Update

Hello blogosphere!

I have been busy. Working 3x a week until 6 pm, bowling league on Tuesdays (we're in first place! say what!), trivia on Thursdays, and doing some auction work here and there.

Unfortunately, my school had some terrible news on Friday. There was a horrible car accident (maybe you've read about it-- I know it was on USA Today's website) in which a family of 6 was killed. Both parents and four daughters ranging in ages from 2-16. They were hit by a police officer who was responding to a robbery. Well the 12 year old was a seventh grader at my school. Not personally my student, but still. Student of my friends, and a friend of my students. Absolutely heartbreaking. They had come to Iraq for a better life. They were on their way home from visiting with my former students' family... They leave behind 5 sons, three who attend my school. I am not specifically looking forward to tomorrow... but the healing process must begin...

I tried to balance out this tragedy the way I know how-- distracting myself and I do that with deal$. The Dollar General across from my school is going out of business so I've been checking in every few days. I went in today and their toys were 90% off! Yeah!!

Goodies including several Wuggle Pets for $1.00 each, and ketchup... lol... 

I also went today to start stocking my new display case at the antique mall! I am splitting it with my former student's aunt, the one who got me involved in the auction company. I am excited to see how this new venue turns out, especially since I barely have time for eBay during the school year (and not to mention I still loathe shipping!).

Not everything here is mine... I have a total of 10 cents invested so far.. I won 9 penny auctions yesterday plus the 1 cent premium. :)

Just a quick hello!

Yes, I'm still alive. Sorry for my lengthy blogging absence!

Summer is long gone and I have settled back into my work routine. It feels like I never left. Two weeks down (well 3 if you count professional development) already.

I'm working extra, doing the after school program 3 days a week, and I've made some connections with a local auction company. I did some running (getting the items during pick up) and helped write descriptions (it's all online, like eBay) so far, and I am scheduled to run for another auction next week.

After spending a month at my dad's hoarder's nest in the summer, I decided I can't keep buying so much stuff and just letting it sit around for months. So I've taken a step back, and I'm trying to organize and get rid of what I have before I buy more. It's hard though, because it's so fun. I'm doing just one consignment sale this fall and am marking down stuff so it goes. My plan is to purge and then start new. I mean, I'll still make profits, but my mindset is quick nickel not slow dime.

Well, see ya later!

Stuff, and other stuff...

Tis the second week of summer and I am pretty bored! Well on Thursday I head up to my dad's house where I'll be for an indefinite amount of time. He is having surgery on Friday, and being as he lives alone, I will be spending time as his caregiver so-to-speak. Which I hope doesn't really happen, as in, I hope his surgery is very successful and he doesn't need any help. Time will tell.

Anyway these past few weeks have been uneventful. We did the flea market again, saw a few free movies (Gofobo, anyone?) and the dog and I have been taking our daily treks through the neighborhood. Oh, and I found a new amazing show on Amazon Instant Video! It's called Out of Practice. It didn't even last a full season (although the whole first season did make its way online) and it starred Stockard Channing, Henry Winkler, Ty Burrell (better known as Phil Dunphy- dad on Modern Family.) and Christopher Gorham (better known as HOT). It is just hilarious. I highly recommend you check it out if able!

Decided to check some of my older entries. It's funny how the direction of this blog changed. When I first created it, I actually said I had created it as an outlet to express myself. Now it's part reflection, but also part sharing in this incredible thrifter community I've stumbled upon. By the way, in my first entry (dated 2010), I said I wanted to start trying to conceive in 2011! My, how things have changed. At this point, I don't know if I ever want children! (well aside from the assortment of furry ones and the ones I teach, who will forever be a part of me)

Anyway, so we did the flea market again, and here are the results from our second trip out. Like I hinted, I changed the direction to more or less "get it out of my sight, I am so sick of looking at it" items, which trust me, we have enough of. Made $68.50, not including the $10 fee.

$5 dolly step ladder thingie (paid 25 cents for at a gs)
$10 XBox HD DVD player and handful of DVDs (personal property)
$10 box of Power Rangers trading cards (free to me; from Dad)
$5 cat carrier (personal property...was our sweet little kitten's... R.I.P. Monty)
$5 4 comics (free; from Dad) and 2 video games (personal property- junk games from gs)
$2 dog pillow (personal property, which Daisy chewed a hole in, and then proceeded to never sleep on again. Spoiled mutt.)
$2 pocket packs of tissues ($2 at Dollar Tree- originally got for school goodies but never used)
$4 Halloween pillows (probably paid around $10 at Target- was going to use for decor but again, never used. Probably a good decision anyway. They were black pillows. Black + animals=mess.)
.25 single pocket pack of tissues (paid .25 originally at a back to school sale)
.25 microcassette (bought at an estate sale I posted about awhile back)
.50 Avengers jumbo eraser (bought for .20 at GW)
.50 grill stone (.50 TS)
$10 set of records (free; from Dad)
$14 pants (Carlos's)

Lastly, I have listed two of the Hot Wheels I posted about last week. One has a day left in auction. It is currently at $113.50. You can see it here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271222095765?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
That's the biggest profit I've ever made.

A new venue, or alternate title: It pays (literally #christraeger) to eavesdrop.

So last week I was at my favorite (although I have one that is coming in at a close second- more about that in a moment) thrift and I was leisurely strolling the aisles, and I overheard a conversation happening between a worker and a customer. They were talking about selling at a flea market. Hmm, silly me, I didn't even realize we had good flea markets down here, despite the fact that I've lived here for almost 4 years. I guess I thought that the flea markets that did exist down here were in poor neighborhoods. Well I listened eavesdropped for a bit and mentally recorded the names of the two locations they were speaking of. When I got home I checked their websites, and I was very impressed with how professionally done the websites were. A quick decision was made; I would try my hand at selling at the flea market!

So last Saturday we did just that. I only had a day to prepare, so I gathered a bin of plush, a bin of cake pans, and a few random oddities. We set up shop at around 6 am, paying only $10 for our space. In a short 4 1/2 hours, I cleared $78 (after fee). I also learned that I will not get eBay prices, so I will be varying my inventory for this upcoming weekend, and doing more or less "take this please I can't bear to look at it anymore" items. Here is what I did sell:

A bunch of comic books- $25 (free to me; from my dad)
An "I kiss better than I cook" sign, which actually went to an older man, which in hindsight, is creepy, $2 (probably what I paid for it- from a gs)
3 of DH's video games- $12 (he probably had $20 invested in them)
a curtain rod- $5 (originally purchased for our personal use but has been taking up space in the garage for 2 years- probably paid $12 ish)
a Hindu god statue- $10 (.50 at gs)
Attorneys at Flaw board game $2.50 ($1 gs)
Wineopoly board game $2.50 ($1.99 gw)
Likes and Gripes board game $3 (probably $1.99 ish VOA)
Toy Story travel pillow $3 ($1.25 I think, CVS clearance)
VS dog $1 (.50 VOA)
glow sticks $5 (originally paid $11.99, bought them for a school event my first year teaching but never used them)
Barbershop DVD $1 (IDK)
2 ties $10 for both (probably around $5 for both- Ohio Thrift)
another DVD $1 (free to me; from my dad)

As you can see, the profit margins are slim, but rookie mistakes, chalk it up to the learning curve, profit is still profit, and like I said, I know better what to bring next time!

As for that second favorite thrift I mentioned earlier...

Yesterday I had to go to the P.O. and on my way home I dropped off books at the library and I just had to check out the Goodwill. Cuz you know, I hadn't been thrifting in 6 days. But it was an instance when it PAID to stop. I stumbled upon a delightful assortment of vintage items, from the late '60s and '70s, all in their original packaging. I assume all donated from the same person. For whatever reason, Goodwill significantly underpriced said items. Which is quite a surprise because the Goodwills down here actually make a point of gathering their high-end merch for a live auction each weekend. But for whatever the reason, I was able to snag 3 red-line Hot Wheels cars, STILL IN THE ORIGINAL PACKAGING, for .99 each. Um. Guess what? Completed listings go up to $200 each!!! SAY WHAT! I have already listed one, and it already has two bids up to $60.99. Um. I paid .99!! I also got a new in packaging 1967 Barbie dress set. Completeds show around $80 and that's for USED. Golly goodness. I will keep you posted! Definitely had a WOW FACTOR moment! #storagewars

Up, up, and away!

My sales have been terrific lately! Of course, that is motivating me to list more and more.

First, let me tell you about an odd coincidence and thrifter's dream scenario from Mother's Day weekend. Carlos and I were back up north, visiting our parents. We had went to this little hole-in-the-wall thrift that I miss dearly, and then out to lunch. Carlos told me I could pick one more thrift to go to... You know, for some reason he doesn't like spending his whole Saturday at Goodwills! Go figure! So I picked the one across the street from our old apartment, because given the two GWs I had to choose from, this one is generally better to me. We make it to the GW and Carlos has to go to the potty quite badly, but apparently the cashier tells him the light is out in the bathroom. So he heads out to use the facilities in one of the nearby stores in the plaza. However, he comes back and says that 1. the hardware store doesn't have a public restroom, and 2. he wasn't going to go to the bathroom at Alco (discount store) because it was going out of business and looked like a ghost town. He said everything there was 90% off. I end up going into the Goodwill bathroom to check the light and low and behold, it works fine. So Carlos quickly does his business and then we are off to check out Alco! They had just marked everything to 90% off the night before. Literally 10 minutes before we got there, the manager announces that it is time to fill a cart for $10 because he wants to close the doors within the hour! I felt like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep! I picked up everything sellable, which wasn't even very much. But even still, I managed to get nearly $700 retail of items... vacuum filters, some pregnancy tests, catfish bait. You name it, if it was still sealed and not broken, I took it home with me. Paid $10.68 with tax.

Thank you Carlos's full bladder as well as the miscommunication about the GW bathroom light!

From Alco, so far I have sold:

Lot of 4 New NIB Remington Clean Xchange Razor Replacement Cartridges Nanosilver


Accepted best offer of $13.00 plus $7.30 shipping

and

4 New Sealed First Response Rapid Result Pregnancy Tests Expiration June 2014

Accepted best offer of $10.00 plus $7.30 shipping.

So I have already cleared my initial investment and then some.

Additionally I've sold:

NIB NEW HINK PINK Riddles Word Game by Discovery Bay Games
Sold for $19.99 plus $8.00 shipping; paid $4 (discount store)

New in Package Sealed Vintage Bar of Dial Gold Deodorant Soap 5 oz Still Smells!
The second bar sold, to the same buyer. $9.99 again and $4.00 shipping; paid .50 (estate sale)

New Pack of 5 Philips Norelco Nivea HQ150 Advantage Shaving Lotion Cartridges
$9.99 plus $2.80 shipping; paid 50 cents (VOA)

Lot of 5 Anthony Horowitz Books Alex Rider Series Scorpia Ark Angel Snakehead
Accepted $17.00 plus $4.00 shipping; paid $5 (VOA)

Lot of 10 New Mens Fruit of the Loom Boxers Size Sz Extra Large XL Underwear
Accepted BO of $20.00 plus $6 shipping; paid $8 (Morse Rd. GW)

And, saving the best for last...

Little Einsteins Pat Pat Rocket & Transform & Go Rocket Four Figures Included

Sold for $69.99 plus $15 shipping!! Paid $8 at a consignment sale!! In the words of Ms. Frizzle, ya-ha-ha-hoo!!!!

Best Feedback Ever

I got this feedback the other day...

"Thanks my Girlfriend Loves it, because it looks like me"

It cracked me up because it was for... The Chia Gnome.


Ch-ch-ch-chia.

Going with your gut

A few posts back I blogged about an estate sale I went to. I went once on the full-price day and returned on half-price day. I spent a total of $12. Well so far, I have sold the set of 3 vintage lip balms for $9.99 and I woke up this morning to having sold a vintage bar of soap for $9.99.

New in Package Sealed Vintage Bar of Dial Gold Deodorant Soap 5 oz Still Smells!


Sold for $9.99 plus $4.00 shipping.

It just humors me what people will buy. And this was an example of going with your gut. I walked back upstairs probably about 3 times to look at this soap (it actually came in a two-pack so I will still be able to list the second bar!) and I could not get eBay to work on my phone... So I just took a gamble. Paid $1 for both bars. And I think it was a pretty good turnaround!

I think that's most of the fun of selling on eBay... going on a hunch and seeing that it pays off.

Last week I went to a church sale on Friday evening. I've posted about this particular sale a few times before, I just love it. It's right down the street from my job, and they hold the sale twice a year. You pay what you believe is a fair offer. This time I was at first very disappointed, scanning through the toys and books and finding only junk. Then I went over to the craft table, and found a bunch of new cross-stitch kits. I have never sold cross-stitch kits but have heard some can be pretty profitable. I grabbed a handful, then kept shopping, finding a Boynton mug (my fourth!) before eventually stumbling upon the kids' clothes and getting a ton for the fall sales. I paid $7 for everything.

I listed one of the cross-stitch sets so far. I kid you not, it sold in 5 minutes.

New Displaymates CCS Counted Cross Stitch Kit Christian Inspiration 07324 Box

Sold for $17.00 plus $5.80 shipping.

Now, the downside is... this buyer, who has a 1293 feedback score, hasn't paid!! He/she purchased this on Tuesday. But, I'm not sweating it too much. If he doesn't pay, I am super confident I can resell easily, given the fact he bought it so fast!

Since last time, I've also sold:
New NIB Hands Free Black Bluetooth Blue Tooth Digital Watch with Microphone

Sold for $23.00 plus $8.00 shipping, paid $13 I believe at CVS 75% after-holiday clearance
I very much overestimated shipping here. I think it ended up being around $4. Which is good, because...


NEW NIB CHIA GNOME DWARF PET HANDMADE DECORATIVE PLANTER GRASS GROW A BEARD

Sold for $14.99 plus $5.00 shipping. Believe I originally paid $5 or less at CVS clearance

...I seriously underestimated shipping here. It was closer to $12! WHOOPS...