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Have tested about 100 so far. About a third are bad. I’m selling the higher value ones as singles, lotting the rest. On the plus side tubes are easy to store and cheap to ship. Remains to be seen how they sell.
<div class=”gmail_default”>J&R, thanks for another great podcast. Jay, I’m right there with you, replaying memories from decades ago. I don’t do well with lots of idle time, which is a large part of why I’m drawn to scavenging. There’s always something you can do be doing better.
Listings in Store: 692
Items Sold: 13
Gross Sales (includes shipping): $435
Highest Price: $149 – Pot-filler faucet
Average Price of Solds: $33
Cost of Goods Sold: $60
Returns: 2
Cost of Goods Purchased this Week: 0
Number of New Items Listed this Week: 0Scavenge of the Week: File this one under ‘Superspreader Disaster Event’. Wife and I decided to attend a live in-person auction Saturday morning in rural southern Indiana. The auction listing ranted how everyone was strongly encouraged to wear a facial covering etc., etc. We get there, put on our masks and get out of car. After signing in we noticed that no one was wearing a mask. Not even the auctioneers. This is a crowd of about 300 people. Young, old, kids, babies. What universe are these people from? We noped out of there after about 20 minutes. Most of it was piles of rusted junk anyway.
Scavenge of the Week Part 2: A few weeks back I bought about 300 vintage vacuum tubes. At first the plan was just to sell them as-is, untested. Welp, after the first one got returned I went to Plan B, which was buying a tester. Got lucky and found a tube tester on Facebook Marketplace for $80. After I test all the tubes I’ll sell the tester for 2x what I paid for it.
On the wisdom of buying packing supplies: That’s a big ‘yep’. I did the dumpster diving for a while for bubble wrap etc., but it takes time and you rarely end up with exactly what you need. Much more efficient to buy it and have it delivered. Although I still hunt for over-sized boxes.</div>
@Simon: Most appear to be new-old stock – in box, no signs of use. I plan to sell them as NOS with free returns. I’m seeing some ‘solds’ of tube lots by sellers who explain they got a large number of tubes through an estate sale, haven’t tested the tubes, selling as-is. So I will try selling some individually, some in lots.
It will be interesting to see if the pandemic fuels a resurgence in small town America. I know you chose your town carefully in that you’re only a couple of hours from DC and are next to a national forest.
Listings in Store: 696
Items Sold: 17
Gross Sales (includes shipping): $420
Highest Price: $44 – Jogger stroller wheel
Average Price of Solds: $25
Cost of Goods Sold: $20
Returns: 0
Cost of Goods Purchased this Week: $30
Number of New Items Listed this Week: 35Gut reaction to the week: Nothing special, all smalls under $50. No complaints. Since I made a breakthrough in my photos, I’ve been motivated to list more from my deathpile.
Scavenge of the week: Couple of weeks ago I bought 300 vintage electronic vacuum tubes for $100. Just starting to wade through them now. At first I regretted the buy but now I think I’ll do OK.
@Zach: Your socks bring back memories of my Aunt Arlene. Every day she wore bobby socks and black-and-white saddle shoes.
J&R, sounds like the roasting course was intense but worthwhile. You mentioned the topic of bad buys. I think Jay called these paying for your picking education. I’ve sure made my share of bad buys, but never anything that really stung. If I end up losing a few dollars and in turn learn something about a category of type of item, I’m fine with that. Whatever I’ve lost I’ve more than made up for on the plus side.
Listings in Store: 678
Items Sold: 12
Gross Sales (includes shipping): $505
Highest Price: $195 – Tom Cat Battery Charger
Average Price: $42
Cost of Goods Sold: $20
Returns: 0
Cost of Goods Purchased this Week: $44
Number of New Items Listed this Week: 13Challenge of the Week: Spent a large part of the week re-taking photos. I have a new LG G8 phone and figured out how to increase the brightness of my photos. As soon as I posted a photo taken using the new setting, it instantly made the of my listing photos look like crap. So I started taking new photos like mad. I’ve only done about 100 items but I’ve decided that’s enough of my current listings. Counting about 5 photos per listing, that’s 500-600 pics. With almost 700 listings it would take a least another week to do everything. Not sure it would be worth the time. Anyway, I’m very happy with the new photos.
Example with old settings: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154053155872
Example with new settings: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154079008667About a year ago I spotted a couple of overflowing trash cans outside a vacuum cleaner shop that was in the process of relocating. First can I checked had a bag of at least 50 Dyson vacuum attachments such as crevice tools, dusting brushes, upholstery brushes etc. All in the $10-20 range, all in virtually new condition. I would guess I’ve sold 30 or more to date. The other can had some clean packing material.
J&R, hope roasting training went well! Looking forward to hearing all about it next week.
Listings in Store: 672
Items Sold: 18 (16 eBay, 2 FBM)
Gross Sales (includes shipping): $736 ($494 eBay, $240 FBM)
Highest Price: $200 – Fat tire bike
Average Price: $41
Cost of Goods Sold: $315
Returns: 1
Cost of Goods Purchased this Week: 0
Number of New Items Listed this Week: 11Gut reaction to the week: Very good sales week for end of summer. Up about $200 from last week. My largest sale was a Facebook Marketplace fat tire bike I took a loss on of about $100. I bought it at auction and turned out it needed repairs. Since I thought I would keep it for personal use I had it fixed. Rode it a few times and decided I didn’t like it. Yeah it was a bad buy but sometimes they happen. No regrets.
Scavenge of the week: Planning on attending a live auction on Wednesday, my first in six months. I’ll wear a mask and do my best to keep social distance. Am I being reckless? I don’t feel like I am.
Three things jump out for me. First, your retail hours are being cut drastically. It’s like your employer is making you walk a ledge that keeps getting narrower. Two, it appears you’re confident you could step into another retail-type job without a lot of trouble. My sense is that you’re right in that assessment. Three, you have a safety net, your folks and a roof over your head. You say your parents will support you if you stumble and you will not be homeless. That part is really key. When I was young I took a chance but didn’t have a good support network. It ended up working out but for a while life became very dark. Found out being broke means your options are terribly limited.
Anyway, I would say you don’t have a whole to lose by going full time. You dislike your current job and they’re practically inviting you to leave by cutting your hours. You have a good grasp of what you need to make happen to get by. Sounds like you have the energy and smarts to make flipping work for you. Best of luck to you whatever you decide!
Congrats on on your first batch on the new-old roaster! I can tell you’re both excited about this new venture. I’m going over to Broad Porch today to order new coffee. Also nice to hear your new helper looks promising.
On specialization as a path to higher earnings, that makes all the sense in the world. But it feels like a higher-level calling than the ethos of ‘sell trash, be free’. Don’t get me wrong – if that’s where your interest takes you (specialization), then that’s great. My point is that if you’re new to flipping, there’s a heck of a lot of learning that has to occur before you can up your game to specialization. Things like learning how to ship, how to handle inventory, customer relations, and on and on and on. After three years of doing this part time, I have a profund respect for those who do this full time. Especially if you’re doing this alone.
Listings in Store: 677
Items Sold: 19 (18 eBay, 1 FBM)
Gross Sales (includes shipping): $544 ($499 eBay, $45 FBM)
Highest Price: $75 – Vintage sign
Average Price: $29
Cost of Goods Sold: $50
Returns: 2
Cost of Goods Purchased this Week: $140
Number of New Items Listed this Week: 26Gut reaction to week: Nice, middle-of-the-road sales week. The challenge since covid arrived is finding interesting, saleable items. I keep trying the online auctions but just have not seen interesting lots. Yard sales season is nearly over, which is no big deal since they’ve been mostly crappy. I’ve spent a lot of time cleaning and organizing my work/storage/shipping areas. I’m packing items so much faster because I’m not hunting around for my tape gun, box sizer, etc.
Congrats on your score! I’m in the Cincinnati area, but my favorite auctioneer is Christys of Indiana. Anyway, a month or so ago I spotted a Christys estate auction that featured scores of lots of photos. It was mind-blowing how much there was. Only my recollection is that they were prints. I don’t recall any mention of slides – but it’s been awhile and there may well have been slides in there. I was really intrigued but wrestled with how I would list them. The sheer volume of photos was incredible. I remember seeing albums filled with photos of flowers. Any way, I would bet that your score is linked to that estate.
Best of luck to you! Hope you make out like a bandit.
@Jay. My glasses are bifocal — I look down to read and get the ‘cheater’ lens; I look for driving and everything else I’m looking through clear glass. I don’t know know if the cheapie cheaters can do that. I ended up spending a bit of coin for mine, but mainly because I wanted RayBan frames. So vain.J&R, thanks for another excellent podcast. Jay, my advice is to go full-time with a pair of glasses. I tried cheaters for a while but there were too many times I needed them and didn’t have them with me. So I went full-time with glasses and haven’t regretted it. Right after I got them a neighbor lady told me my new glasses “made me look intelligent”. LOL.
Yes, Crocs are hot sellers. Picked up a pair of new-in-box Crocs (had leather uppers) at a yard sale a few weeks ago for $15 and sold them for $45 within a couple of days of listing. Buyer returned them, though. Said they were wider than Crocs he had owned. My understanding is Crocs come in a standard width. Go figure!
Total Items in Store: 670
Items Sold: 13
Gross Sales (including shipping): $307
Highest Price: $60 – Vintage suitcase
Average Price: $24
Cost of Goods Sold: $17
Returns: 2
Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $30
Number of New Items Listed this Week: 24Gut reaction to the week: Summer roller coaster continues. Last week sales were in the clouds, this week they’re in the ditch. I’m sure it’s not just me, but sourcing has been a challenge. The only thing working for me is finding cheap Dyson vacs on Facebook Marketplace. I gripe a lot about FBM, how buyers insist you sell stuff to them at 30-40% off listed price, but I’m finding great deals. You just have to be quick to spot them.
@doublythumbs Congrats on reaching your milestone. That’s huge!
<p style=”text-align: left;”>J&R, thanks for another sterling podcast! Seeking insights from others in confronting issues is a real sign of maturity. The prevailing ethos in my early adult years was that guys were supposed to figure out everything on their own. Asking others for insights was a sign of weakness. Of course that’s a complete load of nonsense.
Total Items in Store: 663
Items Sold: 25 (24 eBay; 1 FBM)
Gross Sales (including shipping): $1,032
Highest Price: $300 – German Beer Garden Table and 4 chairs
Average Price: $46
Cost of Goods Sold: $285
Returns: 0
Costs of Goods Purchased this Week: $75
Number of New Items Listed this Week: 37Gut reaction to the week: Just an incredible week for sales. Maybe my top week. It kicked off with the Facebook Marketplace sale of a German Beer Garden patio set of table and four chairs. It was beautiful, vintage, authentic and heavy as hell. I picked it up at an auction for $250 but over three years I couldn’t sell the thing for a fair price to save my soul. Anyway I posted it for $370 and took $300. So happy to get it out of my basement and to a good home!
After that it was off to the races. No one thing was over $50, just sheer quantity adding up. A note about my gross sales: it includes shipping because I mostly offer free shipping, so I’m not sure of an easy way to break out shipping. Guessing it’s 25-30% of gross.
Scavenge of the week: Last week not far my house a guy was using an old storefront for storage. Now he has to empty it since he’s sold the building. Sort of like the guys Jay describes in the podcast — years of throwing odds and ends in dusty rooms until the piles reach the ceiling. He had stuff on the sidewalk for sale. Turns out he’s a nice guy who has lived in the area his whole life, has owned several bars over the years and has lots of the stuff I like — posters, old pics, army gear, etc. I’m hoping he becomes a consistent source.</p>
