She Thrifts

Thrift. Flip. Repeat.

Favorite Flips Friday, Costume Edition

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I just had the worst week of sales – probably the worst week I have had in years. Dismal. But instead of dwelling on it, I thought I would share with you something that has been selling. Costumes!

Seems random, right? Talking about costumes in January?

Costumes are one of my favorite things to sell. In September and October 2017, I sold a LOT of costumes, and those two months were some of my highest sales months ever.

Unfortunately I timed things wrong after Halloween that year and I missed out on all of the post-Halloween costume sales. I wait until stores have costumes at 90% off, and unfortunately I waited too long and missed out on the good sales. Which meant that when Halloween season 2018 rolled around my sales dropped dramatically from the year before because I had almost no costumes left to sell.

Fast forward to post-Halloween, 2018 and I was determined to stock up once again on costumes. And stock up I did. This year I timed it exactly right and shopped 90% off sales at three different stores, and purchased around $500 worth of costumes (making the retail cost around $5000!). Costumes are pretty easy to list, so I got them all up in a month or so. And guess what? They’re already selling. Below you will find images of costumes that I purchased in November, 2018 that have sold in the last month and a half or so. A handful of those shown have had multiple sales of the same costume.

The costumes above are mostly just bread and butter sales, nothing jaw dropping.

Yard sales are also a good place to pick up costumes, I have picked up some in years past selling for $$$! (Adult talking Eeyore/Pooh costumes have been my highest sellers!)

If you’re interested in past costume sales I have posted about them quite a bit in the past. You can find some of them HERE.

Have you had any costume related flips you were excited about? I would love to hear about them!

Favorite Flips Friday, 1/11/19

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Here are a few of my better or faster flips from the last week.

I found this Maleficent dragon toy in a tub when doing a playroom purge, and set it aside to list. I’m not sure what I paid for it, or when I even bought it.
Sold: $12.95 (2 days after listed)

I had this blanket with a lot of 5 other Aden & Anais swaddlers, and was contacted a couple months ago asking if I would sell just this one on its own. It’s a lot of work to do that, so I declined. Earlier this week she asked again, and said she would pay $30 for just the one blanket (I had the entire lot listed for $45 + shipping). I decided it was worth my while after all.

Paid: $1 @ rummage sale, Sold: $30
listed since July, 2018

I got the following water bottle for donating blood a couple weeks ago. It just sold today, and I got a really nice note from the buyer saying she knew they were only given to people who donate blood, and thanking me for being a blood donor. (One of my ongoing annual goals is to donate blood at least 5x each year.)

Free gift, Sold: $17.95 (6 days after listed)

I think this jacket sold once before and was returned. I love the cute bow pockets. The buyer has already received it, and left enthusiastic feedback.

Tulle Peacoat
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $29.95 (listed since March, 2016)
Calvin Klein dress
Paid: $1.50 @ rummage sale, Sold: $29.95 (8 days after listed)
Circo blanket
Paid: $3 @ ys, Sold: $34.95 (21 days after listed)
Creative Memories baby boy lot
Paid: $10 @ consignment sale, Sold: $49.95 + shipping
(4 days after listed)

Overall my listing was fairly consistent and my sales ticked up a bit.

How were your sales this week?

Possible BOLO: Tattoo Books

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I was helping a patron this week at the library who was trying to track down the tattoo book above. While the library does own some tattoo books, our collection is never as big as we would like because (1) the books are generally expensive and (2) they are some of the most frequently stolen and/or never returned books.

The specific book he was looking for sells for over $200 on Amazon, and has one recent sale on eBay for almost $150.

Pretty much any tattoo books I come across I would give at least a second look. There are definitely some titles worth picking up. Check out some eBay completeds here.

Happy hunting!

Favorite Flips Friday, 1/4/19

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Here are some of my better sales from the last week or so. Some of it was really old inventory ~ always nice to see old listings go.

Plush and baby items are still my favorite things to sell. The following five items sold for $24.95 each.

  • Paid: $2 @ BBD
    (listed since May, 2018)
  • Paid: $1.99 @ GW
    (listed since Feb, 2017)
  • Paid: $2.39 @ FM
    (listed since Sept, 2017)
  • Paid: $1.49 @ VV (listed since Dec, 2018)
  • Paid: $3 @ MG (listed since April, 2015)
Charles Klein Ultrasuede Jacket
Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $30 + shipping
(listed since Sept, 2018)

The same person bought these two vintage items. The dress has a rather fabulous butt bow.

  • Roberta California Dress
    Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $29.95
    (listed since June, 2017)
  • Perry Ellis Wool Coat
    Paid: $2 @ VV, Sold: $44.95 + shipping
    (listed since March, 2018)
Paid: ? @ ys, Sold: $39.95 (listed since Aug, 2015)
GANZ Reindeer
Paid: $3.98 @ VV, Sold: $49.95 (listed since Oct, 2015)

Did you have any good flips over the holidays? I would love to hear about them!

Changes in 2018

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It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. Things have changed quite a bit for me in the last few months, work-wise.

Before my kiddos were born I worked full-time as a librarian. After my oldest was born I resigned from my full-time job, and have been subbing ever since, working just a bit here and there. But in 2018 two of my coworkers retired. And, for whatever reason, the decision was made not to replace them. But of course the work still needs to be done. So, I have been subbing . . . almost every single day.

It’s good and bad. The best thing is that they will take pretty much any hours I can give so I generally just work when my boys are in school. I mostly enjoy my job. I like the people I work with, and I enjoy helping the patrons. The money is nice too.

But . . .
It means eBay is put on the backburner.
It means my schedule isn’t so much my own.
It means I have a backlog of yard sale treasures from last summer that have yet to be listed because my time is so much more limited.
It means my sales are WAY down.

I am still eBaying, but not to the extent I have in the past. When I am good (which I try to be most days) I get up at 5 a.m. and get 5 new items listed, and then package up my sales for the day to drop off at the PO on my way to work.

When I’m not so good a day or two or three can slip by with no new listings going up. My sales are down from the past year, which isn’t great but is to be expected.

I have no plans to quit eBaying, but there are also no signs that my work schedule will slow down in the near future, so this seems to be my new normal.

I do miss blogging and want to check in again more often, but if I’m somewhat sporadic I hope this helps explain why.

How did the last half of 2018 treat you? I would love to hear about it!

Big Summer Goals: 9

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I was consistent with my listing the first half of the week, and then I got wrapped up in a big project which diverted a lot of my attention at the end of the week.

Last week I listed 37 new items, for a total of 567 listings since June 1.

My 31 day sales are actually up, for the first time in weeks.  Which actually just emphasizes how crummy my sales were in July, because you can see my sales compared to last year are still down by a lot.

At this point I *think* that this will be a less hectic week, and that I should be able to re-focus on my eBaying.  But, you know, summer.  So we shall see.

Conspiracy Theory – update

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Do you remember when I (only kind of jokingly) mentioned my eBay conspiracy theory?

So, on Sunday I listed 12 new items, all of which I listed by finding a like item already listed in my store and using “sell similar”.  When I woke up on Monday morning I had one sale and one offer – both on items I had used as the basis of a “sell similar”.  And I got an offer on another of my “sell similar” items by lunchtime.

Three of the 12 had offers or sold within a 12 hour window of using “sell similar”.  And it’s not like those were new or exciting listings.


Sold overnight, listed since February, 2018


Got an offer overnight that I countered, listed since April, 2018


Got an offer before lunch (that I accepted), listed since August, 2016 (!!!)

So, all plush because that is what I was listing on Sunday.

But, still, it’s weird, right?

Of course it could just be a coincidence.

Maybe?

Maybe not?

Big Summer Goals: Week 7/Week 8

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Sorry I flaked on my update last week.  I didn’t have anything great to report (again), so I just procrastinated …. until an entire week went by.

Last week I listed 41 new items, for a total of 484 listings since June 1.

Sales were still down.

This week I listed 46 new items.

Since June 1 this puts my grand total at 530 new listings.

Again, sales are still down.

I think I have been focusing too much on my weekly goals (which resulted in procrasting the first half of the week and then trying to make up for it at the end of the week – and almost always falling short).  I somehow lost sight of the fact that this whole thing was supposed to be about CONSISTENCY which means doing the smaller number of listings day after day after day after day after day.  So that is what I am working on in August – meeting my original, smaller, attainable listing goal every single day.

Onward.

Big Summer Goals: Week 6

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I hit my listing goal this week.  What I really need to start doing is exceeding my listing goal because there have weeks where I’ve fallen behind.  If I am going to have any chance of actually hitting my big goal I need to make up some ground now.

Anyway.

This week I listed 77 new items.

Since June 1 this puts my grand total at 443 new listings.

Sales this week are my worst in months.  This whole summer has been pretty awful, but this week took the cake.  I am actually feeling pretty discouraged about it all.  I know last year sales were slow in the summer and picked up again in August.  I am hoping that happens this year too, but I dunno.  I really don’t know what to think.

In addition to listing, I am also trying to keep up on getting my newly listed inventory put away.  Also, keeping my tax info updated.  Also, I am still updating my listings that are mysteriously missing photos.  And I have been trying to cross post most of my new clothing listings to Poshmark.  And hang out with my kiddos and have fun since they are on summer break.  It’s a lot to juggle.

Onward to a fresh new week!