Scavenger Life Episode 391: Trash Elf Holidayz

Merry Christmas J&R and fellow scavengers!

2018-12-16 – 2018-12-22

Total Items In Store: 2,594
Items Sold: 20
Cost of Items Sold: $80
Total Sales: $1030
Highest Price Sold: $165 (Vintage Cornet)
Average Price Sold: $51.50
# Items Listed: 24
Money Spent
on New Inventory: $108

Merry Christmas everyone!

Gut Sales Report for the week: Good sales again.

Challenge of the week: I am going to take this Holiday break to “fix” things in my business that need fixed. Also, look for ways to improve all areas of the business. This will also be a time of reflection on how to push the business forward in 2019. I will do a little listing, but mostly fixing, planning, and strategy for the future. Getting my COGS in order will also be a priority.

Scavenge of the week: Two things:

1. This is an item(s) that sold this week for about $300. The funny thing is that a garage sale this summer just gave them to me! It was a huge box of Stamp binders. I had to think twice about taking them even for free because they took up so much room. But I took them and sold a bunch of them for about $300 this week. I still have 6 left.

2. Went to an estate sale and picked up 7 pair of work boots. The average selling price is only about $35. But when is the last time you found 7 pair of work boots all in one place? I never have.

I heard a very sad story at an estate sale this week. I will try to tell the story in the “Random Thoughts” section later in the week.

Mark S

Merry Christmas, safe travels everyone.

This was my best week ever!

December 16-22 2018
Total Items in Store: 3664
Items Sold: 109 orders for a total of 126 items.
Gross Sales: $7484.16
Cost of Items Sold: $515
Highest Price Sold: $744.14 (vintage tube stereo amp)
Average Price Sold: $59.40
Average Order Price $68.66
Returns: 2
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 82

Also, surpassed my Q4 sales goal on Friday.

Scavenge of the week: I was getting ready to list a stack of empty gucci shopping bags in a lot. One of them felt a little thicker than usual. I reached inside and pulled out a stiff envelope with a $250 Gucci gift card in it. Not sure how long I’ve had them, months. Sold the gift card for $192 to cardkangaroo. Not much you can buy at Gucci for under $250. Works for me. Nothing like free money.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by The_SEAM_Store.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by The_SEAM_Store.

Great Sales The_SEAM_Store!

I posted that sad story I mentioned above. Here is the link to it:

Sad story I heard this week. Makes me thankful to sell online!

Mark

Week of Dec 16 – 22
* Total Items in Store: 1310 eBay, 10 Mercari
* Items Sold: 13 eBay
* Cost of Items Sold: $28.90 + $0 Commission
* Total Sales: $247.84
* Highest Price Sold: $34 Men’s Large Carhartt vest
* Average Price Sold: $19.06
* Returns: 1 (+1 refund damaged in transit)
* Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $91.71
* Number of items listed this week: 43

My week was only so-so plus someone opened a return and I had one item damaged in transit. Still happy overall, and I’m looking forward to the new year!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Happy Christmas all!
Another great week.
Sales: CAD$2064, 12 items, $172/item
COGS: $350 –> Item profit: $1377
Expenditures: $423 –> After-tax cashflow: $946
Listed: $900, 3 listings
Hours: 4
Notable sales: Trimble rugged computer $100 –> $700, sold to Spain. Discharge lamps $25 –> $330, sold to China.
Scavenging: not too much, but I did buy some more shelving for my storage unit and set it up with my bro in law. Things are quiet for the holidays and I doubt I’ll be buying much, but we’ll see. Big auction coming up in mid January so I’m trying to save a good wad for that.

Good Morning, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, impressive numbers from our hosts, awesome!
Yuck numbers for me and hoping for the usual purchases after the Holidays when people buy what they want, especially the old toys they had as kids!

eBay store totommyto

Total store items: 641
Number of items sold: 10 (1 international)
Total eBay sales (not counting s/h): $256.00
Cost of items sold: $20
Consignment payouts $8
Highest price sold: $55 – lot of five GI Joe like action figures.
Average price sold: $25.60
Returns: 0
Money spent on new inventory: $125
Number of items listed this week: 5
Sell through rate for the week: 1.5

Etsy store oldfleatoymarket

Total store items: 627
Number of items sold: 7 (0 international)
Total Etsy sales ( not counting s/h): $130
Cost of items sold: $8
Consignment payouts: $0
Highest price sold: Several $20 items
Average price sold: $18.60
Returns: One return for $10
Money spent on new inventory: $100
Number of items listed this week: 14
Sell through rate for the week: 1.1

Merry Christmas trash elves!

Store 1
Total Items in Store: 1,498
Items Sold: 18
Gross Sales: $448.31
Cost of Items Sold: $36.80
Highest Price Sold: $45.99 (vintage turntable parts)
Average Price Sold: $24.91
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $69.85
Number of items listed this week: 15

Store 2
Total Items in Store: 588
Items Sold: 4
Gross Sales: $38.37
Cost of Items Sold: $1.60
Highest Price Sold: $15.99 (vintage patch)
Average Price Sold: $9.59
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $1.60
Number of items listed this week: 9

Amazon.ca sales: $640.00 (Approx $160.00 net profit)
Amazon.com sale: $880.00 (Approx $220.00 net profit)

Had a pretty average week in our main store, and slower than usual in our second store. We’ve slowed down on listing in preparation for holiday travel (currently posting from a hotel room, while watching Die Hard).

We started viewing properties last week in hopes of finding our next (cheaper) home before the move gets closer. Told my family last night that we were moving back across the country, and would be a four hour drive away, instead of the current much longer day of flying/connecting.

Counting the days until I’m able to leave my day job at the start of February.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Winchester38.

Merry Christmas to all. I am so grateful to Jay and Ryanne and this community.

Since retiring at the start of July, my sales on eBay have exceeded expectations. I am comfortable now that I can earn enough to supplement my income/savings enough to afford to help my kids with college and to do some international travel.

In 2019, I hope to tighten up my real-time record keeping so that I will be able to easily report my numbers in this forum. Best wishes to all in the new year, Daniel.

Week of 12/16-12/22
Total Items in Store: 2,706 (Up 62% YOY)
Number of Items Listed: 60
Number of Items Sold: 75 (Flat YOY)
(Includes 3 Etsy, 0 Bonanza, 1 TrueGether, 0 Poshmark)
Weekly STR: 12% (Down 7% YOY)

Total Product Sales: $2,162 (Up 6% YOY)
Cost of Items Sold: $379
Cost of Labor: $150
Highest Item Sold: $90 – Zanetti Italian Double Breasted Mens Suit
Competition: Highest Priced Sale: Troy wins the week and Veronica leads for the year 29-22 (Still playing for pride!)

Clothing
# Listed: 1,687
# Sold: 46
STR: 12%
ASP: $29.09

Shoes
# Listed: 463
# Sold: 12
STR: 11%
ASP: $29.73

Hard Goods
# Listed: 556
# Sold: 14
STR: 11%
ASP: $27.52

Etsy
# Listed: 154
# Sold: 3
STR: 8%
ASP: $31.55

Poshmark
# Listed: 112
# Sold: 0
STR: 0%
ASP: $0

Taking a bit of a break with family in town for Christmas. Loved the podcast while I walked the dogs this morning. The hike is coming, gotta get ready!

Guest host…I liked that! Glad to help! Just call me The Numbers Guy! 🙂

My Store Week Dec 16-22, 2018

Total Items in Store: 1090
Items Sold: 8 (0 International)
Gross Sales: $155.11 (What happened?!? Really Crappy Sales :-0)
Cost of Items Sold: $7.08
Highest Price Sold: $44.99 (Lot of Mens Shirts)
ASP: $19.39
STR: 3.01%
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $72.07
Number of items listed this week: 8

Hello! Just posting these numbers to let anyone who had low sales this past week – you are not alone… However, already yesterday (Sunday) I sold more than all the sales in the previous 7 days combined – so must have just been a slow week with Christmas preparations – I know I have been super busy! This is the first week I just left my store in auto-mode and didn’t run any daily sales. Somehow, I think this hurt me big time, but it could just be the normal ebb-and-flow of the business. On a positive note, I finally finished epoxying my basement floor with the DIY Rustoleum Basement Epoxy Kit. This will be my future eBay office/warehouse. It turned out terrific and I am very pleased with the results, without having to pay a professional (I am not very handy, but I was able to do this and didn’t screw it up)! I will be renovating my new space over the next several weeks and am looking forward to a much more productive 2019. Will post pictures when it is all said and done. I have been living in a very unorganized ebay chaos for the past year and it has been stressful, and anyone who has experienced a move/remodel/home project knows what I am talking about…

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody at Scavenger Life. Thank you Jay and Ryanne, you really have made a difference in the world!!! I am waiting for your cable TV show syndication… someday… !

Total Items in Store: 372 Ebay, 45 Mercari
Items Sold: 12 Ebay, 4 Mercari
Gross Sales: $263 Ebay, $58 Mercari
Cost of Items Sold: $52 + $35 shipping included + some items ours
Highest Price Sold: $68 (three new bowls, paid $15 RA)
Average Price Sold: $21 Ebay, $14 Mercari
Returns/Refund: 1 refund- for the first time ever I grabbed the wrong item :0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 2

Happy holidays trash elves! R&J I’m happy to hear about your fun vacation and great week selling. Well deserved.

An ok week for me considering shipping cut off week with a low ASP. I was late getting up my Christmas items and I’m very pleased to see some of this stuff still moving out, even at fairly low prices. On Mercari, I sold some premium paper products I bought 90% off that sat on Ebay through last Christmas.

Speaking of Mercari, there are not great Youtube or FB resources about it but I did hear a guy say they rolled out a new feature where after 30 days your listing automatically converts to a best offer listing. I also need to pay attention once I drop the price enough and take off free shipping. All reasons to start out the price a bit higher than you actually want on Mercari or feature items that you don’t need to get top dollar on. BUT, you don’t have to use square photos or share on social media. Plus it’s very fast to list. I do well with children’s book lots on Mercari so far, selling very quickly. After doing Ebay for 3 years, it feels pretty darn good to get results more quickly after listing.

We adopted a rescue doggie for Christmas and have a lot going on so I have no listing mojo. As for 2019, I continue to work through the piles. I’ve got dwindling RA inventory left and Ebay said my sales are down 40% from a year ago. I feel a little funny going to straight vintage and used, but I can’t get the prices at the same retailer I used to get anyway. So in 2018 I really shifted from plowing profits into the business to draining it of the cash I can get out. We’ve had a lot of expenses lately, nothing fun to spend money on in particular. We are also in the minority paying significantly more taxes this year under the new law so we had higher quarterlies. All said, it’s probably going to be a low ASP for my year ahead, but then I’ll be able to hit estate sales. That’s the carrot.

I have Unpaid Item Assistant and have it set to 2 days. So much easier than chasing people down for their money. They have 2 days then get an automatic case opened, then 4 days to pay after that then case is closed. You should do it!

Jay said: “How did your family react? I bet that’s a big, happy piece of news for them.”

They were VERY excited. They’ve both got some health issues, so having us closer to home will be a big help for them at this point.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Winchester38.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Winchester38.

Items in Store 1039
Items Sold 27
Total Sales $742.50
COGS $83.00
Total Profit $659.50
Average profit $24.43
Average sales price $27.50
New Listings 14

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas here!

Man I hate being back at work today, but at least hardly anyone is here and I don’t have much to do. My hardest task today will be to avoid falling asleep at my desk. Lol! Days like these are a double edged sword of having an office day job. On one hand, the pay is good. On the other, I am wasting precious hours of my life sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen when I could be doing things I love to do.

As for ebay, This December has been great! I’m very thankful for my sales numbers considering I have not been listing much at all. This month my ebay funds allowed me to buy inventory, pay car payments, house payment, and buy all the Christmas presents. Wow! That is a pleasant feeling.

I know a lot of work goes into my ebay store, but I enjoy all of the “work” associated with ebay so much that the money always feels like free money.

What type of books did you find?!

In the future, you might want to consider taking a lyft or uber back with large unexpected hauls. I’ve taken an uber for 3 blocks before, but that was for a few boxes of unexpected finds. I have no shame. 😀

Just tip well!

Happy Holidays!

12/16/18 – 12/22/18
Total items in store (beginning of week): 492
Items sold: 16
30 day sell through (rate): 14.17%
Gross Sales: $449.91
Cost Paid for Items sold: $108.58
Shipping Cost: $83.07
Ebay Fee’s: $35.91
Paypal Fees: $15.73
Total Costs: $243.29
Net Profit: $206.62

Profit % Rev: 46%
ROI: 190%

Sounds like you guys found some epic trash in NYC 🙂

I wanted to comment about Poshmark. I don’t sell on there because I make more money than I would if I just focused on Ebay. I sell on there to diversify. Between the Ebay glitches in the recent past and and the fact that Ebay suspended my account in error for 30 days, I feel the need to sell on multiple platforms now. Even though I was able to get my account fully restored within an hour, the experience made me very wary of focusing solely on Ebay. The rep who restored my account told me that I should relist all the items (they had taken down and deleted nearly 100), but that I’d have to start from scratch as the listings were no longer on the site. I wasn’t game since they couldn’t tell me what in the listings triggered their bot to flag them and take them down.

That is when I got serious about diversifying. I relisted the items, but on Etsy and Poshmark instead of on Ebay. Every day since, I’ve built up my Poshmark following by following the followers of big accounts and by sharing. I’m up to almost 20K followers. Follower count helps with item placement in searches apparently. Yes, it takes time away from Ebay, but I’m OK with that since I now have a backup in the event that Ebay decides to delete a bunch of my listings again in the future. It doesn’t take a ton of time, and listing on there is way easier than listing on Ebay.

SALES: Dec 16-22
Store: 1050
Sales: 26 items, $1010 ebay
ASP: $38
Poshmark: $231 after fees, 5 items
ASP Poshmark: $46

total: $1241
-COGS:$145
TOTAL:1096

Had 1 complaint on Guaranteed Delivery delay, I directed buyer to the ebay page which outlines how buyer can formally ask for refund, credit, shipping return credit, etc. very helpful page for buyer.

January Goals:
Get Poshmark to 500 active items minimum (288 active at present) crossposted from Ebay. Note, make sure you look at “Listings Analysis” to get ACTIVE listed items. The total at top of main closet is not ACTIVE. It is sold and active combined.
Continue crossposting to Mercari (get to 100 listings).

Ebay goals: THE PURGE. I have limited storage, and some things need to get trashed / donated.

Dec 16-22
Total Items in Store: 1960
Items Sold: 34
Total Sales : $1381
* above yearly average of $906
* above 2017 total week sales of $1215
Highest Price: $360 (Drake HAM Radio Transmitter)
Average Price: $41
Returns: 2
Cost of Goods Sold: $88
Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $5
Number of New Items Listed this Week: 53

I’m kinda late with posting my numbers. There’s just a lot of craziness happening in my world right now. But I’m glad you’re enjoying your stay in NYC! I can’t wait to be able to take trips with Steph without worrying about syncing our vacation time at work and only being able to plan it during our slow seasons and taking my work phone with me anyways because I know things will somehow blow up while I’m away.

I had a pretty good week number-wise. It’s fun watching my yearly weekly average rising steadily. At $900+, I think i can safely say that this business can certainly sustain me financially. Which is a major relief right now because we got some troubling news last week. The university which I work at is in some major heat. We might lose our accreditation which would absolutely mean we would close. We were told that the university has a month to come up with a financial plan to satisfy the DOE or they’ll be shutting us down. And even the president seemed pretty hopeless in his meeting with us. So ultimately, my plan is to stick it out until we know what’s going to happen since I already have my backup plan ready. I know there won’t be any severance packages for the employees, but maybe there’ll be some sort of assisted health insurance or something that I can take advantage of.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. And enjoy your New Years Eve!!

Wow Doubly, that stinks. Thank goodness you have your Ebay business already established. Can you do that thing where you can buy insurance for 18 months on your old plan (sorry, can’t remember what it’s called) before you have to move to the marketplace?

Also, if you are going to look for employment again, I think you might do well to look here on the Space Coast (Brevard County, FL). Here, everything boils down to space. It’s what we live and breathe, especially with the resurgence caused by SpaceX. Space education here is huge. Space everything here is huge. I imagine your skills are quite transferable. The big university here is Florida Institute of Technology if you are looking.

12/16/18 – 12/22/18

Ebay store items: 680 (ALL items on three platforms start on ebay, then are copied onto Posh and Mercari if appropriate)

Ebay Sold: 14
Sales: $673.50
Avg price: $22
COGs: $30
Consignment payout: $71

Poshmark: 285 items cross-listed from ebay
Sold: 5
Sales: $91
COGs: $16

Mercari: 590 items cross-listed from ebay. No sales.

Total sales: $764
Items sold: 19
COGs: $46
Avg: $40 an item
Returns: maybe one pending, buyer said necklace had broken clasp but I was waiting to hear back

High priced items were a NWT pair wool hunting pants “Codet” brand (Canadian) for $79, a ruby and gold ring for $122.50, a large wooden block knife holder for $65, large sealed ink cartridge in box for $70, and an Oriental fabric print for $50. I never thought that print would sell. It was part of an auction lot I spent $1 online for four vases, three framed prints and this fabric one. I sold two of the vases already for $80 and now this print. I’ve had them all a year. Eventually everything sells. I held tight on the high price for the ink cartridge. I priced at $80. I had offers of $25, 35 on Ebay and Mercari, but those were the “ink hounds” just like there are “silver and gold”, looking to buy cheap and re-sell themselves.

I haven’t done any outside scavenging for two weeks. Christmas was a blast staying at home with my family. We all edited our closets and belongings after receiving gifts, so I suppose I did scavenge our belongings and thus listed 23 items. The other bags filled a sedan and went to a local charity. Next week we travel to Sun Valley, Idaho for a work conference. Now that I am retired, I can go with my husband and take our 4 year old and we can stay for a week visiting family and staying at the resort hotel for the 2 day conference. We will use ebay money to have fun on the slopes there and the 4 year old will see snow for the first time (that she remembers). I love owning our time (my husband owns his own engineering practice and controls his time too). Not sure if there will be any inexpensive thrift stores in Ketchum, Idaho since it’s a resort town, but our family lives in other small towns, so we might find some gems too like R&J did.

Just a quick note to people that have an eBay store. Make sure to use your coupon for shipping supplies before it expires in a few days.

Happy New Years and have a great 2019

-Steve