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https://www.ebay.com/itm/235019985013
The good news is I actually found some Catherineholm at a garage sale. The bad news is I only found the lids. Lids like this have sold for $60 though, not too shabby.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334724913825 Euro cross stitch kids for the win. Paid $4. I recommend again watching https://www.youtube.com/@ThePaperCastle a Jersey rummage sale queen. I really learned a lot and have posted about her before. She just started posting videos again after a break.
Total Items in Store: 623
Items Sold: 7
Gross Sales: $355.08 (including eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
Net Sales: $229.35 (minus eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
Cost of Items Sold: $28
Highest Price Sold: $79 (Cross Stitch Kit)
Average Price Sold: $50.73
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 6An average week. I keep thinking I’m going to get back to Ebay in earnest but had some unusual stuff going on and sickness. I have a nice COGS today because some of these items were rummage sale finds. I was able to pay very low prices there compared to thrift store prices. Would certainly pay again to get in early. Unfortunately I think most of the post-Covid rummage sales have already gone on but hopefully there are a few more church ones. We only have like 3 major annual ones plus the upcoming college recycling event.
I’ve been appreciating how spacious my garage feels. There is more interesting stuff to list in there. Some things not so much. It’s been a 5 year journey and I feel like I have a good balance now after WAY overbuying in the beginning. When I do go hunting I am quite selective and lately have not been finding a lot worth buying. I don’t really need to shop at all but it helps keep me interested and gets me away from sitting for a while.
Have a good week everyone. Enjoy your new laundry facility R&J. I share your lack of enthusiasm for listing and selling clothes, even though in some respects it is easier than hard goods.
So I’m having a kid sick weekend at home. Had forgotten about it for a while, but went into Goodwillfinds.com this morning. A lot of my favorited items had sold. It was interesting to see what those went for. A few were heavily marked down. They are doing a lot of clearance at $9.99.
I bought two items, one started out way way too high, now cheap enough for me to flip. The other was a newly listed item with a typo and title mistakes I should be able to get a 66% profit. The description was “it’s vintage it’s good”. LOL. I passed on a painting of our local mission – the description was laughable. Would have been easy to find with a Google lens search. The first picture is the back of the painting, which I have seen a lot.
I believe there is money to be made on here. If it wasn’t for keeping and watching favorites it would not be worth the time probably but it’s kind of an education to look on there as well. There are definitely cool items. I was hoping once the publicity cooled off, buyers would forget to shop there but evidently they are doing well. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanverdon/2023/03/29/goodwillfinds-the-online-thrift-store-expands-to-meet-strong-demand-for-resale/?sh=184f1a757d26
Still good opportunities because of the poor listing and lack of minimal research by the employees, especially at certain locations. Fab stuff getting pulled out of the Pacific Northwest stores and listing quality is still variable. You can tell a few listers do get it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334647003162 This is way out of my wheelhouse but I’ll buy anything Scandinavian. Buyer messaged they would have bought three more if I had them. Now I look at the bathroom stuff.
Thank you all. I fell down with just 2 listings this week and sales were bad. Hoping for a better week.
Thanks ladies. I don’t mention it here much but it has been a hell of a year. Reselling helps keep me sane in a way. I like a little corner of the world where things can be kept under control I guess and it’s productive.
Thanks Retro. I don’t really see myself taking this up and down regularly – lazy I know! My college kid will be living at home this summer but after he goes back I’m thinking of putting one on the desk in his room. We have a lot of sunny days here but the mornings can be foggy and the chandelier in my dining room is totally inadequate. I think my photos are pretty good except for the lighting but I have been rushing it a bit lately when I am listing.
Good luck with the Florida job app!
Total Items in Store: 608
Items Sold: 11
Gross Sales: $865.77 (including eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
Net Sales: $524.48 (minus eBay fees, shipping, and taxes)
Cost of Items Sold: $100
Highest Price Sold: $250 (Set of 6 new dinner plates)
Average Price Sold: $78.71
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $85
Number of items listed this week: 6I forgot it was a good week because all of these sales were from last Sunday and Monday. The boom and bust continues.
Had the garage sale and made about $250. Got my money back on some items I didn’t really want to keep and list, others were donated, a few put back into the piles. The clothing was remarkably hot – there seem to be a lot of clothing sellers doing garage sales. Many items still left in the piles, but I continue to slim down the backlog. I find that I don’t really like listing fabric items and prefer hard goods. However, it’s hard to pass up good textiles so I will take turns listing both types of items. Shipping is obviously easier with the textiles as well.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334859806893 I bought this on Facebook Marketplace for $75. I never usually source there but was looking for something else for our house. Perhaps I should keep an eye out now and then. A steep buy in but I think I can double my money perhaps and it’s a strong brand name. Retailers are getting stiffer with returns and especially free returns so it might create an opportunity.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234933135489 This recent scavenge of the week sold full price.
It’s interesting to hear about everyone’s take and changes. I join a common thread as a caregiver of someone who is really struggling. My day job called wanting me back but it’s not tempting, though Ebay sales have been slow and we have a lot of kid travel expenses this year.
My business was different last year in the sense that I am selling far fewer new goods RA. This is because I have less capital after leaving my day job and I am struggling to find prices good enough to go in at the retailers I like. The COGS then is way down as I average about $4 for used items. I do believe the new goods helped keep my store more active, though I think I listed more and my profit was a little bit more last year. My store has gone from about 300 items to steadily around 600 items.
Along with selling more used items comes a relaxation of my standards on what I think is worth sourcing. It’s hard to pass up new items with a bar code but then I get away from a more curated store full of what I really like myself. https://www.etsy.com/shop/MidModMomStore?listing_id=1001081479 This is a seller I really admire. In my mind I’d love for my store to look this way, but reality is I don’t want a light box in my living space so my photos will not look this good – ever. Also, I am selling somewhat what I can get my hands on instead a fabulous curated selection like hers. In my favor, I think overall I do find good items and it makes up a bit for my photos. I am getting better on evaluating items in terms of value, time, storage space, etc.
Finally, I’m gradually getting rid of my piles. I just sliced off another layer with the yard sale and got my money back on some mistakes. There is still so much stuff though! The sourcing is fun and it gets me out of the house but I’m definitely buying way less than I am listing (except when a rummage sale happens). I’ve caught up on the spring rummage sales and now I’m back to the piles again. I have corrected the balance but it will take a while to clear the piles for sure.
I still love love selling on Ebay. The potential profit on things people overlook is just amazing. Also over the last five years of selling, Ebay has made some big improvements like adding Terapeak and make offer. Listing is still not fast enough, but much faster than it used to be.
Only 6 listings for me this week unfortunately. Helping out at a school fundraiser, had the garage sale, and my kiddo is struggling. But, I think this week will be better. I have to reorganize a little bit after having the garage sale but already sent the leftovers to the thrift store.
