The Numbers: December 25-31, 2022

Happy New Year! As we wander the streets of NYC, enjoying the rhythm of city life, I realize how scavenging has become deeply habit for us. No matter where we go, we’re always looking at what’s being left out or thrown away. We have no shame, embarrassment, or hesitation when digging into a pile of trash if we think there’s something valuable there. We skip over new stores and seek out all the stores that are selling used goods. The excitement of the hunt is constant. And since we have a process to list and sell anything we find, our scavenging habit is a virtuous circle where once one good thing starts happening, other good things happen, which cause the first thing to continue happening.

This is why we think the “habit of scavenging” is really the key to success. Forget all the get-rich-quick guides. Our success has just been an accumulation of scavenging that happens every time we walk outside.

We don’t have any New Years resolutions. Just keep doing what we’re doing.

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Our Store Week December 25-31, 2022

Total Items in Store: 9277
Items Sold: 18
Gross Sales: $1,681.55 (including eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
Net Sales: $1,354 (minus eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
Cost of Items Sold: $122
Cost of helpers: $77
Highest Price Sold: $725 (antique vase)
Average Price Sold: $75.22
Returns: 1
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 30
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(Your numbers can be found here: https://www.ebay.com/sh/performance/sales)

This topic has 21 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 8 months ago by Retro Treasures WV.

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- 01/01/2023 at 2:47 pm #98816
  Jay
  Keymaster
  Location: Virginia
  @jay
  Happy New Year! As we wander the streets of NYC, enjoying the rhythm of city life, I realize how scavenging has become a deeply habit for us. No matte
  [See the full post at: The Numbers: December 25-31, 2022]
- 01/01/2023 at 4:08 pm #98821
  Mark S
  Participant
  Location:
  @mark-s
  12/24/22 – 12/31/22
  
  Total Items In ebay Store: 4654 (was 4663 last week)
  
  Total Items In Etsy Store: 375 (was 296 last week)
  
  Total Items listed: 5,017
  
  ebay Items Sold: 28 items for $ 1,886.36 Net $1628.82
  Etsy Items Sold: 4 items for $ 219.70 Net $185.96
  
  Total Gross Sales: 2,106.06 (including eBay\etsy fees, shipping, and taxes)
  Net Sales: $ 1,814.78 (minus shipping, and taxes)
  Items Sold: 32 items
  Highest Price Sold: $ 210 (boots, but had 4 items $150 or more sell this week)
  Average Price Sold: $ 56.71
  Money Spent on New Inventory: $ 50 ish
  
  Number of items listed: 15 ebay, 72 Etsy
  
  Gut Sales Report for the week: Very good week for the week of Christmas. Sales right on Christmas and after on ebay were great. Etsy died out after 12/20, but had a few sales after Christmas on Etsy.
  
  Focus for the week : Still trying to get all my 1800 vintage listings on Etsy. I have only 375 listed on Etsy so far. I have some parts semi-automated, but, trying to fully automate that.
  
  Scavenge of the week: Found some decent clothes.
  
  Thoughts for the week: Still too much is hitting at once. Trying to ship all the sold items. Listing on Etsy. Trying to code my cross-listing.
  
  Etsy sales took a break just before Christmas, but started to come back now after Christmas. I really like have two Market Places to count on. If one isn’t getting sales, the other is. If both are getting sales at the same time, it is great.
  
  Mark
  - 01/08/2023 at 4:05 pm #98884
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    Mark, remind me: do you sell online for a living? Or is this just an extra stream of income in addition to a full time job?
- 01/02/2023 at 1:50 am #98823
  Borderrooster
  Participant
  Location: Fort Myers, FLA
  @borderrooster
  eBay Store Week 12/25 – 12/31/2022
  
  Total Items in Store: 1154
  Items Sold: 14
  Gross Sales: $486.21 (including eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
  Net Sales: $295.39 (minus eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
  Cost of Goods Sold: $90.00
  Highest Price Sold: $60.00 (G Scale Model Train Freight Car)
  Average Price Sold: $34.73
  Returns: 0
  Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0.00
  Number of items listed this week: 18
  
  With other things going on in my year-end calendar, I did absolutely no sourcing this week. I did make time to list some items from my death pile, and even a few items from my personal collection that I’ve had for about 30 years.
  One of the reasons I started selling on eBay 4 or 5 years ago was to minimize my possessions. I’m getting older, and I suppose it is natural to want to pare down one’s excess accumulations with age.
  Ironically, because of eBay, I now have more possessions than ever before in my life! The only difference is, instead of calling it my “Collection”, I now call it my “Inventory”.
  
  Happy New Year!
- 01/02/2023 at 8:34 pm #98829
  Sharyn
  Participant
  Location: Central NJ
  @sharyn
  I was away last week visiting family, and my store was on Time Away. It shows.
  
  Week of Dec 25 – 31
  Total Items in Store: 1810 eBay, 30 Etsy
  Items Sold: 6 eBay, 0 Etsy
  Cost of Items Sold: $0 + $22 Commission
  Total Sales: $104.75 eBay, $0 Etsy; includes fees but no shipping
  Highest Price Sold: eBay $35 Set 5 Rego Diner Coffee Mugs
  Average price: $17.46
  Returns: 0
  Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
  Number of items listed this week: 0
- 01/03/2023 at 11:30 am #98833
  Retro Treasures WV
  Participant
  Location:
  @retro-treasures-wv
  Items in Store 1984
  Items Sold 22
  Total Sales $759.00
  COGS $115.00
  Total Profit $644.00
  Average profit $29.27
  Average sales price $34.50
  New Listings 0
  Items scavenged 4
  Listing 2023 weekly Avg 0
  
  I had a nice relaxing time off from my day job from 12/22 until today. Of course I did do ebay shipping during that time but not much else work wise. Lots of playtime with the kids.
  
  I scavenged a bit but followed my new scavenging rules:
  1. $100+ items I can buy
  2. $50+ items have to have a 50%+ 90 day STR – no long tails
  3. <$50 must be 100%+ 90 day STR for a near immediate sale.
  One thing I would like to implement is going ahead and creating the drafts at the store when I scavenge. Since I’m already researching the STR and sales price, I might as well take the extra minute or two to create the listing. Then get them photographed and listed when I get home. soo…
  
  4. Immediately list new purchases.
  
  My 2023 rules for listing are:
  1. Spend 30 minutes each week looking for 5 high dollar items ($75+) and list them.
  2. List 10 larger items (VCR size or bigger). Note: Can overlap with rule 1.
  One thing I would like to implement is going ahead and creating the drafts at the store when I scavenge. Since I’m already researching the STR and sales price, I might as well take the extra minute or two to create the listing. Then get them photographed and listed when I get home.
  
  I need to do some organizing to create a workflow space to make this happen.
  
  I’m still going to track my average listings but I’m not really setting a listing goal aside from the 10 large items each week. Once I get into Q2 I’ll have a better idea of my listing goals. By then I’ll have listed 130+ large items and should have cleared out a good amount of space from selling around 30% of them.
  
  Anyways, Happy New Year everyone and good luck!
  - 01/03/2023 at 2:13 pm #98843
    Lukastreasure
    Participant
    
    Location: Chevy Chase, MD
    @lukastreasuretrove
    @Retro – How do you determine your STR on items you’re planning to buy? Also, curious what is driving you to target larger items? Over time I find myself gravitating towards smaller items due to storage, packing and photography demands.
    
    I’ll be interested to see how your creating drafts on the fly works out for you. I have often thought to create drafts while I’m doing my research, but have never been consistent about it, which doubles the effort. It sounds like a smart move.
    - 01/03/2023 at 10:42 pm #98847
      Retro Treasures WV
      Participant
      
      Location:
      @retro-treasures-wv
      
      eBay app- active listings vs solds. This gives you a 90 day STR for your search terms.
      
      the large items are coming from my death piles – I already have them.
      
      I don’t really like doing drafts on mobile due to the limiting nature of the app, but now that they are making them similar ( by ruining one) there isn’t much difference.
      
      It just makes sense to do them immediately. I typically don’t because by the time I’m done paring down my cart of items I’m ready to go.
  - 01/08/2023 at 4:08 pm #98885
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    One thing I would like to implement is going ahead and creating the drafts at the store when I scavenge. Since I’m already researching the STR and sales price, I might as well take the extra minute or two to create the listing.
    
    Huh, would you do this in the car? Or while you’re in the aisle in then middle of the store?
    - 01/09/2023 at 4:25 pm #98926
      Retro Treasures WV
      Participant
      
      Location:
      @retro-treasures-wv
      
      Right there in the store. I try to pick a quiet corner where not alot of people are traversing so I’m not in the way. If I have alot of items I’ll get another cart to sort out the items I’m going to put back.
      
      At a yard sale I can be more free wheeling when the COGS are low. With the prices at most thrifts now, I don’t buy anything unless I already know my profit margin.
      
      Before I check out, I go through my cart and look up the items I’m not sure about. I put back anything that doesn’t meet my purchase parameters. Everything else I buy I might as well go one step further and create the draft except for shipping info.
      
      I’ve done this occasionally when I’m by myself and have time.
      
      When my wife has already taken the keys and went to the van with the kids, my timer is ticking.
      
      Side note: I’ve seen people do Whatnot auctions right from the thrift store, and even from a Goodwill outlet prior to purchasing anything. That’s BOLD!
- 01/03/2023 at 12:13 pm #98836
  Lukastreasure
  Participant
  Location: Chevy Chase, MD
  @lukastreasuretrove
  Week Ending 12/31/22
  Gross Sales (w/o shipping $ tax): $515.20
  Net Sales: $430.11 (eBay: $221 Etsy: $209)
  Total Items Sold 14 (eBay: 7 Etsy: 7)
  Total Items in eBay Store: 1076
  Total Items in Etsy Store: 345
  Cost of Items Sold: $26.00
  COGS Percent 6.04%
  Highest Price Sold: $99.95
  Average Price Sold: $36.80
  Returns: 1
  Money Spent on New Inventory: $0.00
  Average Days Listed: 233
  Longest Listed: 831
  New items listed: 13
  
  Happy New Year, everyone!
  
  I was a bit disappointed with my numbers at first, but a look back at the last two years showed my sales right in line for the week. However, 50% of revenue came from Etsy, so without Etsy I would have been down considerably.
  
  I received one Christmas return already. The buyer misread the listing and thought it was new but opened the return as defective, not working. When I got it back I just refunded the purchase price with an explanation. Hopefully, it ends there. Only $19.95 so not too bad.
  
  My best sale of the week already opened a return request, though I haven’t received it back yet so didn’t count it above. It is a vintage knife that I already sold once and had it returned. Weird. I’ve got very clear pictures with close ups and detailed description. Had a lot of watchers, too. Relist…
  - 01/08/2023 at 4:09 pm #98886
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    We had a buyer return a jacket for fit: $200. Ouch.
- 01/03/2023 at 2:23 pm #98844
  Steve List
  Participant
  Location: Richmond, Calif.
  @steve-list
  Monthly numbers: 12/1 – 12/31
  
  Active listings: 1464
  Items sold: 58
  Sales: $1,406.88
  Highest price sold: $125 – New Sealed Sony Walkman
  Average price sold: $24.25
  Cost of items sold: $207.78 / average cost: each $3.58
  Spent on new inventory: $25.00
  Number of items listed: 56
  
  December was the best month I’ve had in several years. The Sony Walkman was a nice discovery at a neighborhood sale for only $1. Another good sale was a book on the history of a shipyard in France for $100 which cost me only $4.
  
  J&R, I like hearing about your scavenging adventures. Every night after dinner, I take a short half-hour walk around my local neighborhood. Two nights ago, I came across this small storage cabinet. Not sure what the resale value would be, but I plan to keep it to store my eBay smalls in. It should be great for postcards, patches, stickers, and such. On the same walk, I found a huge box of wrapped-up glassware, haven’t had a chance to look through it yet, but near the top I found some Wedgwood Jasper ware, so hoping there may be some even better stuff in it.
  <br>
  - 01/08/2023 at 4:12 pm #98887
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    If you are in an area where people put stuff out in the trash, taking those neighborhood walks nightly are healthy and profitable! We always look up the trash days in areas where we walk.
    
    Other scavengers swear by storing items in filing cabinets. No one wants them anymore because we keeps that much paper around?
- 01/04/2023 at 9:53 am #98848
  Julie B
  Participant
  Location: Georgia
  @julie-b
  I like your NYC trips. I’m excited to hear what you find in the trash.
  
  My first sale of the new year happened on Jan 1st on Poshmark only to have the buyer contact me the next day to ask me to cancel because they didn’t realize it was size XS (despite it being in the title, description and photos). She probably found it cheaper someplace else. Anyway, here’s hoping that’s not an omen for the rest of the year.
  
  I didn’t make any resolutions but I do need to work on increasing my sales. It seems that perhaps I’m a self-sabotager. The more important it is for me to concentrate and list, the less likely I am to actually do it. I guess it’s good that I’ve identified that about myself – now to figure out how to get over it.
  - 01/08/2023 at 4:13 pm #98888
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    How has 2022 been for you since you decided to quit your job and sell online full time? Did it work out?
    - 01/09/2023 at 9:50 am #98905
      Julie B
      Participant
      
      Location: Georgia
      @julie-b
      
      It’s working out but I need to (and can) do better. At this point I’ve been out of my former career path long enough that going back to it wouldn’t be easy (the field has a lot of ever changing regulations and expectations that I have not been following). Plus I just can’t imagine not being able to own my time after this. It makes me sad thinking about all of my former coworkers who are killing themselves working insane hours so that one day when they are old, they can hopefully retire and then start to “enjoy” life.
      
      I have a very supportive spouse who knows that reselling is the best option for me. Whenever I waffle and start talking about taking on a consulting gig (because I feel guilty that I’m not contributing as much to the household finances) he encourages me to just stick with reselling. I still have my consulting co’s website active but I’m probably going to take it down this year.
      - 01/09/2023 at 10:00 am #98908
        
        Jay
        Keymaster
        
        Location: Virginia
        @jay
        
        That’s great. As we get farther and farther away from our “career work”, it really does feel like another life we were living. Different priorities, worries, expectations.
        
        Keep it simple. Scavenge things that excite you and list one thing at a time.
- 01/07/2023 at 11:40 am #98871
  ChristineR
  Participant
  Location: Southern California
  @christiner
  Certainly an eventful New Years week for our family. I’m now wearing a cast on my dominant hand wrist/arm. I’m able to type awkwardly but not lift heavy bins. Should be interesting. I’ve reopened my store today and hoping my most challenging to pack items don’t start flying off the shelf. Should be pretty slow I think. Post-Christmas week sales were quite good at about $550 net and I was happy to see mostly holiday items still selling before I put Time Away on. Looking back the lead up to the week before Christmas was very good as I was listing a lot.
  
  I’ll probably be listing a lot of linens and vintage fabric next since they are easy to lift, pack and ship. NOT my favorite thing to list by any means but I have ample supply in the piles. I also have a number of smalls on hand in the piles for variety.
  
  I too am always interested to hear what you pick up in NYC on the street and on super clearance. Enjoy your trip away.
  - 01/08/2023 at 4:14 pm #98889
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    Certainly an eventful New Years week for our family. I’m now wearing a cast on my dominant hand wrist/arm. I’m able to type awkwardly but not lift heavy bins.
    
    what happened!?
    - 01/09/2023 at 1:37 pm #98916
      ChristineR
      Participant
      
      Location: Southern California
      @christiner
      
      We had other health issues in the family but I also managed to break a bone in my wrist trying to catch myself falling (cold sober in case anyone wonders). Of course this morning I sold a big, heavy pasta set. Fortunately my son is still here on winter break from college. I changed to two day handling on my listings and need to try to remember to schedule USPS pick up as needed. A couple of times in the past they failed to pick up but we have a friendlier post office guy now.
- 01/09/2023 at 3:32 pm #98922
  Temudgin
  Participant
  Location: Jacksonville FL
  @temudgin
  The Numbers 12/25 – 12/31
  Week of 12/25 – 12/31:
  Total items in Store: 328
  Items Sold: 8
  Gross Sales: $193.19 (minus eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
  Cost of Items Sold: $36.75 (including consignment commissions)
  Highest Price Sold: $76 plus shipping (US Navy figural challenge coin in the shape of the Star Wars Millenium Falcon)
  Average Sales Price: $30.92 (not incl eBay fees, shipping, or taxes)
  Returns: 0
  Money Spent on New Inventory: $0
  Number of new items listed: 8
  
  So the year went out with a whimper not a bang. I’m decided to start reporting my numbers in a way that is more useful for me rather than using the eBay sales data that includes shipping and taxes.
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