Can't Complain.....

Hey Everybody! This has been a great week. My dog has over 900,000 views on YouTube; I got to speak with Papi from ESPN's Highly Questionable (he is my favorite). My best friend Sharen has suffered through a rough couple years: her husband and mother passed away, she lost her job and her employer found a way to get her Social Security disability taken away. With some of my ebay profits, I bought her a Kindle Fire for Christmas. She hardly has enough money to pay her bills, so she would never be able to afford a tablet. She cried happy tears, it was a great feeling! I was also able to donate $300 to a dog rescue organization, with the profits from Buckeye's video. Amazing week!

The only negatives: our home owner's association might force us to move out of our home. Even though my dogs are support dogs for our disabilities, we are only allowed one dog. The association allowed us to have the two dogs, but nothing could happen. Well, they ran out of the garage and at a dog last week. Complete accident and they didn't touch the dog but now we might have to move out. I'm nervous about it. Don't want to move out of Disney's home. 

Plus; ebay was just so-so. I've only sold 23 items so far. I'm on pace to sell less than last December, which is frustrating. Here are a couple things I sold: 

                         Cost: $3.00 

                         Cost: $4.00

                         Cost: $4.50 

                         Cost: Free 

                         Cost: $2.86 

These jeans didn't sell for much but they had been listed since April so I'm happy they are gone. 

                         Cost: Free 

                         Cost: Free 

I will only make a couple dollars off these figures but I found them in the trash. Last year when I was walking door to door campaigning for a candidate, someone had a Star Wars Monopoly game sitting at the top of their trash can. The box was beat up but all the pieces were new. So, I divided the pieces and listed them separately. I'll take a couple bucks from something dug out of the trash. You never know where you will find something valuable. 

How has your December been? Seems a lot of sellers are struggling. I just wish more would've sold so I don't have to drag it with me to Naples. 

Ranking Top 20 Jeans Brands

I LOVE selling pairs of jeans. Jeans are by far my favorite item to sell on eBay. I started selling jeans last December. In the last year I've sold at least 180 pairs of jeans from 53 brands. 

I've created a formula to rank the best brands of jeans I've sold. I ranked each brand using each of the following categories: 

1. Selling Price: average price of jeans sold 

2. Competition: how many pre-owned pairs are listed on eBay 

3. Availability: how many pairs I've sold 

4. Consistency: how consistent are the sales prices 

Each brand was ranked between 1-20 in each of those categories. The number next to the brand is the total when I added up the rankings. I added the numbers up and here are my rankings: 

20 Best Brands of Jeans: 

20. Paige Denim Jeans: 62 

Paige jeans are great to flip for a profit if you can purchase for cheap for find bigger sizes. 

19. Vigoss Jeans: 60 

Vigoss jeans can generally be purchased really cheap. Thrift store employees don't know they are a high end brand. The jeans are designed for a younger crowd. You won't sell Vigoss jeans for a huge amount ($25 at most), but if purchased cheap; you can make a nice profit. 

18. Big Star: 55 

Everything I just wrote about Vigoss applies to Big Star. 

17. Adriano Goldschmied: 53 

Adriano Goldschmied scored VERY high in availability: I find AG jeans a lot. Yet; consistency was a major issue. AG jeans can sell for $50 or $8. You never know? Just don't buy size 24-27 AG jeans unless they are VERY cheap. 

16. Lucky Brand: 51 

Lucky Brand scored very well with selling price (men's jeans sell for GREAT prices) and availability. You can find Lucky Brand jeans EVERYWHERE. Problem is: Lucky Brand scored dead last in competition. There are over 20,000 pairs listed right now. Lucky Brand men's jeans are always worth flipping. Women's jeans depend on the normal factors. 

15. Armani Jeans: 48 

I don't find Armani jeans very often, but I buy them when I do. Men's jeans can sell for a decent profit. 

14. Joe's Jeans: 48 

Joe's Jeans scored really high on availability and reasonably well on consistency. I don't know about you, but I find Joe's Jeans ALL THE TIME. Unfortunately, so does everybody else. Only Lucky Brand had more currently listed on eBay. So, if you're buying them for resale try to find bigger sizes or I've done really well with the Honey fit. 

13.  Citizens of Humanity: 47 

Joe's Jeans and Citizens of Humanity belong together. Everything I said about Joe's Jeans applies to Citizens of Humanity. Although, Joe's Jeans sell consistently for a higher price. COH jeans can vary greatly. Do you research! 

12. 7 For All Mankind: 46 

It's interesting 7FAM and COH were ranked next to each as the founders of COH once started 7FAM; before an epic fight and lawsuits. 7FAM is the brand I buy and sell the most. The #1 ranking in availability propped up 7FAM, as it ranked pretty low in everything else. I've sold 7FAM jeans for $75 and I've sold them for $7, so do your research before buying. 

11. Not Your Daughter's Jeans NYDJ: 45 

NYDJ is the brand I've bought and sold the most in the last couple months. They are easy to find cheap and sell for a nice profit. I find plus sized NYDJ often and those sell REALLY well. NYDJ won't make you rich but will help you pay some bills. 

10. Vintage Tommy Hilfiger: 41 

I'm surprised vintage Tommy Hilfiger jeans ranked this high on the list. I only buy the vintage pairs with the above logo on the back. Vintage TH ranked 5th in both consistency and competition. There are only 800 pairs currently listed and they will consistently make you money. You won't find them often; but usually get them cheap when you do. They won't sell quickly, buy them anyway. 

9. J Brand: 38 

#12 is the start of brands I get VERY excited to find. J. Brand ranked #3 in selling price and consistency. Basically, J. Brand jeans sell consistently high! The brand would be ranked higher; except I've only sold 3 pairs. Otherwise; J. Brand might be top 5. 

8. MEK Jeans: 36 

MEK ranked in the top 8 in everything except availability. Basically, everything that applies to J Brand jeans applies here. You won't find them often....get excited when you do! 

7. Miss Me Jeans: 33 

Miss ranked first in consistency and second in price. Only thing keeping Miss Me jeans from a top 5 brand was the competition. There are over 8000 pre-owned pairs of Miss Me jeans for sale on eBay. Due to the competition, they might not sell quickly; yet they will sell consistently for a high price. 

6. Naked & Famous Jeans: 32 

Naked & Famous is the brand you get VERY excited about finding. VERY! It ranked first in competition with only 209 pairs currently listed. Naked & Famous also ranked 5th in selling price and 6th in consistency. So why is it ranked 6th? I've only found two pairs EVER. Naked & Famous jeans are difficult to find. Your heart should skip a beat if you do find them. 

5. Marithe Francois Girbaud: 31

MFG jeans were big in the 90's and aren't made today. There isn't much competition selling them on eBay. They consistently sell for $20-$30. Rarely for less and rarely for more. Unlike J Brand and Naked & Famous jeans, MFG can be found in thrift stores. Buy them and make some cash pretty quickly. 

4. Hudson Jeans: 30 

Hudson ranked in the top 10 in every category. I buy Hudson jeans whenever I find them. Monday I bought a Bootcut pair for $4.50. Tuesday I listed them for $39.99 and they sold within 2 hours. You can't go wrong with Hudson jeans. Buy them! 

3. Silver Brand Jeans: 28 

I'm actually surprised Silver is ranked this high. Why? I find Silver jeans pretty regularly. Maybe they are bigger in Florida than other places? I'm not sure. Silver jeans will consistently make a great profit and can be found often. Just be sure to check the condition of the jeans before buying. 

2. Diesel Denim Jeans: 25 

I LOVE finding and selling Diesel jeans. Their style looks so good to me. Best part of Diesel jeans: I actually find men's pairs of Diesel jeans. Men's jeans always sell for higher profits. Be sure to research the cut of a pair of Diesel jeans before putting down big money on a pair. I've sold Diesel jeans for $18 and I've sold them for $75; all depends on the cut and size. 

1. True Religion: 23 

True Religion winning is a minor upset. I thought Diesel would win. Yet; looking back on my sales, I see why True Religion ranked #1. In February I sold a men's pair for $100. True Religion ranked first in sales price with an average selling price of $49.00. True Religion also ranked 5th in competition and consistency. The only knock was I've only bought and sold 5 pairs; none since March. True Religion jeans are so expensive to buy retail that people don't donate them to thrift stores (unless you're in Naples). Before buying a pair of True Religion jeans be sure they are authentic. If authentic....they are #1 on this list for a reason. BUY THEM! 

So....what brands would rank high on your list? 

Where is the Passion?

Generally, I love selling on eBay. I love the process; other than cleaning dirty shoes. I love finding items. Love listing items. Love selling items. I even love organizing all my items. Plus, I really love writing about the journey. 

I'm just not feeling it right now. I'm not sure why? Kind of feel like I'm spinning my wheels and going nowhere. Seems like no matter how hard I work, how much knowledge I attain and how many items I list; the results are always the same. Good....not great. I don't have days where 9-10 items sell. I'm lucky to sell 4 or 5. I thought December would be different but it hasn't been so far. 

Maybe I'm frustrated because all the smells are selling and none of my bigger money items? I know selling on eBay is a slow, consistent existence; but come on! I didn't learn about what sells for big money to have it all just sit in my store! 

Or maybe I'm frustrated that my dog made more singing Adele than I've made this month?! 

Are you experiencing anything similar? How are the holidays treating you?

Another thing: I'm not going to continue my A-Z Vintage list right now. I'm just not feeling it. I'll probably start a new brands list for everybody. 

Anyway, rant is over! Here are some items I've sold in December: 

 

                          Cost: $2.00 

                         Cost: $0.00 

Love how I wrote about this exact brush on my Avon post, then found and sold one a week later. This is a very rare brush so the odds are amazingly low. 

                         Cost: $5.00 

I probably paid too much for these jeans. 

                         Cost: $1.00 

I bought these at Big Lots after Christmas last year. I'd advise stopping there after Christmas. They had a huge rack of items for 90% off. I flipped several items on eBay and gave several away as gifts. 

                         Cost: $0.00 

                         Cost: $0.00 

I've never heard of this book before but it sold in less than 5 minutes. I should've priced it a little higher. 

      

                         Cost: $2.50 

                         Cost: $4.00 

I will be including Betsey Johnson on my next A-Z Brands list! 

                         Cost: $0.00

                         Cost: $2.00 

Every item I just highlighted was a Naples find. That is why is the Thrifting Mecca. 

Hopefully, my attitude about ebay will change soon. Thanks for reading my rant! 

A-Z Vintage: F

The last 5 days have been surreal. A radio station actually had this poll on their website: 

The poll made me laugh so hard! Really? My dog is winning in a poll vs Adele. So strange. 

I sold 9-10 things so far this month. I'm waiting for everything to pick up. Hopefully, it happens before we leave on the 19th. 

A-Z Vintage: F 

Fisher Price 

Fisher Price was founded by Herman Fisher, Irving Price, Margaret Evans Price and Helen Schelle in 1930. The New York based toy company centered their toy making principles on intrinsic play value, ingenuity, strong construction, good value for money and action. Early Fisher Price toys were made of heavy steel parts and ponderosa pine; which held up under heavy use. 

In 1931, the founders took 16 of their wooden toys to the American International Toy Fair in New York City; they quick became a success. The first ever Fisher Price toy sold was "Dr. Doodle" in 1931. 

The company started making toys with plastic in the 1950's. During the 1960's, The Play Family (later known as Little People) was introduced and quickly became the most popular toy. In 1993, Fisher Price became a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel. In 1997, Mattel decided to market all of its preschool products under the Fisher Price name. 

Fisher Price has produced over 5,000 toys and worked with Disney, Sesame Street, Barney and Dora the Explorer; among others. 

Fisher Price vintage toys are very popular on eBay with 10,784 currently listed and 14,073 recently sold. I thought steel toys from the 1950's and earlier would be the highest sellers but I was wrong. Little People are KING on eBay. Here are some of the highest selling vintage Fisher Price items: 

I've seen vintage Little People items at thrift stores only a couple times. The best place to Little People is at estate sales or sometimes at garage sales. I regularly find vintage Fisher Price items at estate sales; where an elderly person has passed away. Check out the estate sales in your area to find Fisher Price items at a great price. 

Growing up my Mom was a babysitter. We'd have 10-15 kids in our house at all times and I loved it! She would go out every Saturday morning to find toys at garage sales for all the kids to play with. We had a giant play room filled with vintage Fisher Price toys (some were even vintage back then). So, we have or had pretty much every Little People toy set ever produced. We still have several of the sets. Due to growing up with Fisher Price items, I LOVE it! Like Disney pieces, I have Fisher Price items decorating my house. For instance: 

The castle was always my favorite. I have it on the ledge below my vaulted ceilings. 

I have a hard time selling Fisher Price items because of my fondness for them. I have sold one Fisher Price item: 

Micro explorer set from 1986, I sold was still in the box. I sold it for $39.99. 

I have several small vintage Fisher Price items to sell including; Little People, Little People accessories, camera and view master. I need to decide if I want to sell them in lots or each individual piece. 

If you find vintage Fisher Price items; buy them. 80's babies, who now have some money, played with them as children and are more than willing to spend the money on a piece of nostalgia. 

Next A-Z Vintage: G 

Golden Books