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Dec 6 – 12
- Total Items in Store: 4,086
- Items Sold: 58
- Total Sales : $1,964
- * ABOVE yearly average of $1,056
- Highest Price: $270 (Pair of Vintage American Frohse Anatomical Charts)
- Average Price: $34
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $64
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $0
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 42
A fantastic week of sales over here! I’ve been selling some of the most random stuff, too. A lot of clunky items sold which helps me free up some inventory space.
So far, I’ve been lucky when it comes to shipping. I’ve noticed many items are taking longer than usual, but I haven’t had a single complaint. But now that I’ve put that into writing, I’ll have a whole slew of them I’m sure.
It was a sad day last week when my Sirius radio was shut off. I bought it at a rummage sale for a few bucks and discovered that it was still active. I used it for a year and a half in my car when suddenly it decided to stop working. Now it only wants me to subscribe to their service. They must have finally sent down the kill switch from orbit. I’m hoping one day I’ll find another that still works. It wasn’t perfect, but it was loads better than the normal radio stations.
Nov 29 – Dec 5
- Total Items in Store: 4,093
- Items Sold: 46
- Total Sales : $1,477
- * ABOVE yearly average of $1,041
- Highest Price: $300 (Louis Icart “Love’s Blossom” Colored Engraving on Resin Reproduction)
- Average Price: $32
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $138
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $0
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 39
Great week of sales over here! Some days, packing took me over two hours. I hope this trend continues for a while. It already looks like I’ll be reporting another good week next time too.
The Louis Icart picture was a bitter-sweet sale. I’ve had it listed for a few years, and the negotiated price was just right. But it looked so awesome hanging on my wall. I’m sad to see it go but I’m glad to pass it on to someone who will appreciate it.
Nov 22 – 28
- Total Items in Store: 4,099
- Items Sold: 30
- Total Sales : $934
- * BELOW yearly average of $1,027
- Highest Price: $135 (Feynman Lectures On Physics Vol. 1, 2 & 3 Hardcover Set)
- Average Price: $31
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $65
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $0
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 65
It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas over here. Sales are starting to pick up again and the weather is getting nice and chilly. It’s nice to be able to focus on my eBay store instead of doing lawn work and outdoor choirs. Although I do love warm weather, there’s nothing like the cold to keep me at my workstation banging out these listings. And I’ll definitely be dedicated to my work once these holidays are beyond us.
I had a nice little surprise the other day. I sold an empty jewelry necklace box from a well known store that I had listed for a really long time. While I was preparing to pack it up, I had a feeling that I should probably take the back off just in case there was anything placed inside. Sure enough, there wear a pair of 14K gold diamond earrings inside a little envelope. Score!
11/23/2020 at 8:09 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 489: Business = Resource Management Video Game #83643Nov 15 – 21
- Total Items in Store: 4,062
- Items Sold: 24
- Total Sales : $680
- * BELOW yearly average of $1,022
- Highest Price: $100 (Eight Vintage Fred Press Lemonade Highball Tumblers)
- Average Price: $28
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $42
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $164
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 41
It was sort of an uneventful week on my end. Softer sales than usual, but that’s okay. I won some lots on an online auction which included a nice working GE portable 8-track player that should land me some good cash.
Speaking of Pirate Ship, I’ve never used it until just now. eBay is currently having some major issues with labels and wouldn’t let me purchase them through their site for any of my five items that needed shipped. Luckily I had signed up on Pirate Ship a few months ago when it was mentioned here but never really had a chance to use it. Well it saved my butt tonight. I was able to print all my labels with no issues. I realize I probably spent a little more, but it’s nice to have it as a backup.
11/16/2020 at 11:04 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 488: Remember When Life Was Boring? #83476Nov 8 – 14
- Total Items in Store: 4,043
- Items Sold: 30
- Total Sales : $1,308
- * ABOVE yearly average of $1,026
- Highest Price: $280 (New Fluke 179 Digital Multimeter)
- Average Price: $44
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $57
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $60
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 56
Another decent week of sales here on my end. I’ve been selling a lot of somewhat higher dollar items lately. And bulkier sized ones too! I’ve been utilizing FedEx a lot more recently. The price difference for large boxes is insane compared to USPS. Up until recently, we’ve had to take our FedEx packages over to the next town over 15 minutes away, but about a month ago our in-town Dollar General started accepting drop-offs which is a huge time saver. Unfortunately, the lady working there is always so grumpy when we drop off packages. But oh well.
I tried a govdeals auction last week. Ended up with a bunch of Sony transcription machines that were all non-working when I got them home. I was really bummed out about that, but at least I only paid about $25 for them all. I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to fix them. I’ll at least be able to make a little profit if I sell them for parts.
This week I don’t plan on getting too much eBay listing done. I’ve made myself a list of choirs including finishing the winterizing of my house. Plus I plan on trying to refinance our home to take advantage of these low interest rates. And we’re going to shop around for a new CPA. So lots to do!
I remember that caller. I wanted to ask him if he was the owner of that church. Judging from the way he described it, I’m almost convinced it was. Small country church in West Virginia with a section roped off full of stuff not for sale. If that caller reads this, I’d be curious to know if it was your auction.
Nov 1 – 7
- Total Items in Store: 4,015
- Items Sold: 33
- Total Sales : $1,219
- * ABOVE yearly average of $1,017
- Highest Price: $250 (WWII US Military Die Stamping Kit)
- Average Price: $37
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $75
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $190
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 31
It was a great week on my end as well. I too think that now that the political tension is easing back a notch, that sales will begin to pick up.
I spoke last week of the online auction items that I picked up last Sunday. I got everything inventoried and I got a lot of amazing stuff, including a whole box full of Russell Wright dinnerware (thank you Steven for pointing that brand out for me). What struck me as I was loading up my van was the situation before me. This was previously a small church converted into an eBay business. There were literally hundreds of cardboard boxes filled with stuff. I overheard the auctioneer talking about the owner and how they were into eBay, and it seemed as if they just had a problem with buying too much inventory. It’s been discussed here on the podcast about the problem of buying so much inventory that it becomes a hoarding problem. This was a prime example if I’ve ever seen one. It was the second auction from this church building and there will probably be two more because it was still packed with hundreds of boxes full of who knows what.
Oct. 25 – 31
- Total Items in Store: 4,017
- Items Sold: 29
- Total Sales : $826
- * BELOW yearly average of $1,014
- Highest Price: $140 (Antique Grey Enamel Graniteware Wall Match Holder Saver)
- Average Price: $28.50
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $72
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $35
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 27
I had a little better of a week this go around. Christmas items are starting to fly off the shelves. Good thing too because I spent a whole week listing nothing but the stuff. The graniteware match safe was a nice little sale, but for the most part my sales have been pretty low dollar.
We went to a rummage sale where I jumped on a gorgeous set of Mid Century glassware (Valencia by Culver if you want to look it up). They weren’t even finished setting it out when I proclaimed I’ll take these! Got eight tumblers for a dollar. I also partook in another online auction on Sunday which was really interesting, but I’ll talk about that next week after I’ve gone through all the stuff. But I think I’m done with auctions for the year. My inventory room is almost at 100%, which is more than plenty to last me well into late spring.
Oct. 18 – 24
- Total Items in Store: 4,015
- Items Sold: 25
- Total Sales : $578
- * WAY BELOW yearly average of $1,009
- Highest Price: $65 (NOS Vintage Walco Seeburg Sapphire Phonograph Needle)
- Average Price: $23
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $29
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $118
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 22
Looks like another soft week on my end. But I’m not sweating it since we live our lives quite frugally. Our rainy day fund can actually keep us afloat for many months even if we stopped making a single penny. I’m pretty confident, too, that things will pick back up again here in a few weeks just based on my selling history.
Not much to report on this week. I won a few bids on a couple online auctions, including an assortment of vintage hunting outfits and Carhartt garb all for very cheap. I picked up a new hobby that could potentially tie into ebay scavenging… metal detecting. Maybe I’ll find some old coins or relics in the ground that could be worth some cash. Even if not, it’s fun and gets me to leave the house.
Oct. 11 – 17
- Total Items in Store: 4,018
- Items Sold: 18
- Total Sales : $573
- * WAY BELOW yearly average of $1,005
- Highest Price: $96 (Vintage MCM Gold Tone Gooseneck Desk Lamp)
- Average Price: $32
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $46
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $0
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 22
Another slow week. Like you, this has been the slowest past few weeks in a long time. But since I’ve been keeping track of my numbers for the past four years now, I can see that October has historically been somewhat slow for me. Things always pick up starting at the beginning of November. I know it’s been a weird year, but I’m confident that sales will start rising in a few weeks.
Regarding the topic of knowing your average sales, I’ve been keeping track of my weekly average for some time now. I’ve been excitedly watching that number rise to exceed $1000 which was an awesome milestone. It’s good to know your average in order to keep you grounded. So for instance, this week was a bummer with under $600 in sales. Knowing my average of $1000 a week keeps me from beating myself up about it. And on the other end, if I make triple that in a week, I’ll see my average bump up a little but I’ll know not to get too cocky.
I have a 16×14 foot backroom in my basement where I store all of my unlisted items. It’s lined with metal shelving with an island of shelving in the middle. Usually, that room will fluctuate between 60-80% full of unlisted stuff. Around the beginning of August, I was really getting low what with the lack of auctions in my area because of COVID, but now its back to probably 75% full which is where I like it. Some of the oldest stuff in that room came from auctions and yard sales back in April and May, so things usually don’t get listed relatively soon after I buy them. And now that I’m at a comfortable inventory level, I’ll back off of buying unless its something that too good to pass up.
Sept. 27 – Oct. 3
- Total Items in Store: 4,013
- Items Sold: 25
- Total Sales : $581
- * WAY BELOW yearly average of $1,013
- Highest Price: $100 (Vintage Bentley & Simon Religious Clergy Choir Robe)
- Average Price: $23
- Returns: 1
- Cost of Goods Sold: $22
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $452
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 50
I’m a little late posting my numbers this week. Steph and I took a trip to Black Water Falls in West Virginia. Working for ourselves allowed us to take our trip in the middle of the week which was so nice since the crowds weren’t crazy. It was perfect!
Sales were quite slow this time around. I, too, think it has a lot to do with the political atmosphere that we’re dealing with. I’m really hoping whatever outcome we have that things will quiet down and sales will pop back up after all the dust settles.
I had a few good scores while scavenging. The online auction I mentioned last week was a success. I got a whole bunch of cuckoo clock parts that seem to do quite well. I also landed a Singer sewing machine with the cabinet and treadle from 1919. It seems to be in decent condition and just needs a new belt. I also went to a live auction and got a van full of a wide assortment of stuff. Lots of good treasures in that load, but the best was a machinist cabinet absolutely packed full of machinist instruments and doohickies. I should make back what I spent on the whole auction with that one lot.
We’re an hour away from the city now. We keep making the trip whenever they invite us but it gets tiring after a while. And something always inconveniently comes up for them when we offer to host a get together. hmm
Sept. 27 – Oct. 3
- Total Items in Store: 3,987
- Items Sold: 32
- Total Sales : $952
- * BELOW yearly average of $1,014
- Highest Price: $150 (Vintage Dazor Drafting Work Bench Lamp)
- Average Price: $30
- Returns: 1
- Cost of Goods Sold: $46
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $2
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 20
This was a good topic to discuss on this week’s podcast. Loneliness is a big factor that doesn’t get mentioned a lot when talking about working from home. I’m a bit of an introvert at times but after a year and a half with drastically reduced human interaction, it’s really starting to take a toll on me. Especially since we moved so far away from our friends in the city. I wish I could get out and meet new people but the current global situation sort of makes that tricky.
I had a pretty good week. I made a few $100+ sales to bring up my numbers. Though I felt the slowdown toward the end now that you mentioned it. I’ve got a couple online auctions that I’m going to try this week. Nothing super spectacular, but they’re relatively close so it might be worth it to bid on a few things.
Sept. 20 – 26
- Total Items in Store: 3,996
- Items Sold: 33
- Total Sales : $891
- * BELOW yearly average of $1,021
- Highest Price: $60 (Antique Morphine Medicine Tin)
- Average Price: $27
- Returns: 0
- Cost of Goods Sold: $70
- Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $1.50
- Number of New Items Listed this Week: 81
Okay number this week. I thought I had done better with the amount of packing I’ve done over the week but I see now that my average price was lower than usual. But boy did I get a lot of listing done. It was mostly small, easy to list stuff like patches and antique medicine bottles. This week I’m going to start on my Christmas decor items. I like to save them for this time of year so that they get the little “new listing” bump when people start shopping for them.
Other than listing, not much has happened over here. Steph and I went out one day to the lake and tried magnet fishing. It’s a little hobby I found that sounded fun, trolling the lake bed with a high powered magnet looking for metal things like fishing tackle and tools. I only pulled up a lure and some hooks, but you’d be amazed at what people will find hiding in the murky depths.
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