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Week Ending 10/14/23
Gross Sales(w/o shipping $ tax): $405.70 (eBay 110.85 / Etsy $295)
Net Sales: $347.58
Total Items Sold: 8 (eBay 5 / Etsy 3)
Total Items in eBay Store: 1205 Etsy Store: 522
Cost of Items Sold: $34.05
Highest Price Sold: $124.95 (Vintage Stereo Equalizer)
Average Price Sold: $50.71
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory: $0.00
Sold via promoted listings: 1
Promoted Percentage: 12.50%Average Days Listed: 696
Longest Listed: 2504
New items listed: 7
New Listings Value $404.65Sales on eBay were surprisingly low. I was aghast when I ran my numbers. Thankfully have Etsy balancing things out.
I sold an antique pitcher with matching mugs (Ioga monk) for $95 that arrived with a butchered box – partially open and a puncture hole in the side. Fortunately, I had double boxed and the items were safe and sound. Funny thing is I rarely double box, preferring to use and extra large box and pad heavily. Glad I had the impulse to make the extra effort on this one.
Congrats to Jay and Ryanne on their new venture! I know it will go well. No moss growing on you guys. 🙂 I’ve never been to Harrisonburg but will have to make the drive once it opens. I know that is the “big city” for your area. If you can make it there…
Week Ending 10/7/23
Gross Sales(w/o shipping $ tax): $373.75 (eBay $329 / Etsy $45)
Net Sales: $307.50
Total Items Sold: 8 (eBay 7 / Etsy 1)
Total Items in eBay Store: 1206 / Etsy Store: 523
Cost of Items Sold: $55.87
Highest Price Sold: $99.95 (French Cookbook)
Average Price Sold: $46.72
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory: $0.00
Sold via promoted listings: 2
Promoted Percentage: 25.00%
Average Days Listed: 280
Longest Listed: 1227
New items listed: 16
New Listings Value $844.00Slow sales for this time of year. Hmmm… I’ve been busy with family things and hadn’t even really noticed. Just getting to numbers two weeks late.
Big sale of the week was a French language cookbook by the chef that originated the idea of pairing wines with food – Alains Senderens. I bought a huge lot of books in French from the estate of a chef of a local French restaurant a few years ago. I stuck a box of books aside and forgot about them and revisted them since books have been selling so well for me lately. This cookbook was in the box. Sold in less than a day.
@debitendcredits – I’ve been wondering about increasing the promoted listings percentage as well. I’ve noticed that the suggested amounts has steadily increased and that my percentage of sales (at 5% promoted) have steadily decreased. I used to routinely get 50% of my sales via promoted listings and many weeks I’m getting 10 – 20% now. I’m going to test out the floating rate with some of my higher priced listings and see if there is a difference.
I clicked on the preview button and see that address IS prepopulated from what we’ve provided eBay and I don’t see an option for changing that, so you may have to change your business account address to affect that information.
@Robb_ – I do see on the Public Business Info page that it isn’t populated automatically, at least not yet. At least it gives us the opportunity to put separate information in there than what may be our primary business contact information.
My first gut reaction is that I don’t want my phone and email being exposed to spammers and hackers. Not as concerned about the random eBayer. Perhaps it’s time to create another gmail account and get another Google number. Question is do we have to respond to people if they choose to contact us via the contact information rather than via eBay?
<p style=”text-align: left;”>@Sharyn – eBay won’t have anything to do with it any longer once you’ve refunded. If you feel strongly about collecting the tax you’ll have to submit it yourself.</p>
Week Ending 9/30/23
Gross Sales(w/o shipping $ tax): $493.85 (eBay $344 / Etsy $150)
Net Sales: $412.79 (eBay $280 / $134)
Total Items Sold: 7 (eBay 5 / Etsy 2)
Total Items in eBay Store: 1198 / Etsy Store: 517
Cost of Items Sold: $180.85
Highest Price Sold: $175.00
Average Price Sold: $70.55
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory: $0.00Average Days Listed: 419
Longest Listed: 1897
New items listed: 18
New Listings Value $1,178.00Fairly quiet week here as well. Was expecting things to start picking up already. Christmas has started selling more though, so it’s in the air. Had a good September overall, though. Best in 3 years and up 37% over last year.
My margins were very thin this week. My big sale of the week was a Porcelain figural group from Dresden, Germany for $175. Great, except that I paid $168 for it.
I had it up until week before last for $750 and got a query from a potential buyer that said they saw a flaw in it. I took a closer look and though their flaw was a light artifact, however, I noticed that the item had been previously repaired and I hadn’t seen it. Ack! Glad it didn’t sell before I noticed it. The person who pointed out the “flaw” was still interested in it and offered $125 to which I agreed, then after I created a special listing for them, they decided they didn’t want it. So, I relisted it again at $175 only to have them send me a note with an offer of $100. I told them I wasn’t interested. Then, woke up the next morning to a sale of $175… by the same buyer. ??? Weird. They left good feedback already, so at least they are happy.
Fortunately, most of the other sales had small investments and balanced it out some.
Had an average week of listing for me at 19 items. Most of the listings came from a single “junk drawer lot” I got for $12 at an auction, but also posted some art and a nice pre-war train set.
Started my daughter off on Saturday with taking pictures. Tried it with my son a while back but it didn’t work out. First set of pictures were decent so I’m optimistic. She’s paying off a $500 loan. Beginning to learn the value of money.
Week Ending 9/23/23
Gross Sales(w/o shipping $ tax): $770.49
Net Sales: $639.31 (eBay $561 / Etsy $79)
Total Items Sold: 17 (eBay 12 / Etsy 5)
Total Items in eBay Store: 1185 / Etsy Store: 502
Cost of Items Sold: $57.66
Highest Price Sold: $120.00 Anchor Hocking Cannisters
Average Price Sold: $45.32
Returns: 1Average Days Listed: 198
Longest Listed: 864
New items listed: 15
New Listings Value $2,294.00Where did the week go? Feels like Wednesday. Week would have felt better had I not had the one return request for my big$600 sale from the previous week. Fortunately, I was able to talk the buyer into taking a partial $250 refund instead. It was for an antique nautical spyglass. Buyer new a lot more about them than I did and educated me about them more. Fortunately I didn’t have much in it so still doing OK.
Spent most of my week researching some recent artwork acquisitions. I purchased a lot of artwork for two vintage Winnie the Pooh illustrations. Turns out they weren’t worth much ($40), but several of the other works were more interesting. Three works from Asia that took me too long to identify. I can really get lost down the rabbit hole with stuff like this and I definitely did. Really put image search and Translate to good use and managed to identify one artist for sure, and subsequently sold their work for $100 a few hours after posting it. Funny thing, there was another print in the frame behind that one and I have it up for much more. Wasn’t able to exactly identify the artist but image search found two previous sales. Ironically, both previous sales were attributed to different artists and I don’t believe either is correct based on my research. Interesting piece of art though. I am shooting high, but you never know: Ji Xian 吉限 Antelope Buck and Doe Asian Wood Block Print 13×19 | eBay
@ebaymom – Welcome back to the forum. Sounds like you’re doing what needs to be done to get the business where it needs to be. I’m sure finding your niche makes things easier and more interesting for you.
Sorry to hear about your challenging times. As a parent of a special needs child, I can say it mostly gets easier with time. Two steps forward, one step back, but progress over time. Wishing the best for your husband. Hang in there.
@Sharyn – Holy S***! $5400 for the art lot! Did they even realize they had a Warhol in their possession? Good thing more than one bidder recognized the signature. I sure wouldn’t have. Someone still got a pretty good deal. I’d love to hear the story on how they got that in their possession.
My favorite scavange this week is a complete pre-war American Flyer train set with boxes and in excellent condition. Paid $42.50 and hope to get $300+. I really didn’t expect to win this one as these old train sets usually go for a lot to the local collectors. Guess this auction was overlooked.
@Sharyn – Good luck with the Maxsold auction. Pity I’m not closer, there are several items I’d be bidding on. You take much better pictures than most of the Maxsold auctions around me.
@Retro – Yes, always some interesting nuggets in these posts.
Week Ending 9/16/23
Gross Sales(w/o shipping $ tax): $911.65 (eBay $711.80 / Etsy $199.95)
Net Sales: $786.57 (eBay $608.26 / Etsy $178.31)
Total Items Sold: 8 (eBay 5/Etsy 3)
Total Items in eBay Store: 1191 / Etsy Store: 511
Cost of Items Sold: $106.60
Highest Price Sold: $600.00 Antique Spyglass
Average Price Sold: $113.96
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory: $90.26Average Days Listed: 120
Longest Listed: 220
New items listed: 9
New Listings Value $440.00It was a good week last week until my big sale of the week opened a return. The buyer doesn’t believe the item is as old as I claimed and has been refurbished. After a bit of back and forth I made him an offer to keep it for $350. Though we agreed via email, he hasn’t accepted yet, so return is in limbo.
Fortunately, several of the books I bought with my Tokien lot a few weeks ago are selling. I still shake my head when I think of all the Amazon scanners at book fairs, while antiquarian books sell for decent amounts and can often be picked up at auctions in lots for so little. I guess their business model is all about volume.
Had a good scavenge this week with an estate auction. I’m so used to being outbid, I’m now surprised when I win several lots of good stuff. Everyone must have been sleeping during the closing this week and I picked up a decent amount of stuff and stayed in my target >10% of what I hope to sell them at: pre-ww2 trains, knives, and electronics.
Week Ending 9/2/23
Gross Sales(w/o shipping $ tax): $929.80 (eBay $840 / Etsy $90)
Net Sales: $790.42
Total Items Sold: 8 (eBay 6 / Etsy 2)
Total Items in eBay Store: 1191 / Etsy Store: 513
Cost of Items Sold: $84.40
Highest Price Sold: $399.95 (The Hobbit 2nd Ed.)
Average Price Sold: $116.23
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory: $0.00Average Days Listed: 197
Longest Listed: 454
New items listed: 16
New Listings Value $1,939.00Kind of a slow week, so I was very happy to pull in three $100+ sales. My big sale was a 2nd Edition <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>The Hobbit</span> from 1958 for $399.95. I purchased a large lot of books for $235 for 4 Tolkien novels that were in the lot hoping for some early editions. The lots only showed the spines in pictures which made it difficult to tell how old and I took a gamble. I was surprised that a 2nd edition 11th printing still went for so much. Sold about 5 hours after I posted it. I ended up with $1774 worth of listings out of the lot and I’m happy to be in profit so quickly.
My second big sale was a 1912 silver plate trophy for a Fort Worth poultry and pigeon competition that sold for $275.
In other news, my youngest just passed her drivers test. It is going to be challenging competing for the single car we have. She has an internship this year and will need it to get back and forth at least 3 days a week. I may need to reconsider my 1-day handling time as I often need the car to run packages to Fedex or to the Post Office if I miss the postman before I’m done with packing. We’ll see how it goes. Sure wasn’t happy to add $1500/year to the insurance.
