Five Star Service

I like to collect and use these spice of life canisters...

So last week I ordered some spice of life spice jars from eBay. I bought two sets so I'd have a bunch. One set of five and one of six for about the same price.

Set one came in this box (wrapped in paper bags and peanuts)

Set two came in this box. Inside the envelope was a packing slip and nice note.

They both got positive feedback, but the second seller I left "best seller I've ever bought from" feedback. She was fantastic, and did not skimp on packing materials at all. 

I do think it's a seller's minimum responsibility to safely pack their product. I'm all for recycling packing materials as well, but in the case of the first box, I have to say I did laugh a little when I got it. The second seller went above and beyond! What you do you think?

Sum it up Sunday 9/21/14

This week started out scary slow! I was pretty anxious about the lack of sales. I only made $8 on Tues/Weds. I honestly thought that I was going to have a week where I spent more on eBay than I made. I bought some books lots for the kids, and some spice jars for myself.

I'd spent $80ish dollars on new inventory at the beginning of the week and was getting worried! So I went on a listing spree - I now have over 350 items listed, up from just under 300 ten days ago. I listed some auctions, even two $.99 auctions! Can you believe it? I hate $.99 auctions, but I felt like something was wrong with my eBay store and wondered if it would help. (Both have bids already of course.) Well, something worked because by Thursday sales were looking up, and consistently on through the weekend as well.

I got these oil paints in July and they sold this week for $60. 

Grumbacher Max Water Soluble Oil Paints 

I also sold some flatware which had been sitting for a while. Back in the early summer I spent a lot of time buying and listing flatware. I've sold some, but not much recently. This was a nice little sale because I paid probably a $1 for the flatware.

Cambridge Apple - four knives and two spoons sold $22

Remember my CD experiment? I finally sold a CD! Haha, it took awhile:)

Signed CD Katie Herzig Watch Them Fall

Paid $1, Sold $15

On Friday I logged on to see that I was now a "PowerSeller" which to be totally honest really doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I'm not 100% on what it actually means, Can buyers even see it? Seems like TRS is more important? What do you more experience sellers think about it?

How was your eBay week? I'd love to hear if you had any great sales!

Checking Other Seller's Sold Listings & WTE?!?

I sat down to write a post about how discouraged I was because I'd only made $8 in the last two days. Then, my neighbor rang the doorbell and I was talking to her for 30 minutes. Came back to finish my post and I'd sold a pair of Footjoy golf cleats, and a Scooby Doo mug! No sales for days, and then two in half an hour.

I'd been so discouraged this week I was checking other seller's stores to see how their sales were going. In general I wasn't seeing huge numbers so at least I knew my store wasn't "broken".

You can see what other sellers have sold by clicking on their name (we're looking at the huge seller Replacements Ltd) which takes you here:

When you get to this screen click on "Items for Sale" (Not Visit Store)

From there you will see the their main page

Scroll down the left side until you see "Show only" and click on "Sold Listings"

Then the sold listing will pop up

from there you can filter what you see by clicking on one of these:

If you are checking other seller's sales I would click "End Date: Recent First" which got cropped out above. This shows you what they sold in the past day (or whenever their last sale was) first.

My favorite filter when looking in general is Price + Shipping: highest/lowest depending what I'm in the mood for. Like right now I'd like to find a ridiculous listing since I didn't post a WTE?!? Wednesday post yesterday.

Here we go. Typos and the words "wife beater" in the title and it still got 23 bids and sold for $41.00

Something about this listing really irks me (probably the words wife beater)... These are A Shirts, although I'm sure using "wife beater" upped the views on this listing. 

When listing something that females would wear or want it is always women's as in belonging to or for women. Not womans or woman's as the contraction of "woman is", or belonging to one woman. That being said I take all kinds of language liberties in my listings to get the character count down. 

So have things been slow for you? Do you like to check other seller's stores? Do you have any typo/misspelling pet peeves? 

BOLO Panasonic Pencil Sharpener

Sold Electric Sharpener Listings

Brooch Bouquet

After listening to the most recent Scavenger Life episode, which touched on scrap metal/jewelry lots , I got to thinking about that junk jewelry I see ALL the time.

Sold Junk Jewelry Lot Listings

So other than identifying the valuable metals, gemstones, and Bakelite, I'm wondering how do I make money off junk jewelry?

Google Shopping Brooch Bouquet

eBay Sold Listings "Brooch Bouquet Lot"

Etsy Brooch Bouquets for Sale

I'm not going to start making these, 

but I'll keep my eye out for cheap lots of junk jewelry now!

I'd never even heard about this trend. What about you?

Sum it Up Sunday 9/14/14

With the start of school and germs abounding, we've been under the weather here. And apparently so has my eBay store. I only had 6 sales this week!

I profited about $7 on these Jordan onesies

By Thursday I'd only had two sales and was feeling concerned! And a little bit down about it.. why the slow sales? I don't know. Maybe just a case of "not having anything anyone wants right now" - I'm also consistently pricing my things on the high end of the spectrum now, so maybe the items are just slower to move. Either way the only cure for no sales is to list more. So, I got to listing, and listed about 25 items over the past two days, which is a lot for me.

I had to file my first USPS insurance claim for the seasoned stoneware I mailed out last week.

Picture from buyer.

I wrapped it in bubble wrap, then cut down a cardboard box and taped that around it, then I put it in a large flat rate game board box, and stuffed the spaces left with newspaper. I don't know what more I could have done. 

The buyer said this in her note:

You had packaged it so thoroughly, it must have been dropped in shipping more then once I would say.  

Since this is my first USPS insurance claim, can any of you tell me if they refund shipping plus the cost of the item? I refunded the buyer everything because I assumed that USPS does refund you shipping. Then I panicked because I realized it doesn't actually say that anywhere, and I might be out $36.

ALSO THIS WEEK

In eBay news:

eBay scalpers hawk iPhone 6 Plus at prices up to $6K

Wow! I wanted to link to some of those listings, but I cannot sign into eBay this morning on my phone OR the computer... anyone else having that problem? I know some of us had a similar problem last week too.

This is a store I came across that is doing really well selling something that I always pass over while thrifting: linens!

Cottage Garden Home eBay store sold listings.

I get totally overwhelmed when I see those racks with sheets hanging from hangers and the big yellow "sanitized" stickers on them (is that a Virginia thing?) And those bins full of cloth napkins? She's making a killing off vintage Ralph Lauren and Laura Ashley. Evidently Croscill is a brand to watch for too. Most the other reseller's blogs I follow rarely feature linens that don't have a character on them (Snoopy, Harry Potter, etc) - so you may want to check out this lady's store. If this is your store I'd love some tips on what to look for in linens!

How was your week? Have you pre-ordered an iPhone 6 (haha)? Have you had success with linens?

300/BOLO Starbucks Cyclops Mug

I just hit 300 listings! Whoohoo!!!

And while listing a different Starbucks halloween mug, I came across these:

Sold Cyclops Mugs

WHAT??? 

Did you know about this? I feel like this is one I should have known about:) 

Sum it Up Sunday 9/7/14

Happy Sunday! I'll jump right in with my sales. They were mostly on the smaller side this week.

I sold both of these Playmobil crows on tree perches this week. I think people are making their Halloween dioramas/dollhouse displays. 

Paid .10 each sold $3.99 each

I found this Pampered Chef Family Heritage "Seasoned" stoneware at the GW Outlet a month ago

My dad saw this in the back of my car and said "you're going to sell that nasty pan on eBay?"

I told him it's not nasty it's seasoned. I profited about $19 on it. I probably would not have bought it at a regular Goodwill, but because I was at the outlet I figured what the heck? I spent $9 that day and got this pan, a pizza stone, and quite a few other items. I really wish the GW outlet was closer! It is a 35 minute drive that can easily take 1.5 hours because you have to go through a bridge tunnel to get there. I learned recently that the GW outlet until a year ago was only three miles from where I live now!!! Ugh. 

This mug sold quickly for $14.99

It has a counterpart that says "Hell I'm Better" so look out for that one too.

I profited only $3 on this postcard of of the Roney Plaza Hotel in Miami Beach circa 1936

I'm a total sucker for this stuff even if I don't make decent money from it.

"Wish you were here to go in swimming with me" - ahh I love it!!!

I sold a baby food maker for $44, only to receive a message a few minutes later that they "accidentally pressed confirm" Does this drive you crazy or what? This happens regularly to me. I know you didn't accidentally press confirm, I know your child didn't get your phone, log on to eBay, and buy the item. I mutually cancelled the transaction. $44 is a nice chunk of change though... 

I hit up a "doll lady's" estate sale this week too. I bet she had 1,000 dolls easy. I don't know anything about them, and quite frankly am not interested in learning. I do like miniatures though, and bought a bunch of doll house furniture which I think I can make a decent profit on. 

Today is still young, so I'm hoping for some good Sunday sales!

WTEW!?! Back to School

What the eBay???

August Money

I have mixed emotions about this month's money. I took two weeks off from selling. I had my store on vacation mode, still sold a few things while on vacation mode, and have sold consistently the past 10 days. So technically my store was only "open" for 18 days this month, and the numbers really reflect that.  So part of me is happy that I did well during that time, and the other part is like whoa those numbers are low!

But I started off September with a $100 sale of the Bodum coffee maker! 

AUGUST MONEY SUMMARY

# of Sales
31

Amount I spent on the items sold
$58.99

Avg Cost of thrifted item
$1.90

Amount of Sales
$536

Avg Sale Price
$17.29

Highest sold item
Bakelite Flatware set $100 Best Offer F/S

Lowest Sold Item
Playmobil Rifle $.99

Other:
Two refunds totalling $15 for broken items which I mentioned in a previous post
One mutually cancelled transaction from a buyer in a country I don't ship to

Last month’s goals:
Did not set any selling goals because of vacation

Goals for next month:
LIST LIST LIST! I want to be SELLING SELLING SELLING for the holidays, and it's now or never time.

Even if listing sounds SO INCREDIBLY BORING I will list.

Some of this month's sales:

Goodell Bakelite Flatware 

Best offer $100 F/S

I had it listed for $165 but since I paid $2 for the set at a yard sale and because it was the beginning of the month and things were summer slow, I took the best offer.

Croft and Barrow Purse with a really cool built in "wallet" in the front!

Paid $6 Sold $24.99

Amish Print Pyrex Dishes paid $6 sold $34.99

September here we come!!!