The Numbers: April 16-22, 2023

Good week of sales and we did nothing different. The power of zen selling?

I (Jay) went to a flea market for the first time since the pandemic. It was awesome. I love flea markets and talking to people and seeing everything they bring. There’s the antique guy who has ridiculous prices on everything and uses his table to just show off his collections, rarely selling. The lady who always brings piles of nothing but kids clothes. The tool guy. The hunting, knife, bullet guy. The lady who sells plant starters she’s grown herself. The lady who sells discounted soaps she’s bought with coupons. And my favorite, the junk guy who spreads out all his jumbled knick knacks over several tables for you to sort through (everything under $5).

As much as we depend on eBay for steady sales and profits, I love that there’s still a community who love cash and in-person sales.

I spoke to several sellers who complained that it’s been harder for them to find stuff to sell. Likely because more auctions are going online. I’m more and more confident though that the deluge of abundance/waste will find its way to the market for cheap one way or the other. As a scavenger, it’s just about finding where that stream is.

Ryanne competed in a national competition for coffee tasting. This skill is needed for being a great roaster. She made it to the quarter-finals against some of the best in the country. Next year!

Check out our coffee! ► broadporch.coffee
Join the conversation in the forum>> HERE

Our Store Week April 16-22, 2023

Total Items in Store: 9337
Items Sold: 21
Gross Sales: $1,345.86 (including eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
Net Sales: $1,066.84 (minus eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
Cost of Items Sold: $70
Cost of helpers: $40
Highest Price Sold: $150 (vintage curtain tie backs)
Average Price Sold: $50.80
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 20
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(Your numbers can be found here: https://www.ebay.com/sh/performance/sales)

This topic has 14 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 1 month ago by Jay.

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- 04/25/2023 at 7:44 am #99868
  Jay
  Keymaster
  Location: Virginia
  @jay
  Good week of sales and we did nothing different. The power of zen selling? I (Jay) went to a flea market for the first time since the pandemic. It was
  [See the full post at: The Numbers: April 16-22, 2023]
- 04/25/2023 at 9:49 am #99870
  ChristineR
  Participant
  Location: Southern California
  @christiner
  Total Items in Store: 639
  Items Sold: 13
  Gross Sales: $607.39 (including eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
  Net Sales: $386.25 (minus eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
  Cost of Items Sold: $56
  Highest Price Sold: $99 (Fabric, paid $4)
  Average Price Sold: $46.72
  Returns: 0
  Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $12
  Number of items listed this week: 25
  
  Better week for me as well with some great days and days with no sales or offers at all. Very swingy. Huge congrats to Ryanne!
  
  There is a larger flea market here on the weekend that I haven’t been to in a while. The smaller one during the week is not on because of the fair prep. We also have specialists. Not enough clean out people or just random people selling stuff at the midweek one. Many are dealers trying to unload less desirable merch. It’s kind of fun to see how they display things. I’ll have to see if I can try the Saturday one soon as it’s much larger. There are definitely more college kids at the thrifts these days and people with their phones out at the thrifts. They mainly seem focused on clothing but I am also seeing more women my age looking at vintage hard goods. Used to be almost all men, metal and record hounds. Makes me wonder if the antique booth people are having a harder time sourcing.
  
  I spent some time consolidating my inventory and organizing. I’m definitely into listing my death piles and purchases that got shoved somewhere. The garage is looking better than ever. I think I am going to go ahead with the neighborhood garage sale in early May and shed a little more undesirable inventory. Some larger meh paintings and $10-15 items. I did pretty well last year.
  
  Have a great week everyone!
  - 04/26/2023 at 11:16 am #99878
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    Yeah, flea markets are only good if there are cleanout people looking to move their inventory. Otherwise its just an antique/collectible mall.
    - 04/26/2023 at 2:30 pm #99879
      ChristineR
      Participant
      
      Location: Southern California
      @christiner
      
      Agree. I hit up one non-regular guy selling off his family stuff. There is also a lady who gets big estate sales and sometimes due to her quantity brings some good stuff.
      
      Today I was waiting in line at my favorite thrift and the antique booth regulars were discussing how Google Lens is ruining everything because inexperienced people can quickly determine if things are good or not. Also discussed was the pricing at thrifts and lately a lack of great items. I’m kinda grateful for my piles for now.
- 04/25/2023 at 12:06 pm #99871
  Retro Treasures WV
  Participant
  Location:
  @retro-treasures-wv
  Items in Store 2016
  Items Sold 15
  Total Sales $198.00
  COGS $31.00
  Total Profit $167.00
  Average profit $11.13
  Average sales price $13.20
  New Listings 0
  Items scavenged 2
  Listing 2023 weekly Avg 19
  
  What a brutal week – for sales and for real life. I survived. Yay! I was so insanely busy that I struggled to even get things shipped. I was late on multiple packages. Oh well.
  
  That ASP this week – oof! Definitely the lowest by a mile in the history of my business. Only 4 sales over $20 – the highest being $26. Time or not, I have to start having some activity on my store. I’m going to start ending/sell similar my oldest 10 items every day again. That is quick/easy and I can do it on my break at work.
  
  This week is only slightly better – we have at least one baseball game all 7 days of the week.
  
  At my day job I was nominated for an Innovation award. If I finish in the top 3 I will get to go to Switzerland to the corporate headquarters for a ceremony. That would be a cool trip!
  - 04/26/2023 at 11:14 am #99877
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    Sounds like eBay can be on the backburner while you excel in everything else in your life. If you win that company award, will they send your whole family.
    - 04/26/2023 at 2:31 pm #99880
      Retro Treasures WV
      Participant
      
      Location:
      @retro-treasures-wv
      
      I assume it would just be me. I looked at airline ticket prices to switzerland. Ouch…
      
      I would spring to bring my wife since we’ve never done a trip to Europe. Bring all the kids at $2-2.5k a ticket? Nope!
      - 04/27/2023 at 8:22 am #99890
        
        Jay
        Keymaster
        
        Location: Virginia
        @jay
        
        It reminds me of Home Alone where the family is going to France for xmas vacation. How did those parents afford flights/hotel to Paris for them and six kids!
- 04/25/2023 at 2:58 pm #99873
  Sharyn
  Participant
  Location: Central NJ
  @sharyn
  Definitely a great week! Started right around tax day, so I’m thinking there were folks who got a refund and went to spend it right away. However, it ended on Friday, the 21st, and I just sold my first item today since then (i.e., no sales Sat, Sun, Mon).
  
  I did do a sell similar yesterday, so maybe it will help. I haven’t had much time for listing.
  
  Week of Apr 16 – 22
  Total Items in Store: 1729 eBay, 30 Etsy
  Items Sold: 17 eBay, 0 Etsy
  Cost of Items Sold: $4 + $176 Commission
  Total Sales: $503.46 eBay, $0 Etsy; includes fees but no shipping
  Highest Price Sold: eBay $123 Boehm Flower Figurine Caribbean Hibiscus
  Average price: $29.62
  Returns: 0
  Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
  Number of items listed this week: 3
- 04/26/2023 at 2:43 pm #99881
  Temudgin
  Participant
  Location: Jacksonville FL
  @temudgin
  Week of 4/16 – 4/22
  Total items in Store: 314
  Items Sold: 9
  Gross Sales: $373.64 (w/o eBay fees, shipping, or taxes)
  Cost of Items Sold: $119.82 (including consignment commissions but not the original cost of family castoffs)
  Highest Price Sold: $98.89 plus shipping (USN Naval Support Facility Thurmont (Camp David) Commanding Officer’s Challenge Coin)
  Average Sales Price: $41.52 (not incl eBay fees, shipping, or taxes)
  Returns: 0
  Money Spent on New Inventory: $0
  Number of new items listed: 9
  
  Last week was decent but it’s been crickets since then. Which I guess is fine since there’s been a lot going on outside of eBay for me.
  - 04/27/2023 at 8:23 am #99891
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    Fun to watch you sell those challenge coins. Seems like a pretty deep collectible universe.
- 04/27/2023 at 9:37 am #99892
  Lukastreasure
  Participant
  Location: Chevy Chase, MD
  @lukastreasuretrove
  Congrats to Ryanne on her competition. It is wonderful that you have found something new that you have such a passion for. Very exciting!
  
  Jay, Flea markets are always a blast. You didn’t mention whether you came away with anything for eBay.
  - 04/27/2023 at 10:23 am #99895
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    I did get some good stuff! I never bring enough cash. There’s always stuff I want but I cant pay for it.
- 04/27/2023 at 10:00 am #99893
  Lukastreasure
  Participant
  Location: Chevy Chase, MD
  @lukastreasuretrove
  Week Ending 4/22/23
  Gross Sales(w/o shipping $ tax): $1,700.00
  Net Sales: $1,406.74
  Total Items in eBay Store: 1181
  Items Sold eBay: 6
  Total Items in Etsy Store: 526
  Items Sold Etsy: 0
  Cost of Items Sold: $917.18 (includes consignment payout)
  Highest Price Sold: $1,250.00 Steiff Lion Head Trophy
  Average Price Sold: $283.33
  Returns: 0
  Money Spent on New Inventory: $573.61
  
  Average Days Listed: 28
  Longest Listed: 52
  New items listed: 13
  New Listings Value $599.35
  
  Had a slow week of sales last week, but fortunately what sold was mostly high dollar. Big sale of the week was the Steiff Lion Head trophy plaque I mentioned listing a few weeks ago, for a best offer of $1250. Highest previous comp I could find was $580, but this felt special and there were no others for sale, so I shot very high, asking $1500. Sold to a semi-famous “Teddy Bear Artist” in Japan. Unfortunately, this was a consignment, so I only took 20% of the profit. This was only the second or third consignment sale I have ever done, but it was a fun one.
  
  An unusual week in that the average time listed was only 28 days, whereas my norm is almost 1 year. Good to see that my new stuff is selling. Etsy continues to be a dead zone for me of late.
  
  Bid on 3 online auctions last week and won a fair amount of items, spending almost $600. All three auctions were ending at the exact same time, so bidding was challenging to keep track of. A nice eclectic bunch of items to list like a cool antique art deco mantle clock, ammunition reloading tools, Coleman lanterns, and cast iron toys, among other things. Should be a fun lot to list.
  - 04/27/2023 at 10:23 am #99894
    Jay
    Keymaster
    
    Location: Virginia
    @jay
    Interesting that Etsy is slow. Maybe its just a good selling place during holidays? I’d like to see if Mark pops back in to update us on his Etsy experiment.
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