Bits 'n' Pieces

It's been busy here. We are back to school (one in private school and THREE being homeschooled this year). We are also back into gymnastics, scouts, horseback riding ... busy busy busy. AND, my favorite reason for being busy right now is because my sales have picked up! Before the abyss that was the summer months, I was averaging around $100 per day. Over the summer, I was way WAY behind that average. The first 2 weeks of September, though, I am spot on that average. Woo hoo! Sales did really drop off the last 3 days, but I haven't been listing either. I plan to get some listing done tonight and steadily over the weekend, but we'll see how that goes. I also have one more bedroom to paint, and right now, that kind of takes priority.

I have narrowly escaped a couple negatives over the last week. One woman wrote me complaining that her Miche shell had a spot on the back. 

Ya don't say....  I responded with a variation of, "Yep, that's what the listing says." She wrote back that she had looked at several listings for this particular shell and didn't remember which one she got. <eyeroll>  She's not returning it. She had gotten 3 from me in that order and left me positive feedback on the other 2, no feedback on this one.

Then I sold a set of hot rollers for $34.99 + shipping. I always test all of my hot rollers, and this set was no exception. The buyer wrote me thanking me for quick and careful packaging. She said that yes, they heat up, but they smell like smoke when she heats them. I am pretty sensitive to the smell of smoke, so I absolutely would have noticed that, but whatever. She was very VERY nice about it, and told me she wasn't looking to return or get money out of me, but just wanted to let me know. I sent her a $10 refund, basically just to ensure that she didn't neg me. She left me a very glowing positive, so that worked out.

And I have a pair of shoes supposedly on their way back to me, but I haven't gotten them yet. It was just 4 days ago, so they may turn up yet. I'm bummed about that, because it was a $40 sale :(   That's why I include measurements in my listings. Ugh.

A few sales highlights from the last couple weeks:

Honestly, I don't even know what this is, but my husband dug it out from the basement, wiped the crud off, shook the bug carcasses out of the box, and asked me to try to sell it. I think he got it at our local hardware store quite a few years ago and ended up never using it.

• Acquired: ???
• Listed: 7/27/12
• Sold: 9/9/12
• Paid: $10
• Sold for: $19.99 + shipping

 More Converse. I heart Converse. These are going to the UK.

• Acquired: 6/8/12 (Facebook yard sale group)
• Listed: 6/14/12
• Sold: 9/13/12
• Paid: $5
• Sold for: $30 + international shipping

This is the second lot of Goosebumps books I've sold in the last couple months, so definitely watch for them. They sell for around $1 a book in large lots like this, so I pay no more than 50 cents, but obviously I prefer to get them for a quarter. I had someone kindly offer me $7, "and I'll even pay the shipping."  haha. Um, no thanks. They sold for full price less than a week later.

• Acquired: over the summer, a few at a time
• Listed:  7/3/12
• Sold: 9/5/12
• Paid: 25 cents each for most of them
• Sold for: $39.99 + shipping

I sold this thing twice. First deadbeat person didn't pay. I got 4 of these from my Facebook Yard Sale group, for $8 each. The first one I sold went for $39.99, so the other three are all straight profit.

• Acquired: 5/1/12 (Facebook Yard Sale group)
• Listed: 5/4/12 (relisted 8/20 after UPI)
• Sold: 9/4/12
• Paid: $8
• Sold For: $50 + shipping

I got this TI-83 at my favorite thrift store out east when I road trip to my sister-in-law's. It's huge, and almost nothing is priced. Nothing is organized. There are piles and bags and bins, and you just have to dig. I could easily spend an entire day there, but I try to limit myself to 2 hours. This didn't have the instruction manual or cover. I asked the guy how much it was. He said, "Oh, that's the TI-83. It's a really good one!" So I'm thinking he's gonna overprice it, but he said, "How about 2 bucks?" Psshaw, seriously? Ok! Did I mention that is my favorite thrift store??  I had it listed for $89.99obo. When I got an offer for $50.99, I took it. Normally I would scoff at a $50 offer on a $90 item, but because the back-to-school season is over, I figured I'd better take it now, rather than waiting until January to maybe get $60.

• Acquired: 8/7/12 (road trip)
• Listed: 8/12/12
• Sold: 9/11/12
• Paid: $2
• Sold: $50.99 + shipping

These are Birkenstocks. They are in like-new condition. I have sold Birks before, but they usually sit for awhile. I was going to just price these for around $40, but for some reason I decided to research them first. If you find these in good condition, scoop them up! They are called ANNAPOLIS. They are currently available on Amazon for almost $200! Mine, I am pretty sure, were never even worn, so I listed them high for the first month, just to get an idea of interest. I was planning to lower them the second month, but they sold during the first month for my full asking price. It's amazing how many times that happened this past month, mostly with shoes.

• Acquired: 8/8/12 (road trip)
• Listed: 8/27/12
• Sold: 9/8/12
• Paid: $4.97
• Sold For: $69.99 + shipping

Road Trip Goodies - Batch #5

Phew. I'm still plowing through this stuff. I'm quite proud of the progress I've made. Usually I bring this stuff home and it just sits there for months. But I've gotten a LOT of it listed!

This batch is all shoes, so bear with me. I'll keep it brief :-)

 Clarks. Boring. This is a bread and butter brand for me. Steady sellers but absolutely nothing to write home about.

 I don't find Ariats too often, but when I do, they sell well. The insoles of these show a good bit of wear, but the leather polished up nicely and they are holding their shape well. Besides, they were the half-price color. I should be able to get $35ish for these.

 I have a firm rule about Clarks. I refuse to buy any that are older than 4 years old. Did you know that the manufacture date is stamped inside Clarks? You'll see a 5-digit style number, followed by a xx/xx number. That's the month and year of manufacture. I have had to send out too many refunds for broken and dry-rotted shoes, so I stick with the newer ones. These were a year or two outside my rule.  But they look like they've hardly been worn, so I took a chance on them.

These are Birkenstock Footprints mary janes. I've sold a few Birks in the past, but I've kind of quit buying them unless they are in great condition. I have never seen Birkenstock MJ's, and these are in like-new condition. The soles look as if they have never touched the ground. I am optimistic about these.

More Clarks. At least these are a little more interesting-looking...

These are Clarks too. But they are absolutely darling, so I bought them. Oh, and did I mention they are my size? ;-)

SAS sandals. I've mentioned SAS shoes often. Always buy them, if they're in good condition.

BOC (a division of Born) wedge sandals. These are a size 6. I try to avoid size 6, because I can't seem to sell that size for the life of me. But these are cute and look as if they have never been worn, so I got them. We'll see...

Vegan Danskos! Who knew such a thing even existed? Not me. The whites on these cleaned up very nicely with Goo Gone. I haven't researched them, but I expect them to do very well. They're in really great condition, and a little different than your typical Danskos.

Another cute-ish pair of Clarks. These feel buttery-soft, almost like nubuck, but not quite. I should maybe have listed them last week for back to school? I dunno. Do girls wear gold flowered flats to school these days?

Catch Up Sales (A Dump and Run Post)

Well! I'm not too sure what happened, but something on eBay is working right for me again! My sales have really picked up! I have been running 50% off clothing sales, and my clothing has been flying out the door! No, the prices haven't been what I was hoping for, but I buy my clothing at low enough prices that I am still at least doubling my investment on them. I'm glad to see a smaller clothing stack to transfer to my building and put on hangers :)

Here are a few highlights of the last 2 weeks:

I've sold a good bit of Miche over the last 2 weeks. I sold 2 bags and 4 shells. That lot has more than paid for itself, and I have a lot more of it to sell!

$29.99 + shipping
The same buyer bought the coral colored shell below.

$34.99 + shipping

$25.00 + shipping
The same buyer bought the black shell below

$25.00 + shipping

$29.99 + shipping

$29.99 + shipping

Some more denim skirts:

$29.99 + shipping

$29.99 + shipping

Some clothing:

Christian Dior blouse
$24.99 + shipping

NWT Talbots dress
$49.99 + shipping

I had someone make me a ridiculously low offer on the Christian Dior blouse not long before it actually sold for a good price. And the Talbots dress had a $120 price tag. I have had it since February with no interest. Last week I got a low offer on it, and then a few days later it sold during my 50% off sale.

Some shoes:

Converse - $25 + shipping

I have had these Converse listed for quite awhile. I had 13 watchers on them at one point. I don't know why they took so long to sell!

SAS - $35 + shipping

SAS are good, reliable sellers!

Wile E. Coyote Keds
$36.66 + shipping

I sold a pair of red Looney Tunes Keds high-tops before, but for only about $15. These were just too cool to pass up though. I only paid $3 for them, and they sold pretty quickly!

Dansko Mary Janes
$65.00 + shipping

These Danskos sold the morning after I listed them!

Salvatore Ferragamos
$65.00 + shipping

I'm so glad these finally sold! I have had them since last August. I sold them in March for $45, but they were returned for fit. I was pretty thrilled to sell them for $20 more the second time around!

And lastly, 2 odds 'n' ends:

2 qt. Revere Ware saucepan
$20.00 + shipping

 My Revere Ware always sells pretty quickly. This one has sat for a VERY long time, and I could never figure out why. I finally realized it's because I called it a 2 qt. in the title, but a 1 1/2 qt. in the description. I changed that and it sold within 2 days.

NEW The Clapper
$29.99 + shipping

 This one made me laugh. I bought it during one of Tina's and my shopping trips. Paid $5 for it. It immediately got watchers. I got an inquiry from Australia, but it turns out it's the wrong voltage or plug or something. Sold it to Canada about a week after listing it.

Now that THAT song is stuck in your head ..... I apologize for the quick dump post. I'm spread too thin! Can't keep up with blogging!

Have a great selling week!

My Top eBay Moments This Week

I had some fun sales this week! I sold 49 items. My shoe cream inventory is really low right now, so most of those sales were actually "real" items.

These vintage single-serving gelatin molds were given to me. I wasn't expecting much out of them, because less than half of them were brand name, so I listed them for $9.99 + shipping. I got two watchers almost immediately, so I raised the price to $11.99 and they sold overnight. I guess that was still too low. I am quite confident in my shoe and clothing prices, but these odds and ends stump me more often than not.

• Acquired On: 3/22/12 (from a friend)
• Listed On: 4/12/12
• Sold On: 4/13/12
• Paid: -0-
• Sold For: $11.99 + shipping

These Lite Brite pegs were from the same friend. I figured if they were being given to me, it was worth a shot to maybe make a few bucks on them. I decided to list them for 30 days, instead of my usual Good Til Cancelled, and if they hadn't sold by the time we have our yard sale, I'd stick them in the yard sale for a buck or two. They also sold very quickly.

• Acquired On: 3/22/12 (from a friend)
• Listed On: 4/11/12
• Sold On: 4/15/12
• Paid: -0-
• Sold For: $11.99 + shipping

Had some great American Girl sales this week. These are Kaya's winter accessories. They are still available on the American Girl website for $22. But for some reason, someone wanted to buy my pre-owned set (which was missing the feather from the hat). Go figure.

• Acquired On: 4/6/12 (yard sale)
• Listed On: 4/9/12
• Sold On: 4/10/12
• Paid: $1 for 18 outfits
• Sold For: $19.99 + shipping

From the same friend. They were hers when she was little. I sold them too low too, but once the buyer told me why she wanted them, I was perfectly fine with the price. She had this set for her daughter 30 years ago. Her daughter passed away, and about a month ago her nephew broke the cup. She's been looking for a replacement ever since. Sad story, but I'm so glad I was able to make her set complete again.

• Acquired On: 3/22/12 (from a friend)
• Listed On: 4/10/12
• Sold On: 4/12/12
• Paid: -0-
• Sold For: $19.99 + shipping

Circo cowgirl boots = good sellers. This is the fourth pair I've sold. I bought these from a girl on my local Facebook selling group. They sold quickly too. This was a week of quick flips! These sold on a Thursday night. The buyer messaged me that she hoped to have them by Sunday (she lives in my state), and she would pay extra for faster shipping. So she sent me extra money for Express mail. I packaged them up and made a special trip to the post office. They didn't make it in time, but she was very very nice about it. She knew it was a long shot right from the beginning. I'm sure her granddaughter will still love them, even if they ARE a day late.

• Acquired On: 3/29/12 (Facebook group)
• Listed On: 4/5/12
• Sold on: 4/12/12
• Paid: $6.00
• Sold For: $24.99 + shipping

I love SAS shoes. These were in fantastic condition, but they were a kind of odd size (10 narrow), so they took awhile to sell. I had gotten a couple offers on them. I finally let them go this week for a little less than I'd have liked, but they clearly weren't going to get me top dollar anytime soon, so I accepted the offer.

• Acquired On: 10/19/11 (Goodwill)
• Listed On: 12/11/11
• Sold On: 4/12/12
• Paid: $2.99
• Sold For: $29.00 + shipping (I had free shipping on the listing, but they went to Canada, so the buyer paid the shipping)

I have good luck with men's Ralph Lauren shirts. This is the 4th or 5th one I've sold since I started selling clothing in January. I had it priced at $39.99 or best offer, and I was glad to accept an offer for $35.

• Acquired On: 1/31/12 (Goodwill)
• Listed On: 2/6/12
• Sold On: 4/11/12
• Paid: $3.99
• Sold For: $35.00 + shipping

I'm kicking myself about these. These are earth brand (with a lower-case 'e'). I've had them for awhile, but I just got around to listing them last night. I researched and found the same pair (smaller size) that recently sold for $32, so I priced mine at $35 + shipping. I almost priced them for $40 or $45, but for some reason, I stuck with the $35. They sold within 3 hours. That's possibly one of my fastest shoe sales.  Always, always, always pick up earth brand shoes, as long as they have the lower-case 'e'. If they say "earth shoes" or have a capital "E" they are Walmart brand, and you should skip them.

• Acquired On: 2/21/12 (Goodwill)
• Listed On: 4/15/12
• Sold On: 4/16/12
• Paid: $2.99
• Sold For: $35.00 + shipping

I can't remember if I mentioned this pan earlier this week or not. I've had it for a really long time. I sold it probably 9 months ago, but it ended up being a UPI. Apparently I forgot to relist it. I saw it on my stack of listed pans a couple weeks ago and was surprised that it hadn't sold yet. I went to check the listing and see if I should make changes, and I realized it wasn't even listed. I listed it and it sold quickly.

I'm going to give you a very important tip about Wilton pans. They can ship in a poly mailer. Don't be afraid. Wrap them 3 or 4 times in bubble wrap, and they'll be just fine. I've shipped quite a few of them like that, and I've never had any problems.

That's a big part of why this pan sold so quickly. All the others ones listed were charging $7-10 for priority shipping. I knew I could ship mine for around $3. So I priced mine so that my price was just under the others, but offered free shipping. Because it only cost me $3 to ship, I still ended up making more than the other, higher-priced ones. For example, there was one listed for $37 + $10 shipping. I priced mine for $44.99 with free shipping. My total price was $2 less than that other seller, but that other seller is only getting $37 for theirs, whereas I still got $41 for mine after I substracted my shipping cost. Does that make sense? First class shipping on Wilton pans can really give you a leg up on the competition.

• Acquired On: ??
• Listed On: 4/5/12
• Sold On: 4/15/12
• Paid: ? probably less than $3
• Sold For: $44.99 - $2.99 shipping

Another Kaya outfit.

• Acquired On: 4/6/12 (yard sale)
• Listed On: 4/9/12
• Sold On: 4/10/12
• Paid: $1 for 18 outfits
• Sold For: $49.99 + shipping

I sold this for my hairdresser. I'm sure she paid more for it than what I sold it for, but she handed me 2 of these, 2 wigs, and a bag full of wig ponytails and said she wanted to get $100 out of it. I'm keeping one of the wig heads as payment, and I've sold the other head, both wigs, and 7 of the 18 ponytails for a total of $149.48, so I'm not too worried about the individual sale prices anymore. She's gotten her $100, so the rest is just bonus money to her.

• Acquired On: ? December maybe?
• Listed On: 3/18/12
• Sold On: 4/15/12
• Paid: -0-
• Sold For: $50.00 + $51.90 priority shipping to Norway!

Another American Girl outfit. This one belongs to Marisol. Marisol clothing seems to be in pretty high demand. I've sold 2 of her outfits for top dollar.

• Acquired On: 4/6/12 (yard sale)
• Listed On: 4/9/12
• Sold On: 4/15/12
• Paid: $1 for 18 outfits
• Sold For: $54.99 + shipping

And my favorite sale of the week:

Isn't she gorgeous? If I was a doll person, I'd have kept her. She's just beautiful. I love her face. Sigh. But I'm not. And if I kept her, she'd have gotten destroyed by my crazy kids. I hope she's happy in her new home.

• Acquired On: 4/6/12 (yard sale)
• Listed On: 4/10/12
• Sold on: 4/14/12
• Paid: $10.00
• Sold For: $139.99 + shipping

That was really a lot of highlights. I'll try really hard to post more regularly this week.

What did you sell last week?

My Top eBay Moments Last Week

I missed my Top eBay Moments post again. It was a hectic weekend around here :)

My eBay week was very slow. I have been riding a very high sales wave for a couple months now, so I'm not going to complain about one slow week. I sold 51 items. A LOT of them were very low dollar. So not only did I not sell as much as I usually do, but I had to work harder for less money this week. But I'm clearing out some of my lower-end inventory, so I guess that's good.

I am SOOOO glad to be rid of this thing. My sister-in-law picked it up at a yard sale for a quarter, a really long time ago. It's really big and bulky, and I just wanted it gone, so I auctioned it. Not surprisingly, it only went for my opening bid. Have I ever mentioned how I hate auctions? But whatever. It's gone.

• Acquired On: 12/4/2010 (yes, 2010) from my sister-in-law
• Listed On: ???
• Sold On: 4/7/12
• Paid: .25
• Sold For: $6.99 + shipping (woot!)

I sold this 2 quart Ball jar for a friend of mine. After researching it, I set it at what I thought was a fair-to-highish price, but it sold within 2 or 3 days. I wish I knew more about these things, and what made this one go so quickly.

• Acquired On: 3/23/12 (friend in Harrisburg)
• Listed On: 3/2/12
• Sold On: 3/5/12
• Paid: -0-
• Sold For: $14.99 + shipping

Another denim skirt. My denim skirt collection is shrinking. I need to get out there and find more, but I'm on a thrifting fast. *whimper*  This one is Tommy Hilfiger.

• Acquired On: 2/17/12 (Harrisburg road trip)
• Listed On: 2/19/12
• Sold On: 4/6/12
• Paid: $1.00
• Sold For: $16.99 + shipping

This was my sister-in-law's Boy Scout leader shirt. Scout stuff sells well. I sold her pants very quickly. The shirt took a little longer, but that's probably because I didn't bother to take any of the patches off.

• Acquired On: ? February?
• Listed On: 3/9/12
• Sold On: 4/9/12
• Paid: -0-
• Sold For: $19.99 + shipping

These Jeanstar jeans sold this week. I was getting them ready to ship when I realized they had been cut off and hemmed. I had included the correct measurements in the listing, but they were obviously hand-hemmed and didn't look very professionally done. I contacted the buyer and explained what happened and offered to cancel. She decided to cancel. Now I can't decide whether I should relist these (mentioning the hemming) or if I should just redonate. I'm leaning toward redonating, because I seem to get a lot of buyers who can't (or don't) read. No sense borrowing trouble.

• Acquired On: 2/21/12 (Goodwill)
• Listed On: 3/8/12
• Sold On: 4/7/12
• Paid: $4.99
• Sold For: $25.00 + shipping (cancelled and refunded)

It's not often that Clarks sell super-quickly. They are a slow and steady seller. But these sold quickly. These were from the Artisan collection.

• Acquired On: 2/17/12 (Harrisburg road trip)
• Listed On: 3/31/12
• Sold On: 4/7/12
• Paid: $4.99
• Sold For: $25.00 + shipping

I finally auctioned these Doc Martens. I've had them forever with absolutely zero interest. I started them at a price I would be content with, and again, they sold for my opening bid. But I'm fine with that. They're gone. Good riddance.

• Acquired On: 3/12/11 from my sister-in-law
• Listed On: ??
• Sold On: 4/7/12
• Paid: $3.97
• Sold For: $29.99 + shipping

I love finding Ariats! Even these older styles sell well for me. I have had 2 or 3 pairs of Ariats similar to this Western style, and they've all sold within the first 2 or 3 months, and for pretty good prices. Ariats are ridiculously expensive new!

• Acquired: 10/20/11 (ok, maybe these didn't sell in 2 or 3 months...) (Harrisburg road trip)
• Listed On: ?
• Sold On: 4/7/12
• Paid: $4.99
• Sold For: $39.00 + shipping

I hope this week picks up a bit! How was your week last week?