Sorry

Sorry I haven't posted the best shirt brands to buy yet. I have the research done but need to type it up. It's been a rough couple days. I coached guys basketball for years. I've coached NBA players and over 50 college players; but every player I coached has a place in my heart. They are "my boys" forever. 

This is Bensen. I coached him the first couple years after he moved to Florida from Haiti. Bensen never played college basketball but his energy and laughter were always in the back of my mind. 

Sadly Bensen was murdered on Sunday. He was visiting Miami and just going to the mall. Someone saw he had jewelry, money and was driving a nice rental car. He wasn't involved in anything criminal and was just minding his own business. Someone robbed him and killed him in cold blood. 

I know this blog is about selling on eBay but sometimes we hit roadblocks and tragedy gets in the way. I'm heartbroken right now. Thanks for listening. 

Here are a few sales I've completed in the last couple days: 

         Tommy Bahama Men's shirt 

                         Cost: $4.29 

                        Sold: $39.99 

             Miss Me Bootcut Jeans 

                        Cost: $6.00 

                       Sold: $47.99 

      J Brand High Rise Skinny Jeans

                         Cost: $3.99 

                        Sold: $48.00  

    Tommy Hilfiger 90's Hip Hop Jacket

                        Cost: $1.59  

                       Sold: $80.00 

I found this Hermes tie today. It's BEAUTIFUL but who pays $388 for a tie??? I know I didn't. I bought it for $1.32. 

February is already treating me right. I've got some things to list. How is February for you? 

Goals ✔️✔️✔️

I'm so excited & I just can't hide it! I reached several big goals in January. 

- I made over $1000 profit for the first time ever! But that's just our secret....shhhh! I never like to discuss monthly profits but I had to share this one. 

- Sold 75 items....just beating my previous record. 

- And: 

500 positive feedback without 1 negative (knock on wood!). 500 in 20 months doesn't seem too bad. 

I've read about a lot of sellers struggling in January. So let me share my random thoughts on ebay. Success selling on eBay really comes down to only a few steps: 

1. Find HIGH quality items to sell. If I have 49 HIGH quality items for sale and you have 490 alright items; I'll out sell you every time. It's about quality not quantity. 

2. Take bright, professional quality pictures. 

3. Write descriptive yet clean titles for listings. 

4. Clearly provide every detail of your item; including the flaws. The more details the better. 

5. Set fair prices. 

I've noticed dark, blurry pictures; unrealistic prices, non descript titles and average products often hinder sales. If you pay great attention to the 5 steps above you'll have success. 

Here are a few things I sold yesterday and today: 

      Canali Men's Suit Jacket Size 44 

                        Cost: $6.00 

                       Sold: $29.99 

        Harley Davidson Men's Shirt XL 

                        Cost: $4.49 

                       Sold: $26.80 

       Quick Silver Board Short Large 

Yes, things are going so well I sold a pair of board shorts to a man in Wisconsin in January. 

                        Cost: $1.07 

                       Sold: $18.80 

     Lucky Brand Vintage Jeans Size 12 

                        Cost: $1.59 

                       Sold: $17.80 

     Harley Davidson Women's Jeans

                       Cost: $6.00 

                      Sold: $21.99 

I don't work on Monday or Tuesday so I'll work on a post of best shirt brands to buy then. One more day in January....hope everybody finishes strong! 

 

I ❤️ January

January has been my best month of all time. Why? I'm not totally sure. January was my worst month of 2015 and 2016 was my best month ever. I have around 200 items listed as usual. Honestly, I believe my improvement in identifying the best items to sell has lead to recent success. If you walk into a thrift store and can easily identify the most valuable pieces in the store, take decent pictures and list it efficiently.....you'll make money! Here are a few things I've sold recently: 

      NYDJ women's jeans size 18W 

                         Sold: $25.70 

     Redwing Men's Pecos Boots size 7 

Redwing will be on my next A-Z Brand list. Buy them any chance you get! 

                         Sold: $60.00 

          Coach Jenna Heels size 5.5 

Coach has a reputation for being very valuable but in my experience it doesn't sell that well on ebay. Have you had success with Coach items? 

                         Sold: $14.99 

       BKE Men's Seth Jeans size 36L

                       Sold: $49.99  

     Pendleton Vintage 1950's Jacket 

I shouldn't have agreed to sell this jacket. Somehow the buyer set the terms so I couldn't use the Global Shipping Program. So now I have to figure out how much it costs to ship to Australia. Anybody know where I can find that info? 

                       Sold: $49.99 

        Harley Davidson shirt size XL 

                       Sold: $36.80 

       Tommy Bahama women's shirt 

                       Sold: $14.99 

I am only a couple dollars from my ultimate monthly goal. I'm planning on listing like crazy tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed 🙏🙏

SNOW IN FLORIDA!!!!!!

So I mentioned last post that if we received one snowflake, Gainesville would go crazy. Well.........

We got our snowflakes and Gainesville lost its mind!!!! I was taking the dogs outside this morning and felt them hitting my sweatshirt. I thought to myself, "That can't be snow?!" Sure enough....it was snowing in Florida. 

COLD ❄️❄️❄️

I hope you are staying warm! My cousin lives 45 minutes outside Washington DC and they are getting 3 feet of snow tonight. Just crazy! If we had one snowflake Gainesville would lose its mind. Gainesville weather isn't stereotypical Florida weather. We are inland and don't feel any of the warmth from the Gulf or Atlantic Ocean. It will be 30 degrees in Gainesville tonight with 15 mph winds. Tomorrow the high is 43 degrees. I know most of you have colder temperatures.....how cold is it where you live? 

Ebay has actually been pretty hot for me. I've sold 58 items this month so far. Considering I only have 200 listed, I feel pretty good about it. Here are a few recent sales: 

          Tori Richard Hawaiian Shirt 

                         Cost: $3.49 

                        Sold: $39.99 

     Ralph Lauren 2012 Olympics Shirt

I was very happy to find this shirt. Any Ralph Lauren Olympic item is a great sale. This shirt was even new with tags! 

                         Cost: $4.29 

                        Sold: $42.00 

     Tracy McGrady Adidas Highschool 

Jersey. 3XL. The jersey appeared brand new. I thought it would sell for more...

                         Cost: $4.29 

                        Sold: $23.99

       Sears Vintage 2XL Nightgown 

                         Cost: $0.00

                        Sold: $17.99 

      Popeye Vintage Sweatshirt NWT 

I found both the nightgown and sweatshirt in the closet of my elderly friend. We share the profits. 

                       Cost: $0.00

                      Sold: $22.00 

     Brooks Brothers Camel hair Jacket 

I accepted a very low offer on this jacket, after several counter offers. I figured it the person wanted the jacket that bad, why not? I still made a great profit. 

                         Cost: $6.00 

                        Sold: $57.50 

       Disney Hawaiian Shirt: NWOT 

                         Cost: $4.49 

                        Sold: $49.99 

   Joe's Jeans Snake Print Skinny Jeans 

                         Cost: $0.00 

                        Sold: $17.99 

     Notre Dame Champion Windbreaker 

I had to include this jacket. It was one of my worst sales of all time. By the time I paid for shipping and the ebay fees, I should've just donated the jacket. 

                         Cost: $3.00 

                         Sold: $6.75 

Stay Warm everybody!!!! 

USPS is HIGH!

Have you seen the USPS rate increases? USPS is high in more ways than one! A $3.00 raise on large flat rate boxes, $1.10 raise on padded envelopes and $1.55 for small flat rate boxes. It's just CRAZY! 

So, what can we do about it? Is there any way around paying such high prices? They have no idea how the large increases crush small business owners. I can understand rate increases but these increases are drastic. Any suggestion for ways to lower the costs? 

I sold two items today. I'll share those but really just wanted to blow off steam about the USPS. 

                       Cost: $3.50 

                      Sold: $39.99 

           Joe's Jeans: Honey Fit 

                       Cost: $1.00 

                      Sold: $19.99 

On a lighter note I have a new assistant: 

Short Term Goals

I loved everyone's reason for selling on eBay. Thank you for sharing!

I keep myself motivated by breaking my ebay selling into a series of short term goals. Each goal generally involves a new destination to explore. I'd much rather visit the world than own a bunch of stuff. For 2016, my goal is match every dollar I spend on a trip with a dollar paid on my medical bills. My present short term goals include: 

1. Save $500 for Las Vegas trip 

2. Save for deposit and first month payment on a new place to live ($2000) 

3. Begin saving for summer East Coast trip 

* Pay the same amount on my credit card 

How do you stay motivated? What short term goals do you have? 

Here are a few sales from the weekend that will help me achieve my goals: 

Facconable tie NWT. Facconable will be on my next A-Z list and is a brand I always look for. 

                         Cost: $4.00

                        Sold: $31.50 

                    Disney DVD Lot 

                         Cost: $6.00

                        Sold: $27.00 

          Lacoste vintage windbreaker 

                         Cost: $2.00 

                        Sold: $29.99 

        Big Star Maddie Bootcut Jeans

                          Cost: 60 cents 

                           Sold: $19.99

      Dries Van Noten women's jacket. This is the last item to sell from my AMAZING Goodwill visit in May. I accepted a best offer and was very excited to sell this beautiful jacket. 

                         Cost: $8.00

                        Sold: $74.00 

     MBT athletic walking shoes. MBT will also be on my next A-Z list. You want to find MBT shoes or sandals! 

                         Cost: $8.00

                        Sold: $59.99 

How have your sales been? What goals are you chasing?