When all else fails... sell your dad's underwear

Happy New Year! I made it to NYC for NYE, which let me tell you... is insanity. Did you know you actually have to pay to be in Times Square? A few hundred dollars per person. Then they block off the streets and street corners. We had a great spot in a park, of which we got kicked out at 8 PM because there was a private party. My overall reaction is that it's kind of like Black Friday on steroids... A lot of waiting in the dark and cold... I did enjoy the city; it was my first time ever being there. I will go back, but not on NYE!

Anyway, back to the thrifting front...
I'm trying to get my "eBay room" cleaned and organized. That is what I have on the agenda for these last few days of winter break. It had been looking much like a Hoarders episode.

We went to visit my dad the weekend before Christmas. Every trip to my dad's results in his giving us lots of random oddities to sell on eBay. It's sort of annoying, because it's mostly older things that are not my area of expertise, and they sit for a long time because I don't feel like researching them. But then my dad bugs me every time I speak to him about what I've sold, so I'm trying to get better at listing the items he gives me. Plus, it's free money because he doesn't want anything back. Well this time, he gave me several pairs of underwear. He bought them all but then realized it was the wrong size or fit. Add this one to your BOLO list, friends:

NEW 11 PAIRS FRUIT OF THE LOOM HANES UNDERWEAR MENS BOXERS BOXER BRIEFS SIZE MED

Cost: free to me, Sold: $29.99 + $3.00 shipping


NEW 6 PAIRS FRUIT OF THE LOOM HANES UNDERWEAR MENS BRIEFS BOXER BRIEFS SIZE L

Cost: free to me, Sold: $10.49 + $3.00 shipping

The ones still in the package did better. I will definitely look for those at yard sales this year!

Other recent sales:

Women's Plus Size 3X Croft & Barrow Snowmen Cardinal Sweater Beading Snow Winter


Cost: ?? $5 or less... one of my pile of Ugly Xmas Sweaters (Ohio Thrift); Sold: $29.99 + $7.30 shipping

Relisted after Xmas and changed the wording a bit. Sold within a few hours. My thoughts for next year are to find ugly, gaudy WINTER sweaters...

NEW NIP TAMATOWN TAMA-GO TAMAGOTCHI MAMETCHI #26616 VIRTUAL PET BONUS DVD BANDAI

Cost: $4-ish (discount store); Sold: $24.99 + $4.99 shipping

Success, I'd say!

I can't believe Christmas is over. This whole school year is flying by. Overall, I'm pleased with how my eBay selling went for the holidays. I managed to get a decent amount of things listed. My inventory is still overflowing, but what I listed and sold was manageable. 

2002 LOTR LORD OF THE RINGS RISK BOARD GAME PARKER BROTHERS NEVER PLAYED HOBBIT

Sold for $30.00, paid $1.99 (SA) 

Quick nickel sale :)

NEW NIP TAMATOWN TAMA-GO TAMAGOTCHI MAMETCHI #26614 VIRTUAL PET BONUS DVD BANDAI

Sold $19.99, paid $4-ish (discount store)

LOT OF 20 SHEETS VINTAGE SCRATCH N SNIFF INNOCENT MOODIE STICKERS BABY POWDER

Ahh, Moodies, we meet again. How I love you. 

Sold for $15.99; paid $9.99 for set of 75 sheets

currently in the black $13.98, with more to list

NEW NIB LALALOOPSY PLAY AND DISPLAY DOLL COUCH HOT PINK FITS TWO DOLLS SEW CUTE

This one sold for $16.00, paid $4.99 (discount store)

NEW SEALED BOX of 50 IMATION 3.5" 2HD 1.44 MB IBM Formatted Diskettes Discs #838

Sold for $19.99, paid .99 cents (Ohio Thrift)

I loooove new in box media.

NEW NIB WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE TZIPPY STORYBOOK FIGURE MCFARLANE SENDAK

Sold $29.99, paid $4.99 (VOA)

NEW NIB RUDOLPH RUDOLF THE RED-NOSED RED REINDEER CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT RANKIN BASS

Sold for $10.50, paid .75 (Goodwill)

TACKY UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER VEST SNOWMAN WOMENS SIZE SZ MEDIUM M SPARKLY TIARA

Sold for $6.00, paid $2.50? (Ohio Thrift)

WOMENS SIZE 1X LOT OF 2 SWEATERS QUACKER FACTORY FLAMINGO HULA DANCER LUAU

Sold $29.99, paid $5?? ish... I got a ton of sweaters and didn't keep track of each individual

HOUSTON OILERS CLIFF ENGLE SWEATER ADULT LARGE VINTAGE TENNESSEE TITANS TEXAS TX

Sold for $49.99, paid around $3?? (Ohio Thrift)

SWEET!

Lot of 20 1.50 oz Bags Candy Corn Limited Edition White Chocolate Halloween M&MS

Sold $19.99, paid $10 or less (after Halloween clearance CVS)

NWT NEW ST. JOHN'S BAY BIG MENS SWEATER XLT X LARGE TALL DARK GRAY JC PENNEY

Sold for $19.99, paid 19 cents! (Salvation Army- having a sale one day- no clue why this gem was mixed in!)

So overall, success I'd say! One of my goals for the new year is to do a better job keeping track of my costs. I have a bad habit of buying and then stashing my inventory in either... the crawl space... the garage... the trunk of my car... and losing my receipts. A lot of my items have tags left on, but then I can never remember if I paid that price or if I picked up the item on half-price day. So I'm going to force myself to write down how much I paid for each individual item as soon as I get home. 

Oh and guess what? I'm going to Times Square for NYE! I am nervous about the crowds... but it's a bucket list opportunity so I had to jump at the chance. 

18 days to go...

Things are picking up, but I am still concerned about these Christmas sweaters! There is next to no interest. I have only sold one. Yikes.

I have done two deals on Craigslist recently, of two items I purchased on Black Friday.

NEW STUFFED POCOYO PO CO YO PLUSH CUDDLE CUDDLY PILLOW NICK JR HUGE

Paid $12 (Wal*Mart); Sold for $25
Funny story about this guy. I listed him on eBay for like, $35 or best offer. I got an offer of $20 and was not going to have anything to do with such a lowball offer. Then I happened to glance at the potential buyer's zip code and low and behold, she lives in the same city as I do! So we arranged an off eBay transaction. She was planning on paying $20 plus shipping, so we agreed on $25 cash. Super easy! And no fees!

NEW IN BOX 2012 NIB WHITE HASBRO FURBY INTERACTIVE TOY GREMLIN

Paid $45 (Wal*Mart); Sold for $65
Took a gamble on this fella. I remember the original Furby craze of the '90s (I conned my dad into buying me one then, and it was... stupid..) and thought I'd take a chance. Picked this up on Black Friday and knew if it didn't pan out, I could return it. Listed it on eBay with no interest for the first week, and was going to return it, but in typical Amanda fashion, I misplaced the receipt! Decided to list on Craigslist in the meantime. Sold for $65 cash in another easy as pie deal.

These Black Friday items cost more than I normally pay to resell but it was acceptable to me since I had the option to return them to the retailer.

On the eBay front:

NEW NIP SONY PREMIUM GRADE 6 HOUR VHS BLANK TAPE 6 PACK T-120

Paid $1.91 (Ohio Thrift); Sold for $19.00 plus shipping

NIP/blank media has been a consistent seller for me. Even the formats that are outdated go quickly and for good prices. And they are CHEAP to pick up, since they are outdated and thrifts think they are useless.

NEW NIP HUGE STUFFED CAILLOU CUDDLE CUDDLY PILLOW PLUSH OVER 2 FEET TALL

Paid $12 (Wal*Mart); Sold for $25 plus shipping

Another Black Friday pillow. I have one more left- Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba.


LOT OF 8 VTECH VSMILE VIDEO GAMES CARTRIDGES DORA CARS BLUES CLUES LION KING
Paid $3.50 (VOA); Sold for $19.99 plus shipping

I picked up the set of these games plus a VSmile console on half price day at my favorite thrift. I still have the console which I will try to sell at the spring consignment sale.


Susan Bristol Christmas Cardigan Sweater Size Medium Sz M Ugly Tacky Moose Deer
Paid $3-4??; Sold for $19.99 plus shipping

The lone selling Christmas sweater. I probably could have gotten more for it but I'm desperate since none of these are selling and I've amassed a few dozen. Can't remember how much I paid for this one specifically but it was no more than $5 at most.


NEW NIB LALALOOPSY PLAY AND DISPLAY DOLL COUCH HOT PINK FITS TWO DOLLS SEW CUTE
Paid $4.99 I believe (discount store); Sold for Best Offer $14 plus shipping


NIB NEW FROSTY THE SNOWMAN CARTOON XMAS CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT ON HIS BELLY WITH BOY
Paid 75 cents (Goodwill); Sold for $15.99 plus shipping.

Happy December!

I am SO excited to say that DH is finally on first shift. Merry Christmas to me. For the past three years it's like I've been married to a zombie... I can only imagine having actual quality time with him now, not interrupted by naps and sleep-deprived grouchiness!

Question-- anyone use Tradesy? It sounds great... I'd like to hear anyone's experiences.

I've been trying to list these past few days. I waited until December 1 since I had used up my free auction listings, then of course learned that there's been free fixed listings since November 28. Ugh. Oh well...

Have a good week all!

Swimming in sweaters...

I've been working hard trying to get my Christmas sweaters photographed and listed. I know, I'm a little late, but I'm doing what I can. So far, no interest... sigh... It better pick up or I will have to start wearing them myself... Yikes... I am happy to say I actually used up my 50 free listings this month! It sucks having to pay the insertion fees, but my hope is this junk will sell...

Since we spoke last time:

LOT OF 5 SHEETS VINTAGE SCRATCH N SNIFF INNOCENT MOODIE STICKERS BABY POWDER


 
Sold for $3.99 plus $3.00 shipping... You might remember I bought a pack of 75 sheets for $9.99 in the summer... This is the second set I've sold... I still need $2.01 to break even, but I have 65 sheets left.

NEW AKAI Pro SynthStation25 USB MIDI 25 Key Keyboard Controller For iPhone iPod

This was a gamble, and I lost, essentially... I paid I think $30 for this... Sold for $39.99... However did get great feedback out of it... You win some...

Sooo relieved.

These past few weeks have been so stressful for me. Let's begin on the medical front.

About three weeks ago, I went in for my routine eye exam. The doctor gave me a peripheral vision exam, and noticed a visual defect in my lower left eye. So I had to go back the following week to repeat the test, and then had to go to an opthamologist. He then examined my eyes again and I had to repeat the visual field test, which I again failed. Good news at that point was that my eyes themselves looked good, and the nerves and everything were fine. So then I had to get a brain MRI to see if there is anything of concern in my brain which is pressing on my optic nerves or inflaming anything... You know, like multiple sclerosis or a tumor... Well great news! I found out on Tuesday that there is nothing of concern in my brain! The doctor says I am a medical mystery. Chances are it is a birth defect in the way my nerves fused together and it just hasn't been detected until now. I get to go to the neuro-opthamologist in January to see if he has any theories, but it appears to be non life-threatening. After all, I went 25 years not even knowing I have a blind spot!

That was a huge sigh of relief. Well then today I tackled my other stressor... I finished my final projects for both of my graduate classes. I keep telling everyone, it's not that the classes are hard, it's just that they are time-consuming! My case study was all I've been thinking about for the last week. But everything is done, all the citations were entered, the work samples copied, and inteviews put on DVD. Tomorrow night I present and then I'm done till January... Hoping for A's... :)

Now is time for me to get caught up with my odds and ends. I am ready to get back to working out (I gained 3+ pounds last week at Weight Watchers!) and I am ready to dive in on holiday listing on eBay. Recent sales:

Halloween Fall Thanksgiving Hershey's Kisses Pumpkin Spice 4/Four Bags NIP

Sold for $25.99 plus $6.00 shipping; purchased for around $3.00 a bag (Kroger).
Thanks to Julie at The Thrifty Momma Says for encouraging me to go out and check for seasonal candies! It's worth a look! I have some gingerbread Oreos to list as well as candy corn M&Ms.

NEW NIP RARE BLUES BLUE'S CLUES BIRTHDAY PARTY ACTIVITY MAT PRESCHOOL NICK JR

Sold for $15.99 plus $7.00 shipping ; purchased for $2.92 at VOA.
I purchased several of these back in the summer and they have a great sell-through rate. You probably already know this, but decor and toys from preschool shows do well, especially as their popularity runs through quickly but they keep getting new generations of fans.

VINTAGE BROWN SOUP'S ON UNITED SOUP MUG CUP UNITED AIRLINES

Sold for $7.99 plus $5.00 shipping; purchased for 15 cents (yes you read that right) at VOA.
Remember those days when they actually fed you soup on airplanes? Yeah, me neither...

LOT OF 4 BLANK TDK MC90 MICROCASSETTE CASSETTES TAPES NEW NEVER USED

Sold for $9.99 plus $3.00, cost me nothing! Apparently someone at DH's work was cleaning out her desk... DH's boss grabbed these and gave them to DH... Said to give them to me to sell on eBay... It's all a matter of who you know... :)

NEW NIB NIP Star Wars The Clone Wars EMBO CW33 BOUNTY HUNTER HASBRO FIGURINE

Sold for $9.99 plus $4.00 shipping; purchased for $3.99 at discount store... purchased a bunch of these, hope to unload them during the holiday season...


Happy Thanksgiving & Black Friday sales to you!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Well let me rephrase that. The weather outside is not yet frightful, and I could easily go all winter without seeing snow. But alas, I live in Ohio, and I doubt this year will be as mild as the last...

But it's beginning to look like Christmas selling season on eBay. Just this morning, I've gotten more inquiries and bids on my items than I have in quite awhile. So I can only hope that it's a good sign and will stay this way because I need the money!

I am going to try to take advantage of the selling season specials (pardon the alliteration, I am an LA teacher after all so sometimes I can't turn off my crazies) like the one currently which is free fixed listing. I don't have a store so I rely on the 50 free listings each month, but I have a feeling I will go over those in November & December. I have acquired more than a dozen ugly Christmas sweaters and last week ending up finding some seasonal candy which I hope will go too.

The few sales I've had since I last posted...

SANDRA BOYNTON COFFEE MUG PLEASE HASSLE ME I THRIVE ON STRESS TEA CUP VINTAGE


Paid... 59 cents? (GW) Sold for $12.98

NEW NIB Lego Studios Jurassic Park III Spinosaurus Attack (1371)


Paid... $5.00 (GS) Sold for $45.00 ...EEEEE!! BOLO!

NEW NIB NIP NICKELODEON GAK IS BACK GACK REBEL RED


Paid... $4.99 (discount store... originally bought for myself as I was falling into the nostalgia trap...) Sold for $11.50


Also, rumor has it that this recession is on its way out... I wonder what that will mean for us resellers in the next 5 years?