Goals ✔️✔️✔️

I'm so excited & I just can't hide it! I reached several big goals in January. 

- I made over $1000 profit for the first time ever! But that's just our secret....shhhh! I never like to discuss monthly profits but I had to share this one. 

- Sold 75 items....just beating my previous record. 

- And: 

500 positive feedback without 1 negative (knock on wood!). 500 in 20 months doesn't seem too bad. 

I've read about a lot of sellers struggling in January. So let me share my random thoughts on ebay. Success selling on eBay really comes down to only a few steps: 

1. Find HIGH quality items to sell. If I have 49 HIGH quality items for sale and you have 490 alright items; I'll out sell you every time. It's about quality not quantity. 

2. Take bright, professional quality pictures. 

3. Write descriptive yet clean titles for listings. 

4. Clearly provide every detail of your item; including the flaws. The more details the better. 

5. Set fair prices. 

I've noticed dark, blurry pictures; unrealistic prices, non descript titles and average products often hinder sales. If you pay great attention to the 5 steps above you'll have success. 

Here are a few things I sold yesterday and today: 

      Canali Men's Suit Jacket Size 44 

                        Cost: $6.00 

                       Sold: $29.99 

        Harley Davidson Men's Shirt XL 

                        Cost: $4.49 

                       Sold: $26.80 

       Quick Silver Board Short Large 

Yes, things are going so well I sold a pair of board shorts to a man in Wisconsin in January. 

                        Cost: $1.07 

                       Sold: $18.80 

     Lucky Brand Vintage Jeans Size 12 

                        Cost: $1.59 

                       Sold: $17.80 

     Harley Davidson Women's Jeans

                       Cost: $6.00 

                      Sold: $21.99 

I don't work on Monday or Tuesday so I'll work on a post of best shirt brands to buy then. One more day in January....hope everybody finishes strong! 

 

I ❤️ January

January has been my best month of all time. Why? I'm not totally sure. January was my worst month of 2015 and 2016 was my best month ever. I have around 200 items listed as usual. Honestly, I believe my improvement in identifying the best items to sell has lead to recent success. If you walk into a thrift store and can easily identify the most valuable pieces in the store, take decent pictures and list it efficiently.....you'll make money! Here are a few things I've sold recently: 

      NYDJ women's jeans size 18W 

                         Sold: $25.70 

     Redwing Men's Pecos Boots size 7 

Redwing will be on my next A-Z Brand list. Buy them any chance you get! 

                         Sold: $60.00 

          Coach Jenna Heels size 5.5 

Coach has a reputation for being very valuable but in my experience it doesn't sell that well on ebay. Have you had success with Coach items? 

                         Sold: $14.99 

       BKE Men's Seth Jeans size 36L

                       Sold: $49.99  

     Pendleton Vintage 1950's Jacket 

I shouldn't have agreed to sell this jacket. Somehow the buyer set the terms so I couldn't use the Global Shipping Program. So now I have to figure out how much it costs to ship to Australia. Anybody know where I can find that info? 

                       Sold: $49.99 

        Harley Davidson shirt size XL 

                       Sold: $36.80 

       Tommy Bahama women's shirt 

                       Sold: $14.99 

I am only a couple dollars from my ultimate monthly goal. I'm planning on listing like crazy tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed 🙏🙏

SNOW IN FLORIDA!!!!!!

So I mentioned last post that if we received one snowflake, Gainesville would go crazy. Well.........

We got our snowflakes and Gainesville lost its mind!!!! I was taking the dogs outside this morning and felt them hitting my sweatshirt. I thought to myself, "That can't be snow?!" Sure enough....it was snowing in Florida. 

COLD ❄️❄️❄️

I hope you are staying warm! My cousin lives 45 minutes outside Washington DC and they are getting 3 feet of snow tonight. Just crazy! If we had one snowflake Gainesville would lose its mind. Gainesville weather isn't stereotypical Florida weather. We are inland and don't feel any of the warmth from the Gulf or Atlantic Ocean. It will be 30 degrees in Gainesville tonight with 15 mph winds. Tomorrow the high is 43 degrees. I know most of you have colder temperatures.....how cold is it where you live? 

Ebay has actually been pretty hot for me. I've sold 58 items this month so far. Considering I only have 200 listed, I feel pretty good about it. Here are a few recent sales: 

          Tori Richard Hawaiian Shirt 

                         Cost: $3.49 

                        Sold: $39.99 

     Ralph Lauren 2012 Olympics Shirt

I was very happy to find this shirt. Any Ralph Lauren Olympic item is a great sale. This shirt was even new with tags! 

                         Cost: $4.29 

                        Sold: $42.00 

     Tracy McGrady Adidas Highschool 

Jersey. 3XL. The jersey appeared brand new. I thought it would sell for more...

                         Cost: $4.29 

                        Sold: $23.99

       Sears Vintage 2XL Nightgown 

                         Cost: $0.00

                        Sold: $17.99 

      Popeye Vintage Sweatshirt NWT 

I found both the nightgown and sweatshirt in the closet of my elderly friend. We share the profits. 

                       Cost: $0.00

                      Sold: $22.00 

     Brooks Brothers Camel hair Jacket 

I accepted a very low offer on this jacket, after several counter offers. I figured it the person wanted the jacket that bad, why not? I still made a great profit. 

                         Cost: $6.00 

                        Sold: $57.50 

       Disney Hawaiian Shirt: NWOT 

                         Cost: $4.49 

                        Sold: $49.99 

   Joe's Jeans Snake Print Skinny Jeans 

                         Cost: $0.00 

                        Sold: $17.99 

     Notre Dame Champion Windbreaker 

I had to include this jacket. It was one of my worst sales of all time. By the time I paid for shipping and the ebay fees, I should've just donated the jacket. 

                         Cost: $3.00 

                         Sold: $6.75 

Stay Warm everybody!!!! 

USPS is HIGH!

Have you seen the USPS rate increases? USPS is high in more ways than one! A $3.00 raise on large flat rate boxes, $1.10 raise on padded envelopes and $1.55 for small flat rate boxes. It's just CRAZY! 

So, what can we do about it? Is there any way around paying such high prices? They have no idea how the large increases crush small business owners. I can understand rate increases but these increases are drastic. Any suggestion for ways to lower the costs? 

I sold two items today. I'll share those but really just wanted to blow off steam about the USPS. 

                       Cost: $3.50 

                      Sold: $39.99 

           Joe's Jeans: Honey Fit 

                       Cost: $1.00 

                      Sold: $19.99 

On a lighter note I have a new assistant: 

Short Term Goals

I loved everyone's reason for selling on eBay. Thank you for sharing!

I keep myself motivated by breaking my ebay selling into a series of short term goals. Each goal generally involves a new destination to explore. I'd much rather visit the world than own a bunch of stuff. For 2016, my goal is match every dollar I spend on a trip with a dollar paid on my medical bills. My present short term goals include: 

1. Save $500 for Las Vegas trip 

2. Save for deposit and first month payment on a new place to live ($2000) 

3. Begin saving for summer East Coast trip 

* Pay the same amount on my credit card 

How do you stay motivated? What short term goals do you have? 

Here are a few sales from the weekend that will help me achieve my goals: 

Facconable tie NWT. Facconable will be on my next A-Z list and is a brand I always look for. 

                         Cost: $4.00

                        Sold: $31.50 

                    Disney DVD Lot 

                         Cost: $6.00

                        Sold: $27.00 

          Lacoste vintage windbreaker 

                         Cost: $2.00 

                        Sold: $29.99 

        Big Star Maddie Bootcut Jeans

                          Cost: 60 cents 

                           Sold: $19.99

      Dries Van Noten women's jacket. This is the last item to sell from my AMAZING Goodwill visit in May. I accepted a best offer and was very excited to sell this beautiful jacket. 

                         Cost: $8.00

                        Sold: $74.00 

     MBT athletic walking shoes. MBT will also be on my next A-Z list. You want to find MBT shoes or sandals! 

                         Cost: $8.00

                        Sold: $59.99 

How have your sales been? What goals are you chasing? 

Why I sell on EBay......

There is a common misconception that disabled people have it easy. We don't have to work, get paid for nothing and have lots of free time. Yes, those things are true BUT there is another side to being disabled. Take me for example: 

I receive an above average amount each month from Social Security. Still, it's only enough to pay my rent, utilities, Internet, phone bill, gas for my car and groceries. Social Security doesn't pay for my expensive medicines, doctor's bills, credit card bill that is entirely medical bills, emergency funds or anything else. Yes, I could have hours of free time every day, but if I don't have any money what's the point? 

Yes, disabled people receive money (that they invested in the Social Security system for years); yet being disabled is expensive. I've spent over $70,000 in dental bills since becoming disabled. My orthopedic surgeon is over 8 hours from my home, so I pay for hotels, gas, and food; in addition to the doctor bills. This week I traveled to the University of Miami to see an eye doctor. Every time I get money saved, my health eats it all up. Being disabled is like constantly walking on a tight rope. 

I sell on eBay as a way to take back financial control of my life. Since I started selling on eBay again, I've traveled to Washington DC, San Antonio, and New Orleans. Next month, I'm going to Las Vegas. This summer Id like to take a long trip up the east coast: Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Montreal and Toronto. I couldn't travel anywhere without ebay. Selling on eBay has widen my tight rope to a balance beam.

If you sell on eBay.....why? I'd love to hear your motivation. If not....why not? 

January has been really good to me so far. Last January, I only sold 30 items. This year I've already sold 39 items. I've listed 30 items the last 2 days and still have about 40 more to list. Here are a few items I've sold recently: 

                         Cost: $4.29 

                        Sold: $49.99 

This shirt sold in a matter of hours. When I saw it on the rack at the store, my smile lit up like a light bright! Buy any Polo Sport item you find; especially items with the bear. 

                         Cost: $3.00 

                        Sold: $39.99 

Ralph Lauren men's blazer/jacket size 52L. I generally buy Ralph Lauren jackets whenever they are priced $4.00 and under. This jacket sold in hours also. 

                         Cost: $2.00 

                        Sold: $29.99 

Henri Lloyd men's sailing vest. Henri Lloyd will be on my next A-Z brands list. It sells for high profits....quickly! 

                         Cost: $6.00

                        Sold: $49.99 

My dawg Ermenegildo Zegna! I love buying and selling anything EZ. Just keep in mind the jackets are in European sizes, so if the tags says 52 then it's 42 in the United States. 

                         Cost: $3.00 

                        Sold: $22.00 

Philadelphia Eagles vintage Reebok jacket. I accepted a best offer of $22 on this jacket. I listed it yesterday with the Polo Sport Bear shirt and Ralph Lauren blazer. Happy all three sold in hours! 

                          Cost: $0.00

                         Sold: $38.00 

Ralph Lauren vintage pillowcases. Any day you make $38 on pillowcases is a good day! 

                         Cost: $4.80 

                        Sold: $28.00 

NYDJ Bootcut jeans size 16. Plus size NYDJ jeans are an automatic sale! 

                         Cost: $0.00

                        Sold: $19.99

Ohio State sweatshirt throw. I'm obsessed with Ohio State. I was born 5 minutes from the campus. I was going to attend college there until I saw the cost of out of state tuition and changed my mind quickly! I'd still be paying student loans if I'd gone to OSU. By going to Florida GulfCoast University, I never needed a student loan :) I found this blanket at my mom's house. 

                          Cost: $3.00 

                         Sold: $21.00 

Chaps by Ralph Lauren vintage blazer. If a blazer has the name Ralph Lauren and cost under $4....buy it! 

                         Cost: $3.00 

                        Sold: $17.00 

Silver women's jeans size 28. Silver is a brand Im always looking for! 

Sorry for the disturbing pictures at the beginning of the post. I just wanted to show what I've fought through! 

Best Jacket/Hoodie Brands

I LOVE to sell jackets/sweaters/hoodies/Blazers. They have some of the largest profit margins, are generally easy to search through at stores and profitable brands are plentiful at thrift stores. Now is the perfect time to sell these cold weather items. So, here are the top jacket brands I have sold: 

* The list is based on 4 categories: price, availability, consistency and competition. I ranked them from 1-20 then added up the rankings. 

** Dries Van Noten was not included in the rankings because it ranks #1 every time. 

Jacket/Hoodie/Sweater Brand Rankings: 

20. Lacoste- 83 

Lacoste finished FAR behind the other brands. If you can find the vintage sweaters cheap then you can make some money. 

19. North Face- 54 

18. Ralph Lauren- 53 

Because....duh! Ralph Lauren = highly available, a lot of competition and often valuable in every situation going forward. Search for vintage Polo Sport items and cheap Blazers. 

17. Lucky Brand- 51 

Low competition and lower level value for this list. 

16. Reebok- 51 

Reebok is EVERYWHERE. Key is knowing which items to buy. I look for team jackets or hoodies. Anything featuring Allen Iverson is also very valuable. 

15. Baracuta- 49 

When I sell this jacket Baracuta will fly up the list. Baracuta is not commonly found and has very little competition. As you can guess that means high profits! 

14. Pendleton- 48 

Look for the vintage wool jackets. Ones with blue tag and gold writing or white tag and gold writing. The newer jackets usually sit awhile. 

13. Christian Dior- 44 

Do you find Christian Dior pieces often or am I the only one? I like to buy the Blazers when they are cheap. Dior ranked in the middle of the pack in every category of the rankings. Make it a safe bet for the right cost. 

12. St. John by Marie Gray- 44 

Don't over pay for St. John items. Each sweater/jacket above cost me $4.00 or less and sold for a decent profit. There is a lot of competition on ebay selling St. John items, so be patient. 

11. Hickey-Freeman- 43 

10. Gieves & Hawkes- 42 

Hickey-Freeman and Gieves & Hawkes very much remind me of each other. Look in the men's jackets and coats for both brands. 

9. Givenchy- 41 

Givenchy usually finds a place in each of my rankings. There is very little competition for Givenchy jackets, so buy them when you find them! 

8. Starter- 39 

I LOVE Starter jackets. They bring me back to my 80's childhood. I buy Starter jackets at thrift stores that price according to product type; not brand. For instance; the Goodwills in Gainesville price all their jackets for $8.00. The Gators and Tigers satin jackets were both purchased for $8.00 and sold for $50.00. At a thrift store that prices according to brand, they would've been priced much higher. Any price under $15 is probably decent. 

7. Burberry- 38 

You will pay a lot and make a lot. Blazers don't sell for as much as you'd think. 

6. Lanvin- 36 

Little competition = high profit 

5. Tundra Canada- 34 

Consistent profit with little competition = Winner! 

4. Ermenegildo Zegna- 30 

Was there any doubt EZ would be on the list? Look in the men's Blazers for high profits. Any jacket really, but I've only found EZ Blazers. 

3. Levi's- 30 

Levi's denim jackets are iconic! They ranked high in availability and profit. The perfect combination! Denim jackets with Sherpa lining sell for amazing profits. 

2. Marni- 29 

Duh.......

1. J. Press- 21 

J. Press ranked #1 for consistency and competition; as well as #2 in price. The only drawback....availability. I've only found 3 J. Press items ever. All were found in Naples, so you may need to look in wealthy areas. J. Press is sophistication. It's sold near Ivy League schools. If you find a J. Press jacket, count your blessings then your profits!