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11/14/21 – 11/20/21
Total Items In Store: 4172 (was 4170)
Items Sold: 28
Total Sales: $ 1253.75
Highest Price Sold: $ 150 (Jacket)
Average Price Sold: $ 44.78
Money Spent on New Inventory: $ 380
Number of items listed: 30Gut Sales Report for the week: Strong busy season sales with a lot of high dollar items selling again.
Focus for the week : Storage unit is now fairly organized and most of my containers that I wanted to move are there.
Scavenge of the week: Holy ephemera overload Batman! I went back to that packed estate sale with the car brochures. I bought 70 more of them for $1 each. I bought 30 more vintage maps – 4 for $1. I bought a lot of vintage camera and other manuals that I found around the house. So, between this and last time I have this to list: 184 car brochures, 70 vintage maps, and a lot of other ephemera to go through. That will keep me busy for
awhile. Not to mention the 70 new DVD’s \ DVD Box sets that I bought there also.Thoughts for the week: I went hunting this weekend, so that knocked my listing down. I scavenged some good stuff on my way to hunting and then while I was there, so a very good trip.
Mark S
debitendcredits,
They were just the reels, no movies. I came across another one yesterday, same thing, case with reels and no film\movies.
I was wondering what I would do with film if it were in there. I will keep you in mind if I find some with film.
Mark
11/07/21 – 11/13/21
Total Items In Store: 4170 (was 4135)
Items Sold: 21
Total Sales: $ 1245.68
Highest Price Sold: $ 220 (Vintage Coat)
Average Price Sold: $ 59.32
Money Spent on New Inventory: $ 35
Number of items listed: 56Gut Sales Report for the week: Strong busy season sales with a lot of high dollar items selling.
Focus for the week : Still trying to get my new storage unit organized and get the rest of what I what out of the basement and to the storage unit. It is sometimes a pain having to go to the unit when things sell, but I know this is my only way to grow like I want to.
Scavenge of the week: Found a vintage Super 8mm Film Metal Case with reels inside for cheap.
Thoughts for the week: I have listed nearly 1500 items on ebay since May and I think that is now paying off for me. Let the busy season begin! I think it is going to be a good year for us all.
Mark S
There may be another possibility here.
I have had two situations recently that I can remember. I had a buyer buy my item, but when I went to look for the item, I could not find it.
So, rather than get dinged on my ebay Transaction defect rate, I simply buy the item from another seller, and then enter my buyers address as the shipping address. Then give similar instructions as reported above.
I don’t like to do this and only do as a last resort, but it does save a ding if you can find the item being sold by another seller. Usually I have to pay more and lose a little money, (because if it were less, the buyer would probably already bought the item from them) but I see it as a way to buy myself out of a bad situation.
Mark
Yes, I have been stocking up on my ebay shipping materials. I have also been stocking up on personal items. Not telling how long this is going to last.
Mark
10/31/21 – 11/06/21
Total Items In Store: 4135
Items Sold: 29
Total Sales: $ 995.43
Highest Price Sold: $ 48 (Shoes)
Average Price Sold: $ 34.33
Money Spent on New Inventory: $ 577
Number of items listed: 27Gut Sales Report for the week: Sales started to take off this week and it began to feel like the busy season. I was thinking the same thing as Jay that people will buy more off ebay because of the supply chain issues.
Focus for the week : Been trying to get my new storage unit organized and get the rest out of the basement to the storage unit. Did a good job but still need to move about 30-40 more containers from the garage to the storage unit. I am moving 4 at a time when I go to the storage unit.
Scavenge of the week: I went to an estate sale Saturday and got there right at 9AM when it opened. They let 20 people in, but I was number 30. There were about 8 people in front of me outside – no big deal. But it took nearly 45 minutes for me to get into the sale. I found out when I got into the house. The guy was a big collector and had collected many, many things. The checkout person said it took the first person 25 minutes just to get to the checkout because there were so many things to look at. It was mostly nice stuff, but I was only interested in a few things. I ended up buying 114 1970’s Ford Car Sales brochures – most in near mint condition. I bought 30 maps that were mostly from the 1960’s. I bought about 6 pair of shoes and 40 new sealed boxed DVD sets (mostly BBC stuff). So far what I looked up, the boxed DVD sets are averaging about $25 each.
Thoughts for the week: Sales are picking up and it is looking to be a banner busy season. I have my storage unit in place now so I can buy as much as I can find. All in all my business is on the move in the
right direction.Mark S
I just realized today that I have picked up a few titles. I went to the storage unit today and this guy that works there said to me, ” I hear you are the King of storage containers?”. He took a look in my storage unit and said, “Holy Molly!”.
I also have a few titles at my local thrift store: King of shoes and the Man with a bag (I carry an Ikea bag with me when I go into the thrift store because they are so many deals, I usually don’t have enough hands to carry it all).
Well, I could think of worse things to be called. So, not too bad to have picked up these titles.
Mark
For all you shoe dogs out there, I picked up a book on shoes at the thrift store for cheap.
It is by Linda O’Keeffe and was written in 1996. It has some amazing pictures. I have already learned a lot about shoes from the book.
You can find it at:
Mark S
I can find things to buy most anywhere. But to maximize my time and get the good scores, I concentrate on these vintage estate sales. There is one estate company in my area that specializes in these vintage sales. They are always killer sales and I try not to miss them.
Mark
For those vintage sales, I mean that an item that doesn’t look very valuable can be much more valuable than you think at first glance. For example, I was at a vintage estate sale on Sunday. I had been there on Saturday, but everything was half off on Sunday. I saw an old Rook game and tossed it in my bag for $2.50 because I used to play Rook and know that there is still a following. But, what I didn’t know is that the game was brand new in the box and never been used (not sealed). I am sure there are more than several Rook people that would love to have that game. I think I will list it for $50.
So, my point is: don’t rush it at great vintage sales. You may think you know what is valuable, but if you have not seen that item before at that age, take a good look and even look it up on ebay.
One more example. I was at a extremely vintage sale a few years back. They had things from the 1920’s on. I came across some new in the box typewriter brushes (I think it was about 40 of them). I couldn’t really see them on ebay at the time, but I figured “Where else will someone find one of these?”. They have been selling slow and steady for good money. I think I had one sale for a quantity of 10 or so.
Mark
<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Craig,</span></p>
<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>The sale with the shoes is an annual sale for the private school. I gave been going there for 5+ years and I always get about 30 pairs of shoes and some good sports equipnent. This year was a little better for shoes. They have several hundred pairs of shoes, I just select the best ones.</span></p>
<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>About getting to the sale early, that depends on the sale. For this rummage sale with the shoes, i have to be there at 8am when it starts because more than 100 people attend the sale that early – it is a thing here. People know what shoes they like so they can go quickly. </span></p>
<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Most sales dont require that. But if there is a vintage sale with hard to find items, I will try to get there in the first couple hours. If they have stuff like GI Joe, I try to be first or second in line. I went to an estate sale last year like that. I was third in line and got $1300 of GI Joe items. $3000 in all from a house full of vintage items. I first grab the good obvious stuff, then go back slowly so that i dont miss anything. At the vintage sales, some items can be extremly valuable. For example, i went to a sale Sunday that had a whislting yo yo. Didnt think much of it cause i hsve seen yo yos and most dont go for much. But this one was from the 1950’s and i am going to ask $100 for it- paid $5.</span></p>
Mark10/03/21 – 10/09/21
Total Items In Store: 4085 (was 4015)
Items Sold: 18
Total Sales: $ 623.06
Highest Price Sold: $ 75 (Vintage Jacket)
Average Price Sold: $ 34.61
Money Spent on New Inventory: $ 728.46
Number of items listed: 88Gut Sales Report for the week: It was about an average week of sales for this time of year.
Focus for the week : This week turned into a buying frenzy. I spent $728.46 between 10/6 and 10/10. I got over $7000 worth of mechandice. I bought about 50 pair of shoes at a great private school rummage sale. The shoes were worth around $2000. I paid $2 per pair for the shoes.
Scavenge of the week: I actually didn’t “find” this. I was at the thrift store and the manager who knows me asked if I wanted a pair of Converse all stars that just came in. I took them and I always look for “Made in USA” on them. This pair were Made in USA and are from the 80’s. I will ask $500.
Thoughts for the week: I knew if I wanted to scale my store I was going to need a lot of good items. I went to a few great sales and found more than I bargained for. I am moving a good part of my inventory to a 10 X 30 storage unit this week. I really needed this to keep scaling my store because I am way out of space at my house.
Mark S
MyCottage,
I would highly recommend that you at least hire someone to take photos for you. I have this and it sets the pace for listing. For example, my pace is 60 items photographed each week. I have to buy, prep, and have 60 items ready each week for my photographer. Then take the photos, I review photos, and then list. Then I keep repeating that each week.
In this way, your photographer sets the pace. You can set the pace to anything you want, but after you do, you have to keep up with it and that is a great motivator.
You can also change it when you need to. In the Summer, when my photographer was not in school, my pace was 100 items per week.
I think that by setting the pace, you hold your photographer and yourself accountable to do what you intend to do. I think it motivates everyone involved to get the work done.
Mark
