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Amazing sale on the slide rule… I’ve had dozens of Pickett slide rules in the past but only ever 12″-18″ and they sell very well. How’d you ship a 4′ slide rule? Long poster tube?
Week Nov 6-Nov 12, 2016
Total Items in Store: 758
Items Sold: 4
Cost of Items Sold: $21
Total Sales: $134.99
Highest Price Sold: $85 (nearly full bottle of Chanel No. 5)
Average Price Sold: $33.75
Returns: 0 (one guy started a return but I haven’t received notification he sent it)
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $110
Number of items listed this week: 24Absolutely dreadful week. If I didn’t sell that perfume, I’d have had 3 sales for $50. I hope that the slow sales were due to me neglecting listing for several weeks. I listed 24 items this week, so hopefully that helps jump start some interest & sales.
Bought a few things from online estate auctions this week. Some of the cooler items include 1930s Apex Magical Multiplying Pencil, vintage decks of cards from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, three 1920s/30s saftey razors, and a couple of sterling silver rings found in a box of costume jewelry.
Bring on the holiday sales!
I didn’t really learn about money until I was into my adult life. Growing up, all I knew is that we didn’t really have any, but I also didn’t know how to save or how to manage budgets.
My dad chose a life of service coming out of high school. He was enlisted in the Army, which I will forever be grateful to him (and everyone else who does it) for. And my mom was a homemaker until both my brother & I were old enough to come home from school and be alone for a few hours. Since my dad was military, we had a lot of things provided to us – the best healthcare was free, discounted foods at the commissary & cheap entertainment ($0.50 movies or bowling on the base), etc – but at the same time his take home salary was practically nothing. My parents certainly lived paycheck to paycheck and would borrow money from family often to make ends meet. Hot dogs or mac n cheese or cans of soup were common for dinner. My mom was an extreme couponer – she was in groups with other homemakers in town to share, clip, trade coupons as needed. She was all about rebates & freebees – save 5 boxtops from Cheerios and get a toy. Then I got that toy in my stocking for Christmas.
Because of this, anytime I got a little bit of money I spent it on things I wanted. Got $5 from grandma when she came to visit? Go out immediately and buy a GI Joe. Get $20 in a birthday card? Go out and buy the biggest Lego set I could afford. This mentality lasted through college and into my early adulthood.
Only recently, with the help of my wife because she comes from a family that cherished saving and planning for the future. She & I work in the same industry and are within a year of each other career wise, so no matter how much or how little our salaries, we have lived within our means and only increased the way we live when we have more means. It’s a much better way to live than my old way.
And, because of living within our means, this eBay part time income has allowed me/us to still have fun and buy “wants” even if we don’t need them. While over the past few years has been about paying for vacations or nice dinners or entertainment, we’re now using some of the profits to remodel our bathrooms and thus [hopefully] building equity in our condo… again, for the future.
I’d consider it, but I’d have to grow exponentially to make it worth while financially. As for the job specifically, I work in advertising… so while it does sometimes get tedious and annoying, it does keep me young and in touch.
Cassettes & playing cards… bread & butter… love them and pick them up every time I see them!
Sales have been very very slow over the past two weeks, but here are some interesting things:
Nearly full Chanel No. 5:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/192005646010
Not much to say here, paid $5ish for it at an estate sale, sold for $85.1975 McDonalds glasses:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/192014633928
These have been sitting around for a while and along with a handful of other big & slow moving items I put up on auction. Sold for $20.Easter Bunny Pez dispenser (no feet):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191867450913
This was an awesome surprise at the bottom of a box lot… had no idea it was in there. Pez without feet on the bottom are the easiest way to determine that they’re vintage vs. newer (along with where they are made and also the patent number). Had it listed for $50 and took a best offer of $30 since it’s super slow and also because it was free.I’d like you to pay me royalties for using my post 🙂
Are you able to provide an example of what you sell on Amazon? The average price is fantastic and the margin is pretty great for Amazon too – I’ve only been able to double money on Amazon, not 5x-6x you’re seeing (awesome work by the way).
Week Oct 30-Nov 5, 2016
Total Items in Store: 739
Items Sold: 7
Cost of Items Sold: $8
Total Sales: $104
Highest Price Sold: $27 (copper ice bucket)
Average Price Sold: $14.86
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 0Wow. I knew it felt slow, but never expected this. Easily my worst week of the year. I need to get back on the listing horse… I haven’t really listed anything in the last 2 weeks as “life” has gotten in the way. I have a pile of plenty to list, so now I just need to get it and hopefully this terrible week will be the motivation I need.
Just checked those out… “My Spiritual Reading Cards”. Added to my BOLO list if they’re going for $30-$40.
To reply under a comment, look at the top right of the comment box next to the hashtag-ed number. Click reply and your response will go underneath the previous. Also, not 100% sure on this, but I believe once you uncheck the box replies box, it applies to all replies not just one. 🙂
Under the box where you type your replies, there is a check box “Notify me of follow-up replies via email”. Uncheck that box & submit and it will stop.
Thanks, Jay! I live for history in general and love learning where things come form and why they exist if they’re weird. I like to sell the story and hopefully with the story can sell for a bit of a premium.
Living in the NYC burbs, there’s so much around in such a nearby area – rich areas, poor areas, old money, new money – that it makes it easy to find a varied range of stuff.
Me sharing with y’all is the least I can do to pay you guys back for the knowledge you’ve shared. I’ve never be in this place within the sharing of knowledge from you & the community.
Agree that your fur babies need their own channel… just a loop of them frolicking around the park!Some of my sales over the past week:
1970s Coppercraft Guild Copper & Leather ice bucket:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191499617542
I’ve had this for a bit, probably over a year. Very sharp looking, quickly sold the matching mugs. I’ve had it on & off sale a few times, finally sold in my clearance section for $27. Probably paid less that $5.Vintage Notre Dame porcelain desk cup/mug:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/201676496095
I’ve mentioned before that I always pick up these souvenir/display mugs & steins of colleges – usually for $3 or less. This one was easy to reasearch because it had the stamp & maker still on the bottom. Definitely vintage since made in the USA, newer ones in bookstores are usually Japan. The buyer made several low ball offer and I countered, all the way down to $25 – they declined and then immediately paid full price $35… whatever!1975 Visconti Sforza Tarocchi Card Deck
http://www.ebay.com/itm/192005636881
I never thought anything about tarot cards until a few people mentioned they can go for big bucks here on the blog. Ended up seeing a box lot of tarot cards & books about tarot cards. Paid up at $80 for the box, but this deck alone sold for $85 best offer and I still have others listed. I’m now fully in the tarot card business.c1910 Wooden Humidor
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191889411257
Hoarder dig sale find for a couple bucks. Looked interesting closed with nicely stained wood and then I noticed it was a humidor when I opened it. Humidors today aren’t lined in tin, but it was a popular lining to seal in humidity around the turn of the century before glass became more popular. Bottom of the box is written “”WJ Finn 1910 Brooklyn” & “NJ Ready 1920 Brooklyn” to help date it. Had it up for $75 and took an offer of $50 when the buyer said he was going to restore it and use it.Sweden Sporrong Enamel Kronor Brooch
http://www.ebay.com/itm/201272153417
Found this in a big box of costume jewelry. It looked ornate and I recognized the three crown symbol of Sweden from their hockey jerseys. Sure enough, did a little research and found the maker & that it was 24k gold over brass. Paid $1, sold for $35 best offer after it sat for a while.
