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Thank you! And before listening to the podcast, I had never heard of scan sheets. It’s definitely something I’m going to look into. But unfortunately, I have a different carrier every day, so there’s zero consistency. Sometimes I get my mail in the morning and my packages picked up and scanned. Other days I get my neighbor’s mail and my packages are still on the porch. But thanks for the reminder. Maybe scan sheets will help.
*Paul*
RR Store Week March 26 – April 1, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,256
Items Sold: 32
Cost of Items Sold: $46.98
Total Sales: $636.77
Highest Price Sold: $65 (screen worn t-shirt from “Prefontaine”)
Average Price Sold: $19.90
Returns: 1/2 (partial refund)
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $20
Number of items listed this week: 27Hey! Thanks for the shout out! I’m happy to be able to contribute to our community. Here’s to no more shipping dings. I just got back from the post office; I don’t trust them to pick up 17 packages AND scan them all the same day. Two weeks ago they scanned 12 packages a day late, so now I’m the chump Ryanne described in the podcast, hand delivering my packages and waiting around for the scan. But I’m determined to get Top Rated Seller status back, so if I have to do a little babysitting, I will.
The day after a mild windstorm, I woke up with the worst allergic reaction I’ve ever had. I could barely get out of bed. That, plus continuing car issues, have affected my productivity and my consistency. But I’ve been getting creative about sourcing; borrowing my girlfriend’s car while she works, taking the bus to thrift stores…I even took a Lyft to an estate sale. Sucks, but until I can get my car back on the road, I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do.
Jay, you mentioned goals. Mine are pretty simple. My short term goals are to make at least $3000 a month and get my car fixed. Slow going, but I’m getting closer. My medium term goal is to make $5000 a month, then start saving. My long term goal is to save enough money to open a bar, specifically a tiki bar. Having my own brick and mortar business has always been a dream of mine. For years it was a vintage clothing store, until ecommerce changed the landscape. But a bar is different. You can’t buy the bar experience on eBay, especially the experience a themed bar offers. I also have an advantage being in Southern California; not only is there a thriving tiki scene here, but there’s also a huge craft cocktail scene. I really think I can make something special happen. Special and profitable, of course.
*Hollywood Paul*
I didn’t think so either. But the rep said that they don’t count when postage is printed as the indicator of the item shipping, but rather the first post office scan. Which is counter to what we’ve all discussed in the past. Either way, I’ve got a bunch of dings I have to deal with. I’m just going to print the postage towards the end of the night on the day an item sells so it can ship out the next day. No more relying on that “one business day” until I get some solid info.
*Paul*
RR Store Week March 19-25, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1264
Items Sold: 24
Cost of Items Sold: $49.97
Total Sales: $648.57
Highest Price Sold: $79.99 (70’s Levi’s denim bell bottoms)
Average Price Sold: $27.02
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $12
Number of items listed this week: 14This week was full of distractions: doctor’s appointments, drama, car stuff…just life. I barely listed at all, and I’m shocked at my numbers. I’m closer to my weekly goal than last week, when I listed over three times as much. But that’s no excuse to slow down the listing; my death piles are dwindling, my office/storage is clean and streamlined, and the estate sales have been good.
I spent a lot of time on the phone with eBay this week removing handling time defects. So many mixed messages. A rep in the Appeals Department was able to remove two late shipment defects because the packages were delivered before their estimated arrival time. Then they sent me a report that had all my defect items’ shipping and arrival dates. If I found any that arrived early, they would remove them. There were none, including the two she removed. Say what?! So I called back for a bit of clarification, and the rep explained the 1 day handling time policy. If an item sells on Monday, I have until 11:59pm on Tuesday to get the post office scan, not just print the postage. I thought if an item sold on Monday, I had until 11:59pm on Tuesday to print postage, then it would ship the following day. I’ve been laboring under that delusion for years. So not only was the post office screwing me up by not picking up my packages on time, but I had been screwing myself up! Well, I’m slowly digging out of this hole to regain Top Rated Seller status. Put most of my store on sale to drive down the percentage of late shipments with more sales. Fingers crossed.
*Paul*
Our Store Week March 12-18, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1274
Items Sold: 21
Cost of Items Sold: $40.45
Total Sales: $531.33
Highest Price Sold: $60 (70s bell bottoms)
Average Price Sold: $34.55
Returns: 2
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 49Not an amazing week, but I’ll take it.
When out picking, I think I get really caught up with the weird vintage one-of-a-kind stuff and sometimes pass up more everyday things, especially if they’re priced higher. An example: I bought a vintage 90s new in box Everlast punching bag. It was priced at $4, but it was half off. It sold in less than a week for $45. But if it was full price, I might have passed. I also bought a Lord Sheraton goat hair dusting brush for $1. Sold a few days later for $30 to a very excited buyer. Since first hearing Scavenger Life, I’ve learned to cast a wider net, but this week was a reminder that the net can always be cast even wider.
So my trusty 95 Mercedes Benz finally gave up a few weeks ago. That girl took me all over Southern California, but she’s finally had enough. I bought a second Benzo very cheap, hoping to fix it up, cannibalizing as many parts as I can from my first one. But I soon learned the Benzo II has electrical issues, which is way out of my league; I’m very new to car mechanics and a novice at best. So while I save the cash to get Benzo II to the shop, I started picking a few parts off of Benzo I. Just a few minor pieces: sun visors, dashboard inserts, etc. I can’t get crazy because I live in a rental with limited parking area; can’t turn the driveway into “Sanford & Son”. Plus, if I pick off too much, the junkyard will charge me to haul her away as opposed to paying me a little. Hurts to slowly strip her innards, but if I can make a few extra bucks, I’m gonna do it. If I had more space, I’d do this a lot more often.
*Paul*
I love making a little extra cash on shipping, especially when I can upgrade to Priority.
*Paul*
Congrats on the record sales, Brian! I took a look last week, and wow…you did great. I assume they’re in great condition if you’re asking those prices! So cool that vinyl is on the rise again, both as a seller and a collector. Funny, 10 years ago a Boston or a Journey record would instantly by fodder for the $1.00 bin. When I left the record store, those were $10 to $20 dollar items! Now if I could only part with more of my collection.
*Paul*
I used to avoid estate sales that looked like it was all new stuff. I also used to skip estate sales in retirement trailer parks; I assumed that the owner had downsized and tossed all the good junk before moving in. I eventually learned that I was very wrong on both counts. I’ve found insane stuff in mobile homes, and I’ve found good mid to high end newer stuff in new homes. Just this past weekend, we went to a sale at a house built in 2013. Boring, flat, soulless, but I found some vintage computer manuals and a high end dusting brush. Point is, you just never know what you’re going to find. If you can, go to ALL the sales.
*Paul*
RR Store Week March 5-11, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1246
Items Sold: 17
Cost of Items Sold: $26.25
Total Sales: $626.86
Highest Price Sold: $239.99 (50s Vibra King Massager)
Average Price Sold: $36.52
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $67.95
Number of items listed this week: 52Not bad at all. Again, I’m inching closer to my short term goal of $700 a week. That massager sale felt great. When researching the item, I was shocked at how much they go for. I priced mine high without Best Offer. Took a couple of weeks, but it sold, the second massager to sell this year. Vintage massagers are always on my radar. I also sold a World War II Navy “dixie cup” hat for a Best Offer of $100 on a $139.99 listing. It was a blue one, which apparently is very rare. I had the only one on eBay, and it sold within a few days.
I hit five estate sales over the past couple of days, and they really gave up the goods. I agree with Brian from Treasures From Grandma; I love the 50s/60s homes with families that have lived there for decades. And thankfully I had a couple of them this week. Few things make me happier than digging through boxes of junk and pulling out gems. So much fun! And again, I cannot stress enough the importance of forming a friendly relationship with local estate sale companies. I tend to see the same handful of people almost every weekend, and I’ve built up a great rapport with most of them. That rapport is the difference between someone itemizing each and every piece I put in front of them, and someone eyeballing my pile and giving me an incredible deal with a wink of the eye.
*Paul*
Congratulations on the big three oh oh! I (and everyone else around here) truly appreciate the sound, pragmatic advice you share every week, not to mention the amazing community you’ve fostered here. Cheers, and here’s to many more.
RR Store Week February 26 – March 4, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1210
Items Sold: 26
Cost of Items Sold: $21.97
Total Sales: $561.51
Highest Price Sold: $79.99 (70s bell bottoms)
Average Price Sold: $21.83
Returns: 1
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $101.79
Number of items listed this week: 27It was Rydell Relics’ Bargain Basement sale this week. I had a 15% off sale, and lots of low dollar items sold. Which is good, as they all add up. But I sure was jonesing for a big sale. The bell bottoms were a nice cha-ching, and validated the slow, boring process that is listing pants.
I rarely have customer issues, but this week I got a doozy. A lady returned some shoes because they didn’t fit; too small. Fair enough. But she included the nastiest handwritten note I’ve ever received. She called me chickens**t, then said that I knew the shoes were smaller than the size they were stamped, and that’s why I sold them on eBay. She then threatened to sue me if she didn’t get a refund. These were $20 shoes. I really wanted to write her back and explain that I’m a man with a size 12 foot, and that I couldn’t possibly know if they ran small. I also wanted to tell her that I would be lucky to resell them because now they smell like cigarettes and cheap perfume. But instead, I thought about the lessons we’ve learned here on Scavenger Life. I took the high road, refunding her money and even waiving the restocking fee. I almost let it ruin my day, but them I remembered all the awesome customers I’ve had and all the great feedback I’ve earned (still 100%!).
Four estate sales and a huge yard sale yielded a whole back seat worth of goodies. Between yesterday and today, I’ve already listed 75% of it. My scavenger half was super happy. My collector half was also happy, as I found some records, a Disneyland pin, and a tiki!
*Paul*
RR Store Week February 19-25, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1209
Items Sold: 31
Cost of Items Sold: $34.95
Total Sales: $573.13
Highest Price Sold: $60 (Lot of 8 House Of Blues plates)
Average Price Sold: $18.49
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 62This week, I pulled money out of the garbage…literally.
As a kid/teen/20-something, I saved almost everything. Apparently that included saving the long cardboard boxes CDs used to be packaged in during the late 80’s/early 90’s. They were mostly blah, but there were some gems: The Smiths, Beastie Boys, The Clash, etc. I picked about 5 good ones, then tossed the rest into the recycling bin. I mean, who would want a Bangles Greatest Hits longbox? After some research, I ran outside, fished them all out, and listed every single one. They actually sell! So far I’ve sold 15 for about $140, all but one to the same person. The lesson I learned is that occasionally my gut is wrong, and if I’m not 100% sure about an item, I should check Sold Listings before throwing money in the trash.
Decent week. I ran a 15% off sale and cleared out a bunch of old, low priced items; my average price reflects that. Fine with me. And I’m slowly creeping up to my short term goal of $700 a week. I’ll get there soon enough.
*Paul*
P.S. I hate “Estate Find” too! What a waste of keyword space to promote something nobody cares about.
RR Store Week February 12-18, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1178
Items Sold: 19
Cost of Items Sold: $17.74
Total Sales: $597.70
Highest Price Sold: $197.50 (lot of 55 U.S. Mint sets)
Average Price Sold: $31.46
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $8.08
Number of items listed this week: 50This episode spoke to me. I guess I’m a rare bird: I’m a hybrid scavenger/collector, an even split right down the middle. I’ve been collecting things since I was a little kid, and I know for a fact I wouldn’t be in this business if I wasn’t a collector. I’ve spent most of my life digging for treasure, and I use all of that experience and knowledge when I’m out scavenging. I know what and how to sell to collectors because I am one. I laughed when Jay wondered out loud what someone would want with old Air France menus, and that to him they’re kindling! That one hurt! At my last house, I had vintage menus from Chinese restaurants on the wall. The last vintage menu I bought was from the Kon Tiki restaurant in Montreal, circa 1960’s. The artwork is incredible, and it’s going to look great hanging up in my tiki room; I also dig the graphics inside. In addition to tiki, my other large collections are records and vintage Disneyland items. I actively hunt for and buy things for those collections…when I have the money, of course. But when it comes to items for my eBay store, I want them sold and out, vintage or not.
Jay, I’m happy to answer any weirdo collector questions you may have. And I would keep that mullet portrait. It sounds amazing.
*Paul*
RR Store Week February 5-11, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1147
Items Sold: 15
Cost of Items Sold: $20.97
Total Sales: $369.88
Highest Price Sold: $50 x 2 (Prince club flyers/50s dress)
Average Price Sold: $24.66
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $43
Number of items listed this week: 21 new/54 sell similarNot a good week. The truth is, I’ve been using health issues as an excuse to slack off, and this is the result. My health care doesn’t kick in until next month, but I can’t live on $350 dollar weeks. Gotta push through and do the work, period.
After filing a formal complaint with the USPS, my local post office called and assured me they would not skip my packaged any more. They even followed up a few days later! I didn’t expect that. And so far, so good. I hope to have my Top Rated Seller status back next month. I never would have thought to contact the national USPS help line to resolve an issue with my local post office, but someone on here suggested it. Whoever it was, thank you!
*Paul*
I was told it’s a gluten intolerance. But I have gathered a ton of information from both sites. Very informative. Thank you!
