Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I guess this covers two weeks?
I keep mentioning the consignment job for my neighbor as it is keeping me busy. His wife purchased this train set in 2002, and never put it together. I didn’t have a box the right size, so I made it a local pickup. A grandpa who wanted to put it together with his grandson offered $100.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185648081638
For some reason, I had a hard time figuring how to list this miniature urn with lid. Not sure why, but it sat in my living room with a few other porcelain items for a few years. This one sold for a best offer of $125, and I got it for free.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185503942386
I found a full silver plate coffee & tea set in one of my neighbor’s closets. I decided to sell the items separately. This tray sold for $60.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185609999787
A new in box phone set was also my neighbor’s. Sold for $52.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185637393011
I tested his Macintosh SE from the mid 80s. It did boot up, but to a error. I wasn’t able to test the keyboard so I sold it for parts at $54.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185669696982
His Jewish cookbook from 1921 sold for $36.71. Unless they are really old like this one, cookbooks don’t sell so much these days.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185569120985
A men’s top hat that had belonged to his wife’s father, who died in the 1950s. That helped give an approximate age to the hat. It was in excellent condition, maybe never worn.
Hey, everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
I listed 36 items this past week.
@antique-frog – That’s a great link. I know this happens occasionally. I seem to remember one several years ago where they were trying to inflate the value of Disney Original Classics VHS tapes.
PS – I bought a bag of Matching Pajamas coffee. I recall really liking that one last year!
Sounds like fun looking for scavenging opportunities! I’ve hardly done any auctions, live or online, or been to many garage sales and the like because of my consignment deal with my neighbor. I miss that part of reselling, but I just can’t allow myself to shop. I’m starting to run out of room in my basement, and I’m now putting some boxes in our guest bedroom. On the plus side, I’ve sorted and looked through about 90% of his house, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll still need to list a good portion of this stuff before I feel that I’m ready to scavenge again.
Antique Frog mentioned that the UK eBay now allows up to 24 photos. The US seems to be a bit delayed, but I’m seeing that now as well. First on the desktop, and then on the cell phone a few days later.
I ran a 25% sale on my whole inventory from Nov 18 through the end of the month. At the beginning of December, I will start my normal 15% sales, but then I took advantage of an eBay incentive to try their “Promoted Listings Advanced”. This one you pay by click, so, if someone clicks on your ad, you pay whether they buy or not. eBay will refund you $30 of the fees through the end of the year. You can limit the amount you are willing to pay per click, and you can limit the amount per day that you are willing to pay. I set up the amount per click using their automated function, but limited the amount per day to $30 divided by the number of days (Dec 1 to 22). That way I shouldn’t pay for anything. Lets see what happens.
Week of Nov 20 – 26
Total Items in Store: 1814 eBay, 31 Etsy
Items Sold: 20 eBay, 2 Etsy
Cost of Items Sold: $2 + $175 Commission
Total Sales: $493.11 eBay, $110 Etsy; includes fees but no shipping
Highest Price Sold: eBay $66.75 for 1940s-50s Men’s Black Top Hat; Etsy $90 Vintage brass chandelier
Average price: $27.40
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 36Because of the holiday and schedule conflicts, I did not “scavenge” at my neighbor’s house this weekend. I thought I’d add some from last week that I forgot to mention:
This is a Barbie that was handed out at the 2000 NJ Republican convention. My neighbor is active in the local Republican party and was a delegate that year.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185669984427
Another one of his wife’s crazy hoarding purchases; two sets of 12 Santa figurines each representing one month. The Papel Giftware company was located in a town close to us. Either she went to a factory outlet store there or it was from a inventory sell-off before they went out of business.
I did not manage to list anything this past week. Apart from being busy with other stuff, I was also sick for two days. I had some kind of stomach thing. However, I have a large number of drafts that will make quick work after I photograph the items. Next week will be better.
I also had a nice week with higher than average sales price. I had two items $100 & $125. I usually find that I track Jay & Ryanne’s store, but this week was different. Last week was when I was complaining that all my low value items were selling.
I have way too many low value items in my store, but I seem to not be able to help myself. My neighbor’s stuff includes many of my newer low value, but he has plenty of higher value as well. I guess I’m taking the good with the bad. He is using his profits to donate to some of his favorite charities, so it’s all good.
On freecycling last week, someone was offering some USPS boxes that he no longer needed, so I took them. On the not so good side, there were lots of S/M/L flat rate that I hardly use, so I have been taking those back to the PO little by little. I’ll bring the last of them today. On the good side, I now have some Regional B and 12x8x8 in the older, larger dimensions.
I had one returned package due to an incorrect address. I decided to refund the price of the item + tax and not the shipping. In the note area, I told them to repurchase it if they still wanted the item.
I am currently running a 25% markdown on my whole store. I do this occasionally for a holiday week or two, and this time I have it to the end of the month. Next month, I may try promoting my listings until about Dec 22nd using eBay’s $30 promotion towards fees. I’ve never really used that function, so I will see how it works out.
Week of Nov 13 – 19
Total Items in Store: 1812 eBay, 33 Etsy
Items Sold: 17 eBay, 1 Etsy
Cost of Items Sold: $10 + $130 Commission
Total Sales: $505.47 eBay, $11.25 Etsy; includes fees but no shipping
Highest Price Sold: eBay $125 Small Dresden urn with lid; $100 train set never used (commission)
Average price: $28.71
Returns: 1 + 1 returned due to incorrect address
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 0Just came back from “scavenging” in my neighbor’s attic. I found more wedding gifts that they had never used such as 4 place settings from a Wedgwood brand, crystal, Lenox, etc. plus some of his childhood games.
When they were married, she was in her early 40s and he in his late 30s. They both didn’t cook much and didn’t host fancy parties. However, they were active in their political party and he was a lawyer. Many of their friends bought them fancy, expensive stuff that they absolutely had no use for.
Steve – My neighbor / consignor has a Dual system in his basement. Glad to know it is worth something. Not sure whether I will be willing to do the work to fix it up or just list it as-is. We’ll see.
This 1933 book cost me less than $1 and sold for $16. It sold through the GSP to someone in Dublin, Ireland. I just checked, and the book takes place in Ireland, so that answers that question.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185399274491
I purchased this copper pan in an auction a few years ago. Most of the items in that lot have sold, but this cute pan just stayed put. I think I priced it too high considering that it was smaller than most of the others. I lowered the price during an end/sell similar batch, and then it got caught in a markdown sale for $20.50. Still decent.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185639037398
One of the things I found in clothing closet in my neighbor’s house is a full silver plate coffee / tea set that he guessed was given to him and his wife as a gift, but he doesn’t ever remember using it. It is in pristine condition, perhaps never used. I listed the parts separately, and this tea or coffee pot is the first to sell for $28. I priced it a bit higher than the average because of its excellent condition. Some of the other pieces are worth more.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185609998675
Another consignment item is this vintage LL Bean sweater that sold for $20. It was a best offer via message, but I had to change the price of the item in the listing because eBay didn’t allow me to send an offer. This usually happens when the buyer doesn’t know that they are supposed to use the counteroffer function rather than messaging. I usually tell them to buy within 48 hours otherwise I will reprice it back up. They almost always buy on time.
The sales this week was not great. My higher priced items aren’t selling. I have been listing lots of Christmas stuff over the past few weeks, so hopefully that will help this month and next. I usually don’t have a huge fourth quarter because generally I don’t have lots of gift and holiday items, so I’m hoping for better this year.
Week of Nov 6 – 12
Total Items in Store: 1812 eBay, 33 Etsy
Items Sold: 13 eBay, 0 Etsy
Cost of Items Sold: $9.80 + $68 Commission
Total Sales: $242.37 eBay, $0 Etsy; includes fees but no shipping
Highest Price Sold: eBay $34 Pair Clarks leather shoes
Average price: $18.64
Returns: 0
Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $0
Number of items listed this week: 25I listed 25 items. The ankle is feeling much better, and it didn’t really slow me down. I had other things to attend to.
I did call an orthopedics office but decided it wasn’t needed.
Seems like my things to do list (outside of eBay) never actually shrinks. I start to make progress, but other things come up and fill up the spots I just checked off.
On Friday evening, a dead tree on the vacant lot next to us fell on our house. My husband and I are now dealing with the tree service, roofing company, and insurance company, and I need to forward all the communications I had with the landowner a few weeks ago stating that the tree was dead and needed to be removed ASAP. Guess what he didn’t do?
@zach – Electronics a good business to be in. I have some electronics I need to test now so that I can get them listed and hopefully out of my inventory quickly. I’m just a bit lazy on that front.
I didn’t bring over as much this week from my neighbor’s house. We worked on some kitchenware and a closet. He had some wedding gifts that he had never used, so decided to sell. In there were several high quality/heavy crystal pieces including one from Baccarat and a Lladro bud vase.
I recall hearing at one time that the USPS was considering not providing ANY free boxes. I suppose getting rid of just the Regional ones is better than that, but I will be bummed. On occasion, I was able to save quite a few bucks by shipping a heaving item across the country in one of those.
