sure, I almost tripled what I made last week. I'll tell you about it in my upcoming June Money post. Did you have any great sales or finds this week?

 



 

 

 

No Regrets

 

When talking to my mom recently I told her about how I had just found two Rocco DiSpirito signed cookbooks at CHKD. I didn't even realized they were signed until I got home, and started really looking them over. One is glued in on a sticker and one is in sharpie on the inside.

While I was telling her the story she interrupted me and said, "You know I found a signed book once. I don't have many regrets in life, especially about material things, but this is one. I really wish I had kept that book." Of course I was DYING to know, what book?!?

"Well, we were taking the trash to the dump [in South Hampton, NY], and I was doing a little dumpster diving. I always found cool stuff but I never kept it. That day I found a leather bound book that said the Merv Griffin Show on the cover. It was full of signatures, the one that really stands out is Soupy Sales. But I didn't keep it and I really regret that.."

WOW! I know this story sound suspiciously like an actual Seinfeld episode (but doesn't life always end up sounding suspiciously like a Seinfeld episode?) But she swears its true!  I'm going to hope and imagine someone else found the book that day, and it's not decomposing on Long Island.

 

What about you? Any thrifting regrets? Anything you passed over and researched later but it was too late?

WTEW?!? BOLO

This Week's What the eBay Wednesday?!? has a couple of BOLOs wrapped into it.

BOLO Number One
Stampin Up Retired Stampin' Spot Ink

 

Used are going for $20ish bucks!

I paid $2.50 for this - I'm listing it for $24.99 F/S for a $18ish profit

 

From what I can see it is not Stampin' Up inks in general, it is specifically the STAMPIN' SPOT inks that sell so well. They are about 1x1 inches each.

 

A quick eBay or Google search of the name on the box (this one is Rich Regals) will tell you whether it is a retired color or not. These aren't going to make you a ton of money but I LOVE little things like this that are small, easy to store, easy to ship, and can make you $20 bucks!

 

BOLO Number Two AND the WHAT THE?!? portion of today's post:

 

Collectible Hallmark Ornaments

 

Keep your eyes out for this Hallmark Ornament and you could be $75 richer! 



Family Farm Barn Fisher Price Ornament

There were only two complete listings for this!

 

I just love that ornament! I came across the listings for this when researching the actual toy barn. I was excited for a minute until I realized its the ORNAMENT that sells for that much, not the toy;) So I decided to see what other Hallmark ornaments were bringing in some serious money...

 

 

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Cousin Eddie's RV Ornament

 

What the eBay!?! I understand collecting, and I understand loving that movie,

but I don't understand paying that much for an ornament!

 

 

1980 Cool Yule Frosty Friends

Evidently this is the first in a series

 

We don't have that kind of money, but You better believe I'll be searching the Christmas section at estate sales more thoroughly now!

 

I would LOVE to hear if you own any of these ornaments, or if you've ever sold an expensive ornament?

 

Silver Plate ?

I found these gorgeous silver plate serving utensils at Family Thrift yesterday. They're selling for about $15-$25 each on eBay. I don't know much about this category and what I'm finding online is mixed. So the question is, polish or not to polish?

I'm leaning towards not because it can't be undone... your input is appreciated!

 

Oxford Silver Plate Co Narcissus 

 

Sum it Up Sunday 6/22/14

Happy Official Summer! It has been a HOT week here in Virginia Beach, too hot to even comfortably go to the beach! Apparently the weather or some other force has driven away ebayers this week too, because sales were slow, about half what they where the previous two weeks for me. I finally had a few substantial sales over the weekend, but the work week had me wondering if someone turned my store off.

 

Even so I flipped these Nike Youth Golf Cleats in about two days for a $19 profit!

 

 

I stopped by an estate sale Thursday where I bought this

Williamsburg, Virginia postcard circa the 1940s  

 

I love genealogy, historical books, Jamestown and Williamsburg. I could not resist this postcard which was obviously written to a housekeeper:

 

"Dear Eleanor,

How would you like this kind of kitchen.
David and I enjoyed it so much, watching them use the old utensils.
We will be home Thrusday night about 12 oclock.
Will see you Friday morning.
Mr. Davies will have his usual breakfast.
Perhaps you better bring bread + fruit and something for you and Louise's lunch.
Sincerely,
Mrs Davies"

 

Could you imagine how much Eleanor was rolling her eyes when she got this?

 

 

I picked up this Cross Stitch at Second Chance Thrift this week, I have it listed high at $65.

It is professionally framed, and very well done.

 

I made $29 off the Cesar Milan DVDs I mentioned a couple weeks ago

 

So how was your week? Was it slow, steady or great? I was certainly slow for me, but I also didn't list much either. Has it been super hot where you are?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday's Snapshot (Friday Edition) 6/20/14

There were three Estate Sales within a 15 minute drive today, and a yard sale. So I made my route and got shopping. We're going to have a yard sale of our own tomorrow because two of our neighbors are as well, so I figured I'll put a table out with some of my eBay duds.

 

Spent $39 dollars

 

Are you ready for the weekends sales? Did you go saling today? What was your fave find this week?

 

Researching Peanuts

This is my first attempt at an all mobile post, hopefully the formatting works.

We all know Snoopy sells, but I didn't realize how well till now.

So check out the below sold complete listings for : Avon Peanuts, so I will break my "never buy Avon for resale" rule if I see these soaps and dishes;
An adorable hamburger ornament I would have a hard time reselling if I found; A cool Snoopy astronaut doll; Also check out that sheet set with curtains!!!

What the eBay?!? Wednesday 6/18/14

This weeks WTE Wednesday features some eBay stores that may or may not surprise you...

Tired of sourcing? or tired of running your eBay store? Sell it all at once, like these folks...

This makes no sense to me. If I decide to stop eBaying it will be a giant yard sale for us and the rest back to the thrift stores. From what I can tell this whole inventory is listed and sitting in the eBay store that they are selling.

 

Did you know there is a whole black market for eBay ID's with positive feedback and good selling history? I stumbled on this underground world when I kept googling "When will ebay raise my selling limits? What will my selling limits be?" etc.

 

My selling limits are now 400 I have over 60 feedback on my store and over 50 on my personal account that I only use a little bit, mostly for buying. I think I'm right on track considering I've been selling for less than five months. I'm hoping for Top Rated Seller status before the fall. So I have no need for the following:

 

Click here for original listing

I'm sure this listing will be gone soon, because there is no way eBay allows this...

etreasures is not the ID the seller is selling, its another established ID that he will transfer to the buyer after the purchase.

 

 

Did you find any crazy eBay listings this week? And What do you think, are the above sketchy practices?