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OK, I give up on researching “completed auctions” on ebay, it is too depressing people are literally giving their things away. From now on I am strictly researching BIN results.
You know that no one is forced to buy insurance through the ACA exchanges–you could buy insurance privately. The ACA does require that all insurance plans offer basic coverage and preventative care like covering mammograms, etc. Before the law people were paying for policies that were not worth the paper that they were written on.
Here are a few of my latest:
sold for $95 bought at an estate sale for $45, I had wanted more but marked it down, still very happy with the sale.
Both of these shoes were purchased at a local antique mall–don’t overlook these as sources for merchandise, not everyone looks up prices online. The first pair was purchased for $9 and sold for $50, the second was bought for $15 and sold for $55.
One good thing that happened this week is that an item broken in transit recently was covered by the Post Office and I got a check for $95 in the mail today.
I have 380 items on etsy and sell about 7 items per week, right now my sales on etsy are much better than ebay but I have more stuff on etsy since the fees are a little cheaper. I sell mostly collectibles, the etsy buyer is younger than the ebay buyer and they like funkier things–yes the 1990’s is “vintage” for them, LOL. I don’t curate my photographs, don’t know if that hurts me or not, I only cross post maybe 30% on ebay because I think that my buyers like slightly different things although not always– things like most antique photographs, certain types of vintage clothing, and MCM home decor go on both stores. As for SEO, it is not that difficult you just need to think like a buyer doing a search–general terms are better than specific usually. I also pay for etsy promotions, I have mine set at .5 per click for a total of $1.50 per day, this adds a few dollars a week to my fees but has paid off in sales. so I feel that the cost is worth it.
For some reason, my reply re the ACA is not loading, so again–>
Insurance companies have ALWAYS made life and death decisions about people’s health. I was basically uninsurable before the ACA as I had pre existing conditions, then I got cancer–believe me I was grateful to have coverage. I feel sorry that some (not everyone by a long shot my premiums did not raise by much) people’s premiums got raised, there is a fixable problem here, but Congress refuses to fix it. In the end millions of people (over 22 million Americans are insured through the program) are happy with their ACA coverage but the only ones who speak up are those who are against it, or live in states where the state government purposefully monkey wrenched it. Please note that the current Governor of Kentucky ran on axing the Kentucky exchange except when he got into office he found out that getting rid of it would have cost the state, and the private medical infrastructure (hospitals and the like) millions of dollars since it is actually the taxpayer who ends up on the hook for unpaid medical expenses. The upshot is that the Governor of Kentucky has not gotten rid of the coverage his state enjoys. One more story, my partner’s sister got lung cancer, at the end of her life she was paying $30,000 a year for coverage but soon hit her $1 million cap, she would have had to sell all the assets she had built up over a lifetime (and any estate she could leave for her 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren) in order to qualify for help–she died before she needed to do so, but millions of others are not so “lucky.” The ACA for those who don’t know removed such caps, and insisted that customers cannot get turned down for preexisting conditions. The law also imposes a standard of coverage not required before the ACA was made law, things like mammograms, for example, cost hundreds of dollars if paid for out of pocket must be covered under the ACA, try telling women who have finally started getting this test yearly that they may have to come up with almost $1000 to pay for a single test if the law is overturned and see what they say.
I hear you Paul, I was arguing with some asshole on facebook about the intent of the original punks, he thinks that the punk way is Trump inexplicably. I tried to reason with him that at least in LA in 1977 we were a diverse group made up of mostly white kids and Latinos (many OG LA punks were hispanic) with a smattering of other ethnicities plus plenty of gay punks too, then right wing nutter, sad to say, Billie Zoom had to come on and say that everything will be just peachy-keen with Trump in the WH (shame on Zoom, he had cancer and was taking money from a gofundme for treatment not that long ago.) I am not afraid for me, although I don’t know what will happen with my insurance, but I am old, it is younger people who will suffer.
with all due respect Eve what makes you think that I don’t read non partisan websites? as I’ve said, the increase for ACA policies across the board is 15.6%. I myself favor a single payer plan like most civilized countries have. You have my condolences for living in a state with an exceptionally corrupt state government.
I truly hope that you are right Eve, I personally think that this man will be a disaster for this country, but I live with someone who voted for him–and his family corporation will prosper no doubt since their income is in the top 10%. The people I really worry about are the working poor, many of them will lose health coverage and food stamps will be steeply cut to pay to lower taxes for people like my partner (over 70% of those collecting FS are employed btw)
good luck on the b&m Bryan, I had one but it just wasn’t for me, I didn’t enjoy the day to day running of a real store.
good luck with finding affordable insurance after the ACA is revoked–I know a lot about the law, more than most people, and like I said, the vast majority of policyholders did not get an outrageous increase–the national average is just over 15%, and believe me, before the law health insurance costs were spiraling out of control, which I think that most people forget, the low cost policies available then weren’t worth the paper they were written on.
But let me ask you, when I, as a childless person, pay taxes toward educating other people’s children, aren’t I being forced to do so for a service I do not use, or is there a “greater good” paying monies toward the well being of the country as a whole?
First, I agree with you politically J&R, and on a personal note I am frightened that I might lose my health insurance–I had a cancer diagnoses in 2015 and the ACA saved my life period–the Bill is most definitely NOT a failure no matter how much the propagandists want it to be, 86% of Americans who apply through the exchanges qualify for a subsidy so for MOST people the insurance is affordable–Congress could fix the law to help those who got big premium increases but they don’t want to, they put ideology ahead of the good. period. That is all I am going to say on this issue since I have had a tiring week on facebook arguing politics, LOL. Anyhoo,
Total Items in Store: ebay–>196, etsy–>377
Items Sold: 13
Cost of Items Sold: $154
Total Sales: $555—>$298 on ebay, $257 on etsy
Highest Price Sold: $130 (vintage coat)
Average Price Sold: $42
Returns: 1–item broke in transitA pretty good week considering that I only sell collectibles, the coat sold, a fur, was an exception. In these uncertain times any time I go over $350 a week that is a good week for me.
OK Steve what is your secret for selling cabinet card portraits for $30? I couldn’t give away that card if it were in my shop, LOL. Anyway, thanks for doing these–they are always interesting and I live vicariously through your electronic sales (I wouldn’t know a good piece of electronica if it bit me on the arce.)
Sales continue to be very slow for me on both ebay and etsy. In times like this I get so tempted to buy clothing, but I resist because I hate listing clothing. Still buying though…
How awful and I can guarantee that this was a heart defect that he has had since birth–this issue kills thousands of people every year without warning because it isn’t picked up by typical tests such as EKGs. My hero, the great punk rocker, Joe Strummer was struck down at only age 50 by this problem. I have watched their channel and will check out their gofundme page.
