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August 24-31
Items sold: 17 items
COGs: $38.50
Net profit after fees and COGs: $626.16
Breakdowns:
Ebay Items in store: 464
Ebay Items Sold: 5
Ebay Gross Sales: $198.07
Ebay net minus fees and shipping: $118.16
COGs: $1.50
FBM items: over 60; there is not a “storefront” to count items easily.
FBM Items sold locally: 12
FBM Sales: $545
FBM COGs: $37
I am still “Below Standard” for ebay. I suppose I am an example that things still sell, if desirable. My ebay items sold were a Cabbage Patch doll dress, an electric blanket remote controller, a collectible mouse figure, vintage perfume and a mini golf set piece. This mini golf set is only made in England. I had picked up 10 plastic pieces off the side of the road last fall. I just listed them last month (kids not into it). I’ve sold three for about $60 each with free shipping.
For Facebook, I sold small furniture items. My best sale was an African-American Santa blowmold for $130. I drove him on Friday to a hair salon and left him at the reception desk, as requested. It was three miles away and $130 sale, so I didn’t charge for driving there. I had bought about 20 vintage blowmold items at a yard sale in April for $321. I made my money back with the sale of three angels, and everything since then has been profit.
Here is what I sold last week that was FREE to me: remote blanket controller, side chair, three side tables, a Pottery Barn mirror, six plastic bin containers, two Target bar stools, and an outside side table.
The FBM algorithms are annoying. Last fall I could sort by furniture and then “newest”. Now I am being shown only items I click on, and that the phone sees or hears me talking about. It takes several steps to find my free or cheap items to flip. And I still think I am missing out. I know there must be a ton of yard sales in Charleston, but they are so hard to find online.
I had some negative Nellies this week on FBM. I don’t hold items past a day unless a downpayment is made, generally I ask $5-10 nonrefundable. I just delete, block, and move on to the next. I can report a buyer but I don’t know if it goes anywhere. I listed more “smalls” on FBM this past week too. I had local pickup for two green Pyrex mixing bowls for $35 which is about what I would get on ebay, without shipping it.
August 18-24
Items sold: 17
COGs: $44
Net profit after fees and COGs: $856
Breakdowns:
Ebay Items in store: 440
Ebay Items Sold: 6 for $343 after fees
FBM items: over 60; there is not a “storefront” to count items easily.
FBM Order Shipped: 3 for $73
FBM Items sold locally: 8 for $440
I am still “Below Standard” for ebay. This is a bummer in that I cannot do promoted listings, and they take an EXTRA 12% generally after their fees. In February I went to South Africa for three weeks, and had delayed shipping. My sister needed help in Belgium, so I went directly there for two weeks. My husband came home and tried to ship my items but could not find some. So I had defects. I called ebay this past week and the tech agreed that I had been performing great since March, but that it would be a YEAR before I would be eligible for a better rating. My “over 20 years” of an ebay account did not account for an exception, nor did my Top Rating for the last five years before my February trip. Arghhh.
What this meant for me in March was a turn to other avenues. I tried WhatNot in April and May; I had some auctions and sold about $300 worth in two weeks, which gave me a beginner bonus of $150. But Whatnot buyers are extreme low-ballers. I actually sourced some items there from storage unit auctioneers. Now I am listing my shippable items on FBM as well, starting in July. I sold three smalls on FBM and shipped this past week for similar “ebay prices”. I have also turned to selling locally more, finding free larger furniture items.
Now I am making more each week than I did just on ebay. I am listing my smalls on FBM as well on ebay. I have mileage as a large expense but it’s all local driving, so I am still accessible to family.
Here is what I sold last week that was FREE to me: side table, two wooden signs painted with crab and fish, set of patio cushions, a 8×10 sisal rug with stains, mini golf course pieces, dish set, more patio cushions, and a 72’ console table from World Market.
The World Market table was a phone call; I had picked up a side table from them before and gave them my number. I picked up the table, as well as a cappuccino machine, and a box full of Halloween costumes too. Great people! I sold the table for $200.
My Instagram is “thriftshifttwins” if you want to see videos of what I found and sold. I am very deliberate about social media though. I just do insta to share with family and friends. Several friends are coming to look at the free rugs I picked up a week ago and maybe buy.
Aug 11-17
Items in ebay store: 434
Items in FBM: 60+
Ebay items sold: 7
Ebay net after fees: $160
FBM items sold: 14
FBM net after fees: $685Total items sold: 15
Total COGs: $19
Total profit: $ $826
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Some things I scavenged for free and sold on FBM last week were:
– 14 patio cushion set for $120
– 10 patio cushion set for $60
– Pouf ottoman for $20
– Two seater folding chair with umbrella for $30
– Box of gerbil pet supplies and toys for $25
– Two fold-flat Lexus 3rd row car seats for $130
– Two vtg 70s Chromecraft chairs for $100 ( I paid $7 at a SA for these)
– Faux side table cat litter box for $40
– Vintage plastic Syroco shelf and candle holders for $40
– Vintage 80s black vase for $25Total miles driven for work/scavenging in my local area: 293.3
Shout-out to Retro for recommending the Everlance mileage tracker in January. I classify my trips everyday and realize this is my biggest expense!
My goal for last week was $100 profit a day, and I met it! I have a lower goal this week of $50 a day, as I am traveling for four days to NC and won’t be able to meet up with people to sell on FBM. So I will focus on scavenging. My twin sister from Belgium has bought a house in NC and I am driving my truck up with free furniture finds to help furnish it for an AirBnB, and eventually we’ll get to live in the same town together.
My twin created an Instagram “thrifting”page – the Instagram page is “thriftshifttwins” aka Thrift Shift Twins. She posts items she finds around Brussels and mine from SC. She is pretty good at Instagram. She also has a grocery business in Europe called “American Groceries Europe” where she imports containers of shelf stable American items and sells at high markups. Check out our Instagram page – we aren’t selling anything, it’s more a way to communicate to each other what we find weekly.
This week I scavenged a World Market console table that is 72” long and is currently on sale for $399, so I plan to list at $200 when I get back from my trip. I have a second wood and metal console table to list too, as well as two amazing rugs I picked up on Sunday from a house. One is a vintage Tabriz and the other is a vintage Ralph Lauren brand. I listed the RL one for $4500 on ebay just to hear from some trolls/buyers and get a better idea of value. I also listed the rug on FB’s “What’s My Rug” group too. People post multiple times a day. Basically “rug porn”.
Hi, still scavenging free stuff here in Charleston SC area. Last week was slow for me too, but it inspired me to make a new challenge this week to average $100 a day profit.
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Aug 4-10
Items in ebay store: 436
Items in FBM: 60+
Ebay items sold / price / COGs: 10 items / $329.18 / $7.50 COGs
FBM items sold / price / COGs: 5 items / $150 / $0 COGs
Total items sold: 15
Total COGs: $7.50
Total profit after fees/shipping: $322.17 for 15 items
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My FBM items sold were a Simple Human trashcan for $25, a wicker nightstand for $45, two card tables for $20, a 3×5 ft Nuloom rug for $30, and 20 gold/white Fireking plates for $30. These are the white Fireking plates with gold rims, of which there are a TON on ebay and I didn’t want to list them for $12 each and ship. All were free finds.
For ebay, my best sale was a teacher manual textbook for Shurley English 3rd grade for $49.99. I picked up a lot of textbooks (over 100) last August from a local private school for free; so far I’ve made over $700 profit in selling them. I generally charge $29.99 for student texts and $49.99 for the teacher manuals. I’ve sold all the teacher editions now though.
I decided to aim for $100 a day profit this week. to up my numbers. I knew I’d have to do more driving/scavenging. I went out Sunday night for two hours, Monday for 30 minutes, Tuesday for an hour, and Wed for an hour. I’ll go into more detail next week but so far I’ve made $624 profit Mon-Sat. 10 out of 13 sales have been FBM.
Ebay total items in store: 423
FBM total items: 72
Total items sold: 14
Total Gross Sales: $992 – $38 fees = $954
COGs: $11
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My best sale was a set of four curtains, each 16 feet tall and 8 feet wide. I sold them locally for $480. I had taken my daughter to a doctor’s appointment in a shopping center. It’s a weekly appointment and I normally stop and get “good boxes” from behind the offices. There is a big brown dumpster there. Well, I saw a pile of fabric there. It was tapestry thick fabric – I threw in the back of my truck and stretched them out on the lawn later in the sun. HUGE curtains, with some picks and such, but really very clean. They were huge. I posted them and sold within 48 hours for $480. A woman bought for her historic home with 14 ft windows. I thought about posting them on ebay but there were so many imperfections, I didn’t want to deal with returns.
My ebay items sold were an antique composition doll, a 70s Chrissy doll damaged, a modern baby smocked dress, and a perfume. COGs on those were $11. Ebay sales had been about $126.
My FBM items sold that week were all “found” items with $0 COGs.
Antique side table with carved legs and damaged veneer top – $45 (side of road); it had been with an antique wood twin bed frame, which sold for $140. These came from a neighborhood 70s house.
From apartment complexes, I found a 6×9 Safavieh blue rug and sold for $40, a skinny kitchen mdf cabinet for $25, a doll cast iron bench for $20,and a floating shelf for $40.
From other roadsides in neighborhoods, I sold a Little Tikes car for $20, a concrete birdbath pedestal for $40.
I spent last week in NC taking my daughter and her friend to a camp. That little town doesn’t have the scavenging I can find in Charleston area. However, I did get four vintage wicker chairs for $8 i Palm Beach Regency style, and two Chromecraft dining chairs for $11. I also found two 1990s American Girl dolls for $1.50 each at a thrift store there on 50% off day; I was first to the toys area. Those girls are on auction now.
June 30 – July 6
Total sales from Ebay, FBM: $338
Items sold: 8
COGs: $0
Net profit after fees and COGs: $314.97
Breakdowns:
Ebay Items in store: 409
Ebay Items Sold: 2
Ebay total sales: $38
Ebay fees: $12.25
COGs: $0
Facebook Items: 120
FBM items sold: 6
FBM total sales: $300
FBM shipped orders: 2 at $75 with $10.78 fees
FBM local, no fees: 6 at $225
Last week I scavenged a patio rug, two large patio chairs, a small metal dresser, a small metal side table, a wicker curved chair, two cast iron octopi wall decor, a Little Tikes car, 2 sets of patio cushions, and three woven metal Serena and Lily folding deck chairs.
The Serena and Lily chairs sell for $498 each new, they are called “Palisades” chairs. Mine are a smidge beat up on the edges but still so solid. I priced them at $300 for the set.
NONE of my ebay listings are promoted. I think I am going to be allowed soon, so we’ll see if my sales go up. I had a 30% sales off last week but still just sold two items. Lots of offers sent out though!
Ebay Items in Store: 422
Items Sold: 4
Total Sales: $118.59
COGS: 5
Total Profit after fees: $76.03FBM Marketplace items in store: 92
Items Sold: 9 (8 were free)
COG: $10
Sales: $315
Ebay was a slow week, but FBM was okay. Most of the items were free. I had sold these “free” items: vintage porcelain baby tub and stand, three side tables, a wicker screen, a painted glass window, a wrought iron lamp, ceramic vintage bull pipe-rest, and more metal yard art.
This past weekend I found a skinny kitchen freestanding cabinet, a rusty flower art chandelier (very brutalistic and obviously handmade), two coffee tables, an Apple ipad holder that looks like a leather book, vintage woodworking tools, and two LG sound bars with subwoofers. My husband figured out the sound bars work, so we are keeping those for our AirBnB in New Bern. I donated three tubs of basic household goods and have receipts for those.
I did have a negative experience this past Saturday. I was in an apartment complex loading a coffee table into my truck and this woman came out and started video-taping me. I ignored her, and then she came up and got my truck license number, etc. I waved and told her to have a nice day, which she glared at me. So I’ll probably skip that complex for a month, I imagine she has complained about me and posted on NextDoor or something. The other three complexes have maintenance men that I have met, but I have never been able to find this particular one’s maintenance guy.
I had some great scavenging last week for free stuff. About four streets over an older couple was emptying out a garage and putting it on the curb. I was there at 8 pm, and then 10 pm, then 11 pm, and then 6:30 the next morning! I filled up my truck camper shell twice.
Here are my free items that sold last week June 10-16:
– $125 / Vintage Tibetan painted style small media cabinet heavily damaged doors (sold to a vintage mall vendor for displaying items)(from house cleanout)
– $30 / rolling Eddie Bauer duffel bag (from apartment dumpster area)
– $70 / Safavieh 8×10 blue distressed look rug (from house cleanout)
– $30 / vintage faux wood mail letter holder and macrame pot holder (free from somewhere)
– $80 / large square fabric ottoman (free on a curb)
– $55 / large boat cushion (found free on a roadside on nearby island, must have fallen off a boat, I had planned to give back if the boat owner contacted me)
– $50 / nice framed print of a sea eagle bird in the vintage lithograph style (free from a Charleston home that was giving out stuff)
– $30 / cornhole set from an apartment complex
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So far this week I found: vintage countertop radio tube display carousel, pair unfinished wood nightstands, a Sound N Motion rocking horse that works, am unused Ty Pennington stone planter and wood windchimes, metal yard items of rooster bike and bunny, yard tool shears, solid wood end table, broken antique side tables and chairs, and third row Lexus seats pair.
And I donated four boxes. I could outfit several apartment kitchens a week with blenders, coffee makers, spatula sets, doormats, etc. I usually donate at night but now I am doing it during the day so I can get receipts. I am hoping to get a $1-$2K tax credit by the end of the year for my donations of free stuff. I thought about creating “apartment move-in boxes” but I don’t want to clean appliances and they might now work. Better to get the tax credit and have a sure thing.
Still no hard date on our move to Guatemala, likely late July or early August. I’d like to move on though before I’m 50.
Total Ebay items: 349
Ebay items sold: 9
Gross sales: $349.39
Net sales minus fees and shipping: $232.26
Ebay COGs: $10
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FBM items: 73
FBM Sold: 10
FBM Gross and Net: $485
FBM COGs: $22
On ebay my best sale was a vintage Sears Merry Mushroom letter holder; the kind you found in a 70s kitchen. I took it off the wall of the Easter day house cleanout I went to. It has the same mushroom pattern as the pottery canisters. It sold for $153. Yay for the “completionists” who must have the complete Merry Mushroom kitchen!
The free items I sold locally on FBM was a painted rattan dresser for $90, a cornhole game for $50, a pile of used perfumes for $75, a mini “boho egg chair” cat bed for $25, three sections of a pet Trex fence for $20, a vintage metal trashcan for $10, a concrete pelican birdbath for $50, a pile of costume jewelry for $40, and an antique cabinet project piece for $40.
I also sold 12 vintage glass Xmas ornaments for $100, that had cost me $20 at an estate sale.
I answered a FBM ad for the dresser, that said “Free” and “Adam, I deleted your message, sorry, please contact me to get the dresser”-I told her I lived ten minutes away and had a truck and could come get it if Adam didn’t answer. She said yes. Sold the dresser a week later.
I got the pelican birdbath, cabinet project piece, vintage metal trashcan, and cornhole game from the side of the road on trash day in neighborhoods; the birdbath and cornhole game sold within a day. The cat bed, the pet fence, perfumes, and jewelry – all came from apartment complex trash areas.
I did not get to scavenge last week for trash days or this week too, so that’s a bummer. I visited my mother who had rotator cuff surgery. She told me to visit this new antique mall store, which I normally don’t do, because prices are high. Well, I went this past Saturday and picked up five Crissy 70s dolls, with growing hair, for $1 each. The prices there were cheap! They will be in numbers for this week since they sold on Sunday, three African-American Crissy dolls for $159 each.
My focus this week is preparing a team for a sand sculpture competition. That is a hobby of mine, but my three team-mates have never done it. We are doing a dinosaur excavation site for our entry, so I am spending hours making the plan, teaching the skills, and will spend about 12 hours with them on the beach in preparation. It’s on June 1.
Total Ebay items in store: 3325
Ebay items sold: 10
Ebay Gross Sales: $1,533.38
Ebay net sales minus fees: $1110.55
Ebay COGs: $29
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FBM items: 80
FBM items sold: 4 (bookcases, flatware, patio cushions, and one Care Bear)
FBM Gross Sales: $680
FBM COGs: $1
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Wow! Best week ever for me. I grossed over $1700 last week. My highest sales were:
– a Filson garment bag sold for $179, I found it on the side of the road on trash day. It was a fluke that I drove down this one street while on the way to the gym, it was so dark that I could tell it was a canvas garment bag and I was happy when I saw it was a Filson!
– the “Winking Irish” Lucky Care Bear sold for $305. Her shamrock was upside down, which made her a Maverick as a factory error bear. She was $1 COG from a big house clean out I attended and spent $160 total on about 180 items.
– two blowmold Christmas carolers sold for $269 which I spent $20 for at a yard sale.
– 17 textbooks sold for $493, and two teacher manuals for $99.98. I had answered a “free books” ad from a small private school last October and gotten 140 “Shurley English” textbooks for grades 3-6, and some teacher keys. A school buyer bought all these, shipped to TN. I almost sold all 140 to a textbook company for $100 in January, so glad I held out for the end of the school year when schools start shopping for next year.
– two larged carved Balinese bookcases sold for $600 together; I had found them free on the side of the road on trash day. Sold FBM.
It was a great affirmation after the disappointing experience on Whatnot.
I was wrong on the selling fees. Turns out it’s 10.8% – 8% commission and 2.8% processing fees. I held another auction Monday night and sold two items in an hour for $42. Yes, I think you have to gain followers and hold them on good nights/times. I had good stuff, but Whatnot is also about cheap prices. Most vintage sellers start at $1 or $3. I was selling vintage blowmolds and wasn’t going to do that!
You could probably source off there. People open storage units and start selling at $1. I see the names of people bidding and they are named as thrift stores and eBay sellers!
I am not interested in a brand or getting popular on social media to gain followers. So, I’ll probably not do it again. I would rather do a booth at a vintage flea market popup.
