Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
06/17/2019 at 10:51 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 415: Importance Of Being Honest As A Business Owner #63569
I’ll have to ask my wife, or mother in law. I know it’s been Clarks/Bostonian for the 17 years we’ve been together and started traveling here for visits.
What year did you graduate?
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by
The_SEAM_Store.
06/17/2019 at 10:38 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 415: Importance Of Being Honest As A Business Owner #63565We are in New Oxford.
Hanover Shoes has been out of business all together since the early 80s when they were absorbed by Clarks. There is a Clarks/Bostonian outlet at their old store on the square. Hanover Shoe once manufactured for Bostonian, but that is no longer the case, obviously. Bostonian is now a Clarks brand as well, Clarks is headquartered here now, just on the edge of McSherrystown.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by
The_SEAM_Store.
06/17/2019 at 9:02 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 415: Importance Of Being Honest As A Business Owner #63554Happy Birthday @Ryanne, I’m rounding the turn in a few months as well.
06/17/2019 at 8:58 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 415: Importance Of Being Honest As A Business Owner #63552Awe, thanks buddy. Happy Monday.
06/17/2019 at 8:15 am in reply to: Scavenger Life Episode 415: Importance Of Being Honest As A Business Owner #63549Week June 9 – 15, 2019
Items in store: 4010 Listings for 6043 Items
Items Sold: 97 Transactions for 110 Items
Gross Sales: $5058.11
Highest Price Sold: $175, Hugo Boss Suit
Lowest Price Sold: $3.24(shoe laces)
Average Price Sold: $45.98
Cost of Goods Sold $397, Plus consignment
Number of new items listed this week: 142 items
$$ spent on new inventory this week $130
Repeat Customers: 7Haven’t really been out sourcing in several weeks. The main focus in the summer when the weather gets nice and thrifting gets slow is the life-pile. I typically grow it in the winter to about a 10-15 week supply, to get me through the slowest months. I also still have about 1/3 of a 300 lb consignment shipment to work on and more on the way.
This week on Wednesday, I was putting the packages out on the porch for pickup and noticed the neighbours were having a yard sale. Picked up 17 Nintendo DS games with original cases, booklets and advertisements for $10. A few of them should bring in $50 each, while the others made nice small lots. I expect to sell them for in the $350 ballpark when it’s all said and done. Also picked up a Troy-Bilt Tiller to add to my fleet for $60. It was only used for one season and still retails at Lowes for $419.
3rd Saturday in June every year we have an antique festival in town where they shut the street down and there are vendors everywhere. Most stuff is usually a little too pricey for flipping, but I always walk home with a little something, typically in the leather category. This year was no exception. I grabbed a nice vintage leather camera bag large enough for 2 full kits. It needs a little repair, so I will see if I can do it myself quickly, if not, it sells as is. I also got a cloth lined brown leather bag. It was locked and I couldn’t get a look at the inside, so I talked them into knocking $20 off it. You just don’t see many in brown. Took me about 2 minuted to pick the lock when I got home. It’s not perfect, but still sturdy and suitable for carry or display.
Finally the scavenge of the week was from the same dealer as the doctors bag. Very early Hanover shoes, definitely the oldest I have seen….and I’ve seen a ton. We live a few miles from Hanover and the old shoes pop up quite often. My mother in law and her sister both worked there in the 70s sewing shoes. Anyway….these are mens button boots, likely the first decade of the 1900s. The label had the price stitched in $3.50. Hanover Shoe strategy was quality shoes, factory direct, for a more affordable price. In 1900, their prices started at $2.50. So cool, I’m a sucker for antique and vintage clothing, especially for local stuff….and it’s so rare to find mens shoes that old.
Here are the shoes. https://www.ebay.com/itm/303189789297
While I was at the festival, I popped into the chamber of commerce and got info on setting up a booth next year. Every year the festival gets smaller and smaller as antique dealers and interest sputter out. I could easily truck over a load or two of vintage clothing and antiques, and it would only take a few sales to cover the cost. Can’t wait!
From the rooter to the tooter!
Thanks. I think I’m averaging about $5 cost/item right now….it was a little lower, until I bought 2800 NWT ties in November which brought the cost up a bit.
Don’t forget I pay out between $2500-$3000 a month to consignors lately as well, but I usually don’t look at it that way. I set up my consignment operation so that I take my % off the top, the client pays the fees out of their portion and of course the buyer pays the shipping. This way I can look at it as profit per consigned item. Some consignors send better stuff, so their ASP is a little better. My profit/item for my worst consignor is about $18, while it is about $26 for my best. I typically average about $22 profit per consigned item across all 7 consignors.
Example: I received 298 lbs of consignment from my top consignor last week, roughly 220 pieces, I can easily estimate that the lot should net me in the ballpark of $5700 profit when it’s all said and done…not counting tax of course.-
This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
The_SEAM_Store.
According to Outright/Godaddy, I have had 30 sales between $500-$945 (only one was sent to me on consignment) since 2011 when I started using the bookkeeping service…I’m sure I had none before that. So far, I’ve never had a single item sale over $1000 on ebay….I did sell all those ties for $1569 in one transaction if that counts.
I did however once find a blazer with solid 14K gold buttons for $6, I sold the buttons to the local jeweler for about $1100, replaced the buttons and flipped the jacket for $200.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
The_SEAM_Store.
Week June 2 – 8, 2019
Items in store: 4059 Listings for 6099 Items
Items Sold: 95 Transactions for 102 Items
Gross Sales: $4813
Highest Price Sold: $180, MIU MIU Coat
Lowest Price Sold: $2.74(shoe laces)
Average Price Sold: $47.19
Cost of Goods Sold $345, Plus consignment
Number of new items listed this week: 204 items
$$ spent on new inventory this week $0
Repeat Customers: 13Amazon
Items Sold 0
Gross Sales $0
Cost of Good Sold $0Week May 26 – June 1, 2019
Items in store: 3883 Listings for 5928 Items
Items Sold: 63 Transactions for 69 Items
Gross Sales: $3833.60
Highest Price Sold: $215, 3 Piece Suit
Lowest Price Sold: $4.99(shoe laces)
Average Price Sold: $55.56
Cost of Goods Sold $209, Plus consignment
Number of new items listed this week: 102 items
$$ spent on new inventory this week $70
Repeat Customers: 5Amazon
Items Sold 0
Gross Sales $0
Cost of Good Sold $0Another slow week, took some time to work in the garden this week. I decided to DIY the broken spigot for the drip irrigation system, which involved some time in the furthest darkest dirtiest part of our crawl space….but it was an otherwise easy fix and I didn’t spend a dime because I found a new spigot in the “plumbing department” of my garage. I guess I picked it up at a yard sale at some point years ago. While I was at it I also replaces a leaky faucet in the garage sink, and a smelly trap in kitchen. I rewarded myself with a burger and ice-cream from our favorite local vintage carhop.
We’ve hosted a few garage sales, none with much success. It’s usually early to mid summer after we do a big cleanup, declutter of the house, stuff we would donate anyway. We have a 4 car garage, so I usually spend a day setting it up on tables and just open the door at 6. Usually only brings in $200 or so, but we’ve had a couple better ones, the rest just gets loaded up and donated. My wife hates doing them, so I usually end up doing it all. lol.
At first I didn’t like seeing the sponsored listings in the sold items. After I thought about it, it doesn’t bother me too much because that means someone is seeing my promoted items too.
On the Spring Seller update it mentioned that they are working on instant payments for Best Offer. See link below. It’s in the FAQ section of the Best Offer Enhancements.
https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2019-spring/growth-tools.html#m17-2-tb2
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
The_SEAM_Store.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
The_SEAM_Store.
Thank you. I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m just a guy selling someone else’s junk on ebay like everyone else, always looking for ways to grow and improve.
In April 37.5% of our sales, as far as sold price, were consignment items. Physically speaking, it was roughly 30% of the items sold (101 out of 332 items sold.)
Active listings by length of time listed.
456 in the last 31 days
1151 in the 1-6 month range
1389 in the last 6 month-1 year range
674 in the 1-2 year range
132 in the 2-3 year range
35 in the 3-4 year rangeI sell newly listed and old inventory every week, but the largest chunk of the stuff seems to sell in the first 4-6 months. I could sell faster with lower prices probably, but I have the space…. for now.
-
This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by
The_SEAM_Store.
I usually go out for most of the day, once a week. It’s at least an hour drive to anywhere decent, so I pick a direction and go. I’ve been known to drive 2-3 hours to the first store of the day, but in the last couple years I’ve kept it a little bit closer to home. My back just can’t handle a 16 hour day of thrifting and driving anymore. Of course I hit our little local stores weekly between errands.
I got curious on the breakdown of my store.
Thrifted or secondhand buyout – 1859 listings
Consignment – 1018 listings
New Wholesale – 958 listings representing 3001 items.A few ways
Thrift Stores mainly. Some wholesale which is a bit higher cost usually. I’ve even bought up a few death piles from sellers with space shortages or burnout, and some closet buyouts direct from the owner prior to donation. -
This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by
-
AuthorPosts