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Love it. The first thing I sold was an old dishtowel. It was kinda dingy, dull. I almost tossed it, but decided to give it a shot. $20 bucks, I believe, withing a few days. Those fans are rabid!
*Paul*
RR Store Week January 29-February 4, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1141
Items Sold: 22
Cost of Items Sold: $39.99
Total Sales: $619.81
Highest Price Sold: $89.99 (Kliban cats bookends)
Average Price Sold: $28.17
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 10 new/95 sell similarFunny, I just bought another shelving unit for my office. I was almost out of storage space. It’s a pretty small room, and my inventory was slowly creeping in on me. Feels good to see more carpet. I also utilize the walls; instead of decorating, I hang up as much as I can on hooks. And not just artwork. Anything with a peghole, loop, or hook is up there.
I’m finally over the bulk of my gluten detox/withdrawal, so now I can get back to listing actual new items, not just sell similar-ing old inventory. But it really does help to dig into your stale listings and update them, especially since postal rates have gone up again. I sold a shirt yesterday that’s been in my store for at least three years within two days of relisting it at a lightly lower price. Move that old stuff OUT.
Another tip: that B. Kliban cat stuff really sells well. I inherited a small collection, and its been flying out the door at top prices. I grab anything with those cats whenever I see it.
*Paul*
Amazing! Steven, you and I are cut from the same cloth. My living room also has a tension pole lamp, globe on a stand, and a two tiered fiberglass lamp shade, my latest acquisition. I need a cool coffee table to complete the room. However, I’m currently working on a tiki dining room, so that’s getting all my free resources.
*Paul*
SMMTA, thanks for the tips. I haven’t tried any of the UDI’S stuff yet, but it’s plentiful…they even stock it at my local Target! I had a Daiya frozen pizza and it was pretty awful. I’m trying to focus on actually cooking things rather than simply reheating, but it is nice to have a convenient option on a lazy night, like a decent frozen pizza.
Today, I tried Mission gluten free tortillas for the first time. Pretty good! I had the Trader Joe’s brown rice tortillas, and it was like a paper plate. The Sprouts one was a bit better, but the Mission ones get the closest in texture. Another Target find.
*Paul*
Baking my own gluten free bread is definitely in my future, but for now, I’m just trying to master the basics. I will pick up some vegetable bullion cubes tonight and give your suggestion a shot. But I must say, I’m feeling SO much better than I was even yesterday. Hopefully the end is in sight. And gluten free pasta ain’t so bad! The bread is another story…
*Paul*
Very similar to Keto_flu, for sure. It’s been pretty intense; gluten stimulates the opioid receptors in your brain and makes you feel good, calm. So removing that stimulation is like a heroin addict kicking the habit. Not quite that severe, but it’s still pretty bad. I used to eat a TON of food that had gluten, like every meal. And as a vegetarian, I ate a bunch of fake meat…number one ingredient is wheat gluten. So it’s going to take a while to get it all out of my system. In addition to the physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, gas (gross but true!), dizziness, fatigue, etc., there are also mental symptoms, like anxiety, mood swings, and brain fog. Rough stuff, but each day is a little bit better. And it’ll be worth it.
I’d definitely like to hear about your switch to LCHF. Last Saturday, I ran into a couple I hadn’t seen for years. They adopted that diet, and I was shocked at how much weight they lost. They look amazing, and 10 years younger! It’s so so true: you are what you eat.
*Paul*
P.S. I just got off the phone with eBay. They closed a return in my favor after a buyer didn’t send the item back in time. Boom! Thanks for the tip!
Congrats on the big score, Brian! I’m with Ryanne; first thing I thought of was packing and shipping. That’s awesome that the buyer helped out with some instructions. I’m way too afraid of packing the old shellac…I’ll stick to vinyl!
*Paul*
RR Store Week January 22-28, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1152
Items Sold: 14
Cost of Items Sold: $36.77
Total Sales: $1663.88 ($463.88 eBay/$1200 private sale)
Highest Price Sold: $79.99 (vintage Budweiser “BUD MAN” stein)
Average Price Sold: $33.13
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $20
Number of items listed this week: 15 new/104 sell similarDespite the large private sale (a lot of silver coins), it was a rough week.
Through no fault of my own, I lost my Top Rated Seller status. Since I moved to the new pad last summer, I’ve been scheduling package pickups. The carriers have forgotten or skipped my packages about a dozen times so far. I have a different carrier every day, so its been near impossible for me to remedy the situation. After discovering I lost TRS, I called the national help line and filed a formal complaint. My local post office called me back the next day, and I was assured the problem would be addressed. I know I’ll get the status back soon enough, but it sucks knowing that I’m doing all the right things and getting dinged for someone else’s mistake.
In the last week, I thought I was getting sick. Very sick. But it turns out that I’m having gluten withdrawals. Who knew it was such a drug?! I’ve had heavy flu-like symptoms for days, and that is all but killing my productivity. Instead of listing new items, I’ve been freshening up and relisting stale listings with the Sell Similar feature, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised how much of it is selling. I just don’t have the energy to process my new acquisitions yet. I’m told that I will come out at the other end of this feeling golden, so fingers crossed.
*Paul*
Heya whiskey!
Thanks for the warm welcome into the GF world. Funny, the herbalist I saw recommended Omission, which I am enjoying. Stone makes a good one called Stone Delicious IPA that I liked as well. I’m pretty lucky living in Southern California; gluten free choices are fairly abundant. But I’m still lamenting the loss of some of my favorites. I’m also a vegetarian, so that really bumps up the difficulty level. Ah well, I’ve been meaning to eat better anyway. Can’t hurt!
*Paul*
RR Store Week January 15-21, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1152
Items Sold: 17
Cost of Items Sold: $47.99
Total Sales: $557.84
Highest Price Sold: $79.99 x 2 (1935 Ford rubber toy car/The Beatles VI LP)
Average Price Sold: $32.81
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 26 new/85 sell similarI had to take some time out this week for health reasons. Turns out I have to go gluten free! Such a bummer, but if that helps with my ears and the other symptoms, I’m all for it. Today is Day 6…so far, so good. And I found some pretty tasty gluten free beers, so all is not lost.
Two estate sale runs last Saturday yielded great results. That rubber Ford toy was a souvenir from a exposition held in 1935; it has a great decal on the top. It sold at full price about an hour after listing it. I also picked up a Browning leather soft hand gun case. Had I not seen one on a “What Sold” video, I wouldn’t have known they were in demand. There were none on eBay, and the Completed Listings ranged from $30 to around $55. Since I had an exclusive, I priced it high at $69.99 firm. Sold within a few days. When in doubt, go high!
*Paul*
RR Store Week January 8-14, 2016
Total Items in Store: 1143
Items Sold: 14
Cost of Items Sold: $14.22
Total Sales: $478.43
Highest Price Sold: $129 (50’s wool car coat)
Average Price Sold: $34.17
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $116.00
Number of items listed this week: 29 new, 99 sell similarNot a great week, to be sure. I was taking care of a lot of other business, like health insurance and medical appointments, so I didn’t list as as much as I wanted to. And my sales reflect that. Time management is something I’ve always struggled with, but I am getting better.
Yesterday I went to a couple of great estate sales and left with a bunch of cool items. They started hitting my eBay store as soon as I got home. Just say no to death piles! Already sold one item, and the other are getting lots of views and watchers. After my massive purge last year, I’ve become way more selective about what I buy when out picking. Ending stale items and Sell Similar-ing them has also helped sharpen my focus. Always be learning (and listing).
I’m still pulling a few records a week out of my own personal collection to sell. I swore I never would, but with space being an issue, some of it has to go. I sold a couple of 60s Chinese pop records to a government official in Malaysia for $78 bucks. Not bad for some vinyl I haven’t listened to in years.
*Paul*
RR Store Week January 1-7, 2016
Total Items in Store: 1129
Items Sold: 13
Cost of Items Sold: $29.78
Total Sales: $631.90
Highest Price Sold: $225 (Vintage moon landing needlepoint)
Average Price Sold: $48.61
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $11.93
Number of items listed this week: 28 new, 40 Sell SimilarI just knew someone else was going to love that crazy needlepoint. It depicts the Moon landing, and includes the astronauts’ names, among many other details. It’s borderline folk art. I had it up for $239, so I jumped at that $225 offer.
That return really sucks, J&R. I’m about to listen to the podcast, and I anxiously await the details. I don’t even have anything in my store priced that high! But as you said, there’s no crying in scavenging. I checked my return rate, and it’s at 1.53%. Not too shabby.
I’ve had some issues with my ears recently, and it has definitely cut into my productivity. Very hard to focus. So I cleaned up my store a bit by ending stale listing and using the good ol’ Sell Similar. It’s a great opportunity to adjust pricing/shipping costs, delete any extraneous text, and fine tune the title. This week I did see a few things that I recently ended sell off, so that’s cool.
Back to it, friends.
*Paul*
To be honest, I just pulled the price out of thin air. I looked at some Completed items, but yeah, I just made up a price. The guy who bought them is a multi millionaire, so this was peanuts to him. But not to me!
*Paul*
RR Store Week Dec 25-31, 2016
Total Items in Store: 1113
Items Sold: 19
Cost of Items Sold: $19.49
Total Sales: $705.84
Highest Price Sold: $229.99 (Lot of 90s Rave Flyers)
Average Price Sold: $37.15
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 42Yes! I hit my short term goal of $700 this week; last week I was about 5 bucks shy. It was a nice mix of low and high priced items, and I’m not mad at that average price, especially since I sold a handful of items $10 and under. And some of the items from my friend’s mom’s house are starting to move, which is great because it was all free. I recently listed a Mah Jong set I got from her. Gorgeous set…butterscotch and jade green Bakelite tiles. After a bunch of research, I put a crazy price on it, $1200 Or Best Offer. I’d be happy with half that, but fingers crossed for full price.
Before I started moving a few months ago, I had completely forgotten about that box of rave flyers. Although I attended a couple, I was never a rave kid; I preferred small, moody clubs that played old funk and soul (still do). But when you came back to your car at the end of the night, it was inevitably covered in flyers. Those, plus the ones randomly handed to you on the street. So glad I kept them all these years. The buyer is a big time rave promoter in Las Vegas, but he got his start here in Los Angeles. And in a strange coincidence, he bought a hat from me a couple of years ago. Crazy.
OK, back to work and the podcast! Happy New Year, everyone!
*Paul*
RR Store Week Dec 18-24, 2016
Total Items in Store: 1,012
Items Sold: 17
Cost of Items Sold: $9.00
Total Sales: $697.32
Highest Price Sold: $90 (70’s M.C. Escher glass print)
Average Price Sold: $41.02
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $21.92
Number of items listed this week: 45Slowly building back up to where I was before moving. I can’t remember the last time my average price was this high! It feels so good to be back on track.
Very random stuff sold, and for great prices. While I am very excited about the Escher print sale, I was just as excited that I sold a 1980s Apple Macintosh coffee mug for $79.99. I paid a buck at an estate sale. And my price of goods is not a mistake…$9 bucks! A good chunk I got for free. I sold a sealed Jamiroquai record for $79.99 within half a day; it was in my personal record collection, but I figured that if I’ve had it since it was released in 2005 and never opened it, I probably never will. I’m almost positive it was a promo item I got for free while working at the record store.
My eBay experiment began shorty after discovering this podcast. But it wasn’t about free shipping or buy:sell ratios; it was about diversification. My store started out 98% vintage clothing. It almost seemed silly to sell anything else, since that was my field of expertise. And what would buyers think if they visited my store and saw items other than vintage clothing? All that went out the window after listening to a few episodes. My first experiment had begun: expand beyond clothing. Once I did, I started seeing real progress, progress that culminated in going full time. I’m very excited to hear how Jay & Ryanne’s three experiments turn out. I too need cold hard facts, not supposition.
*Paul*
