[Sharyn]

I really appreciate the effort you guys put into the podcast every week. I missed listening to it today, but you certainly deserve a break.

I never bought the eclipse glasses, so I put together a “projector” using a box. I thought it was pretty cool, and the kids were interested. The shade pattern of the leaves on the sidewall was also kind of neat – there were little crescent shapes of light between the leaves.

Week of Aug 13-19
* Total Items in Store: 990
* Items Sold: 16
* Cost of Items Sold: $35.74 + $0 Commission
* Total Sales: $256.30
* Highest Price Sold: $47 Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Platter
* Average Price Sold: $16.02
* Returns: 0
* Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $17.50
* Number of items listed this week: about 5

This was the first week after my son’s summer camp ended, and I didn’t have the time to list as much. I realize that I will not be able to do much until the kids get back to school. I’m finding lots of good deals right now, so I won’t stop buying. However, I already have piles of stuff to list, and the piles will get bigger before they start to get smaller.

[Sharyn]

Mike –

I’m always interested in your experience with printing, colors, and the like. I did skim through some of the books when I was listing them, and they talk about proper storage and mention that the books should be replaced after a certain time period. For selling these vintage ones online, I assume that the buyer is more interested in what was popular for that time period and is less concerned with getting an exact match.

My dad owns a sign business, and he is semi-retired. So, my sister runs it. They periodically replace their books. I’ve alerted my sister that she should no longer throw these out when they are no longer needed!

[Sharyn]

I bought a bunch of these Pantone books in an online auction. I originally was going to pass on the lot, but then I looked them up on eBay. I’ve sold more than half of them, and I have four left. They’ve been selling pretty quickly.

Most of the books have been sold at full value. I’m guessing that set designers or prop companies are interested in these when they are involved in a show from the timeframe of the book. They don’t bother with make offer. I did recently get a low-ish offer on one, and, as soon as my counteroffer is expired, I’m going to switch them all a fixed price and remove best offer.

[Sharyn]

I did receive a listing promotion recently for 500 additional GTC. The reason could be that I just arrived at the near 1000 level, and maybe they are making sure I don’t stop! I don’t recall getting these promotions many times before this.

[Sharyn]

I didn’t have a huge week, but I did have some interesting sales (or at least ones with interesting stories).

I found this Jiffy Crushable hat at a rummage sale a few weeks ago. I couldn’t find much information on it, but I did find one that had sold in the $15 range (can’t find it now). I felt that the seller had priced it too low. Paid $2, sold in a day or two of listing for $26.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/182706505321

This is a collectable teapot “King Henry VIII and His Six Wives”. Paid about $3 as part of an auction box lot, sold for $24.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/182600201224

I recently purchased an online auction lot of pennants. I did something stupid in that I got caught up in a bidding war and paid too much for the lot. I will make money on it, but not with the ROI I’m used to. This pennant cost about $8, sold for $25.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/182710256795

I was packing up to leave from our Myrtle Beach vacation in June, and I looked in every drawer, even ones we didn’t use. I found a small jewelry roll, and the resort hadn’t been contacted by the previous occupants. This is a bracelet I sold for $13.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/182667042527

Another one of my Pantone color chip books. Paid $5 sold for $45:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/182628940382

I paid a bit higher prices at a rummage sale a few weeks ago (same as the hat). I felt they had above average stuff. I paid $6 for this Lauren shirt, but I could only get $22 for it. Still a good sale, but you never can really tell for clothing because of the competitiveness of it all.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/182702270895

[Sharyn]

Week of Aug 6-12
* Total Items in Store: 1001
* Items Sold: 17
* Cost of Items Sold: $66.75 + $7.45 Commission
* Total Sales: $284.96
* Highest Price Sold: $45 Vintage 1987 Pantone Book
* Average Price Sold: $16.76
* Returns: 1
* Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $224
* Number of items listed this week: 39

An OK week. My COGS were up because I sold a pair of shoes that my daughter decided she didn’t like after wearing them a few days. Plus, I made a few purchasing mistakes lately. Nothing that I won’t be able to make money on; just not the normal ROI I’m used to.

I hit over 1000 listings for the first time! Last month, I had to pay a few dollars because my sales plus my new listings were over 1000, but my active items never hit that number. This month, eBay extended an additional 500 listings for free (in certain categories), so I’m not getting the $0.10 fee show up on new listings.

Comments on the podcast:

My sleeping pattern went to crap after I had kids. Plus, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to go to the bathroom in the middle of most nights. Then there is my kitty cat’s new habit of climbing on top of me at about 4:30AM because she decides it’s play time.

I had a retracted offer this week as well. This is the first time that has ever happened to me. After hearing a few other forum folks mention it, plus Ryanne & Jay, I wonder if someone is playing a joke – kind of like a crank call – to folks that post their sold items on this forum (like myself). I’d like to know if other people on the forum had this happen to them this past week. I’m also wondering if anyone on the forum who does NOT post their items has had a retracted bid. Or, maybe this is just a conspiracy theory.

[Sharyn]

Too funny, Steve. I had to Google that to see if I remembered the character correctly. It has been a while since I’ve watched Star Trek.

[Sharyn]

I didn’t have a great week, but I have a few with interesting stories. I have a return request against my highest sale, so I won’t post that one.

This was my second highest sale – a vintage beaded necklace bought for $1, sold for $20 which includes $3 for shipping.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182327619113

I recently bought a lot at an online auction for a bid of $2. This one had a vintage bread box and some unfired ceramics. Inside the bread box (and not photographed for the auction) was a matted print still wrapped in cellophane (currently listed) and these vintage salesbooks with carbon copy paper. Paid pennies, sold for $13.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182688586451

This plate is something I picked up at the Goodwill over a year ago when I was relatively new to eBay selling. It had a huge number of views (4,870 at the end) but didn’t sell until now. The artist must have been mentioned in an article somewhere. Paid $1.50, sold for $15.26 (on sale).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182268037860

[Sharyn]

This is probably the one subject area where I should NOT be posting!

We moved to our current house in a suburban town (East Brunswick, NJ) in 2005. I had a long commute, and I saved about 10 min off my drive after the move. We also liked the fact that there were two day care centers around the corner and a small shopping center with a pizza place just a little further. The fact that the post office was right next to the day care center we picked wasn’t too big of a deal.

Now our kids are teenagers, and the day care centers aren’t a factor any more. The post office, however, is a 0.7 mile drive from our home (I know because I measured it with the car odometer for tax purposes). I could walk there, but it is on a busier street with no sidewalks, so I drive (usually on my way to do some other type of errand).

We selected our house partly based on its location; however, some of the benefits were not so apparent at that time. I had no idea I would start this business about a year and a half ago and that the location of the PO would be so convenient for me!

[Sharyn]

Week of July 30 – Aug 5
* Total Items in Store: 979
* Items Sold: 11
* Cost of Items Sold: $6.99 + $0 Commission
* Total Sales: $145.39
* Highest Price Sold: $45 Cappas Newsboy hat (but received return request this morning)
* Average Price Sold: $13.21
* Returns: 0
* Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $221.85
* Number of items listed this week: 26

Crappy sales, but good sourcing. Seems like the prices at garage sales & auctions come down a bit in August. I went to an auction on Thursday, and the quality was better than normal and prices were not bad. Unfortunately, I had to leave early. I also got some quality art at an online auction, and some good stuff at a garage sale.

I got a return request for my high sale this morning, so the next biggest sale would be a vintage necklace at $17.

[Sharyn]

I think that Jay meant Candle holder; just a slip of the finger on the keyboard!

The place to “pour” might be a place to hold it or maybe pour out melted wax.

[Sharyn]

Last week’s sales were great! I sold my last Vampire Tarot card sets for $90. I won’t link to it here because I’ve shown it a few times before. Here are some of the other interesting sales:

I bought a mismatched set of an older Denby pattern at my local Goodwill last year. It sells very slowly. This listing is for 4 dinner plates. Paid $2.50 and sold a little under $36.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182583218030

Earlier in July, I bought this vintage bread box at auction for $7.50 plus 15% premium. Immediately afterwards, I had buyer’s remorse because I felt I had paid too much. I decided I needed to list it at a price where I would feel good about the sale, so I put it up for $39 or best offer. Sold at full price! Now I feel good! Not sure what is so special about it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182683657452

There is an online auction company that I buy from often. If I am bidding on an auction for certain lots I want, I will look at the other unsold or low priced lots to see if I can get something cheap. For this particular auction, I bought several lots at the beginning bid of $1 because I saw one or two items I thought looked interesting. One lot of books ended up having several vintage software packages. This is the first to sell: 1991 Sim City software, bought for pennies, sold via the GSP for $16.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182687419576

Another nice piece of Jewish art – purchased for $1 sold for $25.50.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182544202897

[Sharyn]

My parents would get a AAA bag for that purpose when I was growing up.

My 2007 Toyota minivan has a hook on the front passenger side below the console for hanging a trash bag. I haven’t seen a AAA trash bag for a while, but they may still have them. We normally use a grocery plastic bag.

[Sharyn]

I don’t see any images or links; not that I know anything about fins anyway.

[Sharyn]

I had a mannequin at one time. It was a women’s large size, but was a bit adjustable. When I put a small size on, the shirt would be stretched out. When I had something extra large, it would drape. It had to be the right size in order to look good. I’m running out of room these days, so I decided to go the lay flat on the floor route.

I think that to do it right you would need mannequins in different sizes. My adjustable one, which was really a form for sewing, had knobs that would show up in the photos if the shirt was too low. It just wasn’t working for me.

[Author]

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