Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I posted my numbers above but now I have a chance to chime in about for gallery and other topics. Two things that we’ve done that are relatively frugal are: build a log cabin by hand with the trees on our land I never took out a mortgage on it and we’re having our daughter who is a junior in high school take college courses for free now, which count towards high school graduation but are also excepted, in state, as college credits. When she goes to college she will have two years of college work done and be able to go right into working on her senior level classes for whatever her degree will be. Also, we did go to California and visit some schools out there, but none of them were interested in excepting The college credits from Minnesota, even though their credits from accredited schools. So, we had her visit the local public colleges and university here in Minnesota and found one, U.M.D., that will pay for half her college tuition is long as she keeps her number one rank in high school and graduated valedictorian. So, we figure she’ll only have to pay for room and board for two years and when your tuition at the very most, and that’s assuming she doesn’t get other scholarships. The same school as graduate programs in her degree field (Chemical engineering). For post graduate Programs in chemical engineering, the school will pay for your tuition room and board and to give you $14,000 your stipend. The goal here is to have little to no college education death upon exiting with a degree.
Here’s my numbers for the week of March 4 – 10:
total active listings: 893 (I never remember to get them as of Saturday, so they are from this moment)
Total number of items sold: 17
total gross sales (not including shipping): $308.40
Total COG: $15.13 (just the cost of the items, not the ebay & PP fees)
Total Net after COG & Fees: $256.30
Average Sales Price: $18.14
Total number listed this week: 107
Total number listed from death 2017 pile: 29
total dollar amount listed: $3268
total average sale price of items listed: $37.22I’m pretty stoked about this week. My overall sales dollar volume went up. I believe that is in part, a result of me listing items for a higher value. I still have the pressure to list and need to get my inventory up to 2000 as fast as possible. My immediate goal is to be able to generate $600 net per week. And I need the inventory to be listed to achieve that. right now its off to the post office. I just had a pretty decent Monday morning in combination with a sweet etsy sale over the weekend of $155 (including shipping) for a complete set of World Book Encyclopedias (all 50 pounds of them…UGHHHH). In fact, that sale was the high sale of the week. I picked up the books at the goodwill bins and paid around $4.50 for the set at 15 cents per linear inch by the binding. All the other book buyers out there pass by the things I’m looking for, crafting and hobby books, old cookbooks, bibles, and encyclopedia sets. So, it works out pretty well.
Howdy Folks. Here are my numbers for the week of March 4 – 10:
total listed: 107
from death 2017 death piles: 29
total dollar value listed: $3268
average dollar value listed: $37.22Everyone hang in there. Let’s see how much of our 2017 death pile stuff can be listed before the end of the first quarter! I listened to Jay & Rhyanne talk about how having helpers has reduced their death piles. What a nice concept for the future. Aaaaaahhhhhhh. one can only dream 🙂
Marjean
Amatino, whatever arrangement you think is best is fine. Katie, howdy pard! Ice_Queen hang in there. I’m sorry there’s been illness in your house, I know it can be hard. Marjean28
Now that I have had a chance to listen to the podcast, I’ll chime in with my weekly thoughts beyond the numbers, which I already posted above. First off, I am that person who has truly and actually managed to butt dial in a purchase!!! It isn’t that hard to do as it happens. I was looking at another seller’s tennis shoes. Then somehow in setting down my phone, I managed to click the buy it now/immediately option. I quickly reached out to the seller and he canceled the sale, thank goodness!!!
I look on in awe at the numbers folks are putting up relative to their inventory. Then it struck me, I’m paying sooooo little for COGs that I’m ending up with too many low dollar items. Yes, I may occasionally luck on to a vintage waffle iron that I can clean and flip for $75 or so, that I only paid 30 cents for, but that’s more often overshadowed by the curling iron I pick up for the same price and can only sell for 10.
In an effort to really raise the bar, I went to an auction last night and laid out almost 800. Some highlight purchases: Brand New still in packaging 4 piece Hartmann Tweed Luggage Set; 4 enormous panels of Barkcloth lined pleated drapery; a huge lot of mid-century nautical cotton lined drapes and table cloths with cool graphics, a large lot of sterling and gold modern jewelry, a large lot of crystal including waterford, a primative hand loomed bed coverlet, an antique tribal prayer rug, and a walmut breakfront (that one is for me).
The jewelry experiment hasn’t worked out just yet. still biding my time there.
Just jumping in with my numbers, as I have not yet listened to the podcast. Plus we are gearing up for a blizzard!
Total items: 799 (numbers are going up, up, up!!!)
Items sold: 19
Total Sales: $230.10
Average price: $12.11
Cost of items sold: $19.84
Net profit: $179.83
Best sale: $35 (took offer from $60) A lamp I made from an antique enamelware coffee pot
New items listed: 155Again, a similar week, with the positive trend in number of sales. DVDs keep selling for me. Which, I asked for since I listed them! I am hoping to start selling some of my newer listings which have much higher start values. One or 2 items have sold, but not any of the jewelry I dumped money into. One bracelet sold but didn’t pay yet, so I haven’t included it in my numbers.
Okay folks, I got a lot done last week and am happy to post my numbers. My spreadsheet continues to motivate me, or at least keep me cognizant of where I’m at listing-wise.
number of items listed Feb 25 to March 3: 153
from death piles: 55
total dollar value listed: $5,004
average per item value: 90.98
Overall, I’m pleased with what I accomplished.Almasty, don’t you love a surprise like that? Way to go sneaking out a higher number than you thought!
KatieScott, wow! Very impressive! I was thinking I finally got you, but alas, fell short! I got up 41, and it took me getting my husbands help to do it. He went down the rabbit hole for an hour trying to recreate a broken hinge on a $15 cutler set cover. He kept saying, I’m having fun, don’t yell at me. I was silently rolling my eyes the whole time! LOL! But that’s a record day for me, so I’m thrilled. It took chasing you to get that done!
Go trash elves 🙂
oh, I forgot to answer your questions…No way am I doing free returns on any clothing. That’s going to be a killer. I may consider it for other things because typically, I don’t even actually have someone return anything. I just do the full refund, mostly because I source for less than $1 so it’s cheaper just to let the item go. I watch scavenger life, craigslist hunter, honestly ophelia, Texas Treasure Gal, photography how-to videos, the folks who post videos on scavenger life in the wednesday what sold section of the forum, and I try to avoid folks like Nicole State and others who focus on current day clothing items.
Oh Katie! I am lollygagging in my kitchen and only have 10 drafts. BUT, the idea that I can still beat you out in the death pile challenge this week is motivating me to get working!!! You should just go out sourcing….LOL 🙂 Marjean28
Well, I’ve been using my spreadsheet and tracking daily, which has helped a lot! My week runs from Sunday to Saturday. I was so excited to post my numbers, that I accidentally thought it was Sunday already (does anyone else lose track of days doing this full time?). But now that I know it’s Saturday…LOL…I have enough time to go tackle that death pile!!! Look out KatieScott & partner, Marjean28 and Ice_Queen are coming to dethrone you! Bring on the competition (SMILES AND LIGHT HEARTED LAUGHTER) Happy Listing folks!
Hey, I’m on it! It is a Monday and I’m getting my numbers in on time for once. woot woot!
number of items listed:32
number of death pile items: 1Yes, I know…and on top of everything, I went shopping. I want to increase the value of the items I list and my death pile now consists of things I should get rid of due to low value, fix, which I did do some of over the weekend, or need a lot of research.
I’m one of those spreadsheet folks! Mostly because it helps me track what I have listed, which I am trying to be accountable for with the twins challenge and for this weekly posting. 🙂
Feb 18-24, 2018
Total Items in Store: 681
Items Sold: 13
Cost of Items Sold: $7.50
Total Sales: $138.30
Highest Price Sold: $35 – lot of 6 hardcover children’s picture books in French (most only a couple years old)
Average Price Sold: $13.54
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $300 + (trying jewelry)
Number of items listed this week: 32
average value of items listed this week: $41.67
STR: 1.9%The good thing I can say is that I am above a 1%/week STR. This is a good metric for me to identify consistency on. The goal is to raise the Average Price Sold, which will occur now that I am listing higher priced items.
Happy Listing All.
Ice_Queen, did you ever receive my email? I sent one about a week ago. Sincerely, your twin in trash, also known as your trash elf twin, Marjean (smiles)
Thanks for the info Amatino! I’ll be sure to get on it. In thinking about how to track my listings more effectively, I stumbled upon an obvious solution. I hadn’t done this before, so I thought maybe others hadn’t either. On the eBay Manage Active Listings page, I customized it to include the category, Start Date. Then I sorted by start date and it is much easier to track how much I have listed in a given day. This may be one of those Captain Obvious things, but it helped me. 🙂
