We sell all kinds of items, many of which are practical everyday objects: clothes, tools, etc. But we also find and sell many items that are “collectible”. They have no practical value and are mainly ornamental, historical or make people feel nostalgic. Though we’re frugal and love to live a very minimal life, it is interesting that we make a living by scavenging items for people who love to collect. In biology, this is called Mutualism, where both species help each other with their needs.
As Scavengers, we’re out there every week locating these weird, uncommon items in the random waste of the nation, then we come home to post these items online. The Collectors are scouring the internet for the items they need to complete their sets. Our urge is to get everything out of our house. Collectors feel better when they’re surrounded by objects of they deem important. When the Collector dies, their lifetime of collections often get broken up into pieces and sent out into the world for the next generation of Scavengers to find and offer up to the next generation Collector. The natural cycle starts again.
We thank everyone who sent us emails, left phone messages, and forum comments about the Gallery Plus problem and eBay Coupon we spoke about last week. eBay would do it self a favor to have a page that listed “known problems” so we all wouldn’t have to cipher these mysteries.
Our sales slowed from the busy holiday season but have been steady. All we can do is list. Coffee is for listers.
These are the links we discussed in this podcast:
- We found a painting (see above) that should go to the Museum of Bad Art. It reminds us of their first painting that sparked the whole idea.
- On the forum, ShortandStout recommends going to local experts and craftsmen to find out more about items you find.
- And Nancy was nice enough to remind everyone about a great interview with Mark, a tax accountant who now specialized in helping online sellers.
Join the conversion on the forum>>
Our Store Week February 12-18, 2017
Store #1
Total Items in Store: 5722
Items Sold: 48
Cost of Items Sold: $226
Total Sales: $1,351.23
Highest Price Sold: $125 (vintage Air France menus)
Average Price Sold: $28.15
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $16
Number of items listed this week: 120
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Bonanza/Trugether:
Sold 0 items for $0
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Store #2
Total Items in Store: 997
Items Sold: 5
Cost of Items Sold: $8
Total Sales: $175.80
Highest Price Sold: $85 (vintage spice rack)
Average Price Sold: $35.02
Returns: 0
Number of items listed this week: 15
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Home › Forums › Scavenger Life Episode 298: The Scavengers and The Collectors, A Love Story