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Kicked off 2025 with a solid 30 items sold for $1200 gross, $700 net, between $400 and $500 after COGS. Comparing my numbers to one year ago really drives home how much my eBay business has changed in just a year. The first week of 2024, I had sales in five categories with 75% or more of my sales in trading card singles, about $400 in trading card lots mostly in the $15 net range (before COGS) and the odd media item or certified autograph also selling. It was a lot of grinding and nice gross numbers but lower net.
Now I have a much more diversified portfolio of sports card singles, lot listings and memorabilia, with faster sell-through rates, higher average sales prices and more consistent methods of obtaining new inventory. It’s a different model than I used throughout most of my time selling on eBay, but I couldn’t be happier with how it’s going.
On the card side of things, last month the San Francisco 49ers signed their slot cornerback Deommo Lenoir to one of the biggest contracts for his position. I stocked up on his Panini Contenders (one of the best modern sets) rookie autographs a few years ago when they were available on the Panini Rewards site for about $5 each. I like to play these hunches with certain underdog players autographs and rookies who don’t have cards in many sets, especially when they are on a popular team, but I went a little nuts with Lenoir Contenders autos. It’s almost embarrassing. I sold 27 of his autographs last year, and I still have so many more. I bought too much. But my hunch was correct. They’ve moved pretty steadily at $10 to $20 each, with two sales at $15 this week. The season ends this week, and the 49ers had a rare down season, so no playoffs. But I bet I’ll sell a few more Deommo autographs over the next month anyway, basically printing $7 bills every time one sells. Then since I’m trying to get away from listing individual cards on eBay (with rare exceptions for timely cards), I think I’ll send the rest to consignment to sell over the offseason and next season.
A rare case of sports card retail arbitrage: I bought 5 copies of this autograph of Denver Broncos rookie receiver Devaughn Vele for about $12 each directly from the Panini site using a Black Friday coupon, and sold my first one this past week for full price of $40, $31.69 net. Two more and I’ve made a nice profit. I considered buying 10, but I think 5 was the right number.
I vaguely remember buying this 1990s Topps contract signed by outfielder Otis Nixon from one of the big consignment sellers whose listings I pilfer every week, but I can’t find the old listing in a Terapeak search or my email. That means the original listing was likely very weird, and a huge bargain. $50 sale, net $38.63, listed for at least 6 months. Maybe longer? Maybe a lot longer?
A pair of signed baseballs out of the box o’ balls this week: the Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux which made me a nice $20 profit and a ball signed by 1960s Cuban catcher Paul Casanova which I still need to ship but should net me around the same. Not sure how I feel about these $20 sales, but a few extra bucks doesn’t hurt.
Last week, I posted about how I’m down to one final full-sized signed jersey, and I cleared off a different shelf this week with two sales of signed mini helmets: this Mark Carrier Bears which I need to pack up tonight but should net me $25 after COGS and Dave Wilcox 49ers which was closer to $20, but very friendly buyer at least.
What did you sell this week?
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My big sale of the week was a set of crystal decanters for $110. This is a commission sale for my neighbor (who has moved). The buyer asked me to print out a note for the recipient welcoming them back to town. Sweet!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186718980210
I sold this accordion style sewing or jewelry box for $30. This was part of a MaxSold auction where I bought everything in a bookshelf for a $1 min bid. Only a few books were good for listing, but I bought it for the box, which ended up being full of jewelry including a few gold pieces. Those were sold separately.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186683293156
I tried to rewire this antique lamp, but the inner tube was damaged. I sold it as parts for $30. It was given to me for free.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186725924439
Another commission sale; these old soaps sold for $50 on offer.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186149752553
I purchased a set of a very cute cowboy dish set for a few dollars. I think I’ve already posted one sale, but I’m continuing to sell these off in pieces. These three dinner plates sold for $28.
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Sharyn, I check MaxSold auctions occasionally since I signed up for the emails at one point or another, and every so often I’ll see those “entire bookcase” listings that go for $1 or look like they’re going to go for $1. It’s cool that you found something valuable from one of those listings. True scavenging right there.
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@Sharon great soap sale. Gotta love that overlooked item. Those folding sewing kits are hot.
@Craig congrats. We are all working on improving our business but you really seem to have it down to a science. Did you check out commons.net Reseller to reseller bulk sales. Could be good sellers dumping their junk or maybe you will find card sellers who just don’t want to do individually list?The celebrating this week for me was selling multiple items to a couple of buyers. Old listings too. Very excited to sell 4 starbucks cups to a buyer on Mercari. Also sold 4 tiles to a lady on Ebay. Even sold some unrelated items to a person on Ebay. Much of that I would not buy now so a double win. Very lower dollar bread and butter week. Also happy to see more Christmas trickling out last week.
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Christine, Thanks. There are so many different sites and platforms to sell cards and how I use them has changed over the last couple years. There is nothing but junk 90s cards listings on commons as I write this post, but that could be a great place to buy in a month. I have realized in the last couple months that it makes sense to spend just a little extra mental energy towards analyzing the different platforms I use to buy and sell. What worked well for me last year is very different from what is working for me now! But learning to adapt with what you buy and sell, or how you buy and sell, is the name of the game with reselling.
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/266888227064
Thorogood 814-4203 Men 6″ Leather Moc-Toe NonSlip Safe Work Boot Brown Size 9 D
Man these boots were DIRTY! I’ve gotten incredibly picky with shoes – have to be in excellent condition unless the value/str is there to justify cleaning. Since these sold for $100 even in this condition, they were worth it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266957248857
Tahari ASL Womens Pant Suit Brown and White Pinstripe 10P
Another suit sold from the ‘death wardrobe’ that my kids listed a few months ago. The suits have sold so well that it has kind of made me want to buy more suits. I have looked, but since I’m still applying my high STR and ASP rules I haven’t bought any. If I find a $100 suit I’m definitely going to get it… but I’ll pass for now on the $30-50 ones.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266681806505
Wrangler Retro Jeans Mens 36×32 Blue Medium Wash Slim Straight Western Cowboy
These Wrangler Retro jeans are not home runs, but they sell very quickly. in the $20-35 range. I sold multiple pair this week. These were part of a big yard sale Men’s clothes haul this summer so my buy price was like $2. Much easier to buy bread n butter clothes at $2 each instead of the near $10 thrift price for jeans nowadays.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266467574689
Louis Vuitton Stadium Sneakers Fashion Black Leather Men’s Size 9.5 N UK Calf
Sold on offer for $300 – hoarder item so I paid $25 for these shoes.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266826362133
Lazer Tag Phoenix LTX Blaster 2 Blue Guns 1 Shotgun Attachment Tested
I love picking up these lazer tag guns. They have recoil and are pretty fun. Paid $3 for this lot at Goodwill. They had another gun but it didn’t have a price tag so they wouldn’t sell it to me. Even though i had two other that did have the price tags.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267054792672
Louis Vuitton Evidence Z03050W Sunglasses Black Gold Trim New in Box
Sold for full price! Going to a seaman on a navy aircraft carrier. He’s gonna look goooooood up on that deck! My purchase price is…complicated. The negotiated price on this item was $200, but if I spread out my COGS across all items I bought that day from the hoarder collection I got an average COGS of $12.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267113273855
Pink Floyd The Dark Side Of The Moon SMAS-11163 Harvest Vinyl Record LP 1973 VG+
I listed last week while cleaning up a shelf for my shipping supplies. I’ve had a stack of records that I never listed up there for about 2 years. I blew through them and only listed the good ones (no more listing poor STR $5 items!). This one sold within 3 days.
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Death wardrobe is a great description for that suit! Heck, call the next one haunted and double the price…
Those Louis Vuitton sales are…wild. Great sale on the sunglasses even if you paid $200 for them.
What do you do with your low STR records? My username is actually a reference to my favorite record store. I am a huge music lover (basically all genres, all eras) and I have a lot of fond memories digging through bins of CDs and records in that store to find some gems to list on eBay and a few to keep for myself. I still make the trip there every few months with a box of stuff to trade in. They used to take anything and everything, but have gotten more selective over the last 3-5 years. Always great music on and the employees are surprisingly helpful and kind, this isn’t a High Fidelity kind of place.
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nothing big this particular week.
Sold this Laurel Burch mug. I found two of these at a goodwill a few weeks back. https://www.ebay.com/itm/196836440699
Believe I paid $3.00 for this.Sold this Ertle diecast vehicle bank. https://www.ebay.com/itm/195801499512
Bought this is a collection about 4 to 5 years ago. At this point each item had a cost of maybe $2 to $3.Sold this plastic model airplane with a missing piece of the tail. https://www.ebay.com/itm/196889003157
I mentioned the defect several times in my ad and even messaged the buyer after the sale to be sure he saw it. He replied that he did and planned to 3D print a replacement part.also sold two more planes, both diecast and smaller scale.
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I don’t think I am smart enough to understand how 3d printing works, but that’s a really neat way for your buyer to solve the problem of a missing tailpiece.
How do you ship these planes? It seems like they would be challenging to ship, but probably nothing that a little bubble wrap can’t solve!
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most of them come apart and then it’s just bubblewrap. once they’re wrapped I usually also tape the wrapped item to the bottom of the box to prevent it from moving. so far nothing has shown up broken.
I now also have some smaller diecast planes that have propellers and don’t have the original boxes. those are a little more difficult as the propellers don’t come off. Just packed and mailed a few so we’ll see how it goes!
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