- This topic has 6 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 9 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
I had a nice week of sales last week, especially for late June. I think I got a little bump from having relisted a batch of unsold auctions on June 23rd and 24th — another little data point in favor of messing around with old listings by using sell similar, relist, changing prices or running a few auctions and then relisting whatever doesn’t sell.
I love a good flat rate box sale, so this $40 net LFRB of poetry books to a repeat customer (basically requested a box that was similar to previous listings purchased by another buyer) felt rewarding even if the profit margin was not huge.
I mentioned autographed WW2 photographs in my scavenge of the week, so here’s the $30 net Hiroshima related photo I sold this week. Originally purchased on 1/24 from a listing with the title <span class=”onboarding-tourtip onboarding-tourtip-2-3-resultTable search-results-tourtip-wrapper”><span class=”onboarding-tourtip onboarding-tourtip-3-2-activeTab”><span data-item-id=”374466521570″>Clyde Byson Signed 5×7 Photo AUTO BAS COA</span></span></span>. One person’s name spelled wrong, the other completed omitted and no WW2 related search terms in the title. A job well done!
This autographed refractor card sold because the player Domingo German completed the 24th perfect game (baseball pitching) in the sport’s history and prices of his cards spiked in a way that was completely predictable but still bizarre to me, even with how well I know the card market. Meaning: it was an amazing game, but it’s just one game, it’s silly that his autograph doubles or triples (or more) in price. But it was an iconic performance and I guess that’s just basic supply and demand, especially in a world where most people don’t think like scavenger’s do. I found 4 more Domingo German base autographs (less valuable) in one of my unlisted inventory boxes and have one at auction this week and one in my store which I hope to sell in the next week while interest in him is still high.
All these nice sales, but my favorite sale of the week was this Disney eyeshadow palette for a $30 net. This is another Terapeak special — I found these maybe a year ago (or more) from a seller who also had some cards listed. I don’t remember what the cards were, but when I checked their other items, this stuck out to me as potentially valuable and I did the research which confirmed my hunch. The seller had quantity for sale at about half of their typical sale price (don’t want to think about why they had so many for so cheap, I’m sure it’s either bots or retail theft) so I bought them up and after I dithered on getting them listed for too long, now I’ve got one sale. Hopefully this leads to the next three or four selling as well.
What did you sell this week?
-
@craig-rex I came across some slim volumes of poetry at a local thrift store a while back. I never thought of bundling them into a box sale! Just assumed there was no demand for that kind of thing.
Flow chart for scavengers:
Is there a demand for this type of thing? Yes/No
If Yes, do the people who want this type of thing have any money? Yes/No
If No, put back on shelf.
-
It’s been something of a surprise how much success I’ve had with these box sales. With poetry in particular, I know quite a bit about the genre so I stick with books that I think will appeal to someone who likes poetry but not enough to pay cover price, “name” poets and small presses that put out good work.
Last week, I listed a box lot of anime DVDs, something I know very little about beyond what Terapeak tells me. But I had some leftovers from a local library sale. I have 4 watchers after a week, so I suspect the box is going to sell within the next 30 days.
I have been following a similar flow chart to yours when making my box lots:
Is there a history of this thing selling? Yes/No
If yes and it’s $10 or under, I put in a box lot, then take pictures and list once the box is full.
Not sure if this is a sustainable long term strategy, but I hope to find out. I like making these listings and the buyers are often very appreciative.
-
-
https://www.ebay.com/itm/235069063435 Sale of the week was a rich lady who bought 5 pillows from me for $280 plus shipping. It was a laborious process to get done with her but she left me awesome feedback “nicest seller on Ebay” already and 5 big pillows out of my storage area is something to celebrate for sure. These are RA so I paid up a bit on clearance for them.
-
Oh, to be a rich lady who spends $300 on pillows! Rich or poor, they are the absolute best when they leave nice, personalized feedback. If only everyone on eBay had deep pockets and kind hearts…
-
-
No big sales this week, so I’ll focus on the quick flips. All of these items sold in less than 24 hours.
Mundi My Big Fat Wallet Red Croc Print Flap Clutch
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266320386423
My wife actually got this for herself for $1 at a yard sale and decided she didn’t want it. Turns out it is quite a desirable wallet/purse. Unexpected score!
ENO Singlenest Hammock Olive/Green with ENO straps Atlas Suspension System
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266320387148
Paid up at $10 at a yard sale, but this one just felt right. Bought it without research and trusted my gut. Paid off with a lightning quick sale.
Sony PlayStation 2 PS2 Slim Black Console Only PARTS / REPAIR Does Not Read Disc
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266319449000
Bought this with a stack of games as part of a ‘pile’ offer so my COGS was about $15. Unfortunately the disc drive won’t read. These are repairable…but not by me! I parted out the controllers and cables an listed the console for parts/repair. Sold for $25 quickly which is the going rate for a parts PS2. Bummer it wasn’t working, but take the money and move on!
Capresso Jura Infinity 560 Conical Burr Coffee Grinder FOR PARTS
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266312089461
Another bummer listing that turned a nice profit on a quick sale. I tested this and couldn’t get the darn thing to run. I was going to just toss it, but decided to list it for parts. It sold within a day for full price.
Denby Blue Jetty Covered Butter Dish England Stoneware
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266312073730
Sold quickly after listing. Hopefully more of this dinnerware starts to sell. The potential profit on this lot was insane!
-
Loving that butter dish…$80 seems like an absolutely crazy price for a butter dish…but apparently not at all crazy for a Denby butter dish. Great BOLO!
Great discipline on the parts-only sales, it would have been so easy (and must have been tempting) to trash and move on.
Prices for your doublenest hammock are all over the place, but there are limited edition collabs of that hammock which go for $100 and up: Grateful Dead, Supreme. Companies will really make almost anything into a limited edition for twice the price. As a scavenger, I kind of love it but it must be very frustrating for someone who really gets joy out of collecting on a limited budget.
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.