Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
RR Store Week Dec 24-30, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1418
Items Sold: 29
Cost of Items Sold: $30.08
Total Sales: $809.85
Highest Price Sold: $280 (1960’s barbershop hot lather dispenser)
Average Price Sold: $27.93
Returns: 1
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $30.07
Number of items listed this week: 63Happy New Year, fellow scavengers! I hope everyone survived the holidays relatively unscathed. Now that all the hoopla is pretty much behind us, I’m super motivated. I’m currently reorganizing my office/storage, sorely needed after a busy 4th quarter.
My grandfather was a barber for many years, and I inherited most of his old equipment. I saved a few choice pieces, but I’ve been slowly listing the rest. The hot lather dispenser is so cool, but I can’t keep everything. I also think Gramps would like the idea of it being used in a barbershop again instead of collecting dust in storage. The buyer was over the moon with the deal, and even offered to engrave my gramps’ name on the piece! Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
I’m still pulling records from my personal collection to sell. I knew I had doubles, but not this many. I’ve already pulled over 100, and that’s from just a fraction of my collection. Some of them are in rough shape, and so I’m listing them very low. I thought about the sweatshop analogy, as many are going for less that $5 bucks. But if I were to sell them to my local used record store, they’d give me like a quarter a piece (I should know, I worked there for 6 1/2 years as a buyer). Plus, they’re easy for me to list and ship, so I don’t really mind. I’m long overdue for thinning the herd anyway.
OK, back to work and the podcast. Let’s get that money and have fun doing it!
Paul
Hey Joe,
I still haven’t gone to check it out. I keep thinking it’s going to be an all-day commitment, and trying to sell my girlfriend on the idea of spending the whole day at a warehouse will be a tall order (she’s currently the driver, as my car is out of commission). I’m thinking about just going on my own to get the feel and timing of it. Like when do they do the large furniture pieces versus the box lots? I’m dying to check it out. I always look at the photos on estatesales.net. And I’m only about 2 1/2 miles away!
Just looked, and the next one is on the 7th. I think I’m gonna give it a go. I’ll give you a full report if I do.
Paul
RR Store Week Dec 17-23, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1382
Items Sold: 34
Cost of Items Sold: $49.87
Total Sales: $778.22
Highest Price Sold: $95 (vintage skydiving jumpsuit)
Average Price Sold: $22.89
Returns: 2
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 21Not too shabby, especially for a holiday week. I can see the bottom of my death pile, and no estate sales this week, so I wasn’t able to list much. Thankfully, there are two sales coming up this week, so that should help beef up my inventory.
Can’t wait to listen to the podcast after the Christmas festivities are over. Hope everyone is having a great day!
Paul
RR Store Week Dec 10-16, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,389
Items Sold: 44
Cost of Items Sold: $39.00
Total Sales: $654.96
Highest Price Sold: $44.99 (Clan Douglas cashmere sweater)
Average Price Sold: $14.89
Returns: 2
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $20
Number of items listed this week: 39That might be my lowest average price sold ever! But I’m not complaining; a sale is a sale. Lately, I’ve been finding lots of paper ephemera, and although items might only sell for $5 to $10 each, when you get a whole box full of the stuff for a buck or two, it’s hard to pass up. Whether or not I create a sweatshop for myself or not is kind of up to the estate sale gods. If I find a whole box of horse racing magazines for $2, then that’s what I’m selling. If I find a closet packed with cashmere sweaters, then I’m selling those too.
It took some doing, but I convinced myself to take a good long look at my record collection and see what I can live without. The first and easiest things to pull are the doubles. I don’t need two copies of Pink Floyd “Dark Side Of The Moon”, so I kept the nicer copy and listed the other. Sold in just a few days. I also dipped into my jazz LPs and pulled The Jazz Messengers at Cafe Bohemia Volume 1. It’s the first pressing on Blue Note Records, which are highly collectable. I’d like to keep it, but if I can get close to my $240 dollar asking price, I can live without it.
Paul
Thanks man! Yeah, two years and three months. The record store seems like a whole other life, like an alternate timeline. It certainly has been challenging; moving, health issues, etc. But I dig my new pad, health issues are being addressed, and business is slowly getting where I need it to be. And I couldn’t ask for two better cheerleaders.
Paul
RR Store Week Dec 3-9, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1386
Items Sold: 38
Cost of Items Sold: $45.77
Total Sales: $687.04
Highest Price Sold: $107.99 (vintage Donna Summer iron-on t-shirt)
Average Price Sold: $18.08
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $9
Number of items listed this week: 47Jay, it’s been just over two years since I left my record store job to do this full time, and I still give you and Ryanne all the credit for inspiring me to do so. Before I found your show, my store was stagnant, I sold 95% vintage clothing, and I was struggling for guidance. I got so much bad advice from so many awful websites. One even said that the only way to really make money on eBay was retail arbitrage, which I tried and hated. So thankful that I found Scavenger Life. Your no b.s. approach was exactly what I needed…and still need. So, thanks for helping me shed a dead end job and a mind numbing commute.
Didn’t quite hit my goal, but still did ok. That Donna Summer photo shirt had been in my closet since the early 90’s. Sad to see it go, but it was time for someone else to enjoy it. Estate sales were slim pickings over the weekend, and my death pile is almost gone, so listing was spotty and mostly low dollar items. Trying to avoid the sweatshop business model, but when I can pick up a box full of $5 to $10 dollar items for a buck, it’s hard to resist.
*Paul*
Thanks Vintage Classics! I’m currently at a Premium level store. No plans to upgrade just yet. I’d like to be at around 3500 to 4000 items before I make that move, and that’s gonna take a while. But I sure wish I had that Anchor support. Sounds nifty.
*Paul*
RR Store Week Nov 26-Dec 2, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,380
Items Sold: 40
Cost of Items Sold: $48.98
Total Sales: $1,080.45
Highest Price Sold: $159.99 (1930’s fraternity book)
Average Price Sold: $27.01
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $46.99
Number of items listed this week: 47Congrats on the Scavenger Shack, J&R! Can’t wait to see how you fill and organize it. I’m more than a little jealous of all that space; I have almost my entire operation in one room. It works for now, but I’m looking forward to having more room to house larger items.
Great week for me. My highest sale was a 1939 book of photos of Sigma Chi fraternity houses from all around the country. My second highest was a pledge guide from the same fraternity, dated 1959. That one went for $119.99; both sold to the same buyer for full asking price after being listed for about four hours. Paid less than a dollar each at an estate sale. At the same sale, I also picked up a bunch of higher end men’s clothing, some new with tag. I’m trying to get better at identifying contemporary brands. So far, so good.
Back to listing!
*Paul*
RR Store Week Nov 19-25, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,378
Items Sold: 21
Cost of Items Sold: $22.39
Total Sales: $332.71
Highest Price Sold: $42.29 (UK Jimi Hendrix album cover; no vinyl)
Average Price Sold: $15.84
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $48.78
Number of items listed this week: 13Fascinating question this week. Truth be told, I would have done the same thing. If there was over $1000 bucks just sitting on my porch, it would eat me up. I look at it like this: I (and Jay & Ryanne) operate my business with a high level of integrity and customer service, whether it’s a $5 dollar or $500 dollar item. As a result, my defect rating is very low. If I have to take a ding to turn $50 into $1000, then so be it. I can live with that. It’s not like this situation arises on a regular basis. One slight bending of the rules does not a “shady” seller make.
Jay, I’m also surprised at some of the reactions. There must be some pretty sore fingers out there from all that wagging. And I’m literally laughing out loud at some of your responses. You’re really stirring the Instant Pot!
Took some time off from listing to be with family and friends leading up to and including the holiday. No good deed goes unpunished, it seems. Awful week! But this week I’ve already surpassed last week’s total, and after hitting some great estate sales over the weekend, I’ve been listing plenty. Off to list more.
*Paul*
RR Store Week Nov 12-18, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,383
Items Sold: 33
Cost of Items Sold: $37.64
Total Sales: $590.63
Highest Price Sold: $85 (vintage 7-Up menu board)
Average Price Sold: $17.90
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $10.25
Number of items listed this week: 17Kinda figured it would be a slow week. Still dealing with a health issue, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Gotta keep plugging away when I can.
So this week I sold an item that I previously sold a few months ago. No clue how that happened. And it’s the second time; same thing hapened last month. Tomorrow I’m going to call ebay and see if I can at least get the defects removed. Such a strange glitch.
*Paul*
RR Store Week Nov 5-11, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,394
Items Sold: 36
Cost of Items Sold: $62.93
Total Sales: $943.87
Highest Price Sold: $300 (Acetate record)
Average Price Sold: $26.22
Returns: 2
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $74.50
Number of items listed this week: 22I’m still on a high from that acetate record sale! For you non-record nerds, an acetate is master copy of a record. It’s not vinyl, though. It is aluminum with a lacquer finish. It starts out blank, then a lathe-type machine etches the recordings into the blank directly from the master tape. The master is then used to make vinyl copies or as an archive copy. This one in particular was “Nancy & Lee” by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood. Lee has garnered a bit of a cult following, so I knew it would sell. And the thing was beat to hell. When I found it, it wasn’t even in a sleeve. I graded it as Good+, which is pretty low. Found it at an antique store half a block from my house for $2 bucks.
Didn’t get much listed this week because of a health issue. But I hope to be back up on my feet this week and hitting my listing goals.
*Paul*
RR Store Week Oct 29-Nov 4, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,405
Items Sold: 31
Cost of Items Sold: $61.41
Total Sales: $762.19
Highest Price Sold: $98 (1951 high school sweater)
Average Price Sold: $24.57
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $30
Number of items listed this week: 16Halloween is by far favorite holiday. I always take some time off to celebrate with a few parties and nights at my local watering hole, and this year was no different. And though I’ll never be too old to wear a costume, I certainly can’t party as hard as I used to. My poor liver needs a break! And this year I dressed as the evil Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks: The Return. Super creepy.
A pretty average week for me, hitting just shy of my goal. The lone estate sale in my area was really thin, so I left with just a few things. Sourcing is going to be paramount for me this week. My Death Pile is almost gone, so I need to hit the thrifts and hit them hard. Fingers crossed for some good estate sales this coming weekend.
Off to listen to the podcast and list. Have a great week, everyone!
*Paul*
RR Store Week Oct 22-28, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,425
Items Sold: 34
Cost of Items Sold: $48.76
Total Sales: $666.24
Highest Price Sold: $76.49 (vintage 80’s Jabba The Hutt playset)
Average Price Sold: $19.60
Returns: 1
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $10
Number of items listed this week: 34Halloween is my favorite time of year, so this week I took some time to enjoy it. I didn’t list as much as usual, and as a consequence, I sold less. Also, the estate sales and thrifts were a bust this week, so not a lot of new inventory coming in to list. Well, there’s always this weekend. Gotta roll with it and stay positive.
I wish I had some great scavenger stories, but mine are pretty dull. If I’m at an estate sale and I don’t know the staff, I’ll feign ignorance if they ask me about a purchase. “I don’t know, I just think it looks cool” is a common phrase I use.
One thing I’m getting better about is parting things out. The counter guy at my local liquor store knows I know my records, so he showed me a box of 45s he picked up for $20 bucks. I grimaced as I thumbed through them. Mostly boring 1950’s easy listening titles, nothing worth much. He shrugged and gave me the whole box for free. I was going to take them in to my local record store, maybe get a couple of bucks from them. Then I got inspired and took the lot apart. I listed 10 vintage plastic adapter inserts and sold them for $5 bucks. I lotted together six red vinyl singles and listed them as “decor”. Another $5 bucks. I listed about eight of the singles for $5 bucks each. I even listed the record holder book. Normally I wouldn’t bother with $5 dollar listings, but records are so quick and easy for me to list. All in all, free money!
*Paul*
Heya Joe,
So glad to hear that. My best pal thought it was too good of a deal to be true, but I did my homework, and it’s legit.
So I’m in Southern California too. Where are you at? I’m on the east side in Claremont.
*Paul*
omfug, I’m not great managing my money. Definitely getting better, but still not great. So I’m thrilled that PayPal they takes money out of each transaction, as I would probably forget to make a monthly payment. And since I sell something every day, I’m not at risk of defaulting on the loan. Couldn’t be happier.
*Paul*
