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RR Store Week August 6-12, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,338
Items Sold: 17
Cost of Items Sold: $17.98
Total Sales: $480.53
Highest Price Sold: $107.99 (vintage Ray Ban sunglasses)
Average Price Sold: $28.27
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $14.99
Number of items listed this week: 38Numbers like this is what keeps me up nights. I don’t really wake up through the night though; it’s falling asleep initially I have real problems with. I try to just relax, have a cocktail, and let myself get sleepy naturally. But before I know it, it’s 3:30am, I’m three cocktails in, and I’ve watched half a season of Star Trek: Voyager. But the relaxation exercises are helping, as is a homeopathic sleep aid. And after dealing with doctor’s appointments and DMV hell last week, I finally have this week clear to just list list list.
Yesterday I picked up a last minute DJ gig; three hours of all 80’s music at venue walking distance from my pad. A super easy $100 bucks. They also asked me to DJ every Monday night, starting tonight. $75 bucks plus really good food and drinks. It may not sound like much, but an extra $300 bucks a month is nothing to sneeze at, especially since it’s so easy for me. That’ll be a nice boost as I ride out the slow summer.
*Paul*
Edited to add: I have moved from “List It And Forget It” to “List It And Tend It”. I did a lot of gardening this summer, and as a result, lots of old items are now in new homes. I can confidently say that the experiment worked. As my store grows, I probably won’t have time to do so much tending, but for now, it’s working. But “List It And Forget It” got me on the path I’m on now. Still sound advice.
You couldn’t be more right, T-Satt. I was doing literally nothing to bring my stress level down, which was through the roof. Now that I’ve implemented stress reducing activities, I’m already feeling better and less overwhelmed. It has also helped me to focus. All of this is starting to carry over into my business. I still have a long way to go, but at least I’m on my way. Schedule is next.
*Paul*
RR Store Week July 30-August 5, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,329
Items Sold: 12
Cost of Items Sold: $31.79
Total Sales: $473.90
Highest Price Sold: $150 (50’s barkcloth curtain panel)
Average Price Sold: $39.49
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $30
Number of items listed this week: 17When I decided to take some time to reset my life, I knew my sales would take a hit, but damn…what an awful week. My worst of the year. But learning to meditate, cleaning and organizing, taking walks, etc. have already started to positively affect my mental state, and I can feel my stress level going down. Implementing a schedule is the next task, and perhaps the hardest for me to begin and stick to. But it will be worth it, both emotionally and financially. As I continue to improve, so does my business.
My favorite estate sale people had another awesome sale this weekend. Great haul. Two dozen records, over a dozen pieces of women’s plus size clothing (many new with tags), and a bag of G.I. Joe action figures are the highlights. A whole box full of goodies for only $30 bucks. I Love those folks!
Off to listen to the podcast and get that box of gold listed.
*Paul*
RR Store Week July 23-29, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,312
Items Sold: 28
Cost of Items Sold: $37.33
Total Sales: $841.75
Highest Price Sold: $159.99 (90’s Lauryn Hill concert t-shirt)
Average Price Sold: $30.06
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 21Great advice with the lists. It’s something I do for fun projects, but not for work; strange, I know. T-Satt, making your schedule the day before is also great advice. Time management is one of my biggest challenges, and I think that would help.
Hit my goal again this week. Whew! That Lauryn Hill shirt was an awesome sale. It sold last week for a best offer of $90, but the buyer never paid. After the Unpaid Item case closed, I relisted it and it sold within two days for full price. I paid a dollar for it at a church rummage sale on my birthday.
Last week I bought three large boxes of full of photos and paper ephemera at an estate sale. After a few hours of sorting, I pulled a lot of great stuff out that’s already starting to sell. So far the big winner is a Certificate Of Participation from the 1972 White House Easter Egg Roll: $48.99. And just as I sat down to do my numbers, a White House Christmas program from 1987 sold for $19.99. I love that I’m making money from stuff that would have definitely wound up in the trash; no one at the sale was giving those boxes a second look.
*Paul*
DT, I echo everyone’s sentiments here. Just awful. But, as you mentioned, you and your girlfriend are safe, and that’s the most important thing. In the end, they’re just things. And once the dust settles, you’ll be back at it armed with all the great information shared here. Please keep us updated.
*Paul*
RR Store Week July 16-22, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,312
Items Sold: 39
Cost of Items Sold: $51.96
Total Sales: $894.44
Highest Price Sold: $100 (50s silver plated sugar bowl)
Average Price Sold: $22.93
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $39.95
Number of items listed this week: 13What Jay mentioned about inviting a certain amount of stress into your life when you choose this business is all too true. After several doctor visits, it’s looking more and more like the problems I’ve been having with my ears are indeed stress related. So I decided to take a mental health break and try to reset a bit. I’m going to put myself on a schedule, and include things like yoga and meditation. I was already planning on doing so, but my body clearly wants in to happen sooner. I’m also going to take some time to reorganize my office/storage space and some other parts of the house. Streamline a bit. I think it will ultimately relieve stress, make me more efficient, and make it easier for me to do the most important thing: listing.
The sugar bowl was from the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. It belonged to my grandparents, and even though I’m very sentimental about their belongings, I never heard a story about it. Plus, it’s not really my style, so I listed it. I jumped at a $100 dollar offer on a $120 listing.
OK, back to stressing out about trying not to stress out!
*Paul*
RR Store Week July 9-15, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,340
Items Sold: 26
Cost of Items Sold: $23.80
Total Sales: $639.68
Highest Price Sold: $109.00 (lot of Aveda hair treatment)
Average Price Sold: $24.60
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $54.97
Number of items listed this week: 75Well, a bit better than last week, but not by much. But I did hit my listing goal of 75 brand new listings, which is a record for me. I’ve set the same goal for this week. I’m throwing everything I have at this summer slowdown; sales, new listings, Promoted Listings, even a bit of social media. Fingers crossed I don’t have to dip into my emergency fund again.
That Aveda sale was amazing. It was 8 small bottles of texture smoother, which is basically a relaxer. They are Aveda Professional, so they’re only available to Aveda concept salons. I sometimes use their shampoo and conditioner, so I know how expensive it is. So when I saw them in the FREE box at a yard sale, I pounced. Took about a month to sell.
OK, off to listen to the podcast and hit that listing goal again.
*Paul*
RR Store Week July 2-8, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,300
Items Sold: 17
Cost of Items Sold: $37.74
Total Sales: $582.15
Highest Price Sold: $200 (signed Ravi Shankar CD)
Average Price Sold: $34.24
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 26Awful week. Between the Fourth of July, my girlfriend’s parent’s 50th anniversary party, and a middle of the night LAX airport pickup, I neglected the business way too much for my liking. But this week is totally free and clear, so I’m going to rage-list every damn day. I can’t have numbers like this, even if it is summer. I’m upping my goal to 70 items; that would be the most I’ve ever listed in a week.
The CD sale was awesome, and saved my butt. It was signed by Ravi Shankar and his daughter, Anoushka. It was in my personal collection, and although I love his music, I’m more interested in collecting his records. I picked it up years ago for less than five bucks.
Alright, off to make that 75 listings happen!
*Paul*
How fun! I’ll check them out. Can’t wait to see what matchbook you have!
*Paul*
Me too, Brian! The old graphics are amazing. I really dig finding ones from long gone local businesses and restaurants, too. I’d love to know what Tiki ones you’re finding on the east coast. I always keep those, and any Disneyland ones. In fact, there was a single Disneyland Hotel matchbook in the bunch that I didn’t already have. So beautiful.
I’m afraid I don’t have an answer to your question just yet. I’m still sorting through them, and I haven’t listed any yet. The original owner cut off the match heads on about a third of the matchbooks in the lot I bought, so I won’t have to worry much. I’ll update once I get them up and running.
*Paul*
RR Store Week June 25-July 1, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,281
Items Sold: 20
Cost of Items Sold: $53.02
Total Sales: $580.33
Highest Price Sold: $149.99 (Bernina Iron)
Average Price Sold: $29.02
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $76.98
Number of items listed this week: 18A rough bout of food poisoning took me out for a few days, so I was only able to list a few new items. But I still have plenty of Sell Similar items ending and being put back up every day, so that helps a little. Way short of my selling goal this week. Curse you, stomach!
I was able to hit a couple of estate sales with great results. I bought a HUGE lot of vintage matchbooks, like well over a thousand. After pulling all the Tiki related ones for my collection, I’m now sorting by restaurant style, region, etc. At about 3 cents a pop, the return on investment should be fantastic. I also found more slides. Very exciting!
That Bernina ironing system sale was a gamble that paid off well. I recently sold a Bernina sewing machine carrying bag, so I knew it was a high end brand. So when I saw the iron, it was a no-brainer. But the price put me off: $20, and that was the half-off price on the last day of the estate sale. Plus, money is tight with the slower summer sales. But my instinct pushed me to buy it, and I’m glad I did. It took about a week to sell.
Off to listen to the podcast in the matchbook warehouse. Have a great week, everyone!
*Paul*
It’s not a scanner, but rather a stand alone viewer. Here are some Completed Listings of the unit I found at the thrift store. The image won’t be as crisp as a scanned image, but it’s much better than the extreme close up on my old slide sorter. Plus, it was only $10, so I’m getting the job done scavenger style. I’m still cleaning up those dusty slides, but I’ll share some images one I get them done.
*Paul*
RR Store Week June 18-24, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,282
Items Sold: 30
Cost of Items Sold: $39.95
Total Sales: $734.22
Highest Price Sold: $161.99 (vintage curtain panels)
Average Price Sold: $24.47
Returns: 1
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $48.93
Number of items listed this week: 28Scary week. The beginning of the week was crickets. Tuesday I sold nothing. Then Thursday hit and I sold 11 items…all under $20. I was starting to panic, then Saturday exploded with $337 in sales. Summer has definitely caught up with my store, so I’m throwing everything I have at it; brand new listings, Sell Similar listings, auctions, and a 10% sale on most of my store. The power went out in my neighborhood for most of the day, so I spent a lazy afternoon with my girl and her new puppy. But as soon as it came back on, I was jamming. I got some bags of junk from my mom as she cleans out her closets, so plenty of FREE stuff to list.
I too have been sitting on a pile of really cool individual slides that I need to list. I have a vintage slide sorter; backlit rows for about 40 slides at a time with an attached magnifying glass. That helped me sort out the cool ones and set them aside. I then sold the not-so-cool ones in bulk. Last week, I scored a vintage Diastar 200 slide viewer; kinda looks like a small TV. Now I can show the individual slides without having to zoom way in on the slide sorter, which looked awful in the listing. With the sorter and the viewer, I’m very confident in my future slide sales. And I always keep the Disneyland ones.
*Paul*
Thanks Christine! It’s a goal I am determined to reach. I really dig the eBay business, but as I get older, I feel like I need something more permanent. And what better way to earn a living than by combining your favorite hobbies into a business venture?
There’s a store not far from me in San Dimas called Bonita Antiques. The owner, Sam, has a good quarter of the store dedicated to all things Tiki/Hawaiiana/Pop Polynesia. Every time I go I just hand my wallet over. So much great stuff. I was there last week and he had a decent selection of larger Tikis to choose from. He can be a bit pricey, but if you told him you came all the way from the central coast because Paul recommended his store, I’m almost positive he’d give you a discount. I usually get 20% off each time I visit. Sam’s a great guy.
If you really want to go right to the source, try Oceanic Arts in Whittier. Bob and LeRoy opened the place in 1956, and have supplied countless bars, restaurants, theme parks (like Disneyland), and home Tiki enthusiasts. It is quite literally a warehouse. Tiki Mecca.
*Paul*
RR Store Week June 11-17, 2017
Total Items in Store: 1,292
Items Sold: 18
Cost of Items Sold: $32.47
Total Sales: $808.99 ($743.99 eBay/$65 private sales)
Highest Price Sold: $275 (Mason Williams book manuscript)
Average Price Sold: $44.94
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $57.56
Number of items listed this week: 60Slow week. Thankfully, I had some higher ticket stuff sell, which helped shore up the really slow days. That Mason Williams manuscript sold within an hour of listing. I had it up for $379.99, but I took a Best Offer of $275. Probably should have held out for more, but it was such a slow week that I jumped on it. Besides, I paid a dollar for it. Just barely hit my short term weekly goal of $800; also hit my listing goal of 60 items. Hopefully this week will be a bit better now that Father’s Day and most graduations are over.
I’ve mentioned it here before, but since the podcast posed the question: I want to open a Tiki Bar. A real, authentic, mid-century style Tiki bar with all the trimmings. I think it will satisfy many of my creative urges and interests, like interior design and collecting/scavenging, while providing a good livelihood. We have a thriving Tiki “scene” here in Southern California, and I’m confident it could support another Tiki establishment. I’m also fortunate to be surrounded by so many resources: tropical decor wholesalers, artists, Tiki carvers, fresh ingredients, and a very knowledgeable community of like-minded folks. But, it’s a long term goal. Right now I just want to knock out my rent and bills. Tiki time will have to wait a bit.
*Paul*
