Goals & Genius

I heard this quote in a movie recently and thought it perfectly described thrift flippers. We have created something from nothing. That creativity equals genius! 

I set the goal are raising $1400 for a trip to New Orleans on the first week of August. Even though it looked shaky for a while I accomplished my goal. Since August 1st I made: 

Ebay: $1100

Daniella's companion: $600 

Total: $1700

My New Orleans Budget looks like: 

Hotels: $600 

Gas: $50 

Food: $250 (food is expensive in NO) 

Spending money: $300

Total: $1200

Selling on eBay has really changed my life. Disability pays all my monthly bills, but wasn't enough for me to pay for groceries, medical needs or have spending money. Selling on eBay has paid for my trip to Washington DC in March and now to New Orleans. If you aren't selling on eBay, why not? 

After struggling over Labor Day weekend, things have picked up. Thanks to those who offered suggestions! They were very helpful. Here are some of the items I've sold recently: 

     NYDJ jeans Plumberry Python design

NYDJ have become one of my favorite brands to sell. I find them cheap VERY often and most sell well. 

                    Cost: $2.49 

                    Sold: $34.99 

     Harari Oriental style women's jacket 

I spent too much on this jacket, but it intrigued me. The style is very unique and it's a very high quality jacket. If you can find this brand cheap, buy it! 

                    Cost: $6.00

                    Sold: $22.99 

          Lanvin Paris 100% silk ties 

Ties are my new favorite thing to buy and these are the first ones I've sold. They are generally cheap at thrift stores. Big name designer brands are easy to find. Plus, they are super easy to ship. I didn't make a huge profit on these, but it all adds up. 

                    Cost: $3.00 

                    Sold: $11.00 

     Vintage Star Wars sheets from 1977 

Ok...I probably priced these WAY too low. I didn't realize how old they were when I first listed them, I got them for free ; and they had a couple rips. Daniella's Mom donated them for our Disabled Lives Matter yard sale and I chose to sell them on eBay. They sold in one day. Oh well. We live, we learn. 

                    Cost: Free

                    Sold: $11.99 

        Jamie Sadock women's shirt

This is the second time I sold this shirt. It was too short for the first buyer. This is also the only Jamie Sadock item I've ever found. If you find it: buy it! You won't regret it. 

                    Cost: $2.00 

                    Sold: $27.00 

Thanks for listening to my struggles earlier in the week. The last couple days just shows what a roller coaster ride selling on eBay can be! 

         

The Struggle is REAL!

We all go through slumps selling on eBay. It's definitely a trip filled with peeks and valleys. This valley stings more than the rest though. 

At the beginning of August I set the goal to save $1400 to take Courtney to New Orleans for her birthday. It's the first time she let me plan her birthday and I am going to make it memorable. I had 40 days to save $1400, a challenge for sure. Going into Labor Day weekend I needed to make around $150. Most weekends $150 is no problem: Fridays and Saturdays are usually my best days. Of course this weekend, I didn't sell one item on Friday or Saturday and only one thing on Sunday. 

*Warning pity party and vent coming* 

I'm not sure how I could only sell one item all weekend; especially now! I put in the work all week. I listed nearly 40 items last week (only sold 4 items for September). I helped a friend in GREAT need, so my karma levels should be good. My prices are never high. Products are generally good to great. I'm frustrated to say the least! Hopefully, I can sell some things the next four days and reach my goal. 

                  * Pity party over* 

Here is the one item we sold all weekend: 

      Diesel Louvely women's jeans 29 

I paid too much for these jeans, but I have a weakness for Diesel items. 

                    Cost: $6.00

                    Sold: $19.99 

I need everybody's advice on some items. The following are some of my current listings. They all have four or more watchers and tons of views. The prices aren't high or low. A few of the items are really rare, so knowing the right price can be difficult. Could you all tell me what I'm doing wrong? What could I change? Any ideas? What has worked for you? 

J. Press handwoven tweed men's jacket. You can see it has over 1400 views the last two months! So why hasn't anyone bought it? The only other comparable one that has sold or even been listed (at the time) sold for much more. I wouldn't mind lowering the price as I only paid $3.00 for it, but I've already lowered the price significantly. I'm perplexed! Help me! 

Dries Van Noten silk shawl or cardigan on the left. Marni cashmere top on the right. They cost me $3.37 each and I bought them at the same time (same day I bought all the Harley-Davidson shirts). These have been listed since May. There is nothing comparable listed or sold on eBay. 

Marni shirt on the left. I bought it with the other Marni shirt and for $3.37 also. Betsy Johnson dress on the right. I paid $1.00 for it back in May. Like the items above, I couldn't find anything comparable on eBay. 

Edwin men's jeans I bought in Maryland over Spring Break. I paid $6.00 for the jeans: far too much. CJ by Cookie Johnson size 12 women's jeans on the right. I paid $3.00 for them back in May. 

Nat Nast 100% linen men's 2x shirt. It's been listed since May and had tons of views and inquiries. Arc'Teryx jacket I just bought for $2.29 in August. 

Dr. Marten leather ankle boots. I bought these back in May for $8.00. Pink Floyd Blacklight poster my brother had in high school. 

How can I turn all these views and watches into sales? 

At least I can get excited about one thing: 

     Ohio State plays Virginia Tech tonight! 

Brands We Sell Most Often

My numbers will be a little off on this post because Buckeye decided she didn't like my old school record keeping and destroyed my records, but you'll get the idea. 

I salvaged some of my records, but a lot were gone. Needless to say....I was NOT happy! 

Anyway, we've sold a lot of brands over the last 18 months. We've sold big name designer brands like Versace, Gucci, Armani, Dries Van Noten and Ferragamo. Yet; the high end designer brands don't make up the majority of our sales. In fact, those items can be harder to sell as the pool of buyers looking to spend big money on eBay on a piece of clothing isn't too large. We find and sell a lot of middle of the road brands. The brands that really expensive new but can be reasonable used on eBay. The brands we buy and sell most often are (examples included are recent sales): 

1. Nike: 24 items sold 

Nike is the easiest brand to find and resell. We look for jerseys, shoes, vintage items (the color of the tag is a hint to if its vintage) and Dri-fit items. Nike items are far from an automatic buy as they are EVERYWHERE, but if you stick to the examples we listed above; you will do well. 

     UF Nike Dri-Fit Polo Shirt: NWOT 

                    Cost: $4.49 

                    Sold: $27.99 

2. 7 For All Mankind: 19 pairs of jeans sold

7 For All Mankind jeans are very expensive if purchased new. Considering how expensive they can be new, I'm shocked at how many pairs we find at thrift stores. We find them VERY frequently. An added bonus with 7 For All Mankind jeans is most thrift store employees don't know the brand and won't jack up the price (most anyway). So, you can sometimes get them pretty cheap. We've sold every single pair of 7FAMK jeans we've ever listed. Like any other brand, the selling prices greatly fluctuate though. If you find a pair of 7 For All Mankind jeans for under $5.00 they are an automatic buy. If they will cost you more than $5.00, look up the style or line before making the purchase. 

     7 For All Mankind Gray Skinny Jeans

                    Cost: $4.49 

                    Sold: 24.99 

3. Jordan Brand: 16 items sold

I spent my entire life until two years ago, playing or coaching basketball. I've traveled the country coaching, was one of the only female high school men's basketball coaches in the country and even coached NBA players. So, buying and selling Jordan products is natural for me. It's VERY hard to not make money on a Jordan item. The shoes, shorts, shirts and basically anything sell well. Condition and price are the only things that ever stop me from buying a Jordan brand item. Most thrift stores know Jordan shoes are valuable and will price accordingly. Sometimes, even priced high Jordan shoes are a great purchase for resale. If you find Jordan items in great condition for a reasonable price: BUY THEM! If you aren't buying and selling Jordan items, you are leaving money on the table. Our number of Jordan brand sales would be a lot higher but it's the one brand I have a weakness for and tend to keep the items instead of selling them. I've kept three pairs of shoes, pants, shorts and countless shirts for myself. I guess you can take me away from basketball but you can't take basketball out of me! 

               Jordan XIII child's shoes

                    Cost: $2.99 

                    Sold: $29.99 

4. Harley-Davidson: 15 items sold

Harley-Davidson is my favorite brand to sell. Why? Harley-Davidson fans are passionate and extremely loyal. I have sold every single Harley-Davidson item I've ever purchased and for VERY good profits. In May, I found six Harley-Davidson men's XL button down shirts at Goodwill one day. Someone had taken them to the dry cleaner and never picked them up. My heart literally was about to jump out of my chest with excitement (it was the same day we found 5 Dries Van Noten items and 4 Marni items). The six Harley-Davidson shirts cost me $25.74. I sold them for a combined $301.95. A profit of $276.21 on six shirts! 

I purchase ANYTHING Harley-Davidson if the price is right. In general, I sell T-shirts in lots of two to five shirts; except vintage T-shirts. Other items like button down shirts, sweatshirts, books, ties, and even Christmas ornaments I sell individually. People will buy your Harley-Davidson items and they will pay a nice price for it too! 

      Harley-Davidson button down shirt 

                    Cost: $4.49

                    Sold: $47.00 

5. Champion Brand: 14 items sold

I haven't sold any Champion Brand items recently, so I don't have any pictures; but I love to buy and sell it. Champion was a very popular sports brand in the 80's and 90's. I look for vintage basketball and football jerseys from Champion. Last February, I found nine vintage Champion jerseys at a Goodwill in Tallahassee. It looked like someone cleaned out the closet from their youth; as the jerseys were from 1992-1996. This was another occasion when my heart was about to leap out of my chest! On the nine jerseys we spent $34.99. We still have one left to sell but so far we made $241.94 on the jerseys; a $206.95 profit! If you find Champion football or basketball jerseys buy them. Thrift stores generally price them really low and huge profits can be made. Keep in mind: the popularity of the player and rarity of the jersey factor greatly in a jersey's resale value. I'd look up any other Champion Brand item before purchasing for resale. 

6. Ralph Lauren: 13 items sold

I don't buy Ralph Lauren items very often. Ebay is overly saturated with the brand and most sell for very little. I make exceptions for a few items such as; vintage items, plus size clothing (if cheap), black or purple label items or anything REALLY cheap. Ralph Lauren items can often be found at Goodwill Outlets, so I usually only buy it there. I did pay $4.49 for a black label 100% linen button down shirt a couple months ago, but it's rare for me to pay much for anything Ralph Lauren. 

In my last post I spoke about the Polo Ralph Lauren alligator belt I found at the Goodwill Outlet. I found it at the bottom of a bin that everybody else had ignored. It cost me 30 cents and sold in one day. Items like this belt, show Ralph Lauren can be sold for a nice profit; but be very careful about picking Ralph Lauren items for resale. 

    Ralph Lauren American Alligator belt

                    Cost: 30 cents 

                    Sold: $64.00 

7. Reebok: 11 items sold

Reebok had really fallen on hard times, but is gaining steam again. People are paying nice prices for Reebok shoes and vintage items. The majority of my Reebok sales are from football and hockey jerseys. Stitched Reebok hockey jerseys can sell for BIG money. Buy them when you see them and collect your money quickly after that. My best recent Reebok item, I found in Frederick, Maryland. I knew right away it was a great buy. Basically, if you find a stitched jersey at a reasonable price; buy it! 

        Clay Matthews Reebok Jersey 

                    Cost: $3.00 

                    Sold: $34.99 

8. Tommy Bahama: 11 items sold

Living in Florida, I could make a living just off Tommy Bahama Hawaiian shirts. The number of items sold is actually a lot higher, but I like to sell Hawaiian shirts in lots of 3-6 shirts, regardless of brand. Tommy Bahama shirts always sell on eBay. The bigger the size, the bigger the profit. Look for 100% silk shirts, they will bring you the highest profit. In Florida, Tommy Bahama shirts are pretty easy to find, but so easy to find in the other areas we've shopped. You can sell them individually or in lots. I prefer lots. 

If you find a Tommy Bahama shirt with a large embroidered design on the back...do your happy dance! I found this shirt on the same rack as the six Harley-Davidson shirts. Why can't every day at Goodwill be so amazing? 

      Tommy Bahama silk men's shirt

                    Cost: $4.49 

                    Sold: $57.00 

What brands do you sell the most? What brands do you wish you could sell more of? 

I75 Goodwill Outlet Trip

I grew up in Naples, Florida. Think bottom of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico side. Now I live in Gainesville, Florida; a four hour trip north up I75 from Naples. There are seven Goodwill Outlet stores near I75 between Gainesville and Naples. I decided on a recent trip home to stop by three of the Goodwill Outlet stores in the Sarasota/Bradenton region. 

Two of the stores were the type of outlet where everything is 50% off and very organized. Basically, like going into a normal Goodwill but everything is 50% off. The third outlet was the exact opposite. Everyone was running around like Kevin in Home Alone! Picture a lot of Haitian people running, screaming and searching through bins and that's basically the scene I walked in to. 

My philosophy at CGO (crazy Goodwill outlets) is to allow the craziness to happen then I am a scavenger in the calm. My reasons for not joining the craziness are: 

1. I don't trust myself to not get into a fight with someone who pushes or bumps into me. 

2. I'm pretty confident that I know what's valuable more than the other thrifters. I've spent hours researching valuable brands. Have they? Doubt it. 

At the CGO in Sarasota, my philosophy paid off. I allowed everybody to push, scream and act crazy. When it all calmed down, I decided to have a look. I found a bin of 75-100 ties that nobody had looked through. I purchased 13 ties including Harley Davidson, Christian Dior and Robert Talbott. Plus I found this belt: 

The belt is Polo Ralph Lauren. It's made of American Alligator and is a men's size 38. I sold the belt within a day of listing it. Here is my profit margin: 

               Purchase Price: 30 cents

                    Sold: $64.00 

That is a nice profit! Overall, I spent $4.48 at that outlet store and will make around $150. I wonder if the people who pushed and yelled can say the same? 

On my quest to save $1400 by September 11th for a trip to New Orleans, I'm about $125.00 short. Hopefully, I can get there! 

Here are a few other items I sold recently: 

       Sperry top sider leather wedges

               Purchase Price: $0.00

                    Sold: $21.99

 

     Jimi Hendrix 1994 concert poster

               Purchase Price: $0.00

                    Sold: $14.99 

        Harley-Davidson men's shirt lot

               Purchase Price: $2.49

                    Sold: $21.99 

        Chip and Pepper juniors jeans

Chip and Pepper is a decent brand to buy and sell. Most thrift stores don't know it, so if you can get it cheap...go for it. Just don't pay very much if you want to make a profit. 

               Purchase Price: $0.00 

                    Sold: $11.99 

How were your August sales and finds?  

      

Summer ends with a BANG

Bang can definitely be interpreted in a couple different ways: either we sold a lot of stuff and it ended well or I was banging my head against the wall dealing with buyers. Both are true! We did sell several items to end the summer and all the jackets we loaded up on are now selling. Still, I feel like throwing something dealing with buyers. It's interesting how we can go months without any issue from a buyer then suddenly four problems in two weeks. I admit, we were not innocent in one of the issues. There was a TINY hole in a sweater we sold and we never noticed it. I'm not totally sure if it was there (can possibly see it in the pictures?), but I could see missing that tiny hole. So, we take the blame for that one. We don't deserve to be keyboard told off because someone didn't read an item description or we placed tape on a box to keep it from being damaged though. We are VERY honest about the condition of the items we sell; to avoid these issues but sometimes they are inescapable. 

Vent over! We only shopped at thrift stores three times all summer and now will be shopping again 😃. We are VERY excited to shop again and feel good about our summer sales, considering we only three times. 

On our trip to New Orleans quest, we have now saved $905. We have 3 more weeks to save about $500. Here are some of the sales that helped us on our quest: 

   Clay Matthews stitched Packers jersey

               Purchase Price: $2.99

                    Sold: $34.99

 

     Harley-Davidson vintage 1990 shirt

Harley Davidson is our favorite brand to buy and sell. It ALWAYS sells. 100% of our Harley-Davidson items have sold. If you aren't selling Harley-Davidson, you are missing out. 

               Purchase Price: 5 cents 

                    Sold: $24.99 

     Manchester United 2x soccer jacket

               Purchase Price: $2.49

                    Sold: $21.99 

  

   Tommy Hilfiger vintage carpenter jeans 

               Purchase Price: $3.86 

                    Sold: $24.99 

               Gucci dust cover bag 

               Purchase Price: $1.14 

                    Sold: $13.99 

     Disney's Stitch denim youth jacket

               Purchase Price: $1.00

                    Sold: $11.00 

How were your summer sales? 

Disney

I survived the one year anniversary of Disney's death on Friday. Anniversaries are so hard! We worked on a scrapbook and set up a basket of tennis balls at the dog park in her memory. 

Memorializing Disney really helped me! How have you honored a lost loved one? 

We actually sold a bunch of stuff this weekend, but I will share that on my next post. For now here is a poem I wrote for Disney ❤️❤️

Tragedy Cries 

I can't think 

The air is blinking 

Tragedy cries 

Reason from shocked eyes 

I feel numb 

Stunned 

Starving for one more night 

Just a little more time 

A final good bye 

A confirmation you're alright 

I search for signs 

You're still by my side 

Convince my mind 

You're just hiding 

Until I realize 

I'm living in denial 

And find myself paralyzed 

Without you in my life 

I can't think 

The air is blinking

Tragedy cries 

Reason from shocked eyes

Thanks for reading.....until next time! 

Rough Anniversaries

Today marks one year since my best friend Disney died. The thing nobody mentions about becoming disabled is the psychological pain. Life changes drastically and very often we lack all control of the situation. Disney was my salvation. My strength. She comforted me after all 18 surgeries, illnesses and in my worst moments of pain.  When the cartilage in my knees was crumbling from under me, Disney got Cancer in her cartilage; and my knees stabilized. She saved my life. I know it sounds crazy but it's true. August 21, 2014 was the worst day of my life. 

After Disney died, I became focused on our ebay business. It seemed like the most productive distraction. A year later, our business has really grown. I'm still grieving and today will be VERY difficult, but my story goes to show selling on eBay is about more than money. It's about stability and normalcy. 

Here are some of our recent sales: 

         Diesel Zathan Men's Jeans 

               Purchase Price: $4.99

                    Sold: $23.00 

       Dries Van Noten 100% silk tunic

               Purchase Price: $3.37 

                    Sold: $70.00  

* If you ever find anything Dries Van Noten buy it IMMEDIATELY *

            Silver women's Toni jeans 

               Purchase Price: $2.99 

                    Sold: $19.99 

     Versace V2 Classic Tuxedo Jacket 

               Purchase Price: $1.14

                    Sold: $39.99 

Thanks for listening and reading! Find any new brands to sell lately?