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No better way to fall back by getting these threads up on a Sunday afternoon! Like everything else, things are slow for me right now — but one or two big dollar sales each week continue to prop up my numbers.
This week, it was this letter signed by Prince Albert Consort, the husband of Queen Victoria, which netted me $286.24 after fees. Purchased in December 2023 for $85. I had this listed at $600 for most of the last year and it picked up about a dozen watchers, but no offers. So when I did an end and sell similar batch recently, I decided to take a chance and dropped the price to $500. Sent out a 20% offer to watcher and that completed the sale. The Terapeak history on this type of royalty signature is so interesting. It’s not the type of item that comes up for sale on eBay often, and it’s not resellers buying these items — or if they are, they’re not reselling on eBay. I’m happy with the sale and hope that the consignor I bought from will post a few more items like this in December. They had three other authenticated Prince Albert Consort signatures which all ended on the same night for hammer prices of $75 to $130. In hindsight, I should have bought them all, but I wasn’t so confident they would sell that I was willing to spend $500 on the scribbles of long-dead British royalty. Next time, I will.
Back to the states with this authenticated NASA photo which netted me $43.66 which is…a few bucks less than I paid last November. Yikes. What comps was I looking at? What was I thinking? I was happy with this sale until running the numbers. What’s that old saying? Never run your numbers, ever, ignorance is bliss? But knowledge is power. On to the next one.
One more authenticated historical item this week, this Hiroshima “photo” signed by Gen. Paul Tibbets which sold in less than 48 hours for 20% off my asking, which was $70. I still need to print the label, but I have 8×10 envelopes so that will only cut into my margin by around $5. Paid $17.50 back in February 2023 (!). Purchased by an overseas buyer using a US mailing address, which I love. I tried to send this to the consignment seller I used but they rejected it because it’s not family-friendly, so add another couple bucks for those fees and still a nice profit. This sat on a shelf for the first half of this year until I started to get motivated to touch everything I own that’s eBay-related and figure out some kind of plan. That’s still a daily battle, but it’s one that I can say with confidence I’ve been winning lately. The lesson here? Don’t leave things sitting on shelves if you like selling.
On the sports card and memorabilia side of the business, I squeezed a few bucks profit out of this signed Tremaine Edmunds Chicago Bears jersey which was not the best buy back in April at $20 but netted me $33 (so $13 profit) after all fees. I made a few more bucks profit on this full run #1 through 10 of hoopster Aron Baynes cards — love this sale since I paid under $5 for all 10 cards.
What did you sell this week?
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During the pandemic, I purchased several boxes in a live (outdoor) auction where I found an old chemical set. I was concerned that there was something hazardous in there, so put it aside for research. In my current drive to get rid of my DPs, I finally did the work. Nothing in there was an issue for shipping. I put it up for $49, and it was purchased the next day, so I assume I priced it too low.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186751179750
These shoes were given to my son when he graduated the VoTech high school. They gave him a size 8.5, but he wears an 8. He had to buy new work shoes, and these finally sold for $105. I hope they stay sold.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186242776205
This drink menu is from a Florida restaurant that is no longer in existence. It is now going back to Florida for $23.
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@Craig-Rex – The menu was a commission item for the guy that used to be my neighbor. I expect it was something his wife must have saved from a vacation. I agree it has Rainforest Cafe vibes! If you read my description in that listing, you will get the feeling that I spent some time researching the restaurant.
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I had a pretty good week of sales recently. Apologies as one of these is a few days prior to Oct 27. The below 4 items are all desk model airplanes. These are different from a model plane you’d buy at a toy store or Hobby Lobby in that they generally only a few pieces to fit together and the decals are already applied. Often these are promo items given out by sales people for the airlines. I bought a quite large collection of planes on FB Marketplace and these are the first to sell. Pretty sure the two Delta planes are going to end up being the cream of the crop.
all 4 of these total about $850 and I paid $220 for the collection…so pretty happy about that 🙂
https://www.ebay.com/itm/196717092062
https://www.ebay.com/itm/196743062284
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A couple sales from the last week in October
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266464424243
Lindahl Bellows Hood Vignetter System Double Slot 3″ 4.5″ filters lens adapters
This was part of a big lot of photography equipment I got a few years back. Sold on offer for $35. It was basically a freebie in the lot that I didn’t factor in when I bought it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266992704741
Polo Ralph Lauren New York Rugby Jacket Skull Crossbones Men’s XXL Black Zip
Sold on offer for $150. One of the cooler sweaters I sold this week. My COGS on this one would be $10.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266698422302
RAICHLE Boots Hiking Mountaineering Heavy Duty Leather Mens US 6.5-7.5 Vintage
Heavy duty is an understatement on these boots. I think you could run them over with a tank and they’d be fine. Sold on offer for $80. My COGS is $5.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266932839473
McDonald’s McDonaldland Circus Parade Happy Meal Toys Lot of 27 1989
Took a $15 offer and I’m happy to part with it! This was part of my overall strategy when I listed a HUGE lot of vintage McDonalds’s toys. I didn’t want to sit on these forever and sell them for $3 each and take years to sell, if ever!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266595323213
Koosh Catchers Game With Looped Ball Complete 1997 Vintage 2 Catching Mitts
The key to this awesome sale is the ball. Noone ever has the ball. I got this at Goodwill for $3.
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Your pictures on that vignetter (?) system are really nice. Cool item.
That Mcdonald’s happy meal toys lot is interesting…less than a buck per toy! But it all adds up to profit if you get stuff cheaply enough and (especially) ship it all in one box instead of the odd one-off $4 sale here and there. How many toys did you buy originally and what did you pay for them?
I think I had that Koosh game when I was a kid. Loved the texture of that ball…
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I bought a MASSIVE haul of vintage toys and electronics from a guy who used to run a toy/hobby shop locally.
the McDonald’s toys were in strawberry “flat” boxes if you’ve ever seen those. 5 of them overflowing for $20. But it was likely less than that as I did a bulk price for a pile. I was hoping for more of the desirable toys, but it ended up a lot of them were less desirable. I’ve already sold several of the bigger bulk lots along with some singles and smaller premium lots. I think I’m just over $150 on the McDonald’s toys and I have a TON left.
Koosh balls were da bomb when I was a kid. All the cool teachers used a koosh ball to call on kids for questions in school back then.
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