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10/30/2017 at 8:44 pm in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 332: Share Your Extreme Scavenging Confession #24595
Week of Oct 22-28
* Total Items in Store: 1104
* Items Sold: 17
* Cost of Items Sold: $186.65 + $7 Commission
* Total Sales: $1041.17
* Highest Price Sold: $550 Karastan wool rug 12′ x 8’6”
* Average Price Sold: $61.24; $30.70 w/o rug
* Returns: 0
* Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $34.50 at auction
* Number of items listed this week: 28Yowza! Biggest week and biggest sale for me ever. Obviously boosted by the rug, but also I had a few other bigger sales. As far as the rug goes, I’m very happy with the sale, but it was actually a mistake to buy. It was too huge and heavy (about 75 pounds) for me to deal with, and I’ve been tripping over it for the past 8 or so months.
I also had an issue with shipping. I had the rug listed with Fed Ex Ground, but I wasn’t able to print out a label. I called ebay, and I was told that I couldn’t buy a FedEx Ground label through ebay for something over 70 pounds that goes to a residence. This was an issue because I pass on the ebay FedEx discount to the customer, which I don’t get through the FedEx website. I was told that I have to call PayPal and file a discrepancy charge in order to get a refund for the difference. I haven’t done it yet, but what a pain!
I’m trying to think of scavenging stories, but I don’t remember anything too interesting. I do remember back in my younger days, when I was a bit more carefree, I had a party where I had rented a quarter keg. I had a little left beer in the keg at the end, so I put it in a pitcher in the refrigerator. I then brought it to another party a few days later. I wasn’t aware that beer gets stale pretty easily, so, yeh, it had to be thrown out. I guess this is an unsuccessful scavenger story.
I do take lots of hand-me-down stuff. Years ago, my parents decided to sell the house I grew up in and move permanently into their FL retirement home. They shipped me lots of furniture that we really needed since we had moved into a larger house.
A few years ago, my aunt and uncle decided to get rid of my grandma’s and my uncle’s mother’s belongings that they had been keeping in storage. My cousins didn’t want anything, so my sister and I split the stuff between the two of us. My husband and I never signed up for china when we got married, but now we have a set of Noritake. We got a second set of regular dishes that have a real cool retro vibe, because they are retro, probably from the 60’s or 70’s. Lots of other stuff as well
This is why I like auctions.
In an online auction, no one knows you until you arrive at the pickup. Some of these home owners are hiring the auction company to get rid of stuff so that they can put the house for sale or close the sale of the home. If they hire a close-out company, the owners will actually get charged for the service of removing stuff. I’m helping out by moving for them, and they get something out of it.
In live auctions, everyone is a a reseller except for a few; at least in the lot section. The collectors are the ones that bid up lots much higher than the average. I went to an auction this past Thursday. Lot prices were typical, $5 to $20. One lot of vintage cameras went for some outrageous amount – somewhere between $150 to $200. That’s great for the previous owner (or heirs) and auction company. However, none of the other lots would sell if resellers weren’t there.
I realize that not everyone is comfortable at auctions, so I get it. There is one live auction I’m still uncomfortable at even though I’ve bought stuff there before.
Anyway, when I go to a garage/yard/rummage sale, they don’t really know me. People don’t see me at them regularly. I suppose I could meet up with a friend who knows what I do. Not too big of a deal, I still get most of my stuff at auction.
10/26/2017 at 8:19 am in reply to: What Sells On eBay: Harley gloves, vintage microphone, trucker wallet, vintage Apple monitor, models & trains #24466I should mention that I do very well with vintage electronics and software. I recently sold two zip drives with blank media to someone in the UK. He recently messaged me with his status on getting them up and running.
I wish I had saved the Atari system that my dad had bought when I was in high school!
10/26/2017 at 8:13 am in reply to: What Sells On eBay: Harley gloves, vintage microphone, trucker wallet, vintage Apple monitor, models & trains #24463Steve – I assume those Ford rotors were too wide for a large flat rate box?
Nice fall walk with the doggies!
My interesting sales from last week:
I purchased a vintage golf bag with the contents early in the year for $15. I thought there would be interest in the clubs, but I haven’t sold one yet. However, I did sell some NOS wood tees a few weeks ago, and these two vintage fishing rods for $28.80.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182592467121I thought that this Johnny Walker clock would sell very quickly, but I’ve had it listed for at least six months. Finally got a $45 offer. I paid a little less than $15.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182467870029I kind of realized at the time that I was paying too much for this vintage photo and frame of Hedy Lamar. I admire her because, apart from being a beautiful actress, she invented a type of RF technology that is currently used in cell phone and satellite communications. Her life story is pretty interesting. Paid $7.70, sold for $40 through the GPS to France. I wouldn’t recommend buying vintage photos of celebrities because most are reproduced by volume sellers. I was lucky to find the right buyer.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182434775703About a year ago, I went “hog wild” at an online auction where I completely filled up my minivan. I bought a lot of office supplies because I wanted a few things, so I broke up the rest into several listings. I probably should have accepted some low offers I received last year, but this large lot of sheet protectors is actually the first to sell. Paid under $2, sold for $32.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182391114223It looks like three letters, but I can’t make them out. JGS? Can you get a closer photo or use a magnifying glass?
OK, I read your question again. I was definitely the confused one.
If you select the GSP, I believe you are agreeing to ship to any country that the GSP ships to. So, if you don’t want to ship to a particular country, but that country is within the GSP program, then you can’t exclude it.
I’m a bit confused about the question. If a country is excluded from the GSP, then an item can’t be purchased through the GSP.
When you create a listing, you would check the box “Sell internationally with the Global Shipping Program.”. Under the box, you find “Other shipping options” with a pull-down menu underneath. As long as you select “None”, a buyer from an excluded country is not able to purchase the item. They might be able to see the listing, but shouldn’t be able to buy it.
If you have something else other than “None”, then you are providing another option for an international purchase. You can chose first class, priority, etc. in somewhat the same manner as for domestic. You can also exclude or include regions or countries as needed.
Does this answer the question? If you are concerned about shipping internationally, then just select GSP and nothing else. This is what I do. Occasionally, I get a potential buyer who wants me to ship outside of the GSP. I then decide whether or not to offer them an option usually based on the country. I have refused to ship directly to South America, Russia, etc., but I have provided options for Australia and Europe.
10/23/2017 at 9:40 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 331: List and Forget, The Buy And Hold Strategy Of Ebay #24310Week of Oct 15 – 21
* Total Items in Store: 1099
* Items Sold: 22
* Cost of Items Sold: $43.20 + $0 Commission
* Total Sales: $427.86
* Highest Price Sold: $45 Johnnie Walker Emblem Wall Clock
* Average Price Sold: $19.45
* Returns: 0
* Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
* Number of items listed this week: 42Solid week for me. I am trying to keep sourcing down since I have such a large backlog. I will go to an auction on Thursday, but that is it.
10/20/2017 at 9:29 pm in reply to: What Sells On eBay: Old airline calendar, film, Beatle Boots, Levi trucker jacket, telephone, Wool Blazer, Ford parts, Turntable #24205I sold a vintage sewing stool a few weeks ago that I had listed when I had much less eBay experience. The box size I had listed for it was much too small, and the buyer was clear across the country from me. I think I made enough to cover the eBay and PayPal fees and not much more.
So, yeh, I know where you are coming from. It takes a few mistakes to get it right, but then you don’t have the time to go back through all your listings and see if there was something else you missed.
10/20/2017 at 9:20 pm in reply to: What Sells On eBay: Old airline calendar, film, Beatle Boots, Levi trucker jacket, telephone, Wool Blazer, Ford parts, Turntable #24204I was getting worried that we weren’t going to get a What Sold video this week. Just shows you how addicted I am to Scavenger Life!
I bought this cast iron burner thing in a lot with other brass and metal items. I think it took about a year to sell. Paid $1, sold on sale for $26:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182373574445This ticket and postcard pamphlet from the Bicentennial American Freedom train sold only an hour or so after I listed it. Paid $0.70, sold for $15.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182822746547My largest sale was 5 yards of wool crepe with matching liner, zipper, and buttons on sale for $146. This is on commission for a family friend, so my COGS is about half. She told me to price it high because wool crepe is rare and she bought it at some fancy fabric store in Maryland. I priced it at the low end of what she suggested because of how wrinkled it is.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182432933479I bought a lot of vintage mannequins via an online auction. I had bought from these people a few times before, but they don’t always offer enough photos. These were not in as good of condition as I had thought, but I still made decent money. I paid about $15 each, and the child one sold for $50 and the adult for $70. They were local pickup because I didn’t have a box long enough, so I was able to meet the buyer. The mannequins will be decorated for an exhibition starting at the end of the year. I’ll be checking art gallery’s website to see how they end up, and I might have to check it out in person!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182691778423
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182691772513I once found a site that showed a way to ship art without having a particular size box. I can’t find that link any more, so I’ll try to recreate it in words here. I don’t exactly follow her steps, and I prefer to have an actual box for the last step, but I don’t always have the correct size.
First, wrap the art in bubblewrap.
Second (and I haven’t followed this particular step), buy wallboard (I think the green wallboard used for bathrooms) and cut out a piece to cover and protect the front of your art. I forget how she attached the board to the art – maybe tape.
Third, get a large box and completely open it up flat. Wrap the art in the box, folding as needed, to make a cardboard cover. Tape it up.
Fourth, wrap it again in bubblewrap.
Fifth, wrap it again in another cardboard box and tape it up. You can also add additional packaging material here.
So, I hope this helps. You can always use two cardboard boxes if you don’t have one big enough. Also, if you have an eBay store subscription where you get the free boxes, always save the box that the boxes come in. That box is sometimes good for art.
I have an extensive stamp collection from when I was a kid as well – mostly used stamps. I belonged to a trading company where I would create booklets of duplicate stamps, and I had to write the Scott catalog value underneath. I spent hours in the library looking up prices. I suppose that should be online these days.
I can’t imagine having to look up all those values in order to list each stamp or groups of stamps. Maybe some day, although, I could start with a box of duplicates I have. I still have a large backlog and several death piles, so I can’t imagine doing that unless I decide to stop sourcing.
Mike – I’d love to see some of the items you make yourself. Do you have a photo to post or a link to share?
This sounds a bit like their valet program, but with the authentication added in.
Someone once asked me about selling some vintage gold jewelry worth a significant amount of money, and I mentioned that eBay was going to have an authentication service some time soon. I’m not sure that this would be the program I’d recommend.
Whenever I’ve had a return, the buyer was able to print a label directly through eBay. I’ve never had to buy one through the USPS. eBay will determine the label cost based on the size and weight from the original purchase.
Did the prompt say that you had to upload a label, or did it ask whether you wanted to or not?
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