I love this video of a dad and his little girl! The joys of fatherhood and of being daddy’s little girl.
Wishing all dads a wonderful and happy Father’s Day, blessed with family and friends!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Thrifty Share: Vintage Slide Projector
Here’s a yard sale treasure that I found this past Saturday for $10. It sure brings back memories!
Since Sunday is Father’s Day, I also want to share a little story about my dad and why I was really excited to bring this home with me.
My father was an amateur/hobby photographer, and he never went anywhere without his camera. He took pictures of everything! Of course, we have plenty of family pictures, but there are also pictures of buildings, equipment, and all kinds of other stuff. Most of these photos were developed on slides, and he would then choose a few to get prints.
Growing up, I remember many evenings of slideshows (and family movies), wanting to be anywhere but. How I miss those times now!
After my dad passed away, there were hundreds of photos and slides. My mother and I went through most of them and purged the ones we wanted to keep, mainly family photos.
My mother passed away in 1995; and soon after, my family and I moved from Los Angeles to our current home. Somehow during the past years, the projector went missing, and I now had a ton of slides with no projector.
Last year, I reconnected with my sister and nieces; and we spent many hours reminiscing about our father/grandfather. We all agreed to meet again to have a family movie-slideshow night, but we would have to wait until we had a projector. The wait is now over and finding this vintage slide projector was pure serendipity! We hope to get together soon to remember and honor our fathers (including my BIL who has also passed away) and grandfather.
Happy thrifting and saling!
I am linking up this post to the following. Please visit them for more thrifty goodness:
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Selling on eBay: Sourcing and Creating an Inventory Planning Notebook
Aside from sourcing – aka shopping – for items to resell, one of my favorite things to do is research and read about other sellers’ great finds.
When I read about someone else’s great score, it’s like getting a fabulous tip for my next treasure-hunting adventure. And, of course, we all love to share those wonderful scores with others. I guess cuz it makes us feel like winners – and who doesn’t like to be a winner?
One of the blogs I love to follow is The eBay Life Blog by Miriam. Her blog has two of my favorite sections: Score of the Day and The “Score” Board. There is an abundance of information there, but check out this recent “score board” posting:
Another blog with tons of information on great flips is Late Night Coffee by Rebecca. I love to read Flippin’ Friday Stories! There is also a page called “The List” where Rebecca lists and categorizes the flips from the Flippin’ Friday stories. Her Flips page lists Rebecca’s better flips showing her original cost and sale price. And then there is “Show and Sell” with links to items for sale. Check out these current listings:
You just never know when and where you’ll come across a great find, and trying to remember everything is just impossible. Someone suggested keeping a small address book with my BOLO list in alphabetical order, but this did not work for me. However, the idea of creating a Sourcing and Inventory Planning Notebook appeals to me.
This is an idea I received in an email from Lisa Suttora, an “ecommerce expert” I follow. She is offering a FREE Summer Sourcing Guide with 15 strategies for summer and holiday sourcing. The guide is 39 pages long so I have not read it all, but I did read the part where she recommends creating an Inventory Planning Notebook.
Even if the idea of a notebook is not your cup of tea, the guide is still full of great information that may prove helpful during the slower summer months … and it’s FREE! Cheap is good, but free is better!
Happy thrifting and saling!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Cash for Trash: And First Place Goes To…
They say that imitation is a form of flattery; so taking a cue from Frank @ Fruzies blog, I’d like to highlight four of my sales from May. I get really motivated to list when I have sales like these!
Click on picture for link to listing
Honorable Mention goes to these Geta sandals that were $2 at a garage sale. The seller said he brought them over from his vacation in Japan a few years ago. Had it not been for DH’s eagle eyes, I would have left without them. These went to a buyer in Puerto Rico who paid a total of $41.98 with shipping.
Click on picture for link to listing
In third place is this lot of loose and packaged PEZ dispensers that I found at a garage sale. I know nothing about PEZ except that folks still collect them. The seller said she wanted 50¢ each, but she accepted my offer of $4 for the box. At first I thought I would sell them individually, but most of them weren’t worth more than a few dollars with shipping. It would be too time consuming to list and handle individually so I listed the lot at auction with a starting price of $25 – more than 6 times my cost. A buyer from California paid $42.91 with shipping. Ka-ching!
Click on picture for link to listing
This world globe takes second place; and it was a bargain at $2 from a garage sale. Somewhere in the cob-webbed recesses of my mind, I remembered reading that globes are good sellers. So when I spotted this one in the driveway, I immediately picked it up. Other than it was in good condition, I knew nothing about it. I had to do some historical and geographical research to determine its age. I also researched the cartographer – a fancy word for someone who develops and produces maps – which is also an important aspect for collectors. Collectors are especially interested in vintage globes, the older the better. This one was only 10 years old, but it still sold for $69.99 to a buyer in Minnesota.
Click on picture for link to listing
And the winner is … this pair of vintage New York Railroad oil cans, spotted by eagle-eye hubby at a garage sale. We paid $5 for the two and sold them for $100 to a buyer in Virginia who paid a total of $114.99 with shipping. The sellers of this sale were selling off some of their elderly dad’s items, and they had a yard/driveway full of great stuff. DH was busy looking at some tools in the driveway; and from the corner of his eye, he spotted these oil cans way inside the garage. He asked the seller if the cans were for sale, which they were.
DH calls over to me and asks me, “$5?”
Me: “Each?”
DH: “For both.”
Me: “YES!”
Ok, so I knew they were oil cans, but I didn’t REALLY know what they were. But DH knew exactly what they were: vintage railroad oil cans. We both heard the same Ka-Ching!
These may not be the highest dollar or profit amount, but I would have passed up on these items in the past simply because I was so focused on certain items. I’m really trying to keep an open mind when I go saling and having DH along for the adventure has been a big plus!
Now that’s cash for trash!
And a big thanks to Frank at Fruzies for the shout out. Please visit Fruzies and some of my other favorites on my side bar to learn more about online selling.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Cash for Trash: Pendleton and Western Shirts
Sales have been lukewarm but steady this month. I’ve had just over 100 sales so far and looks like I’m not going to reach my monthly sales goal this month. I’m sure it’s because I haven’t been listing as much as I would like. Ya’ll know, the more you list, the more you sell.
But I did have some great sales with these western and flannel shirts I found at garage sales for only $1 each. These were all auction-style listings.
PENDLETON Virgin Wool Board Shirt RED PLAID Loop Collar USA MADE XL TALL – Paid $1 @ GS – Sold $33.00
PENDLETON Virgin Wool Board Shirt BLUE & RED PLAID Loop Collar USA MADE 2X TALL – Paid $1 @ GS – Sold $37.99
I always pick up Pendleton shirts when I find them, but ya really gotta check for holes in the wool fabric. These 2 Pendleton shirts were in great condition and were both a tall-and-big size. Too bad they weren’t vintage cuz those can bring in over $100!
Click here for more information on Pendleton shirts. Includes pictures of labels by age so you can identify those vintage shirts.
Panhandle Slim Retro Western Shirt White w/ Brown Trim Turquoise-Button-Snap XL – paid $1 @ GS – sold $29.99
Vintage WRANGLER Western Southwestern Navajo Button Shirt Men's XL 17-17.5 NEW – Paid $1 @ GS – Sold $19.98
I also pick up most western shirts when I run across them cuz I know they’re a sure sale. Check out this list from Frank @ Fruzies; he has a great post on western shirts. I was really hoping the vintage Wrangler shirt would bring in a little more as it was brand new; but I’m thinking maybe the pink color was not so hot.
Well, I would say a return of $120.96 on a $4 investment ain’t chicken feed! So keep your eyes open for flannel and western shirts when you’re out thrifting or saling.
Speaking of western flannel shirts, here’s a great BOLO tip from Suzie Q., who left a comment about Arrow Chevella shadow plaid shirts.
VTG 50s Arrow Chevella Shadow Plaid Flannel Shirt Medium Rayon Red Black MINT
This vintage flannel shirt sold for over $350!! I just did a search of sold Arrow Chevella plaid shirts, and there are about ten that sold for over $200. Check out the sold listings here.
Now that’s Cash for Trash!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Happy Mother’s Day … I’m Back with Cash for Trash!
I hope that 2013 has been treating you all well! It’s been a busy year, and I can’t believe that almost half the year has gone by. Yes, I am guilty of being AWOP - Absent Without Posting – but I’m happy to be back. There’s been a few changes in my eBay business, but the biggest one is that jeans are now my main product.
The year started with business as usual; but in February a couple things happened to change that. First, DS#1 cleaned out his closet and gave me a couple of bags of clothes for the thrift store. Typical mom, I went through them first and pulled out these two Levi’s jeans. I figured I could sell them on eBay for a few dollars. WELL, they sold right away for a total of $91! Ka-ching!
Another thing that happened was that I stumbled upon an eBay seller who was making $$ selling jeans – only jeans. I was able to see her sold listings for the previous 3 months and discovered she was selling about 1,000 jeans a month! If her net profit per pair was $3-$5, she was clearing $3000-$5000 per month. And she was not just selling the “big buck” brands, but also the “regular” brand jeans. She had about 3,000 jeans listed in her store. Wow!
NEW Chip and Pepper Sunnybrook Ultra Flare Flap Jeans – Sold $29.99
This was an eye-opener for me since I was not familiar with jeans and never bothered with them. But I realized you don’t have to just sell those True Religion and Citizens of Humanity jeans to make money.
Levi's 501 BUTTON FLY STRAIGHT LEG Men's Jeans Size 34 X 29 – Sold $30
My local SA thrift store sells jeans for $2 on rag days … and if I buy 100, they are only $1 each. I don’t have any intention of listing 3,000 jeans, but one of my goals for 2013 is to increase the number of items in my store to 800-1,000 items. So with this in mind, one day I went to the SA and bought the 100 jeans for $1 each.
I talked to DH about this and he agreed to help with the “project”. He photographs and measures; and I do the rest. I really thought I’d be able to list 75-100 items a week, but that’s a lot easier said than done – even with hubby’s help. So far I have listed almost 400 jeans since February and sold a few thousand $ worth of jeans. We’ve certainly kept busy!
I’ve also been trying to get out to the garage sales every Saturday. I don’t want to limit myself to selling just jeans and I’ve been able to pick up a few other things. Here are a few of my better sales:
TOMMY BAHAMA EMBROIDERED SILK CAMP SHIRT HULA GRL SWINGING IN PARADISE 2X TALL – Paid $2 – Sold $65
I bought this Tommy Bahama shirt at a garage sale. Once home I discovered it had a stain, but this shirt was definitely worth taking to the cleaners. It took awhile, but it finally sold for $65.00.
Pottery Barn Silver Antique Mercury Glass 13" Large Pillar Candle Holders PAIR – Paid $5.39 – Sold $44.38
This pair of candle holders caught my eye at the GW when another customer picked them up and then put them back. I quickly picked them up and saw they were Pottery Barn so they came home with me. Once home, I discovered they had moisture in them and some of the mercury was missing. Darn it! I paid over $5 so I didn’t want to just get rid of them, but would anyone buy them? They sure would! After all, they were Pottery Barn.
American Spirit Compatible Laser Black Toner Cartridge 2100 HP-96A C4906A NEW – Paid $0.50 – Sold $29.99
Found this toner cartridge at a yard sale. Actually, I saw an original new and sealed Hewlett-Packard cartridge first. When the seller said fifty-cents, I jumped at it. Then she said she had another one in the house and I told her I’d take it too. I was a little disappointed when she returned and it was not an HP brand, but it was also only fifty-cents. This one sold pretty quickly with a very nice profit. The HP cartridge is still listed at $79.99, but I may drop the price a little. Better to have money in my pocket than it sitting in the closet.
DR DOC MARTENS Black Leather Mary Janes UK 6 US 8 EU 39 BLACK MINT EUC – Paid $3 – Sold $69.98
Bought these shoes at a garage sale and the seller told me she was asking $3 for them “because they were almost like new, worn only once”. Wow, $3 – I’ll take them. Sold for $69.98 – Ka-ching!
NEW Looney Tunes TASMANIAN DEVIL Collectible Cookie Jar 1993 NIB NRFB – Paid $5 – Sold $49.99
I found this brand new cookie jar at an estate sale. I really try to stay away from these types of items to resell because of the shipping. But it was still in its original packing so it wasn’t too bad to package. It sold faster than I expected and I was happy for the sale.
I certainly hope 2013 has been good to you and your sales have been jumping. So far, my sales are better than they’ve been the past 2 years for the same time period.
I’m also happy with the new price structure for eBay stores. I’m still cautious because eBay doesn’t do anything unless it benefits eBay. It seems to benefit the majority of sellers but sellers without stores seem to be the more adversely affected.
Although I haven’t been posting, I’ve been keeping up with your blogs and the Facebook groups I belong to so I haven’t really been missing in action. Thank you for not abandoning me and I do hope to keep blogging on a more regular basis, maybe posting once a week.
Wishing All Mom’s a Wonderful Mother’s Day
Friday, December 28, 2012
Cash for Trash: Last One for 2012
Hope everyone had a wonderful, fun-filled Christmas with family and friends! We had a nice small, quiet celebration with our two sons. We are grateful for our blessings and pray for those who are less fortunate, in particular for the lives that were lost in Connecticut and their families. May they be remembered in our prayers and never forgotten.
I was actually looking forward to a quiet December; but it’s been pretty busy as far as online sales go. I was shipping items out as late as the Friday before Christmas for Monday delivery. I think this has been the busiest November-December I’ve ever had.
What really surprised me was the number of sales from Bonanza. Since it costs nothing to list (just a sales fee), I have all my eBay listings posted on Bonanza. Then, pretty much forget about them; and every blue moon, I will make a sale. From January to August of this year, I made 5 sales – nothing to crow about. But since Thanksgiving, I have made 11 sales! Not sure what’s going on, but I’m not complaining. I just hope it continues into the new year.
CHRISTMAS SWEATER Christopher Banks Embroidered Beads Sequins Appliques LG NEW – pd $2.50 @ sa - sold $38.99
In a previous post last month, I mentioned that sales for ugly Christmas sweaters seemed slow and was worried that I was going to get stuck with the bunch. Not to worry! They started flying off the shelves right after Thanksgiving; and except for two, I sold ALL my inventory of Christmas sweaters.
Here are my best sellers from the past few weeks:
Lenox 2003 FLORENTINE SPIRE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT MIB – pd $3.99 @ gw – sold $45.12
SPODE CHRISTMAS TREE SET OF 4 NAPKIN RINGS IN ORIGINAL BOX – pd $3.59 @ sa – sold $55
DR DOC MARTENS 8783 PLATFORM PENNY LOAFERS UK 5 US 7 EU 38 BLACK NWOT NEW – pd $1 @ gs – sold $40
CHICO'S Jacquard Sheen Soukie Jacket Women's Size 3 LG NWT NEW – pd $5.39 @ gw – sold $49.99
Walking Dinosaur Animated w Sound Playskool Kota Pals Monty T-Rex Hasbro VIDEO – pd $5.19 @ sa – sold $46.04
I found this dinosaur at the SA and walked around with it while I decided whether or not to buy it. He was in great condition so I bought it. I was really happy when I put batteries in it and it worked! I decided to make a mini-video to post in my listing and was able to sell him pretty quickly.
CAFEWARE Culinary Arts Porcelain Coupe Soup Bowl Smooth All White Discontinued – pd $4.98 @ GW – sold $62.06
For some reason, the bowls in my house have been disappearing so I originally bought these bowls at the GW for our personal use. They were really nice so I thought I’d just take a quick look to see if they were worth anything. Holy cow, was I surprised! The same buyer bought all 3 bowls and paid over $60 for the lot. As for bowls for us … well, I ended up getting bowls at the Dollar Store!
DOLCE & GABBANA Cravatte Le Cirque Circus Clowns Tiger Pin Up Girl Men's Silk Tie – pd $0.20 – sold $45
This past August my BFF Viv and I stumbled upon the best garage sale! There were tons of great stuff and the seller had everything priced to sell. This was quality brand-name stuff and folks were going crazy. We got there about 10 a.m. so I can’t imagine what great stuff had already sold. For $4, I picked up a brand new vintage pastry toaster that I sold for $75; and I also picked up a lot of 50 ties for $10 – that’s $0.20 per tie! This Dolce & Gabbana tie was in the bunch and it sold for $45!
TAYLOR & LORD CASHMERE TAN PULLOVER SWEATER TURTLENECK LONG SLEEVE MEN'S XL – pd $5.99 @ GW – sold $35
Barney's New York Men's Black 100% Cashmere LS Crewneck Sweater XL – pd $5.99 – sold $40
Mens KIRKLAND SIGNATURE Gray Shawl Collar Cardigan CASHMERE Sweater Size XL – pd $5.39 @ gw – sold $114.45
I try to limit my purchases at GW to items that are on sale, which means I’m passing up some good stuff. So I’ve been picking up cashmere sweaters even when they’re not on sale. Check out this Kirkland cashmere sweater that I picked up for $5.39 and resold for over $100!
Now that’s CASH for TRASH!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)