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Some cool stuff that sold in our eBay store this week.
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Trash to Cash. A podcast about making a living on eBay.
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Some cool stuff that sold in our eBay store this week.
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After six years of selling on eBay, we’ve figured out how to make a living selling stuff we scavenge. For lack of a better word, we call it “building our eBay pipeline”. Because we’ve created a lifestyle where we’re always either scavenging or listing, the pipeline is always flowing. When we go to the grocery store, we stop by a thrift store or pick up an old lamp on the side of the street. When we’re at home, we always setting time aside to list the stuff we found. Busy little trash elves. We put items into the eBay pipeline and money comes out the other side. The more you fill it, the more consistently money comes out.
Had a good solid week of sales, though we sold many items under $30. We experimented by buying some commercial kitchen equipment at fire sale rates. Unfortunately it turned out to be a bust. All lessons are expensive.
We also talk about getting our first paying guests stay at our rental farmhouse. After three years of spending money on renovations, we’re psyched to hopefully turn on our “rental pipeline”. More pipelines, more freedom.
Like other sellers, we got a small wave of returns. It happens. A caller asked about Global Shipping Program which now ships to 64 counties. We also talk about a bad experience we had buying an item on eBay which helps us see the other side.
The Weekly Scavenger Numbers
Our Store Week March 8-14, 2015
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Some cool stuff that sold in our store this week. What sold in your store?
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This week, Jay admits to sleeping till 10am every day while Ryanne does all the work. Having a partner is really nice because you can each pick up the other person’s slack. Ryanne has earned a lazy week if she ever wants one. Good news is our sales were better than last week.
A seller asked us a good question: how do you sell on eBay without constantly fighting with customers. Obviously this is a loaded question. It’s all about your attitude. If you assume everyone is out to get you, selling on eBay (and life in general) will be painful. We’ve learned that sometimes it’s best to just be a robot. Buyer messages about being unhappy; we immediately message back “return for a full refund”. Case closed. No drama.
We have also been continuing to sell the artwork that we took on consignment. We preach against selling for other people, but broke our own rule because we love selling original art. It’s all a learning experience and money will be made. But honestly, we just like to sell for ourselves.
These are the topics we mentioned in the podcast:
—Quimper Pottery we found in the back of a junky thrift store. Score!
–A seller talked about finding a 50-cent mug and selling it for $250.
–I spoke about how my friend and I now call ourselves “Trash elves”. Buy a mug and join the club.
—Here’s a video showing what one sanitation worker has collected from the trash in NYC over the past 30 years.
—Etsy is about to go public. Who really cares but I guess it means selling stuff online is taken seriously by investors.
—Great history of the Beanie Baby craze. This journalist explains how a small group of soccer moms in suburban Chicago made a small time toy seller into a very rich man.
–If you sell military clothes found at thrift stores, read this article on how the M-65 jacket became an iconic piece of clothing in the fashion world.
The Weekly Scavenger Numbers
Our Store Week March 1-7, 2015
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We’ve had a good week of sales. Check em out!
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This week we sold twice as much as last week. Why? If you sell regularly on eBay, you’ll notice that some weeks are slow and others busy. We did list like crazy this week, but what sold were a combination of older and newer items. We’re just happy for the sales and glad that our eBay income always seems to average out at the end of each month. Consistently listing quality items is the only secret.
We paid our 2014 taxes this week so feel good about our business. Our next trip is in two months, so we’re focusing on listing full time till then.
These are the links we discussed in the podcast:
—Vivian Maier, the street photographer who’s work was saved and discovered at an auction.
–Ryan at Online Selling Experiment explains a typical week in his growing Amazon business.
–We enjoyed this article detailing how eBay could get back to being the best Flea Market on the web.
–Jake, who created Watchcount sent us this cool tool that helps you see a buyer’s history.
The Weekly Scavenger Numbers
Our Store Week Feb 22-28, 2015
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Check out the stuff that sold while we were traveling in Colombia.
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It’s good to be home. After a long trip, we get excited about getting back into our daily routine of scavenging, photographing and listing for eBay. It’s meditative (and profitable).
Here are links to some of the things we talk about in this episode:
Man finds $30k watch in Goodwill
Woman grosses $70k/month on Etsy
Joshua made some free tools for sellers (<==Shows you which box to use for shipping any item)
The Weekly Scavenger Numbers
Our Store Week Feb 15-21, 2015
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We just flew home from Colombia and are happy to be home. Over our ten day trip, we sold 47 items for a gross profit of $2000. Not bad for traveling to another country. We told buyers we wouldn’t ship till Monday, so we have plenty of time to gather the items and package them. Calmly and sanely. Over the past several years, we’ve developed a finely tuned system for selling while traveling and couldn’t be happier.
Since we’re playing catch up this week, we won’t another podcast till Sunday. But let’s use this time to discuss anything causing issues in your store.
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It’s our last few days in Colombia and we’re hanging out with friends, seeing the countryside along with the city and making eBay sales! Check out the very rare Pyrex “Lucky In Love” auction that ended at over $4200. Here is a blog post about how rare this thing is. Check out this dude in Australia making a bunch of cash on eBay selling stuff from China. We love the phone calls, so be sure to give us a ring, whether you have a question or a comment- (540)-407-8486.
The Weekly Scavenger Numbers
Our Store Week Feb 8-15, 2015
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