- This topic has 12 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 3 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
For the second consecutive week this year, I didn’t buy anything outside of the usual sports and non-sports card inventory. Does this mean that my usual sources of buying (big and small card consignment sellers on eBay) have dried up as a source of sports memorabilia and other collectibles? Not sure. I have become much more selective about what I bid on, and have been trying to keep my buy prices lower with a focus on inventory that I can turn over quickly or stuff that is a huge bargain. So even the types of cards I buy and what I pay for them has been changing. It feels good to take a different approach to things.
The reason for this is because my profits tend to dip in the spring and summer. I don’t want that to happen this year, which means analyzing everything from my buying habits to what I’m selling and how I’m selling. No better time to start doing that than right now.
In the meantime, I will once again scavenge from death piles this week and come back to this thread again later in the week with my finds and (more importantly) the new listings I created. And of course, I can always scavenge vicariously through you!
What did you find this week?
-
@Craig Maybe just a slow time of year for listings?
I went to the bins with my daughter. It was fairly crowded. Our bins get pretty well picked over, which is reassuring because only broken and heavy items end up wasted as far as hard goods go at least. When I went to the bins in other cities, there was a lot of excess and people were cherry picking. I know some of these sellers take their items to the flea markets. Like Jay used to say, it’s its own micro economy.
I did manage to get two framed needlework and cross stitch pieces, a nice J Crew leather handbag, a full open box of magic erasers!, and a couple of other items. You have to go elbow to elbow with people for the new ones or pretty much there is nothing left. It’s like a bunch of ants on a carcas. There is a pretty good etiquette at mine about not going through other people’s carts around the outside, some of which have family or friends standing guard.
I also went to the flea market but was very selective. I got a really nice, clean Pottery Barn comforter for $1, which the other women proceed to try to steal out of my bag multiple times. LOL. Just a piece of Swedish glass and a small painting otherwise.
-
-
Christine, I think it’s not as much that it’s a slow time of year for me. January and February are pretty decent in the sports memorabilia and cards world, football playoffs plus basketball, hockey, soccer all in the middle of their seasons. I also think that January and February are pretty decent months for eBay in general. But I have gotten way more selective in what I’m buying to list on eBay. I know what items I will get excited about listing, and I haven’t been finding those at the prices I want. Also, I am committed to working through my death piles. Even with the cards I buy for my consignment inventory — my average COGS so far this month is $2.57. Last year, it was $4.15. And I’ve been buying about half as much. We’ll see if this holds up — one $$$ purchase can skew those numbers — but I have quite a few cards in the processing queue of my consignment port, so I’ve decided I don’t need to buy inventory unless I’m really, really, really (3 reallys) confident that it’s a good pickup.
I’ve been to the bins a few times. I can see the appeal, but they’re not for me. Same with the local flea markets. But I’m going to some new flea markets in the spring and see how that goes. If they aren’t an outlet for me to buy inventory, maybe one weekend I will get a table and sell some stuff.
-
-
this weekend my wife and I hit a few estate sales. I picked up a few misc items for a few dollars each. I try to find older packaged items that are still useful and small enough to mail affordably.
Question for you all….what are the “bins”?? is that the name of a business?
-
-
Bins is the nickname for goodwill outlet. On Google maps that is whet they will call the one nearest you. If you like lightweight small items you might do well there as I think people overlook that kind of thing at the bin bottoms.
@Craig glad you are getting through your piles and it’s a good time of year. In home decor it can be slow but I haven’t been listing much either. My son leaves this Saturday and my daughter late next week. Need to step it up. People nest and do crafts this time of year so I need to hit that stuff. Also I have some jackets to sell.I’m also getting way more selective if I source. All of the thrifts have definitely priced up even from a couple of months ago. This actually helps because I need to visit them less. There are a lot of amateurs picking in my departments lately.
-
-
I had no intentions to do any sourcing this week but my scavenger sense went off Saturday. I had to get out to the post office anyways and my rule is I ALWAYS listen to the scavenger sense. If I tell my wife my scavenger sense went off even she’ll tell me to drop what I’m doing and go. LOL! It’s a bit like spidey sense – I’ll get an overwhelming urge to go to a specific thrift store out of the blue. Any time it has went off I always find a really good ($100+) item.
I didn’t find any earth shattering items this time but I did find some real nice items. At this point in the game I don’t get too excited over $100 items. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I assume good, but I do miss getting nervous shaky hands when I found awesome items like these.
A vintage metal toy truck like this one that sells for around $50. The one I got is real nice. Paid $2. https://www.ebay.com/itm/296807892011
A pair of Irish Setter steel toe boots that will sell for $100. Paid $4.
This is the item that I think set off my scavenger sense. A Mokuyobi Threads backpack similar to this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/226366267237
It was on an end cap that I normally don’t pay attention to – but it caught my eye for some reason. It’s not every day you find a $100 backpack! Paid $4.
A pair of Adidas soccer cleats that will sell for $100+. Paid $8. Same as these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/326271163633
I bought 2 other pair of shoes that will pull in $50-60 each – a pair of Stephan Janofski Nike Skate shoes and a pair of Tatami sandals.
So 6 items that will be listed for $450 and I paid less than $30. That is a highly out of the norm thrift store score and a scavenger sense win!
-
Nice haul. That backpack is very colorful. I think the scavenging spidey sense is very real. When I went to that big library sale in Chicago, that was a spontaneous trip…but I just had a feeling I needed to go check it out. Even when there was a line the first day, and big crowds (two things I usually avoid), I pushed through.
I get that excited feeling when I find something in the $200 and up range for cheap. $100 isn’t exactly bread and butter, it’s a good score. But once you’ve been doing this a while, you have the knowledge that maybe that $100 listing will only sell after a year for or might only net you $50 after COGS and shipping and fees. However, a potential $100+ profit is always exciting to me, and I hope that never changes.
-
It is still exciting, but just not the same ‘virgin-like’ way. I still remember the first $100 pair of shoes I sold on ebay (Thanks Jay – it’s all because of you!). It was a pair of shoes I got for $4 at Goodwill. I was so nervously excited and the whole thing felt wrong like I was basically stealing. I was in disbelief that the buyer didn’t return it and report me to the authorities for scamming them.
I mean selling a cool item like a video game, fancy electronic, or sports collectible for $100 makes sense. But a pair of slightly dusty, USED shoes? Incredulous!
The hoarder collection also dimmed my lantern quite a bit as well. That’s an experience few get to have and makes all other scores pale in comparison – it’s just the way it is. I hope to get another similar score some day, even though this one STILL isn’t 100% complete. More to come this spring with at least a few more surprises in there. That’s why I’m always scavenging even if I’m not buying much.
So while the excitement and disbelief isn’t where it once was, it has been replaced with hunger. I WANT those $100 sales and I will have them. I earned them and I know how to get them and what to do with them. I will enjoy and savor every one of them.
Jeez…. this got way too erotic. LOL!
-
Oh yeah, the first pair of shoes:
$150 for a pair of fold over Doc Martens. The buyer was extremely excited to get these for her husband as a Christmas. She left glowing feedback and wrote me a personal message about how amazing they were.
-
-
-
-
-
Been picking my way through thousands of stamps, in tobacco tins, old albums and cardboard boxes. I bought these at auction- must have been a “house clearance” in an old-time stamp dealer’s place.
Just now found a 5 cent Canal Zone stamp from 1904- it was lying round loose in an album. Which kind of makes up for my strained eyes!
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.