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I met up with a buyer to do a FBMP sale/trade. I sold a Tron Arcade1up. I was hoping to sell it for much more but 1: it was free. 2: I negotiated a trade.
I got $300+ a Nintendo 64 with games/accessories. I have created the listings for the N64 stuff and it will make me $275 easily in 4Q.
Desirable video game stuff is always a great thing to get in trade.
Also part of this deal was I agreed to meet him in a town about 25 minutes away from me. He lowered the trade value of the N64 $50 if I could meet him a bit closer. I asked to meet at a Goodwill I rarely go to. Lol! Make more money on the trade by scavenging while I wait? Yes please! I got a couple decent $50+ items but the highlight was a vintage pair of “The Winner” sneakers. These are Sears branded Converse sneakers and can be quite valuable. Do a search on “The winner shoes Sears”.
These are in good condition so I’ll list them for $200 OBO.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266310179729
Harley Davidson Womens Leather Jacket Pink Embroidery Vented Armor Pockets Sz M
These Harley jackets haven’t sold as quickly as I thought they would. I did price on the high end though.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265557633674
Nike Air Diamond Turf II Size 11.5 OG Vintage 173040 111 1994 white red black
These shoes are in ROUGH condition. Still sodl for full price. Shoes are awesome!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266365542993
Carhartt Mens Denwood Rain Defender Softshell Vest Size L Black Stretch
I was shocked when I checked comps on this vest. Sold for full price. Wow! I figured it would be a $30-40 jacket.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266150049379
Clemson University Tigers Baseball Jersey Orange Mens M Colosseum
High quality jerseys always sell. Took an offer of $80. Paid $4.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266416170846
Nintendo Wii Guitar Hero Les Paul Controller Gibson 95125.805 White
This guitar wasn’t even in great condition and is missing the controller door. Sold for full price within a couple days. I REALLY need to get down all my guitar hero stuff and list it all. There’s just so much high dollar stuff to list. What a crazy problem to have!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266335098618
Polo Ralph Lauren Pants Black Wool Tuxedo Button Fly Buckle Back Mens Size 42
The photos just don’t show how COOL these pants are. I felt so much cooler just having them in my hands to list. Sold for full price. Paid $7. If they put these out for sale now they would probably put $25 or more price on them.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266395295834
Vintage Audio 60 Cassette Tape Holder Carry Case Storage Travel Carrier Brown
These vintage cassette holders must be hot right now. Every one I find and list sells quite quickly for full price. BOLO!
Items in Store: 2690
Items Sold: 45
Total Sales: $2,778.00
COGS: $214.00
Total Profit: $2,564.00
Average profit: $56.98
Average sales price: $61.73
New Listings: 47
Items scavenged: 45
Listing 2023 weekly Avg: 43Even if there are only a couple people on here, it is fun for me to post my numbers. I occasionally talk about this stuff with my wife, but (no joke) it puts her to sleep. She’ll sometimes ask me to ‘talk ebay’ if she is stressed and can’t sleep. So even if only one other person posts here I’ll still do my weekly post.
A huge week of sales! 7 items accounted for $1700 of my total sales so it was a big ticket item heavy week. Yard sales on Saturday were a bust – back to what I expected for late September in my area.
I didn’t do any listing this weekend. I spent my work time this weekend doing major cleaning/organizing in my ebay garage office. Thankfully I made sure to photograph 5-10 items before work each morning during the week so my listing numbers stayed up. It is always nice to claim back floor space and have things much neater in my work area. I was also able to add another folding table so I have a dedicated listed items station instead of just leaving bins in the floor all week. Sunday was a wash as I ended up going to purchase a new(used) living room set. I had to load up the old huge sectional couch to take to the dump this morning.
In true scavenger style, the deal came with some real nice coffee and end tables that I had no room for. I have them listed on FBMP for $500, which will recoup almost half the total purchase price. These tables sell for $1000 in furniture stores! Why spend $4-6000 for a real leather living room set when you can buy a barely used set for $700 after the tables sell. A similar real leather set I just looked at at the furniture store on clearance as a floor model with damage was still $4k!
Premium Hoarder update:
Sold 11 items for $1306. One pair of shoes sold for $450 – awesome. My favorite sale was a pair of wool tuxedo pants for $200.
I did buy some more this weekend from the hoarder collection but not as much. They weren’t able to bring over as much clothing as in the past, and their baseline prices are high enough that I passed on quite a few items. At this point I don’t want to pay $8-10 for the $30 items. I only spent $436.
They had some interesting hard goods this time. A Bose speaker set for $25 that I’ll sell for $200. The potential big ticket item this time were these ornate stone/wood decorative boxes by Maitland Smith . I know they’re worth a minimum of $100 each. I’ll have to do some serious research as some of the larger boxes by this brand can sell for thousands. I have 2 sets of 2. Each set are matching but different size. I haven’t been able to find one that looks exactly like these, but ones that are similar have solds in the $500-1000 range.
With the huge week in sales and the new purchase I’m already back in the profit…by $3.18. LOL!
Today I just crossed $10k in total premium hoarder sales.
They’ll do one more weekend of having a yard sale and then the waiting game on a complete buyout begins.
FYI,
Scheduling listings is now FREE!
You can create all your listings in one batch and just schedule a few to go live each day.
I’ve never had to worry about cash flow with my ebay business since it is purely a side job for me. My only two basic budgeting rules are keeping my business checking balance above $2000 so I don’t get hit with a monthly fee, and making sure there is money in there to pay my auto withdrawal payments for my two vehicles. Then I pay my business credit card off in full several times a month when I have excess above that. Other than that, I don’t even think about cash flow. Any other excess funds in this account go to paying other monthly bills (I’ve been paying all utilities with ebay funds for several years but I don’t have them set up for auto withdrawal in case things change). I also make extra payments to my regular credit cards or transfer money to my personal checking (such as paying for vacations) whenever the account gets high. In general, I keep between $3000-4000 at any one time in my business account. It is basically play money for me so I don’t have to maintain a strict household budget.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone here report their numbers based on cashflow. Another reason I’ve been really thinking about this is because of this video series I’ve been watching this summer:
They had to re-evaluate their goals halfway through as they quickly realized cashflow was a MAJOR problem while trying to aggressively grow a new business.
My death piles (or mountains if you prefer) have always been my protection against this cashflow issue if I ever got into a situation where ebay needed to be my full time income. The plan was to have enough inventory on hand so that I could go 6 months without buying anything and list very aggressively in that 6 months – at least 2000 items and the space to store them. I’ve maintained that backlog for years now – thankfully that insurance policy hasn’t had to be used.
Now having said all that, I’m genuinely interested in how cash flow works for someone who is 100% full time. How do you budget for inventory purchases? What does your bookkeeping look like?
Ah well I found my first home run in the medical stuff just now.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266421183504
There are sold comps in new condition for my asking price. Prices ranged from $50 to $150 and I have the only one of this model (for better or worse).
I listed this while sitting in my van at lunch and then took the photos on a used sheet of paper I flipped over to the back right on my cubicle desk with the under cabinet fluorescent desk light.
Very cool to see a Wizards of the Coast book from the same era. Your listing redirects to one which is priced at $40 with a $55 BIN, so I think you got a nice price on yours.
When I researched this one it was apparent that it sold quickly for whatever price the item was listed for or started in auction for – demand far outstripped supply. I priced mine higher than any previous sold and just as I suspected it sold for full price. I considered going $99.99 with best offer but since I was just trying to clear up space and list old death pile items I was pricing everything competitively.
Your last line is probably the understatement of the year. You’ve got a premium hoarder haul to finish up!
As Deion Sanders said in his 90’s Pizza hut commercial, why not do both!
I did photographs of 9 random medical things this morning before I left for work and they are live so you can see a sampling of them.
I try to keep an assortment of things to list during my breaks/lunches at work that are easy to list. I only do clothes at lunch since it takes more time to do the measurements. Clothing is much better to list in batches so my mind can lock in and increase my efficiency. I use the custom description templates to speed up my listing so all I have to do is type in the actual measurement numbers. I do not like to put measurements in photos like other clothing sellers do.
Anyways, I like to keep the easy to list smaller stuff that doesn’t require testing, measurements, etc handy for quick listing such as on break or even if I’m parked in my van waiting on something. Pretty much any minute during my work day that I’m idle I want to be productive on ebay. I maintain a bin of items to draft and another bin for completed drafted items in my van at all times. Every day before I leave for work I refill the unlisted items bin and move the drafted items bin into my office for photographs and replace it with an empty bin.
Keeping this system running is what has fueled my listing improvements since the beginning of summer. Having an office environment where noone bats an eye if I’m messing with clothing or shoes on my breaks in my cubicle is also critical. As we speak I have two battery powered electronics items test charging on my desk and a half bin of hoarder clothing underneath my desk waiting on break/lunch. I also keep two pieces of white poster board tucked behind my desk so I can set up a photo booth on my desk if I want to do photos of smaller items.
Lol! You get an A+
It’s difficult to put a number on how many actual items I bought because I never know how I will lot some things. Definitely over 200 items sourced this week. I grabbed a handful of random things off the top of the medical equipment pile this morning and started researching/creating listings. 9 items listed for $280. Some prices are supported with comps, others unique.
I can always lot them up in the future. I’m actually considering doing this with some cheap video games and CD listings.
The one near me is all perma-booths – even the outside areas. They don’t really do the drive up with a truck and rent a space for the weekend kind of flea market.
More of a redneck tin roof mall.
I live near a good size flea market that I went to a lot as a kid. I’ve never went there once since I started my reselling business. Don’t think I’ll start anytime soon either. It’s all junk. Not the good kind of junk either.
Items in Store: 2688
Items Sold: 43
Total Sales: $2,340.00
COGS: $234.00
Total Profit: $2,106.00
Average profit: $48.98
Average sales price: $54.42
New Listings: 81
Items scavenged: So, so many. Does anyone even read this?
Listing 2023 weekly Avg: 43Wow what a weekend. On Friday I did Premium Hoarder round 3 for clothing. I bought about 150 items for $1780. On Saturday we did our yard sales. We didn’t leave until 9 as I (THANKFULLY) slept in. As we got in the van I told my wife I had a really good feeling about yard sales, which is contrary to middle of September experience. Usually yard sales are crap this late in the season. My scavenger spidey sense is never wrong though. Twas a GREAT yard sale day that lasted until 1 pm. I filled the van with amazing items.
The good news: I filled BOTH vans this weekend with high dollar inventory.
The bad news: I have to deal with two vans full of high dollar inventory.
I can leave my van full as I just commute to work in it. I don’t need room for passengers except as a backup for my wife’s van.
I did need to deal with my wife’s van so I tried to get most everything listed. The clothes went in my van and all the hard goods were listed except the medical stuff.
Medical stuff? Yep. I bought two bins full of vintage medical/surgical equipment from a retired doctor. He was a fun dude to scavenge with and I was able to be honest with him regarding what I do with the stuff I buy. I paid $40 for two large bins packed full of awesome stuff. It will take some time to strategize how I will sell it all and what everything is really worth. Potential profit is anywhere from $500 to several thousand depending on individual item value and how far I want to break it down.
Which brings me to a fun topic: To share or not to share if I’m a reseller with people. I ran the full spectrum of interactions around this subject.
Interaction 1: The premium hoarder folks. I made a strategic decision to tell them straight up what I do early on in order to work on a deal to negotiate bigger purchases. This Friday I was able to talk with them as I went through the items they had ready for sale. I can talk openly about my business and negotiate with the knowledge that they know I’m going to sell and make good profit. We’re slowly working towards a complete buyout sometime this winter I believe. Honesty is my strategy. They know what I’m doing is a lot of work.
Interaction 2: A yard sale with tons of cool stuff. I openly discuss my children at sales. If someone wonders why I’m buying a lot of shoes or toys or clothes – I tell them I have 6 kids. I do buy stuff for my family regularly. As we walked back to the van, the man offered to help carry stuff out. On the walk he started talking about sleazy resellers and how he doesn’t want to cut them deals, etc. Awkward!!! He detailed some poor experiences with some buyers who lowballed everything and insulted his items to get the price lower. I generally paid his asking price and just negotiated on a few things. I made sure to put this stuff in the trunk where I knew I only had a bit of clothes. I didn’t want him to see all the other junk in the middle row. If I would have told this guy what I really do with the stuff I buy, he may have not wanted to sell to me at all even if I paid his asking prices and his prices may have been higher. I am respectful at all times as a general life policy. It sucks that this guy has a bad opinion based on some bad actors.
Interaction 3: The doctor. When I asked about the medical stuff I saw the twinkle in his eye. I don’t think he expected anyone to even recognize the stuff. He had sooo much amazing stuff! Eventually he asked me what I did for a living. Based on my interactions so far I could tell it would be best to be honest. I told him I was an engineer by trade and in my spare time I scavenge at yard sales and thrifts to sell interesting things online. He thought it was neat and started pointing out things that would be good for resale. I waited until the end to ask him about the massive collection of vintage fly fishing poles. It was nice to be able to be straight up with why I wanted them. He named his prices and it was thankfully more than I wanted to spend. I REALLY didn’t want to deal with those things! Even at his prices there was a lot of money to be made but man those things are big and hard to ship.
Quick Premium hoarder update:
Sold 12 items for $936. The new buy brought my investment up to $8180. My total sales minus fees is up to $7500 on 101 sold items. Thanks to my great sales this week I’ll be back into the profit MUCH quicker this time. The highlight of the week was a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes I sold very quickly for $475.
The first 10 drafts of items from the new batch of clothes I just bought have a list price of $800 – 2 of the 10 being $200 items.
Sooo much stuff scavenged this week, but ALSO sooo much stuff sold this week!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266406505887
The Legend of Drizzt R A Salvatore 2008 Collector’s Edition Hardcover Book 1
This book was on the death pile shelf I cleared off last week in my inventory storage. It’s been sitting there for YEARS! Sold for full price within 24 hours.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266407189964
Spider-Man Pogs 1995 Marvel Near Complete Set 1-120
This WAS a complete set at one point. Somehow two of them fell out and I couldn’t find them. Out of frustration I set them aside and didn’t list them for over a year. Sold within 24 hours for full price. This was from a MASSIVE amount of POGS I bought at Goodwill. I’ve made quite a bit of money off of that pipeline and the items sold much faster than I thought they would.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266277535403
The Next Evolution in MCAT Prep Blueprint MCAT Review Books – All 6 Books
Paid $1 each at a Goodwill where they were just sitting randomly on top of a high pallet bin of books. Sold for full price
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266408044953
Louis Vuitton Bidart Espadrille Monogram Denim Shoes 12 US 11 LV
From the premium hoarder collection. Sold within 24 hours on offer. I really wanted to cross that $500 threshold, but it wasn’t worth risking the sale. Note: The buyer did not request the chewed on box. LOL! Why someone would spend this kind of money I personally don’t understand but I do realize money is subjective. How I view $500 now is completely different than someone else views it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266321194341
Carhartt Detroit 6BLJ Jacket Mens Size 44 Blanket Lined Union Made USA Vintage
If you ever see a carhartt jacket with a wool lining it is a BOLO for sure. This is the second one of these Detroit jackets I’ve sold this year. Paid about 25 cents for this one as it was part of a $5 fill a bin sale at a yard sale back in July.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266344391427
Spotlight On Music Grade 2 Cd Set Macmillan/McGraw-Hill CDs Curriculum
Sold the first of 4 of these music sets for full price. Paid $5 each at goodwill a couple weeks ago.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266391333680
Radio Shack RC Car Lightning High Speed Digital Proportional Car Works
Sold on offer for $60. The buyer message me that he would leave positive feedback even if it didn’t work. It does work, but that peace of mind knowing I’m not gonna have a picky buyer is worth it on a vintage electronic item.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266413826004
Vintage Pinball Arcade Coin Box 8”x5.25”x2.25”
This one is a fun one. This was on the death pile cart. It came in an old arcade cabinet I bought for a project I never completed (Note: That cabinet is also on ebay here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/265915378621)
It did not go to that cabinet and I had no idea what pinball it would go to. As I was cleaning I went to chuck it in the trash pile, hesitated, and decided to list it. I didn’t even clean it! Slapped $30 on it and added the dimensions. Sold within 12 hours.
It seems like every time I hesitate to list an item, then list it anyways even damaged it sells quickly. Such a strange quirk of this business!
I wonder what that old 97’s cd would have went for if you had it listed last year after the guardians of the galaxy christmas special. They had a moment for sure. I spent some time on their apple music channel.
Soooo much stuff acquired this weekend. 150 items from the premium hoarder collection. I’ll start going through that this week.
Yard sales were very nice this weekend as well. Here are the highlights:
Some super unique stuff – the first of which was a collection of vintage mid century medical equipment I bought from a retired doctor. There’s probably over 100 individual surgical instruments of various size/complexity. Plenty of other cool stuff as well. It may be a while before I can start listing this stuff.
The other unique item was a collection of 35mm film trailers from a movie theater. I paid $10 for the bag. Here’s two of them:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266416056539
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266416051785
They are likely long tail items. I turned down a $30 on the Ratatouille one already.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266416475017
Panasonic Toughbook LIND 12V Cig Charger CF-LNDDC120 CF-33 CF-31 CF-54 FZ-55
Paid $1. Prices are kind of all over the place on this item. I went ahead and shot for the higher end.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266416170064
Sony Handycam HDR-CX330 High Definition Camcorder TESTED WORKS Lots Of Extras
Paid $20 at a sale where I bought a bunch of stuff. They didn’t have a price and asked for an offer. I offered $10. The guy struggled with price as that $400 original price they paid was giving him heartburn. He came back with $20 and that sounded fine to me. Especially I was buying so many other amazing items from him for cheap. This was the same sale as the film trailers.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266415261674
HALO Mega Construx Covenant Brute Lance DPJ89 130 Pieces Sealed New
Marked at $5 at the sale. Eh, that seemed like a bit too much to buy blind so I made sure to look it up. No active listings – strange. 2 90 day solds for $80-$100. Whoah!!! I paid full asking price. I’m already getting offers in the $80 range that I’ve countered.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266415258104
Bose Solo 5 TV Sound System Sound bar 418775 with Remote & Power Adapter
Paid $10 at a yard sale.
