Tuesday, April 26, 2016

A-Z Brands: C



Today, we will focus on two Italian companies with very similar sounding names: Canali and Cavalli. 





A-Z Brands: Canali 

Canali was founded in 1934 by Giacomo and Giovanni Canali; as a family business. The Italian company was passed onto the second generation in the 1950's and opened its first flagship store in the 1970's. As of 2013, Canali employed 1,700 people in 7 factories throughout Italy; where it makes about 250,000 articles of clothing per year. 

Canali has a significant presence on ebay with 3,657 items currently listed and 3,052 sold recently. Here are a few items that sold: 


















Canali specializes in men's suits, blazers and dress shirts. Try looking in the men's jackets for Canali suits or Blazers. 


Canali Grades: 

Price: B-
Availability: C 
Competition: C 
Consistency: B-
Overall: C+ 





A-Z Brand: Cavalli 


Since its first show in 1970, Cavalli has been synonymous with glam, rock and animal prints. Roberto Cavalli's flamboyant style caught on quickly and he opened his first boutique in 1972. The decadent life of the designer translates into his label; so look for color and lots of it! Cavalli's designs are wild, sexy, erotic and fluid. Cavalli creates it all: menswear, women's wear and clothing for children. 

Cavalli has a large amount of items listed on eBay with 5,208 and 2,359 pre-owned pieces selling recently. The listings varied greatly in price from $1501.00 to $1.00. Here are some Cavalli items that have sold recently: 




















One of my unwritten rules to flipping on ebay is: if a brand is mentioned in rap songs....buy it! Cavalli is one of those brands as Drake and Nicki Minaj mention Cavalli in many songs. 

I've only found one Cavalli item, which is listed now: 




These jeans cost me $5.00 and are listed for $62.00. I would buy any Cavalli piece I find, just keep this in mind: 

1. Roberto Cavalli items sell for more than Just Cavalli pieces. 

2. Jackets and dresses sell for the most. 

3. Kid's clothes are worth the least. 

My overall advice is if you're lucky enough to find a Cavalli item, buy it! Just buy it! 


Cavalli Grades: 

Selling Price: A
Availability: D 
Competition: B+
Consistency: B+ 
Overall: B+ 


Next A-Z Brands: D 
Diamond Supply Co. 

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Progress





April 26, 2007 is a day I will never forget. It is my official disability date aka the day I officially became disabled. It's the date I had the second transplant in my knee; after my body ate through the first one. The second transplant in Birmingham, Alabama (a 13 hour drive one way from Naples) was very different. ACI surgery is where a doctor removes a piece of cartilage from your knee, grows it for 4-5 months then puts it back into your knee. It was a new and very serious procedure. I would have to live in Birmingham for a few weeks, be on crutches for nearly a year and go to physical therapy for even longer. 

The best orthopedic surgeon in the country was performing my surgery and it was supposed to be successful; except it wasn't. I knew fairly quickly afterwards that something wasn't right. I couldn't ride in the car for weeks afterwards without getting sick and my body felt off. Turns out my body was rejecting itself. For years, doctors had no clue what was wrong with me and they still don't. Apparently, it's autoimmune related as Im the only patient who has ever rejected their own cartilage. 

My body has never recovered from the surgery. I had another transplant in 2008, which was successful and two other minor surgeries on the knee. I'm much stronger than in 2007-2010, but I'll never be even close to myself again. 

The journey has been like a roller coaster ride: up and down. Right now I feel great about my ebay work, companion work, writing, organizing my next MAJOR project and home life. We all face adversity in life. My hurdles to jump may be a little taller than most, but why not? You will never catch me saying: why me?! My thought is: why not me? I was built to be successful despite all my obstacles. And so were you, as long as you believe. Thanks for listening. 

Ebay was pretty slow this week. I only sold 9 items and had my first 2 day dry spell of the year. Was your week slow too or was it just me? I have some new items to list so maybe that will help? Here are a few items I sold the last week: 




             NYDJ Leggings Size 10 

          Cost: $2.50          Sold: $29.99 





     Lot 29 Vintage Looney Tunes Shirts 

          Cost: $1.00          Sold: $17.99 





     Brooks Brothers Trench Coat 

     Cost: $5.00          Sold: $29.99 





      Harley-Davidson Men's Sweatshirt 

          Cost: $2.50          Sold: $24.99 





       Hickey Freeman Madison Jacket 

          Cost: $3.00          Sold: $30.00 


Hopefully, next week is better! Have a great week everybody. 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

A-Z Brands Part II






A-Z Brands: B 

Baracuta 


Baracuta is an English men's clothing company. The Baracuta clothing factory opened in 1937 in Manchester, England. Baracuta is famous for their bomber jackets. In 1947, Baracuta began exporting their jackets to the United States. Baracuta's popularity rose after Elvis wore a G9 Baracuta jacket in "King Creole" and Steve McQueen wore one in "The Thomas Crown Affair." 


Bomber jackets are a HUGE trend in 2016 and Baracuta makes the most famous Bomber jackets of all. Currently, 130 Baracuta jackets are listed on eBay and 205 sold recently (new and pre-owned). The jackets sell between $50-$379. Here are a few that have sold recently: 




















Baracuta manufactures other items; the jackets are just the most popular and valuable. I have found 3 Baracuta items to this point. A silk shirt I sold for $25. Also these two items: 





I bought this vintage 80's Bomber jacket for $4.00. It sold 3 times with the first two buyers returning it because of sizing issues. The jacket was VERY small; otherwise it would have sold for more than $75.00. I believe $75.00 for a $4.00 jacket is more than good enough though. 



I bought this Baracuta Soft jacket in Ft. Myers a couple weeks ago. Think it was $1....maybe $2. It will sell for $25.00-$30.00. 


My advice: Most thrift store employees have no clue Baracuta is a valuable brand and don't mark up the prices. I've purchased every Baracuta item I've ever found. I'd suggest you do the same. 


Grades: 

Selling Price: A
Availability: C 
Consistency: A
Competition: A 
Overall: A 


Next A-Z Brand: C 

Canali 
Cavalli 

Sunday, April 17, 2016

A-Z Brands: B




A-Z Brands: B 

Billionaire Boys Club 




Billionaire Boys Club is an American clothing brand. In 2005, Pharrell Williams partnered with Nigor (the founder of Bathing Ape) and launched Billionaire Boys Club. The brand suffered many setbacks due to disputes between Williams and Reebok; who was scheduled to release the initial clothing line. BBC finally launched without the help of Reebok at the end of 2005. In 2011, Jay Z began a partnership with BBC and heavily invested in the company. 

Billionaire Boys Club items are sold in very limited quantities for high prices. You'll find these new items flipped on ebay; yet a low number of pre-owned items. Currently, only 279 pre-owned items are listed and 593 were sold. Here are a few examples of pre-owned items that sold recently: 




















Apparently, I am a Millenial or close to it. BBC appeals to Millenials and young people. If you live near a college, be on the lookout for this brand. I've only found one BBC item; a graphic T-shirt. 





I bought this shirt for $2.00 and sold it for $19.00 (should've been higher). The shirt sold within hours. If you find a BBC item, buy it. Point blank. 

The grades I would give Billionaire Boys Club: 

Price: B 
Availability: D 
Consistency: A 
Competition: A 
Overall: A- 


Next A-Z Brand: B 

Baracuta 

Friday, April 15, 2016

Blacklist






Does anybody else watch the Blacklist? It's one of my favorite shows on TV along with TWD, Empire and Scandal. I LOVE Reddington; my favorite character on television. Yesterday's episode had me sobbing on the couch. Just heartbreaking. If anybody watches....what did you think? If you don't watch, I strongly recommend giving it a try. 


Anyway, when it comes to ebay I'm doing alright. I've been home sick all week again and used the time to list. Of the 100 items I bought in Naples two weeks ago, I have 3 left to list. I've already sold 16 of the items, which proves if you list items you will sell items. Nothing sells unless it's listed. 


Here are a few items I sold the last couple days: 


 
         Escada Margaretha Ley Blouse

          Cost: $2.15       Sold: $39.99




     Ermenegildo Zegna Men's Jeans 36

          Cost: $6.00          Sold: $39.99





         Dwyane Wade Youth XL Jersey

          Cost: $2.29          Sold: $14.00





        Jamie Sadock Women's Pants 10

          Cost: $2.15          Sold: $19.00





         True Religion Graphic T Size M 

          Cost: $2.15          Sold: $17.99 

I should've priced this shirt higher. It had 8 watchers in a couple hours and sold within a day. The completed sales told me $17.99 was a good price, but I guess you never know. 





         Hickey Freeman Men's Blazer 44 

          Cost: $2.00          Sold: $34.99 





          Betsey Johnson Purse NWOT 

          Cost: $4.50          Sold: $41.00 


How is April treating you? 

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

A-Z Brands: A





Sorry I just thought this picture was so cool! I had to share it :) 


I've spent time compiling a new A-Z list. I definitely shouldn't have included so many brands on the last list. Duh! The list is complied of brands I've bought and usually sold, so it took a little while. I'm not going to include a brand nobody ever finds at a thrift store; although some are rare finds. Generally, I try to include lesser known brands, but some letters are harder than others and I had to make an obvious choice. So.....here we go. 



A-Z Brands: A 

Giorgio Armani 





"A" is one of the hardest levels to come up with a brand to add on the list. I had to go with an obvious choice. 

Armani is an Italian fashion house that was founded by Giorgio Armani. The brand features women's and men's wear; and is the fastest growing fashion brand in the world. Armani markets their products under several different labels, from the most expensive to the most accessible: Armani Prive, Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Armani Collezioni, Armani Jeans, and Armani Exchange. 


Armani is a fairly easy brand to find in thrift stores. You will more than likely find Armani Exchange items as its produced in the United States. The more expensive Armani brands are difficult to find in thrift stores. 

Armani has a HUGE presence on ebay. There are currently 25,290 pre-owned items listed and 17,329 pre-owned items have sold recently. Here are a few that sold yesterday: 






















Personally, I have bought and sold 7 Armani items. I try to avoid Armani Exchange unless the item is REALLY cheap. Don't pay more than $2-$3 for an Armani Exchange item unless it's either new or something amazing like a leather coat. You can spend a little more on other Armani lines. Here are a few Armani items I've sold: 



       Armani Collezioni Women's Jacket

          Cost: $5.00          Sold: $24.99 




       Armani Exchange Women's Jeans 

          Cost: $1.49          Sold: $10.00 









      Armani Exchange Women's Pants 

          Cost: $4.99          Sold: $21.99 



Personally, Armani is one of my favorite brands. It's very classy, smooth; yet not over the top expensive. Expensive enough that you think before buying a new product but not walk away. I absolutely LOVE their perfumes. 


My advice: If you find Armani products cheap, buy them. Otherwise; let someone else take the chance. Unless, it's an amazing item! 


Grades: 
Price: D 
Availability: A 
Consistency: B-
Competition: F 
Overall: C 

Next: B 

Billionaire Boys Club