Pulse

This week was Courtney's birthday so we went to Orlando for the weekend. A charity event for the survivors of Pulse nightclub featured cast members from The Walking Dead and Arrow. We love both shows and it was supporting a very good cause. Here is Arrow speaking at the panel we were fortunate enough to attend: 

After the charity event, we went to pay tribute to the victims of Pulse and visited the club. I knew it would be emotional; yet I didn't know it would be THAT emotional. It took every ounce of my being to not break down crying. We saw a Muslim family mourning the victims, a Hispanic soldier and all different races, genders, religions and people of different sexual orientations paying tribute to the victims. With all the anger, fear and hatred in the world; it was overwhelming to see all the love. 

I've never visited Ground Zero in NYC, Columbine or Sandy Hook; but I'm sure visiting Pulse had a similar feeling. I could literally feel my heart breaking. Honestly, I don't know what they should do to permanently honor the victims. If the city could build a memorial for the victims and re-open the club, so hatred doesn't stop the LGBT community's pulse; it would be amazing. 

 A soldier placing flowers at Pulse on September 18th. 

We look a mess in these pictures, but we were an emotional wreck. I still can't believe 49 people were killed at Pulse. It's devastating. 

eBay sales really are insignificant compared to visiting Pulse. Since this is a blog about flipping finds on eBay, I'll share my weekly update with you. I sold 27 items last week and 54 for the month. September is shaping up to be a pretty good month. I only have 3 items left to list from all my thrift trips. I'll need to go on another trip soon. Here are some of my sales from the last week: 

         Hudson Men's Jeans Size 38 

          Cost: $8.00          Sold: $29.99 

      Peanuts Snoopy Vintage Fan Pull 

          Cost: $0.00        Sold: $13.99

   Aquascutum Men's Trech Coat 

    Cost: $4.99          Sold: $61.99 

       Robert Graham Men's Polo Shirt 

          Cost: $2.99          Sold: $21.99 

        Max Mara Women's Linen Shirt 

          Cost: $2.15          Sold: $34.99 

My only Max Mara find ever. If you find a Max Mara item, buy it. 

        Flinstones 1993 Graphic T-Shirt 

          Cost: $1.00          Sold: $21.99

I'm a T-Shirt addict. Literally, T-Shirts and candy are my two weaknesses in life. So, I love finding older shirts like this Flinstones shirt. Any T-shirt with great subject matter from before 2000 is generally a quality buy. 

       Lacoste Vintage Men's Cardigan 

          Cost: $1.00          Sold: $27.99 

Lacoste vintage cardigans = easy $$$$ 

        Lacoste Men's V-Neck Sweater 

          Cost: $3.99          Sold: $21.99 

       Rag & Bone Women's Flare Jeans 

          Cost: $5.99          Sold: $38.00 

      Wrangler Men's 2002 Rodeo Finals 

           Country Western Shirt XXL 

          Cost: $4.50          Sold: $21.00 

I am not a country western fan AT ALL. Still, I buy a lot of country western clothing because it always sells well. 

      Patagonia Women's Synchilla Vest 

          Cost: $1.00          Sold: $28.00 

     Joe's Jeans Cropped, Ripped Jeans

          Cost: $3.00          Sold: $28.00 

I actually wanted to keep these jeans but knew they would sell pretty well. Sacrificed for the profit. 😃

What did you sell this week? What type of items have you noticed selling well recently? 

A-Z Brands: P

A-Z Brands: P 

Vintage Polo Sport 

  Polo Sport was a popular Ralph Lauren line in the 1990's. Polo Ralph Lauren was launched in 1981 by Ralph Lauren and Polo Sport was introduced in 1993. Apparently, the line made a comeback in 2015; but we are focused on vintage items. 

Currently, 2600 vintage Polo Sport items are listed on eBay and 2645 sold recently. Here are some of the recent sales: 

As you can see by the prices above, Polo Sport is a MUST buy brand. Not all Polo Sport items sell for such high prices, but they all sell reasonably well. If you find a Polo Sport piece with the bear on it and you find your heart racing.....no worries, that's natural! That little bear always makes my heart race as well. Clothing with the bear was released in limited quantities and is highly desirable. 

Polo Sport was extremely popular in the 90's hip hop scene and people look for pieces of nostalgia will buy it from you in a flash. My advice on Polo Sport items: BUY, BUY, BUY! 

I've bought and sold 7 Polo Sport items. 3 of those items had the Polo Sport Bear on it. Here are a few of the items I've sold: 

      

        Cost: $4.29           Sold: $49.99

This shirt sold in 5 minutes. That's code for "you priced this item WAY too low." Wish I had priced it higher. You live, you learn. 

          Cost: $4.49          Sold: $45.99

The bigger the bear, the more desirable the piece. This one took a little while to sell. 

 

          Cost: $2.00          Sold: $21.00

          Cost: $4.49          Sold: $33.00

   

          Cost: $3.99          Sold: $11.00 

I'm not convinced this shirt is vintage, so I accepted an eleven dollar offer. It doesn't look very 90's to me. You? 

Polo Sport Grades: 

Selling Prices: A 

Availability: B+ 

Competition: A-

Consistency: A 

Overall: A- to A 

Next A-Z Brand: 

Lilly Pulitzer 

Shopped Out

I'm pretty much shopped out right now. Worn out. In the last two weeks I've gone on thrift shopping trips to Leesburg (1.5 hours one way), Tallahassee (2 hours one way) and Fort Myers (4 hours one way). See where we are on the map: I'm in Gainesville. 

In those two weeks I've: 

Purchased 115 items

Listed 99 of those items

Sold 20 of those items 

Overall I've sold 80 items the last 19 days

Overall sold 28 items this week

Not sure I can look at one more pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans or St. John's Bay shirts for a couple days! I might lose my mind. Haha! I'm planning visits to Jacksonville, Orlando and Valdosta, Georgia; so I better get over it soon. I'm probably not going on a trip this week though. I've run out of space in my house. Need to invest in some cabinets or a coat rack.....something. How do you organize your listed eBay items? I could use some advice. Send me some pictures please! 

Well here are a few items I sold this week: 

   Tori Richard Christmas Hawaiian Shirt

          Cost: $4.79          Sold: $35.00 

          Rihanna 2016 Concert Shirt 

          Cost: $2.79          Sold: $19.99 

 Marithe Francois Girbaud Vintage Jeans   NWT Men's  34x32

          Cost: $5.00          Sold: $54.99 

     Harley Davidson Men's Cut Off Shirt

          Cost: $7.99          Sold: $44.99

     Big Star Men's Voyager Loose Jeans

          Cost: $5.79          Sold: $35.00 

         Diesel Women's Zharx Jeans 

          Cost: $3.00          Sold: $23.00

  Electric Company Ewoks Magazine '83

          Cost: $1.00          Sold: $14.99 

     Nat Nast Limited Edition Men's Shirt 

          Cost: $4.99          Sold: $45.00 

September sales have been alright. Slower than August, but still decent. How are your sales going? 

Success Story

Recently, Laura from Kentucky left this comment on one of my posts: 

It made my day! See, I've always had jobs where I help people. I started my own non-profit organization at 19 years old and helped hundreds of kids. Selling on eBay is the first job where I haven't been hands on helping people. To hear my blog helped a family was a total blessing to my ears! 

Here is Laura's sale: 

       St. John Evening Women's Jacket 

          Cost: $7.00          Sold: $300.00

That's an amazing return on investment. A bonus: she sold it in a matter of days! 

Thank you Laura for sharing your success story! Plus, I learned the "Evening" line from St. John is something I really need to look for. I was blessed twice by your story: learned a line to look for and felt good about helping. 

What are your recent success stories? 

Hermine

Hurricane Hermine has been slapping us for 5 hours now. Nothing major yet. She is about to go for the knockout punch soon. Luckily, we are about 50 miles inland so it's not nearly as bad. I grew up 10 minutes from the beach in SWFL and survived Hurricane Andrew, Charley, Wilma and even the early stages of Katrina. Hurricanes are just part of living in Florida. Plus; it gave me an excuse to buy a bunch of junk food! 

As far as EBay goes, August was my best month ever! By a mile. By ten miles. I sold 95 items and my previously high was 78. That's a huge increase! Considering I only have 200 items listed at any one time.....selling nearly half my store is HUGE! How did August end for you? 

Historically, September has been one of the best months of the year. I'm excited for the month. I went on a thrifting trip to Tallahassee on Tuesday and bought 25 items to sell. I've got my foot on the gas. The month started well already; I sold five items today. Maybe I can beat the 95 items sold? 

Here are the last few items I sold in August: 

       FSU Men's Nike Drifit Shorts Large

          Cost: $2.00          Sold: $18.00

       Jordan Men's Hoodie Size Small 

          Cost: $4.49          Sold: $22.99 

      UNC Nike Men's Hoodie Size Large 

          Cost: $2.00          Sold: $16.00 

       Priest Holmes Reebok Jersey XL 

          Cost: $3.50          Sold: $19.99

Notice any pattern? People are buying sports fan apparel right now. Anything NFL or college sports related will sell quickly. Search for it in stores and list anything you have. I know I will be!