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5/21 – 5/27
Total Items in store: 356
Items sold: 11
Cost of items sold: approx. $20
Total Sales: $130
Highest price sold: $$28 pyrex corning cranberry sauce pan
Average price sold: $12.78
Int’l sales: 0
Returns:0
Number of items listed this week: 0
Amazon disbursement – $4142Full time ebay goal – was March 2018; now – ????
Ebay to Amazon – 12 sales – $1,680 , COGS – $688, fees – $219, profit – $770
I am running a 35% off sale on ebay and have been selling a bunch of cheap stuff. At this point, selling the stuff off of ebay is a plus. There is never enough time in a day5/14 – 5/20
Total Items in store: 359
Items sold: 5
Cost of items sold: approx. $6
Total Sales: $63.64
Highest price sold: $19.49 Brittney Spears concert program
Average price sold: $12.78
Int’l sales: 0
Returns:0
Number of items listed this week: 0
Amazon disbursement – $0Full time ebay goal – was March 2018; now – ????
Ebay to Amazon – 26 sales – $2,929 , COGS – $1,289, fees – $388, profit – $1,252
I am always expanding what I am looking for on ebay. Sometimes I search categories, sometimes I search sellers that I have purchased from, sometimes ebay suggests items at the bottom of the page and that sends me on another search. My most recent rabbit hole that I went down was walkie talkies. Not the toys, and not the professional models, but the ones I imagine families at an amusement park might use. I found a half dozen items that I can double my money on, and they look like good sellers.
I have learned a few categories to stay away from because of the higher returns. One category was palm pilots. I bought a few new old stock, but because of the internal battery, the return rate was too high. I just moved on and started finding other items.
It is like the adage in construction:
Fast, Cheap and Quality – you can only have two of the three.
5/7 – 5/13
Total Items in store: 362
Items sold: 10
Cost of items sold: approx. $17.75
Total Sales: $138.95
Highest price sold: $22.74 Butterscotch Bakelite Serving set
Average price sold: $13.89
Int’l sales: 0
Returns:0
Number of items listed this week: 0
Amazon disbursement – $0Full time ebay goal – was March 2018; now – ????
Ebay to Amazon – 19 sales – $2,666 , COGS – $1283, fees – $334, profit – $1047
Every week my amazon sales amaze me. It feels too good to be true. What started as an experiment has turned into some consistent sales (knock on wood). While I am still working my “real” job, we are re-investing all of the profits from amazon. Hopefully the bigger the snowball is, the easier to pull out our living expenses when the time comes.On the other hand, I know I do not want to put all my eggs in the Amazon basket. Just this week Amazon gated a lot of CDs. I have sold a handful of CDs in the past, and was previously grandfathered in. Now it seems they are closing the gate on any newer member, and I am now limited on what I can sell (Merchant fulfilled or FBA). Although CDs are not a part of my game plan, I realize that Amazon does not really cater to the small seller like me and could eventually close down categories I do use a lot. I am at their mercy.
3 bouyancy? vests – 1 dacor, 1 mares, 1 oceanic
3 wetsuits men’s large – 1 seaquest, 1 sea hunt (I am unable to find info on), 1 wetz suits
2 breathing aparatus?
1 – Dacor XP 360 with dacor gauges (mechanical), dacor octopus
1 Conshelf 20 Supreme Aqua Lung w/ US divers Octopus, with sherwood gauges (mechanical)Assortment of fins, boots, gloves, lights, hoods
I paid $250 for all of it. I can probably double my money. Honestly I was probably not going to buy it, but he called the next day and said his work was throwing a bunch of stuff away, and he would bring it home. I ended up buying about $6k worth of new stock parts – bearing, rollers, switches and such for $500. That kind of stuff is easy to sell and ship
Is the house cheap or undervalued?
In Nashville the housing market is crazy hot, but I could find a $75k house that is worth $75k. The challenge is finding a $75k house that has a value of $100k.
If it is a cheap house, but it is not a deal, then it is not worth it. You can find a cheap house when you are ready.
Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. It could be a huge blessing if you are ready for it, but it could be a weight around your neck if it stretches you too thin.
Here is how I evaluate whether to buy a house to flip.
Fixed up selling price in current market
-Selling realtors fees
-repairs (a home inspector can give you a ballpark)
-holding costs (mortgage, utilities, taxes)
-asking priceThis will give you a theoretical profit. I always assume there are some hidden “gotchas” so I want to be very conservative on everything.
Another point, be careful with the paperwork. Say you spend $20k fixing the house and getting it ready to rent. Work slows and you get behind on your payments. If they “repo” the house, do you lose the $20k?
Make sure everything is in writing. Imagine the scenario where your friends pass and their heirs take over the property, if the paperwork is not crystal clear, it may create a legal battle that could be undesirable.
Alexandra, what are your long term intentions with the house? Move in, rent out, AirBnb or other? If you are not experienced with remodeling, get a home inspector. Try to find one that will let you go with them to the house as well as give you a detailed report upon completion.
Your friends that you are buying from, are they ok with whatever you do with the house? What about just selling it as is. I recently bought a house through a friend, and they just wanted it gone, they did not want to deal with it. The house had some issues, I cleaned it up and am selling it for a nice profit. I have less than $1,000 in the cleaning. I should make around $15k for some red-tape headaches and a couple weeks of cleaning in the evening.
Just read the rest of the posts, is the asking price $65k on the market, or are they offering it to you for cheaper? If it is a hot market and has been listed for a while at $65k, then there is some missing information somewhere.
4/30 – 5/6
Total Items in store: 368
Items sold: 8
Cost of items sold: approx. $10
Total Sales: $140
Highest price sold: $49 vintage brass compass
Average price sold: $17
Int’l sales: 0
Returns:0
Number of items listed this week: 0
Amazon disbursement – $0Full time ebay goal – was March 2018; now – ????
Ebay to Amazon – 15 sales – $2,187, COGS – $1095, fees – $251, profit – $842
Saturday I started a 35% off sale on all my inventory, immediate boost in sales
Paid $900 for a lot of Scuba equipment and industrial stock. Lots of switches and rollers in the industrial stock.1. Signs – big, easy to read that won’t fly away
2. Is it an estate that you are selling? estate sales bring even more people
3. Advertise – paper, facebook, craigslist, yardsale sites. List as much of the “interesting” stuff as possible.
4. Greet people when they arrive.Good luck! I wonder how memorial day sales do in other places, seems to be a slow weekend in Tennessee. If I am picking a weekend, I always pick the first of the month. You know, after people get their checks 🙂
4/23 – 4/29
Total Items in store: 381
Items sold: 2
Cost of items sold: approx. $1
Total Sales: $28
Highest price sold: $20 Nashville Predators Metal lunch box
Average price sold: $14
Int’l sales: 0
Returns:0
Number of items listed this week: 0
Amazon disbursement – $1965Full time ebay goal – was March 2018; now – ????
Ebay to Amazon – 13 sales – $1815, COGS – $863, fees – $219, profit – $732
Went to the Atlanta Thrifting class with Jason Smith, it was an informative fun class. Here is my takeaway. First I have not done much thrift store shopping. I mostly shop yard sales and auctions. It was interesting to watch someone looking for items. He shared his approach, basically start with media (his favorite) and work back from there. It was also interesting to talk to other resellers. But the ultimate bottom line is you have to learn brands. If you don’t know brands, then you have to look them up, it is repetition. For example, the first time you look through jeans you might need to look up half of them, the next time a quarter, and so on. Just like everything else, it is hard work and dedication. I don’t think I am going to go full time into thrifting or even selling clothing heavy anytime soon, but it was very good information. There are few opportunities to learn this skill in person and this was close enough to drive.We have 2 young kids, I have a full time job and my wife has a part time job. I have to keep looking toward the goal, that is what keeps me motivated. I know I want to quit the day job (even though I do not hate it). I want the freedom of developing my business to the level I see fit.
Nice job John, great sales and ROI. Out of curiosity, what are selling on Amazon? I don’t want names or anything like that, but just in general. Are you buying from a manufacturer, RA or are you buying pallets? I am building a pipeline on Amazon by buying on ebay and sending in to Amazon.
Lee
T-satt, yes it was an experiment I started about a year and a half ago. I purchase items on ebay and send them to Amazon FBA. Mostly new, mostly electronics. Doing research on an item I had purchased at a yard sale, I noticed a wide discrepancy between how much it sold for on ebay and amazon. I sent it in to Amazon and it sold quickly. Then I realized if they were selling for $80 on Amazon and $30 on ebay, I could actually purchase them on ebay, have them shipped to my house, then resend them to Amazon for a profit. I started with $200 and have re-invested my profits.
For example, due to an error on my part I am banned from selling these, so here is a tip if you want to try. Brainetics Deluxe set. They are available brand new and sealed on ebay for $50 and sell for $125 on Amazon. Just don’t buy the “complete set” and label it the “Deluxe set” (that is why I am banned).
4/16 – 4/22
Total Items in store: 381
Items sold: 2
Cost of items sold: approx. $40
Total Sales: $68
Highest price sold: $34 Retail Arbitrage Socket sets
Average price sold: $34
Int’l sales: 0
Returns:0
Number of items listed this week: 0
Amazon disbursement – $0Full time ebay goal – was March 2018; now – ????
Ebay to Amazon – 12 sales – $1600, COGS – $754, fees – $234, profit – $612
I’ve had fun the past couple of weeks spending ebay bucks on fun stuff for me and the family. I had over $400 so I could splurge. I bought some jeans and some retro T-shirts. It is fun shopping on ebay! Next Friday I signed up for a “thrifting” class with Jason Smith in Atlanta. It should be fun and informative, plus it will be nice to meet other people who sell on ebay.
