She Thrifts

Thrift. Flip. Repeat.

2000! and other updates

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I reached my 2000th feedback over the weekend!  Kinda fun.  ( 2000Red star icon for feedback score in between 1,000 to 4,999)

I am nowhere near reaching my listing goal for the month, but I’ve picked up a BUNCH of treasures over the last couple weeks at two consignment sales and a MOPS rummage sale.  I’m hoping to get them all listed by the end of the month.

Last week was the JBF sale.  I didn’t consign, but I did shop both the first day of the sale and the half off day.  I found a decent number of items, including a bunch of loveys to flip, and a balance bike for my youngest.

 kason balance bike (2)

Last week was the sale I did consign at.  I took a bunch of my own kids’ old clothes, and some eBay rejects.  I priced everything super cheap, and marked them to be reduced as the sale went on.  I sold 2/3 of what I took, which is pretty good around here.  Consignment sales are still a new-ish thing in this area, and aren’t the crazy feeding frenzy they are other places.

I shopped the presale BUT – horror of horrors – forgot my phone at home.  Ugh!  I had taken it downstairs with me to take a picture of this HUGE monkey that I had sold.

 big monkey box (2)
Paid: $3 @ ys, Sold: $44.95 (27 days after listed)

I have a friend who sells Arbonne and she brings me boxes for shipping.  I thought she would get a kick out of what I had shipped in one of her boxes.  And she did.  But, unfortunately I left my phone downstairs, and because it wasn’t sitting on the counter by my keys I didn’t realize I had left home without it until it was too late.  So, I was much more cautious with my purchases than I would have been had I been able to look things up.  Biggest disappointment was that I left behind this Cranky set.  It was $15 for a used set.  Coulda shoulda woulda.

I also had an interesting CL sale this week.  I had picked up these used Buzz Lightyear wearable wings at Value Village a couple months ago. (Check out Amazon’s current listing!)

buzz wingsPush a button on your chest and the wings are *supposed* to pop out!

I had intended to sell them on eBay, but I could only get them to work sporadically.  I changed the batteries which didn’t fix the problem, and that was about the extent of my DIY fixing abilities.  So, rather than sell it on eBay and risk an unhappy buyer, I listed them on CL in hopes of recooping my initial investment.  And I did have a guy contact me to buy them, and when I met with him he explained to me that he wasn’t really worried about whether or not they worked consistently.  Because . . .  he and his two grown sons are trying to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest collection of Buzz Lightyear toys.  He was happy to add this one to his collection.

You never know what you’ll hear in the reselling biz.

Question: What is your de-linting, de-pilling, de-fuzzing magic trick?

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Has anyone used a sweater stone before?  I remember reading (somewhere, months ago) that they work really well for removing pilling/lint, etc, and at the time I saved it to my Amazon wish list.  Fast forward several months, and I have listed a bunch of different lots of fleece footy PJs (almost all of which have sold within the first two or three weeks, yay!).  A few are a bit pilly, which I did note in the description, but I started wondering what I could do about it.  Thus, I went back and found where I had saved the sweater stone on my Amazon wish list and read some reviews.  And – the reviews were mixed.  Some people say it’s the best thing ever, and works like a charm!  Others say it’s crumbly and a bit messy and not worth the hassle.  So I’m looking for a review or two (or more) of people I “know” who may have used a sweater stone.  Good, bad?  And are they really just for sweaters, or could they be used on other things?  Is anyone in the know?

Scotch packing tape used to be my go-to de-linting solution, but I am now trying to be a better steward of my tape resources (still running low, waiting for a good sale to stock up).  Because I didn’t plan ahead and needed something for de-pilling ASAP I went to a regular store looking for a sweater stone, with no luck.  I did end up buying the fabric shaver below, and while not perfect it does work remarkably well.  I’m trying to decide if I should just stick with it, or give the sweater stone a whirl. (TIP: When looking for these items in an actual store, try the laundry section where they sell irons, ironing boards, etc.  I tried the fabric/crafting section first and had zero luck.)

Or, if you have another de-linting, de-fuzzing, de-pilling solution, please share!

Question: What kind of packing tape do you prefer?

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I’ve almost run out of packing tape!  Not good in this line of work.  It’s been ages since I’ve even thought about it because I had my favorite Scotch packing tape (as shown above) on “Subscribe & Save” via Amazon, and I would automatically get a box of tape shipped to me each month.  Easy peasy.  I love the Scotch packing tape because it’s nice and thick, the smaller rolls are easy to use and don’t get all tangled up on themselves.  But, the price has been inching up, so I’ve skipped my last two shipments, and the small surplus I had stored up is gone.  I thought I’d take an informal survey and find out what brands other people like.  Maybe it’s time for me to switch things up.  I’ve tried a few other brands (including Duck and the generic Office Depot brands) but they seem thinner and more cheaply made, which makes them more difficult to use, and the extra aggravation isn’t worth the amount saved. 
Please share! 
What is your favorite packing tape? 
What’s your “buy” price? 
And where do you find it? 
Many thanks!
And Happy Halloween!
 

How I plan to pay for Christmas

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(This post contains a referral link.)

Everybody uses Swagbucks, right?  (If not you can sign up HERE.)  I have been a casual Swagbucker (aka Swaggernaut) for several years.  Over those years I have earned hundreds(!) of dollars in Amazon gift cards.  You can earn a lot of different things with Swagbucks, Amazon gift cards just happen to be my favorite.  I earned the Swagbucks for those gift cards at a fairly slow pace, around $15 per month.  BUT I’ve upped my game in the last week or two thanks to Louis @ Thrifting For A Living. He did a series on his blog about the different ways to increase the amount of Swagbucks you earn.  Most of his tips can be used by anyone with internet access.  I also adopted several that are especially helpful if you have a smartphone and access to Wifi.  Prior to reading his blog I only did the activities he covers in Part 1 of his Swagbucks series.  Now I am accumulating enough Swagbucks to earn the equivalent of a $5 gift card every 3 days.  I know, $5 every 3 days doesn’t sound like a whole lot.  But, over the course of a month it will add up to around $50.  My plan is to let my rewards accumulate, and by the time I am ready to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping, it won’t have to come out of my pocket.  Happy dance!  I am really pleased with how easy the tips were to follow, and how dramatically my earnings have increased.  Whether you’re brand new to Swagbucks, or are a casual user like I was, I suggest you check out his tips here if you haven’t already.  Thanks Louis!!

Awful April

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Uggghh.  I try not to complain *too much*, but geez, April was awful.  My worst sales month since January 2013.  I had about 2/3 of the sales that I had last month.  I know eBay can be a bit of a mystery at times, but my listings are at an all-time high, and I listed pretty consistently all month long.  I have a bit of everything in my store, at a range of prices.  Why the crummy sales?  Okay, okay, pity party is over.

It was rainy here last weekend so I didn’t get in any yard saling in, and the weekend before I went to four sales.  All four had a plethora of clothing for 25-50 cents, so I picked up quite a bit, and I’ve been listing it for two weeks now.  I’ve liked branching out into selling clothes, they sell pretty consistently, easy to store, ship, etc, but they really are a grind to list.  Not much fun at all.  Thankfully, a few have sold pretty quickly.

Nike Women’s Athletic Pants
Paid: $0.25 @ ys, Sold: $17.95 (1 day later)
Lynyrd Skynyrd Women’s Shirt
Paid: $0.25, Sold: $19.95 (5 days later)
Columbia Men’s Convertible Pants/Shorts
Paid: $2 @ rummage sale, Sold: $24.95 (7 days later)
Silver Walkstar FitFlops, Size 6
Paid: $2.80 @ VV, Sold: $39.95 + shipping to Canada (4 days later)

I bought another pair of FitFlops at VV at the same time I bought the above pair, got them home, and realized even though they appear identical, they are actually two different sizes.  Darn it.  I’ve heard of people listing shoes as replacements or for amputees, so I went ahead and did that.  No bites yet, though.

And a couple kid-related quick flips:

 

BABW Aladdin Lamp
Paid: $2.10 for bag of accessories @ VV, Sold (just lamp): $9.95 (2 days later)
5 I Spy Hardcover Books
Paid: $1.25 total at rummage sale, Sold: $19.95 (3 days later)

I fell 22 listings short of my listing goal for April.  I really thought I was going to make it, and then last weekend I came down with a miserable although short-lived flu bug.  And then my youngest got it.  Sometimes life just happens, huh?  I am going to shoot for 150 new listings again in May.




In a couple weeks the consignment sale I like best that I usually participate in is happening.  I still haven’t registered.  I keep waffling on whether or not to consign.  It’s kind of a time suck without a big payoff.

And, confession time, although I did quite a bit of Amazon related reading, I didn’t send anything in to FBA.  Fail.  There’s always this month though, right?

2014

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With the new year I have, of course, been thinking over the goals I would like to achieve in 2014.  

They include:

#1)  Keeping up with the boys.  I am still a busy mama with two young boys (ages 6 and 2), and they will always be my priority.  I know how lucky I am that I am able to stay home with them full-time.  I am very thankful to have found a way to contribute to the family budget while being with them, but I also know eBay could take over my life if I’d let it.  Sometimes I will need to put eBay on the back-burner of life, and just let it simmer.  And that’s okay.

#2)  Continue growing my eBay store.    I know it will be a slow grow.  But, I would like to eventually get my store up to 1000 items, and then try to hold steady.

#3)  Continue to branch out, but also list what I love.  It’s gotten to the point where I feel like I could list pretty much anything, and I do.  And while I am always happy to find a hot item that sells for big bucks, I also enjoy some smaller sales too.  Some kids clothes or plush may not bring in a lot of money, but if I enjoy buying and selling them – then it’s worth it.  I want this “job” to stay fun as well as profitable.

#4)  Tackle Amazon!  I’ve procrastinated long enough.  I’ve sold a few things myself, but still haven’t ventured into FBA territory.  This is the year.

#5)  Continue attending my local eBay sellers Meet-Up group.  I found it on a fluke, and have been attending regularly for almost a year.  Even when the topic of the month isn’t something that I am especially interested in, I am always happy that I showed up.  There’s something great about sitting in a room with like-minded people who totally get the eBay/Amazon/Etsy draw to selling online.

#6)  Continue to write this blog.  I love reading the blogs of other sellers, and I am always happy to be able to pay it forward when I come across a BOLO.  I value the connections and friendships this blog has afforded, and for that I thank all of you.

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January is going to be a very busy month for me, so I am keeping my listing goal conservative at 100.




Happy New Year to all!

August Goals

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July was a bit of a crazy month for me, and August promises to be even more so.  Most importantly, we are supposed to get the keys to our new house this afternoon.  YAY!  I know that it will be the start of a ton of work, but it’s still exciting. 

Sales seemed to pick up a bit for me in July, both in quantity and quality (some higher-priced items were selling).  I sold a total of 88 items.  

ALSO, I sold my first two items on Amazon!  I found a steal of a deal on a brand new set of books that I had previously sold on eBay.  I bought 4 sets for around $20/each, and two have already sold for $100 + shipping.  I still haven’t ventured into FBA, I just shipped them out myself.

I set a low listing goal in July of 100 new items, which I was able to meet.  

 

My family spent some time with my inlaws this last weekend, and I forgot my camera at their house.  (!!!!)  They are about a two hour drive away.  My MIL is incredibly kind and immediately put it in the mail to me (without my even asking her to), but I feel like I’ve been scraping the bottom of the barrel as to what I have left to list that is already photographed.  In a way, it’s good – some of these things have been languishing unlisted too long.  On the other hand, I’m ready to photograph and list some new/different/fun items.

As I said before, this next month will be a bit crazy with moving and all.  I am going to keep my listing goal low again at 100 new items.



I’ll share photos of the new digs soon.  I’ll have a big storage room AND an office just for eBay.  Hooray!