Sunday, May 29, 2016

Week in Review







May has been pretty good! I've only listed a few things so I'm proud of selling 55 items so far. Considering I only have 150 items listed....it's not bad! Hopefully I can reach 60 for the month. My birthday was fabulous too. Great month! Here are a few items I've sold this week: 




       Versace Vintage Women's Jeans

          Cost: $4.80          Sold: $47.99 





       Lacoste Men's Board Shorts XL

          Cost: $3.00          Sold: $37.99 





       Vince Camuto Heels/Wedges 5 

          Cost: $5.00          Sold: $31.00 





       Ralph Lauren Womens Sweater 

          Cost: $4.00          Sold: $19.00 





       St. John Womens Pants Size 2 

          Cost: $5.00          Sold: $12.99 


St. John has not sold well lately. I'm not sure what's going on? 





         Levi's Big E 1960's Hippie Vest 

          Cost: $3.00          Sold: $73.99 





       Hudson Wide Leg Women's Jeans

          Cost: $5.00          Sold: $17.99 





       New Balance Men's Size 16 Shoes

          Cost: $6.00          Sold: $39.99 


Not a bad week 😃😃😃

A-Z Brands: J









A-Z Brands: J 

Jhane Barnes


Jhane Barnes is an American men's wear company. In 1976, Jhane Barnes borrowed $5000 from her biology professor to start her company (wish I had that professor in college). Jhane's distinctive designs for men's pants and jackets began to gain recognition and popularity with rock stars. Elton John, Paul Simon and John Lennon were/are customers. In 1980, Jhane Barnes became the first woman to win the prestigious COTY award for fashion. In 1982, she won Outstanding Men's Wear Designer of the Year. 
The fall of 2013 marked Jhane Barnes final men's wear collection, so anything we find in thrift stores is prior to 2013. 

Jhane Barnes has a decent size prescence on ebay. 3,705 pre-owned items are currently listed and 1,807 sold recently. Most of the items are men's dress shirts. Here are a few that have sold recently: 





















First, let me say I think it's totally badass that a woman created a men's clothing line and has won multiple awards. Love it! Recently, I have found A LOT of Jhane Barnes dress shirts. I buy them for $2-$4 and sell them for $18-$29. I haven't figured out why some sell for $18 and others sell for $29 but I will. I think the more bland shirts sell for less. Here are a few I have sold: 



          Cost: $4.00          Sold: $25.99 




                    Cost: $2.14 


I have these listed currently. Considering combining the shirts by size into a listings, not sure yet. 





My advice: Jhane Barnes pieces are pretty easy to find. Grab up the items. Due to her final line being in 2013, the prices will only go up. Most thrift store employees don't know Jhane Barnes is a good brand so they can be cheap. The items won't sell quickly or make you a huge amount of items, but they are good little sales to put money in your pocket. 



Jhane Barnes grades: 

Sales Price: B-
Availability: A+ 
Consistency: B+ 
Competition: B-

Overall: B


Next A-Z Brand: K 

Keen 

Thursday, May 26, 2016

36 For 36




Better late than never! I turned 36 on Monday and spent the day at Cedar Point in Ohio. Can't believe I'm 36!!! Physically I feel 96 and mentally I feel 23. So maybe 36 is a good thing?! I'm trying to recover from the trip and will continue the A-Z list this weekend. Here are 36 things about me for my 36th birthday. Hopefully I don't repeat things on the list from last year. 


1. I live 5 minutes from the University of Florida but I'm not a Gator fan. 
2. I was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Naples, Florida. 
3. I'm the oldest of 3. My brother is a year younger than me so it feels like we are twins. Still I definitely got the oldest child personality traits. I'm a leader who wants to be in charge :) 
4. Basketball is my passion in life. I loved it from the second I started playing and dedicated my life to it. Selling on eBay is my way of proving I can live without it. 
5. Medical issues have defined my life. 
6. I got chickenpox twice! 
7. I've had 18 surgeries. 10 knee surgeries, 4 thumb surgeries, tonsillectomy, and three oral surgeries. 
8. I have Fibromyalgia, Trigeminal Neuralgia, ADD and who knows what else? 
9. My dog DISNEY got Cancer in the cartilage in her tail and pelvis area. At the same time the cartilage in my knees stopped falling apart. I feel like I wouldn't be walking still if it wasn't for her. The vets and my physical therapist agree. 
10. I miss DISNEY every day. 
11. Buckeye and Gator Bait, my new dogs, entertain me while I'm working on my ebay stuff. They try to assist but just get in the way. 
12. My parents each worked 3 jobs at a time to raise us. That's where my work ethic comes from. 
13. I love LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 
14. My favorite brands to sell on eBay are: Harley Davidson, Miss Me, Jordan, and Hudson. 
15. I LOVE selling vintage Levi's items. It's like stepping into a time capsule. 
16. Jeans and jackets are the categories I sell in most often. 
17. My house is decorated with panoramic photographs of cities I've visited. I have Cincinnati, Chicago, Las Vegas and Washington DC in my living room. I need to order more. 
18. I have a weakness for anything DISNEY. I love everything DISNEY. 
19. My ultimate bucket list item is a trip to Europe. If I can ever get my knees feeling good, I'll be there! 
20. My other dream is going to an Ohio State vs Michigan football game at Ohio State. 
21. My god brother plays professional basketball. I coached him from the time he was 3 years old until he was 18. 
22. I love Cletus. She keeps me young. 
23. I don't have very many friends, but the ones I have are REAL friends. Roots to my tree. 
24. My favorite food is candy. I have an obsession. It's not a good thing! 
25. My favorite movies are: Forrest Gump, Titanic, Django Unchained, Dark Knight and Guardians of the Galaxy. 
26. I LOVE music. I'm a HUGE hip hop and R&B fan. I've got thousands and thousands of songs on my computer. 
27. My nickname is: 2Pac. 
28. My favorite tv shows are: Blacklist, Scandal, Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, and Ink Master. 
29. I'm a Democrat. I know some readers are Republicans. My parents are Democrats but did not pressure us in any way to be Democrats. I remember going campaigning for Bill Clinton with my Dad when I was younger. I like to keep up on politics. 
30. I would run for political office one day but I feel like the greater impact can be made in social service organizations. 
31. My Dad has a degree in history and I really enjoy reading historical biographies. Love anything historical. 
32. My heroes (other than my parents) are: FDR, President Obama, Harriet Tubman, and maybe Oprah. Who can hate on Oprah? 
33. I've never made a penny off this blog. I just like to write to help. 
34. My dog is famous though and makes money off her YouTube video singing Adele. We donate all the money she makes to dog rescue organizations. Support Paw Print Hearts of Tampa and Plenty of Pitbulls of Gainesville. 
35. I appreciate everyone who reads this blog and love hearing about your journey. 
36. If you read this far....thank you! 





Friday, May 20, 2016

Great Birthday Week





Now that I'm turning 36, I've decided I get a Birthday Week! It started off in fabulous fashion at dinner with friends. I'm blessed to have some amazing people in my life. Tomorrow we go to Ohio and spend 4 days visiting Cedar Point and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Im so excited! Without selling on eBay, all our travels would never be possible. 

The ebay gods brought me prosperity for my birthday week too. I've sold 40 items this month so far. Maybe not a huge number but I only sold 36 last May, always love an improvement! Here are a few items I sold this week: 




       Coach Leather Black Purse NWT 

                    Sold: $174.99 

I sold this purse for a friend. After ebay fees and shipping, my friend got $100 and I got $45. I offered to give her more but she was happy with $100. 




       Tommy Hilfiger 90's Men's Jeans

          Cost: $6.00          Sold: $59.99





       Tim Tebow Nike UF Jersey NWT 

          Cost: $4.49          Sold: $43.99 





       Balenciaga 80's Womens Blouse

          Cost: $4.99          Sold: $49.99

If the colors weren't bleeding into one another this blouse would've sold for big money. Even in that condition it sold for $50! 





       Jordan TRNR Basketball Shoes 12

          Cost: $5.99          Sold: $35.99 





        J Brand Women's Jeans Size 29 

          Cost: $3.99          Sold: $32.00 





       Jamie Sadock Women's Shirt L 

          Cost: $2.14          Sold: $21.00 





            Versace Vintage Silk Tie 

          Cost: $1.32          Sold: $25.99


I sold a bunch of low prices items too. It's been a great week. I always sell a bunch of stuff when I go on vacation so next week should be amazing too. 

A-Z Brands: J





A-Z Brands: J 

Betsey Johnson 

 
 Betsey Johnson snagged a spot on the fashion map in 1978.  The Betsey Johnson Boutique in Soho sold Johnson's dance wear inspired creations.  Betsey Johnson's clothing is flirty and sassy. The company quickly expanded, but in 2012 filed for bankruptcy; resulting in the closure of all 63 stores. Plotting a comeback, Betsey Johnson started releasing lower priced items to be sold in Macy's and Nordstrom. 

 Betsey Johnson is pretty popular on ebay. Currently, 6,679 pre-owned items are listed and 5,815 sold recently. Popular items on eBay include purses, accessories and women's clothing. Here are a few recently sold items: 
























(Love the 50% value on this one. What? Haha) 






To be honest, Betsey Johnson is a brand I was unfamiliar with until about a year ago. Going bankrupt isn't exactly the best business model, but now I see her lower priced pieces frequently. I hear people talking about wanting a Betsey Johnson purse or dress. Betsey Johnson has become mainstream. I've found 5 Betsey Johnson pieces so far: 2 purses, 1 cosmetic bag and two dresses. Here are a couple of my finds: 
















                    Sold: $41.00 





                    Sold: $25.00 


My advice: Betsey Johnson items sell. They might not sell quickly but they sell. The purses are the best sellers. I know nothing about purses and there don't seem to be any fake Betsey Johnson purses, so they are the only purses I buy. The clothing doesn't sell as well; yet still can be very profitable. Betsey Johnson is definitely a brand to look for in thrift shops. 


Betsey Johnson Grades: 

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


Next A-Z Brand: J 

Jhane Barnes

Monday, May 16, 2016

Week in Review






So the last week was kind of rough! I had a nasty fall on my already TERRIBLE, awful knee. To blame? 




This was Buckeye after helping me cook dinner. Not long later we were at dog school and she wasn't looking so cute to me anymore! I had both dogs and two new dogs came walking up with their owners. Buckeye bolted! She is the fastest dog I've ever seen....not exaggerating. My knees haven't been able to run in years; I tried to run with her for a few steps but my knees gave out. I slammed into the ground. Knee, elbow, palms landed on a concrete bench. It was ugly! I had to let go of Buckeye. I knew she would just go play with the other dogs. Gator on the other hand would run over and try to attack them, so somehow I managed to hold onto her through it all. Four days later my leg has a huge knot and is pretty swollen. Hurts pretty bad. Of course, now I have the worst cold I've had in years too. 


Anyway, ebay wasn't bad at all. I sold 6 items yesterday and 26 so far this month. Here are a few of my recent sales: 



    NYDJ Women's Cropped Pants 16W

                    Cost: $3.00 
                   Sold: $27.99





       Brooks Brothers Corduroy Jacket 

                       Cost: $2.00 
                      Sold: $39.99 




         Bass Pro Shop Vintage Jacket 

                    Cost: $4.00 
                   Sold: $25.99 




         Armani Exchange Cargo Pants 

                    Cost: $5.00 
                   Sold: $21.00 





       Calvin Klein Men's Slim Cardigan 

                     Cost: $2.00 
                    Sold: $25.99 





       Burberry Men's Vintage Blazer 46R 

                    Cost: $10.00
                    Sold: $27.99 

Sometimes it's hard to know which Burberry items will go for big money. At times the items aren't worth the big prices thrift shops charge. 





       Hickey Freeman Men's Sweater 

                    Cost: $2.14 
                    Sold: $9.99 

I actually lost a dollar on this sale but I don't care. The sweater was my longest listed item and I wanted it gone. Thought it would sell for more....lesson learned. 



Could you all tell me your ebay name in the comments below? I would like to follow you. If I'm already following you, I'd like to remember who belongs to which name. Thank you!